What They Don't Teach You in Flight Attendant Training

As flight attendants, we learn so much during our new hire training and yet… there’s so much they don’t teach you! In this episode, we’re getting real about the stuff you only learn once you’re actually out there flying. From the chaos of adjusting to the lifestyle to the small habits that can make or break your experience, we’re sharing the advice we wish we had—and the advice you all brought to the table.

We dive into everything from protecting your peace (and your sleep), to navigating crew dynamics, to the little survival tricks that keep you sane at 35,000 feet. Whether you’re brand new to the job or years in and still learning, this conversation is packed with honest, hilarious, and surprisingly practical insights you won’t hear in training.

Join the conversation with us on Threads here!

Episode Highlights

[0:32] We kick things off with what training doesn’t prepare you for in real flight attendant life

[2:15] Drew shares why you should NOT make major life changes your first year

[4:01] I talk about the best advice I got early on—hydration and skincare actually matter

[6:15] Drew calls me out on my postcard obsession (and why it’s still worth it)

[7:07] We get into practical advice—shoes, swelling, and surviving long days on your feet

[8:15] We react to your advice: taking time off, saving money, and not losing yourself

[10:00] Genius hotel hacks—like not getting lost in endless hallways

[14:07] Early morning van ride etiquette… please just be quiet

[17:49] Let’s normalize doing absolutely nothing on a layover

[20:21] Finding your “thing” on layovers—food, coffee, running, or just resting

[21:28] Choosing your battles with passengers and knowing when to tap out

[23:07] “Snitches get stitches” and why crew support matters more than anything

[25:38] Don’t lose yourself—have a life outside of flying

[27:53] Know your contract (we mean it) and protect yourself

[31:08] Why flying with friends beats any destination

[33:42] Hotel coffee pots… just don’t

[36:14] When the job starts wearing on you—change something

[38:15] Health, safety, and why your ears and immune system matter more than you think

[42:11] Emergency snacks = survival

[47:48] The reality of money starting out and why savings matter

[50:27] Using your flight benefits to remember why you love this job

Transcript

Andrew: 0:00

Early morning van rides are for silent reflection.

Rich: 0:04

Bless you. Whoever wrote this, you beautiful human This is sage advice. You will not make friends running your mouth on the van at four o'clock in the morning.

Andrew: 0:14

I just don't know how you have anything to say at four o'clock in the morning. How have you gotten up and like gotten enough to say I haven't even, like, checked Instagram to figure out what's going on in the day, to, like, figure out what I need to talk about this early. Such a good point.

Rich: 0:32

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

Andrew: 0:37

Welcome to Two guys on a plane. Your go to podcast for an insider look at flight attendant life. We're your hosts,

Rich: 0:43

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

Unknown: 0:47

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

Rich: 0:50

The flight attendant training is one of the most intense few weeks or months, depending on what airline you're working at periods of your life, it is just long days. You're learning so much about aircraft types, security measures, safety protocols, like 1000 different things, but no one really tells you what happens after training. No one really prepares you for the day to day and the hard stuff that we face as flight attendants. So that's what we're going to talk about today. Is what advice would you give a new hire? Flight attendant, Andrew, what? What was being a new

Andrew: 1:26

hire like for you? You know, I was pretty young and fresh out of college, so I just rolled with it. Yeah, yeah. That's good, pretty easy

Rich: 1:37

to do. I mean that right, there is good advice, like, just roll with it, because you're gonna be put through hell and back. Yeah.

Andrew: 1:43

I mean, I don't know. I was used to, like, communal living, because I had just come out of college. I was used to long days and lack of sleep, because, you know, it's what college is.

Rich: 1:54

So it's funny you say that because I feel like sometimes the just out of college flight attendants, like, they don't realize how easy of a gig This is compared to some other jobs. Oh yeah. But at the same time, like you said, crazy sleep schedules used to long days like going, going, going, they're kind of also the perfect people for it. So it's funny you say that, yeah,

Andrew: 2:15

but no, that's not my advice. My normal advice to new hire flight attendants is, don't make any major life changes. If you're in a relationship, stay in one if you are living in a city, stay in that city. Like, just give it one year. And like, this whole job is so hard to do, yeah, that you don't need to add any more, like, dramatics into it. Just like, keep everything the way that it is for one year, right? And then make all of your like, move, break up, do all of those things, but just for the one year, yeah, just get used to being a flight attendant with your life the way that it currently is.

Rich: 2:53

Oh, my God, that's so accurate. Because, like, you see so many people making that exact mistake, like, they sell everything and move across the country, or they, like, dump their fiance, or, I don't know, like they just make major life changes. And it's like, pace yourself, right? You're in for Ronick

Andrew: 3:10

already is like an insane decision that you've made. So just like, adjust to that, adjust to the schedule, adjust to how all of it works. And you know, like, I know moving to base is probably, if you don't live in base already, moving to base, being on reserve is probably the wisest decision, but financially, it doesn't always make sense. So like, just sit tight, get a crash pad, live at home still while you can. And just, just give it a year and figure everything else out you may not even like your base.

Rich: 3:43

You don't know, no, it's so true.

