Why We Became Flight Attendants

In this episode, we’re sharing the story that started it all leading us to a life at 35,000 feet. We’re rewinding the clock and taking you through our very first steps into the world of aviation. From spotting a newspaper ad to late-night wine-fueled job applications, our journeys to the jump seat couldn’t have been more different—but they both led us to a career we absolutely love.

If you've ever been curious about the real-life process behind becoming a flight attendant—or thought it was just about slinging drinks in the sky—this one’s for you. We’re peeling back the curtain on the interview process, training challenges, and all the reasons why we still can’t get enough of this high-flying lifestyle. Whether you're thinking of joining the skies or just love a good origin story, come along for the ride.

Episode Highlights:

[0:26] Why we’re telling our own flight attendant origin stories.
[1:01] Andrew’s spontaneous jump into aviation thanks to a newspaper ad.
[3:43] Rich’s burnout moment, a couch, a glass of wine, and a whim job search.
[7:21] Comparing our totally different interview processes—paper apps vs. phone screens.
[13:36] The eye-opening realities of flight attendant training (spoiler: no, it’s not just drink service).
[16:59] Switching airlines: Drew’s leap from regional to mainline after a decade in the skies.
[20:39] What keeps us flying—the flexibility, the crew camaraderie, and the thrill of the takeoff.
[23:45] Our love for this life and why we’re probably lifers.
[24:44] How you can share your own flight attendant journey with us for #FlightAttendantFriday.  

Links & Resources:

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Transcript

Andrew: 0:00

Welcome back, friends. Today we're talking about why we became flight attendants, where we started in aviation.

Rich: 0:07

Ever wondered what your flight attendants are really talking about behind the galley curtain? Welcome

Andrew: 0:12

to Two guys on a plane. Your go to podcast for an insider look at flight attendant life.

Rich: 0:16

We're your hosts, rich and Drew, and we're here to tell you what really goes on at 35,000 feet. So

Unknown: 0:22

sit back, relax. We're ready for takeoff.

Rich: 0:26

Today's episode, we're gonna dive into why Andrew and I became flight attendants in the first place. Everybody has their story to share. As you guys know, with our flight attendant Friday series that we do each week, we feature flight attendants from all around the world, sharing their stories about why they became flight attendants, why they started in aviation, and why they love flying. We figured, what better way to kick off our podcast than with a little bit of behind why Andrew and I became flight attendants in the first place? So Andrew, what? What first drew you to flying, what first made you apply to be a flight attendant in the first place? Oh my gosh,

Andrew: 1:01

you're gonna make me go that far this early in the day. Yeah, I am. You're gonna make me roll back that far today. You've had coffee. I have had coffee. You're right. Okay, well, I was probably a junior in college. I was home on summer break and really just trying to figure out what I wanted to do with life. I wasn't really feeling the major that I had picked, and I was home on summer break, and I was really trying to figure out, should I go back to college? What should I really do with my life? And my brother called me, and I'm gonna give away my age here, but my brother called me and was like, I found this ad in a newspaper, and I think this would be a really fun job. And, yes, it was a newspaper ad. Like, hilarious. So, yeah, I sat down and thought about it, and it was real quick, like it was the newspaper ad was for, like, it was a Monday, and the application process was for, like, Friday. I was young. I was like, 19 or 20 at the time, I think, and my parents were out of town, and I was really torn on what to do, because it sounded like a fun summer job, but what if it was more than that? I didn't really know anything about aviation. All I know that I was committing, would have to be able to commit to six weeks worth of training based on what this newspaper ad said. And I was like, oh my god, this is a big commitment. So

Rich: 2:20

an unpaid training too, a lot of people. So I didn't even know that. We didn't even, like, know that just

Andrew: 2:27

going to an interview, like it was an open call for an interview. So I called a trusted friend at the time, and because my parents were out of town, and I was like, What should I do? Like, I just do I drive to Nashville and take this chance? Or do I I don't even know what to do. Thankfully, the friend gave me some really good advice, and I ended up in a car on my way to Nashville to go to an interview for a flight attendant job. That's

Rich: 2:54

cool. I mean, I love that story. I feel like a lot of flight attendants out there kind of got to this point in life where they're like, Okay, now what, like, what am I doing with my life? And it's like, a lot of people think, oh, maybe this will be a fun summer gig. Maybe this will be a year or two thing where I go see as many places as I can in the world, and then kind of move on with my life. And then, on the flip side, you've got people who for lifers from from the get go and and they are staying in aviation? Yeah,

Andrew: 3:21

from the interview process, I had no idea. I thought it would be a fun summer job. I didn't know that summer was gonna training was gonna encompass my whole summer. So yeah, that is kind of how I got started. It was really, really by chance, because I was just kind of struggling to figure out whether to go to college or not. What about you? Where? Where did you start? Where did I start?

