Contributed by traveller Kristen, a former airline stewardess who has a background in law, and a lifetime’s worth of experiences having travelled the world. She now works in communication and has found that there’s nothing quite like the written word. And loves every bit of it.
When I was a little girl, I wanted to travel the world like my father. He was an air-steward with Malaysia Airlines and I always thought it was the coolest job because he got to visit so many countries and when he got home, his bag would always be filled with goodies for my siblings and me.
At 24, after almost having given up on my law degree, I was granted the exact same chance with my own set of wings with Singapore Airlines. I undoubtedly had the best time of my life and while a flight attendant’s job seems like a glamourous one, it has its downsides too, hidden beneath their well-groomed appearance and perfect smile.
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Here are some of the many pros and cons I’ve witnessed while being an SQ Cabin Crew.
The pros of being an airline stewardess
1. Changes your perspective of the world
When you talk to seniors about their memories and life experiences, most of them would tell you that some of their most beautiful and meaningful moments occurred when they stepped outside of their comfort zone.
Travelling exposes you to different cultures, people, languages, sights, smells and honestly, if you’ve ever gotten the chance to travel in your lifetime, you are one of the lucky ones as not many people are blessed and privileged enough to do so.
As a crew, I felt this to be my biggest takeaway from the job as my mindset changed and my narrow-minded perspectives on how I viewed the world and people changed as well.
2. No OT for me, thanks
You rarely ever hear of a job without overtime (OT) hours, but for a flight attendant, that’s an everyday privilege.
Yes, when you’re called for a flight, you have to work hard on board but once the plane lands and the passengers disembark, you are done with work. As a crew for 2 years, I always got to end work on time and there never was a need to follow up after work, except for the de-briefing we have as a team once we’re at our hotels.
After all, it’s only fair that flight attendants never have to work overtime because on an average, they work onboard for long-haul flights 3 times a week, on an average. And trust me, that can be exhausting enough.
3. A different city every other day
I count my lucky stars every day for the chance I got to wake up one day in this country and be in another country the next.
The fact that I got to be in bustling Tokyo one moment, and the next thing I knew, I was in high-street Milan. I got to sleep in different hotel rooms in different cities, every other day and when I was there, I also got to take it all in my stride – the food, people, culture.
I loved every bit of it.
4. Better shopping experience
This strikes a chord with every crew I’ve ever flown with and honestly, no one gets better first dibs.
You skip paying the shipping fees and everything from branded goods, food, souvenirs are more reasonably priced. For example, if you like Coach or Louis Vuitton, you should always go to the main outlets in France, Paris. Not only would you notice the vast price difference, but you’d also know that the quality is the crème of the crop, for what you’re paying for.
And plus, when it comes to branded goods, you can also claim your VAT (value-added tax) overseas.
5. Travelling with new friends
Despite hearing of many flight attendant horror stories and rumours about work politics, I’m thankful I never had to experience any of that in my 2 years of flying.
Many people might fret and say that travelling as a flight attendant is not as great as a holiday because you can’t choose the people you’re with. And while this may be true for some people who are introverts and are uncomfortable with meeting new people, the social butterflies (like me) had a blast. I met plenty of awesome crew in my time as a flight attendant and if you’re lucky, it can be like travelling with friends.
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The cons of being an airline stewardess
1. Unpredictable income
As a young and independent adult, being an air-stewardess gave me the financial stability I needed to jumpstart my career. I was earning way above the average income, especially as a Malaysian working in Singapore and I was basking in my own independence, as I didn’t have to rely on my parents for anything.
On a good month, I’d rake in about $6k a month + allowances, depending on the countries I was scheduled for. But unfortunately, it isn’t always like this. Some of my former cabin crew friends have had to face the backlash from the SARS outbreak, and now in 2020, the Covid-19. These are the down-times when a crew would solely rely on their basic income, but that alone is nothing much than what we’re already so accustomed to.
2. Always missing out on special occasions and important events
Among the many downsides of being a cabin crew, the one that laments this particular ‘con’ would be the fact that we would always miss out on spending time with our loved ones.
This is when the intense periods of loneliness struck – I would often feel homesick and always had the fear of missing out (FOMO) when I’d have to miss out on special occasions and important events. Like the time I missed my mother’s birthday when the family decided to throw her, her first birthday party, or like the time I missed out on a gathering for my grandmother.
Despite the excitement of being in a different country with new friends, this is a feeling that’s very hard to shake-off because precious moments like this are hard to come by.
3. Applying for leave is difficult
While the workforce in other professions may get to have off-days over the weekends, this is something totally foreign to a cabin crew.
It always depends on your flight schedule but even if you apply for leave, there might be a chance that it may not get approved. Usually, we would have to find someone to replace our flight schedule or we’d have to make a ‘trade’ with another crew but otherwise, applying one year in advance would be the most advisable.
And what about Public Holidays? They never applied anyway.
4. Health issues and jet lag problems
On happy days when my off-days were granted and I got to catch-up with my family and friends, I also had other matters to deal with – catching up on sleeping and resting my body.
As a crew, you’d spend most of the duration of a flight standing up. You’d have to push carts, help passengers with their luggage and attend to everyone’s needs and fancy. This takes a toll on your body and this is the queue to rest and sleep.
But once you touch-down at your destination, sleeping is the last thing you’d think about (unless it’s night-time and no shops are opened). Exploring different countries on so little sleep also meant that I didn’t get to fully take in all that these countries had to offer – almost like a wasted trip.
It doesn’t help that we already have to wake up at ungodly hours and be exposed to UV radiation on-board an airplane.
Flying sky-high was a dream that came true for me. Despite the toll it took on my sleeping schedule and how it cost me invaluable time with my friends and family, I am happy that I got to witness the world for myself as these are things no money can ever buy.
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