Erica Worden recently started working as an inflight crewmember for a low cost airline. She is here to tell us what it’s like to work for an airline as well as provide some helpful information regarding budget airlines.
Q: Flight attendant, stewardess, inflight crewmember, whatever the title- we know them, we love them, but many of us don’t know much about this career. Erica, why did you decide to become an inflight crewmember and what training did you go through?
A: Being a flight attendant was something that I always wanted to do. Recently, a pilot friend of mine posted something on Facebook about Jet Blue hiring, and I decided why not? Maybe now is the time!
I made it though the first interview, which was on Skype. Then I attended the second round in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which was the closest interview to me at the time because my husband and I happened to be vacationing nearby. I participated in an all-day group interview with about 50 or 60 other candidates, which was a unique experience. A couple of days later, back home in California, I got called with the job offer for their Boston base! Everyone who was hired during that hiring period then attended the same four-week training.
Q: What was your training like in those four weeks?
A: The training was really intense. About 95% of it was about emergency procedures. We also spent time learning about service and the culture at Jet Blue. There were endless tests, and the requirements were high. It’s actually all kind of a blur to me now.
Q: Now that you an employee, what are some of the best perks of working for an airline?
A: That’s probably the number one reason why most people take the job. With my airline, my husband, my parents, and I all have unlimited travel benefits on Jet Blue on a standby basis. This means we can go anywhere Jet Blue flies, on any day of the year, given there is room available. Then, after I’ve been with the company for 6 months, we can also fly on any of our partner airlines, which is a pretty extensive list. There are probably seventy-five or so airlines we are partnered with!
I also receive discounts on hotels and other travel affiliates. In addition, while full time is only seventy-five hours a month, we still receive full health care benefits.
Q: With these partner airlines, do you still fly completely free and on standby?
A: Pretty much. It’s a little bit different if we fly internationally. In that case, we have to pay taxes. And depending on the distance, we also have to pay a ZED fee (Zonal Employee Discount), which is pretty insignificant, like 20 dollars.
Q: What are some of the challenges of your new job?
A: My number one challenge for sure is the schedule. I don't have a set route or schedule. All new hires are on “reserve” so I am on call for 12 hours at a time, and I have to be able to report ready to go within two hours of being called in. I know the days that I will be on call one month in advance, but I don’t know until the day before or even the morning of where I’m going, what time I have to report, or how many days I’m going to be gone. There are some days that I’m on airport standby, when I sit in the airport in full uniform for 6 hours in case they need me. And sometimes they don’t call me on at all, but at least I get paid to sit there.
I’m considering moving to Austin. If so, I will always need to fly out the day before I am on call and stay at my crashpad ready to go. I am based in Boston, so all of my flights have to start here.
The good new is, other airlines look out for each other. We’re all in the same industry, so if I need to commute from one city and I am in uniform with my ID, I can hop on any other airline if mine is booked up. We are all friends and all take care of each other when we need it.
Q: You mentioned your “crashpad.” I’m assuming that you share that with other flight attendants. How does that work?
A: Yes. So basically, it’s a three-bedroom apartment with bunk beds and four of us to a room. I only pay $275 a month including everything, even transportation to the airport. I share it with nine other people, however everyone’s schedule is different so there are rarely more than three people here at one time.
Q: Does the airline set that up for you?
A: Not exactly. People who work in this industry know that housing is a need, so there are many buildings set up specifically for crashpads. The buildings aren’t affiliated with the airlines, but Jet Blue helped us make the connections. At our training, there was a binder with lists of ads for crashpads in Boston, and I used the provided contact information to arrange it on my own. I feel really lucky because the one I picked is really nice and close to the airport, but I’ve heard that some other houses aren’t quite so comfortable.
Q: When you fly somewhere and have to stay the night, does the airline set up your hotel?
A: Yes, they provide and arrange lodging. All I have to do is sign in and pick up the key. They are very nice hotels too, which is great because a trip can be anywhere from a one to a four day job, and I can end up in three different hotels on one outing.
Q: You must be turning into an expert at packing! What are some great packing tips that you have learned in this experience?
A: So for me, I have to be prepared for any weather because I could be laid over in San Juan and the next day in Buffalo. I think the most important thing is to not over pack. You don’t want to be stuck carrying a huge, heavy bag filled with stuff you aren’t going to use. You can always wash stuff in the sink if you need. I like to pack one pair of jeans that I can wear a few times. I always pack a swimsuit no matter where I am booked because you never know if there will be a hot tub in your hotel or whatever. I always keep flip-flops and a sundress. In fact, I had to buy a ridiculous leopard print sundress at Walgreens the other day because I didn’t have one, and now I will never forget to pack that!
As far as toiletries go, I’m allowed to carry any size of liquids that I want as a flight attendant, but I still don’t carry full sizes because I don’t need that much. I rarely even bring my own shampoo and conditioner because that is always available in the hotel, and I’m not picky about certain products.
The most important thing to not forget is your charger! When you are in a new city, your lifeline is being able to navigate around and use Yelp and everything, and you need your phone to do that!
Q: Let’s talk a bit about budget airlines. Many people may not know much about them. How are they different from other airlines?
A: I’m not an expert on other budget airlines, but in general, the biggest way that an airline can reduce their cost and lower the price for the customer is by having “no frills”. They don’t provide meals or snacks, charge extra for things like checked bags, and some have even started charging for carry-ons. Selling items on board like food and drink provide additional revenue to the company. A lot of budget airlines offer only the basics. However, that being said, Jet Blue is definitely the exception. We offer free everything, including snacks, checked bags, and wifi. We still don’t offer full meals for free.
One of the biggest ways that we save money is that we don’t have a lot of connecting flights. We only fly direct flights, which are more efficient. This lowers costs in fuel and staffing as well as costs associated with landing in an airport and gate fees. You don’t see a lot of Jet Blue cities in the Midwest. We are mostly only along the east coast and Caribbean, with a few west coast airports.
Q: Do budget airlines cut costs with seats?
A: Jet Blue has the most legroom in coach of all budget carriers, but in general I would say that budget airlines tend to skimp on comfort and space. Some sell upgrades to seats with extra space, which as an additional revenue source to offset our costs.
Q: Does the lower cost affect employee wages at all?
A: No I don’t think so. I think that our pay is pretty competitive with other airlines. I mean, flight attendants don’t make much starting out. Once you put in your time you can do pretty well, but the base pay is fairly low. If you stick with it, you can make decent money and have a great schedule, but it takes time.
Q: What advice can you give for people interested in booking with a budget airline?
A: I’m a firm believer in websites like Kayak that search all of the websites for you to get the best price because you’ll find that sometimes the budget airlines aren’t even the best price. I also don’t like to limit myself to one particular airline. A lot of airlines advertise that you will find the best price on their website, which is true sometimes because some airlines, like Southwest, don’t list in travel search engines.
You also have to try the airlines out to know the value. Sometimes that extra $100 is worth the better experience.
Always be aware of hidden fees and costs. Are they going to charge you to check a bag, carry on a bag, book online instead of calling, or printing your boarding pass at the airport? You need to be aware of all the hidden fees out there, because those fees can really add up if you aren't careful!
Thank you to Erica Worden for taking the time to share this information with us! I loved learning about flight attendant life and I’m excited to try out some more budget airlines!
Erica doesn’t yet have a blog, but her husband Chris does! Check out his website here.
If you are interested in learning more, here is a list of all budget airlines.
Do you want help finding a good deal on a flight? Schedule a 30-minute consultation with me today.