Rich: 3:43

Where was I at in life? Let me take it back. It wasn't a newspaper ad. That's not a dig. It might be a little bit, but I was working for a nonprofit at the time, and the work I was doing was so rewarding and so fulfilling. You know, I just felt like every day I was kind of impacting people's lives, but at the same time, I was kind of burning the candle at both ends. I was stressed out. I was working. I was always answering emails. I was thinking about work. Even when I wasn't at work, I'd call out sick, and I'd still be thinking about work or answering emails. And I couldn't even pay my bills at that time, too. And I just was like, There's got to be more to life than this. Like I wanted to work with people. I knew that, but I wanted a job where I felt like, you know, I could close my mind at the end of the day from work and not have to think about it. And so I remember I was sitting in I was living in Washington, DC, at the time, and I was sitting on my couch. I was I had a roommate, and he wasn't home at the time. I don't think, I think he was out with friends, and I'm sitting there, I'm drinking wine. I'm just, I

Unknown: 4:55

mean, I've deserved that

Rich: 4:57

after the newspaper comment. So it's. Totally fine, and I'm sitting there having a couple glasses of wine, and I'm just, you know, the Sunday scaries that I think a lot of nine to five people relate to, where it's like, I don't want to go to work tomorrow. This just, I don't want to do this anymore, right? And so I started Googling, like, dream jobs that people have. And, I mean, these, some of the things that came up were, like, insane. It was like, scuba diving instructor. And I was like, I can barely swim, so you don't want to be a scuba diver instructor. I can't swim. Andrew, not Well anyway, I can, like, doggy paddle. But yeah, so I mean, I just, I was like, that's not gonna work. And flight attendant was one of the things that popped up. And I'd known a couple flight attendants here and there. Always thought it was an interesting job, but never really saw myself doing that, I think, kind of like the general public. I thought, is this just like serving drinks in the sky? I don't know if that's for me, come to find out, is way deeper than that, way more than way deeper, way more intense than that. But I, anyways, I applied that night on a whim, and I had a few glasses of wine, I just submitted my resume. It was a very simple, like, I Googled who was hiring. It was like, three or four airlines at the time, uploaded my resume and like, little cover letter that I edited slightly, and honestly, just kind of didn't think much about it. It was almost like in that moment, it was just my, like, get me through my Sunday scaries. I'll apply for a fun job to make myself feel better and not think twice about it. Cut to Tuesday of that week. Two days later, I get a phone call, and I was like, what, who? And I jumped out of my office. My boss was there. And Monday two Mondays and Tuesdays were like, our busiest days. And I remember jumping out into the courtyard at work and be like, hey, yeah, you know, I have time to chat. She's like, great, we want to interview for the flight attendant job. And I was like, what, you know that meme where the face is like, the, what that was my face in that moment. And so we had like, a 30 minute phone interview right there on the spot. And then she's like, Great, we'll We'll fly you in for an in person interview, and we'll go from there. And I just, I didn't even know what I'd signed up for. I hadn't thought much about it. I hadn't gone deep diving into what that would look like. I just kind of ran with it at that point. But Well, I mean, letting did I know what the interview and training process was even going to look

Andrew: 7:21

like what's funny to me is how different the experiences are, because you obviously applied online. I answered a we talked about a newspaper ad, yeah, you bought or

Unknown: 7:31

the one bringing it up this

Andrew: 7:33

time, I am Yes, but that's funny to me because my interview process, I mean, I know you just talked about the phone interview, that's all you got to but my interview process was wild because I literally went to a hotel in Nashville, filled out a paper application with a 10 year like, background, right, work history, which I didn't have,

Unknown: 7:57

right? Like I barely have 10

Andrew: 7:58

years, right? I did not have 10 years, but I you know, they make you go back through your whole work history or 10 years, whatever it is. So I had to, like, figure all of that out, no cell phone or anything. So all my memory was doing the very best I could, hoping that I didn't lie on this application in any way, shape, form, because I didn't want to correct I wouldn't meant to. But it's not like I had my cell phone and to like Google up my remember my work history. We were like, so I'm sitting there being so nervous, trying to make sure that I get my full work history right, and all of my education and all of that's down right. And then it was like four basic questions that they asked. It wasn't anything crazy at all, like the whole room. The first part of the interview was them explaining what the job was and if that was something that we felt like we wanted to do, we could stay in the room. If we didn't stay in the room, then if we didn't think that was something that we were able to do, then we could excuse ourselves from the rest of the interview. Okay, then there was, like an introduction, because, you know, they want to know how you speak in public, so you had to, like, get up and introduce yourself, and based on how you spoke, they dismissed a whole bunch of people from that, and then they made you come down and, like, read a part of the demo. And if you could do that, then they either offered you a position or didn't. So it was like three to four questions. The whole interview took. I mean, it was a couple hours, but I knew right on the spot at the end of the interview that I was getting a job. Because, right there was no phone interview, there was no anything like that. Literally, I went

