What are the pros and cons of being a flight attendant?

The pros of being a flight attendant are getting to see the world and flight benefits, while the cons are missing important life events and having difficulty sustaining relationships.

• Pros:

  Perhaps one of the biggest (and most obvious) pros of being a flight attendant is that you are basically paid to travel the world. If this is the right job for you, traveling the world and waking up in a different country, state, or city will be an awesome feeling that you will never get tired of.

  The length of your stay in each place can vary from twenty-four hours to seventy-two hours, depending on the airline. If it is a regional or low-cost airline, you will normally have a short stopover, but you will usually have at least some time to go sightseeing or explore a fun, new restaurant.

  The best part is all expenses are included. You will have a meal allowance to help you cover the cost of food, and your hotel will always be paid for (with a minimum 4-star rating). In addition to seeing the world while you are on duty, you will also be able to travel the world off-duty for practically nothing.

  With your own airline and on domestic flights, most flight attendants fly for free or may have to pay a small fee like airport taxes. The only downside to these benefits is that you are typically flying on standby and will not have a guaranteed seat. The other nice part about the travel benefits is that with most airlines your friends and family get them, too.

• Cons:

  While these benefits are definitely enticing, it is important to consider the drawbacks to a career as a flight attendant as well. One of the biggest cons is the fact that you travel all of the time. This means that you are gone a lot and will go for long periods of time without seeing friends or family.

  This can mean missing out on important events like holidays, baby showers, and weddings. Many flight attendants who have been with their company for over ten years claim that they are still working most holidays, including Christmas every year.

  This is largely due to the fact that it is the busiest travel time of the year, so time off is very limited.

  While you can attempt to request days off ahead of time, there is no 100% guarantee that you will get them, especially during the busy seasons (holidays and summer months). This can also mean that it is difficult to maintain relationships while working as a flight attendant.

  When you are just starting out, you are on standby or on reserve for long periods of time. This can be weeks, months, or even years. This means that you are at the beck and call of the airline and you don't really know when you will be on shift and when you won't. You have zero control over your schedule or your time.

  This means that making plans is pretty much impossible because you don't know when your schedule will allow for anything. It can be difficult for partners, spouses, or friends to understand this lifestyle and to accept that you are going to be gone for four to five days at a time with only two to four days off in between trips.

  The bottom line is that there are a whole lot of challenges that come with life as a flight attendant, but if you are someone who loves meeting people and traveling, this may just be the perfect job for you.