Unknown: 9:37

career fair at a hotel, correct?

Andrew: 9:39

I went to, I went to a hotel and to, like a boardroom, and there it was. That was the fill out this application. And if you're interested in this job, here's what we need to do. Oh, and I worked for, I applied for a regional airline. The first time, that was what I got hired for. They were very adamant about your. Height too, because the plane's smaller, so you couldn't exceed a certain height. So as long as you met that height requirement then and you could do all the other things, then you were good to go. And that was like local in your town, or at least somewhere where you living, they didn't like fly you in, right? It was a drive for me. But the, I mean, my brother was living in Nashville at time, and that's where he saw the ad for it. So, I mean, I had to drive a few hours to get there, but did the other did they fly other people in? Or? No, it was just get yourself to the hotel. There was no, no correct, cool, yeah, there was no flying anything in. I mean, they flew us to training once we got the job. But no, the actual interview process, you had to get yourself to the hotel, because you, again, you hadn't applied yet. It's not like you submitted an online application, like you're filling out a paper, yeah, when you got there, so they wouldn't have even known you were interested. That's funny, yeah? Wild, right?

Rich: 10:53

It's wild, yeah, my my interview process. There's definitely some similarities. So clearly, they like playing the same games. The

Andrew: 11:00

people, for sure, over the I mean, it hasn't changed that much like it's gotten a little broader, I'm aware, but Right,

Rich: 11:06

but yeah, my experience was a little bit different. I remember doing that phone interview flying in I did fly into a couple interviews with different airlines. One said, No one said yes. And so that was a cool experience. But I remember I called out sick from my job that day. Didn't tell my boss anything, not

Unknown: 11:25

recommended. Yeah, she knows now

Rich: 11:27

she's listening, 11 years later, but yeah, I showed up to the interview in person, and I had no idea that it was the process that it was. I mean, it's like several hours in person. It's just like an all day affair. You've got to look your absolute best, not a hair out of place. You know, when you get to this room of like 75 people, at least, that's how it was for me, and they, you know, similar to you, we had an introduction, we read part of a safety demo. They explained the job and what it looks like. And then there were all these what seemed like icebreakers. And really it was just kind of us, you know, breaking down different random scenarios that weren't really related to the flight attendant job. It was team collaboration. And I found, like, the little things is what they were looking for. Like, I remember I was like, That nerd that nerd that showed up with a folder with, like, extra copies of my resume and extra copies of my, you know, cover letter and extra copies of my work history, and, like, blank ones for other people, like, I was insane, right? And I had pens and all this sort of stuff. No idea what you're walking into, exactly. And so I had this girl I was sitting next to, and she was like, panicked looking at me. She's like, What is all of that? Girl? You're okay. And she's like, I didn't bring that. And so I'm like, sliding papers across the table to her with pens, and I'm like, just fill it out. Like, no one will notice. And all of a sudden I look up and this woman with a clipboard is looking at me, and she's just laughing away, writing notes. And I was like, either this is really good for really good or really it's about to also be really bad for this girl. And similar to you, you know, they'd come in with a clipboard, they'd read names off a list, and you didn't know if, like, the people leaving the room were the ones getting the job or the ones that were not getting the job, and all of a sudden they Whittle you down. It's like American Idol, like, people are just getting voted off each week. And suddenly it was down to, I think, four or five people in my room. And it was like, we just want to let you know, congratulations, you've got the job and you're coming to training. And I was just like,

Unknown: 13:33

oh, this is wild,

Andrew: 13:36

yeah, yeah. What was your what was your initial training like? Because that's a whole experience in itself. Oh, my God, it was wild. I mean, had flown before, but they fly you out to training, and it's this whole big thing. I don't think anyone is ready for it ever. I and there's no way to, like, really tell you all about it either. Yeah, that might be a whole episode in itself. Yeah, I think the wildest thing for me, and I think a lot of flight attendants would agree with this, I think most people think our training would be more service minded, because most of the general public see us as more service. We didn't touch on service at all. There was zero service or like customer facing training, it was all safety and security. Now, I started in, like, right after 911 my, like, within a couple years of 911 I had started so I mean, that was still real, yeah, very real and very raw. And then to sit in a room and have like that played back to you and watch it and dissect it and talk about it. I mean, I think that was the hardest part. And then, because it was a regional I think the training was harder. I think it was very difficult training. They had very high standards. But I think that's because. Has, like, they you were alone. I mean, I was working on a single, a single flight attendant aircraft, and I was going to be working on a single flight attendant aircraft. So I think a lot of the emergency training, I think, was drilled harder totally, because you're the only person up

Rich: 15:18

there. Yeah, you don't have anyone to rely on. No option, right? So you better know your stuff, correct. But

Andrew: 15:24

yeah, I I found it fascinating. And looking back, I mean, I think I'm lucky to have started at a regional because I think our training was very difficult, right, but I think it really prepared me to be up there by myself. Yeah, training

Rich: 15:40

was definitely an interesting process, because, I mean you say zero service training, I definitely remember, like, maybe an hour of one day

Unknown: 15:49

zero, but like,

Rich: 15:50

correct, it was like 30 minutes or an hour of like six months, maybe like that one hour of training where someone rolled out a beverage cart and was like, hey, look, this is a beverage cart. You get drinks off it. You give them to the people. That's it. It's so minimal. But

Andrew: 16:07

this drawers Coke, this drawers juice, this drawer snack, this drawers ice and yeah, I mean,

Rich: 16:14

but for the most part, it's everything from fires to crashes to terrorists attacks to delivering babies in flight medical emergencies. I mean, it's anything under the sun you could think of that might happen on an airplane. Is what in flight training is actually about, right? But I'm curious to know more, because you, you started with a regional and then it was what 10 years in that you switched gears to another airline. Yeah, I think so that sounds right. What was that like, switching it up? I mean, I'm 11 years in now, so I'm kind of at the same point where you were switching and I can't imagine, like, switching airlines, going through training again. Like, what made you want to switch airlines? And what was that process like?

Andrew: 16:59

That process was so frustrating because I didn't know that it was actually okay. So let me roll it back a little bit. What made me decide to switch is, I think that in the industry, there's this, like, dream of grandeur, and like the larger plane, the larger routes, or the longer routes you can work like, that's everyone's dream of being a flight attendant, right?

Rich: 17:23

I think passengers think that too, correct. Those, if you're not going to Paris, are you trying to fight

Andrew: 17:28

into turbo props and 20 minutes flights are not what everyone's dreaming of. You know? I think, you know, there are movies out there about first class Paris International, like, those are the things that people so like, you always have that like thought. I think you always have that thought in your mind. And so I think the want to switch was that, you know, at this point, at 10 years into being a flight attendant, you clearly, this is a career for me at this point, and I wanted to make it a career. And I wanted to, you know, start making the money that you know, justified this career because, you know, I don't think a lot of people know this, but there is a big disparity between regional and mainline pay that's really a two tiered system. We can have a much longer conversation about that any other podcast. I'm sure it will be. So I think that's what it was for me, wanting to change. I think there's that dream of being on larger airplanes and making better money. And so I think that, you know, I wasn't at 10 years in. I had been trying for a long time to make that switch, but I didn't realize, and I understand now, after being in aviation for so long, that working for a regional actually harmed me, because the main lines don't want to deplete the regional staff to, like, right hire. So they don't really hire as many regional flight attendants as they do, like, just people off the street. So it took me a really long time to actually get to a new airline, right? So it was a very frustrating process. I kind of really thought it was a terrible flight attendant, because everyone just kept saying no. And I was like, I can't be that bad. This has been a very long career for me, and then to

Rich: 19:03

go through all that again is a new hire and new schedules and new systems. Oh my

Andrew: 19:07

God, and the first time I answered a newspaper application or newspaper ad and went to a hotel room. This time you're applying online, the interview process had gotten so much more grueling because it was like an all day experience, right? And I think your first experience is similar to my second experience, where you go in and literally everything you do is being watched. How many people you talk to? Did you talk to enough people? Did you not talk to enough people? How did you interact with those people? Are you helpful? Are you a leader? Can you follow like all of these things are being looked at. And, I mean, those interviews are nerve racking right the second time around, because you know what they're watching for. And you're like, I'm sure know what they're scribbling on that, yeah, on that notepad. And you're like,

Rich: 19:55

I definitely, yeah, I definitely think back on that. And I'm like. Kind of happy that when I went into that process, I was blind to it, because to some degree, it was helpful to not really know what you were expecting, because you don't have a chance to overthink it and panic and over analyze it, right? But, and to give people context too, when you started with your second airline, we were kind of just starting our relationship as well. So you know, that's definitely something interesting that we're both kind of on the same timeline with your second airline and my current airlines. So yeah, so what? What do you love about flying? What's what's keeping you here after all this time? What? What does being a flight attendant mean to you?

Andrew: 20:39

There's so many wonderful things about this job that keep me here every day. It's, it's unlike any other job, the schedules, which I'm sure we'll get into later, but like, the flexibility, you know, you just have the ability to, like, drop, pick up, swap like nothing is permanent in all of this. The cruise, it's ever changing. No two flights are ever alike. We don't fly with the same pilots, we don't fly with the same flight attendants. We don't fly with the same passengers. And even regionally, the passengers change from destination to destination. So like, every flight is really a surprise. I mean, once you start working the routes a lot, you can figure out, you know, what kind of person you're in for. And honestly, the travel benefits, they're so, I mean, the travel benefits

Rich: 21:27

are, I mean, yeah, that's, it's so cliche, but, I mean, how do you pass up an opportunity to just get on an airplane whenever you want? Granted, there are no receipts. As we know, flights are often full, and you're kind of waiting and waiting and waiting. But that giving up that ability would be tough.

Andrew: 21:42

Oh, so hard. I I literally have never not had them. I mean, I started flying when I was 20. Yeah, I've not had them. I don't think I can give them up. Buying

Rich: 21:52

plane tickets is not for the faint of heart, right?

Andrew: 21:56

What about you? What makes you stay? What do you love about flying and what makes you stay? I

Rich: 22:01

think the thing that made me stay, and I kind of knew this right from the get go, just coming out of a stressful work environment, being micromanaged by someone who was a bit of a perfectionist, which I admired, but also was sometimes frustrated by. I think, just having a job where you go to work for three days you come home and you do not have to think about it again until you go back to work. But that is my number one. And then I also just really love the flexibility of it. I mean, we're all kind of different. And again, we can talk about schedules another day, but you know, you can fly as much as you want in the first half of the month and then take a couple weeks off. And as you get more senior, your schedule becomes more flexible. And that kind of stuff is a godsend. I mean, you've got our friends with nine to five jobs who were like, Oh, you have vacation. Is that why you guys are taking off this month? And we're like, No, we just planned our schedules accordingly so that we can have a week long getaway somewhere. But yeah, between that and just the overall community of being a flight attendant, I just, I love it. I think I knew from the get go, when strangers are taking care of you, celebrating your birthday, when they barely know you, going out of their way to check on you or buy you dinner if they feel like something's going on, it's just, it's unmatched. Yeah,

Andrew: 23:22

honestly, it's like sitting your head back against the jump seat and feeling the engine start to war up. I will never not be excited when you feel that thrill. Oh, the thrill of aviation. It's mixing. It's so addicting. It really is. It's really a wild ride, to be honest with you, yeah,

Rich: 23:40

and I think I'm a lifer. I don't think I could do anything else after doing this for a decade.

Andrew: 23:45

I mean, I'm obviously a lifer. 2020, plus years. What I mean you're gonna do now? I mean, who knows? No, I literally, I spoiled myself too early. The thought of a nine to five is the most terrifying thing in the world to me. I'm not gonna be able to do

Rich: 24:00

it. Well, that's why we became flight attendants. I think, I think that really sums it up. I know my mom, I remember when I first started flying her friends were like, oh, so when are you gonna get a real job? I love that question. It's one of my favorite questions that people ask, because I really feel like this is a real job and it's better than yours. Hell yeah, I'm gonna stay so yeah, but yeah, that's why we became flight attendants. Hopefully you found this interesting, and share your stories with us. Keep submitting your flight attendant Friday stories. We love reading them. We love sharing them. Go to two guys on a plane.com/flight. Attendant Friday each week, we feature a new flight attendant, and we'd love to hear your story next

Andrew: 24:45

All right. Well, I think that does it for us today, like and subscribe to the podcast. Join

Rich: 24:49

us next time for more humor, heart and stories from the beverage cart. We'll see you next time on two guys on a plane. This episode was brought to you by staff traveler, the number one. Non rev app. If you travel on standby tickets and are looking to make your journey easy and stress free, check out the staff traveler app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Visit staff traveler.com/two guys to learn more and sign up

Unknown: 25:14

an ironic media production. Visit us at I R O N, I C, K, media.com you.