Andrew: 3:44

And then you've uprooted your whole life and spend 1000s of dollars to move somewhere right, that you don't even like, right? Just give it a year. Yeah, that's, that's

Rich: 3:52

such solid advice.

Andrew: 3:53

What advice do you give to new hires, or what is the one piece of advice that you got as a new hire that still stays with you.

Rich: 4:01

One piece of advice that sticks with me. Well, this flight attendant I flew with. His name is Randy, and actually funny enough, he also was working the flight that we met on, but a different trip that I had with him. Yeah, yeah. If you if you want to learn more about that flight and how we met, go back to one of our early episodes about how Andrew and I met on a flight. But anyways, this flight attendant that was working that flight and this flight with me, one of my first flights, he gave me two really good pieces of advice. One was drink water. Drink at least one bottle of water per leg, unless it's a longer leg. Drink. Two, oh, I can't do which round. Most people think I'm crazy, but, I mean, I have decent skin for my age, so it must be doing something, right?

Andrew: 4:45

I have a water allergy, though, and I'll drown. I can't do it.

Rich: 4:49

We've had this conversation. It's terrible. I think someone even commented too. I remember going back and being like, just drink it. I. Oh, but yeah, I so drink lots of water. Staying hydrated is so important. It really is. You get so dry in the air, case you have a soap problem. And then the other piece of advice was to, like, invest in really good like, skincare and moisture. Like, you don't have to do anything crazy, but like, get a good lotion or moisturizer, like, really hydrate your skin as well as your body. And I remember we were on a sit in Charlotte of all places, because that's what my early days of flying looked like. They used to have like, a body shop in the airport. And he went and was like, get this, get this, to get this. And I'm like, a new hire, and I'm like, looking at him filling up a basket for me, and I'm like, What the hell, dude, I don't have any money for this, and he ended up paying for it. He bought me, like, a face wash, a lotion, like a hand cream. They don't sell that particular brand anymore, or that particular like line, but I use that same stuff for probably seven or eight years? Yeah, those are, those were my two biggest pieces of advice, and and they stuck with me. I'm all about the hydration.

Andrew: 6:08

I'm also going to tell on you, because it's my favorite thing that you learned as a new hire. Because this, that story, was not what I was expecting. What were you expecting?

Rich: 6:15

Well, we've talked about in

Andrew: 6:16

another podcast episodes, but my favorite piece of advice that you were given as a new hire was to collect a postcard from every city that you went to. That we went to, and he still does it every time he's in the city. For the first time, he collects a postcard, writes the crew or something special about the city on the back of the postcard, and it's become a conversation piece on our coffee table. We have

Rich: 6:34

mentioned this before, and it's literally so I'm glad

Andrew: 6:37

you went with something new, but also I'm gonna harken back to an old episode and be like, I love this so much. Always worth

Rich: 6:43

bringing it up, because I do give that piece of advice to new hires whenever I fly with them and I try to buy their first postcard if I can. Oh, that's sweet, because that's that's what she fighter tenant did for me. Yeah, this flight attendant sues our first labor in Minneapolis. She bought me a postcard. And was like, this is the easiest, cheapest way to, like, have a souvenir scrapbook from this job, and just get a postcard every time you get a new layover. And I'm still doing it 13 years later, but it's so easy.

Andrew: 7:07

You know what? I wish someone else would have told me, buy the expensive shoes, like, oh yeah, don't go to pay less. Go buy the expensive shoes. You're gonna be on your feet all freaking day long. And also get them just to titch big, because you're

Rich: 7:22

gonna swell, you're gonna swell in the air, yeah, and

Andrew: 7:25

if you drink as much water as rich does,

Rich: 7:27

right? Seriously, I'm

Andrew: 7:30

allergic, so I don't drink near as much, but anyways,

Rich: 7:32

so much good advice. But yeah, these are all things that people don't tell you in training, like, obviously, you learn how to do the job, and some very serious, important things in training, for sure, but there's like practical life advice for flight attendants, because it's such a lifestyle change from any other job that you're just not prepared for. So we recently asked our audience on threads, what is one piece of advice you wish you knew during flight attendant training to prepare you for the job? And you guys came up with some fantastic answers.

Andrew: 7:59

You sure did. I've got five of them right in front of me. Are we ready to dig in? Yeah, let's go. Okay, so this person says, If you like the job and are certain about it, but you're starting to feel petty or bitter towards the passengers. You just need time off. Take the day off. My time.

Rich: 8:15

Flyers are usually grumpy people. There is a reason.

Andrew: 8:18

Put the max contribution to your 401. K. You can't do that right at first, but you can slowly build to it, but like, figure out how to get to that Max contribution.

Rich: 8:27

Pretty tribute from the beginning, though. You won't regret it, at least whatever your company matches.

Andrew: 8:33

Sorry, rich already said this, take care of your body and skin. This job will break you down. Listen to your co workers on the jump seat. A lot of us need free therapy.

Rich: 8:43

I'm a little iffy on that

Unknown: 8:44

one same I don't know that

Rich: 8:47

I want to be forced to be your therapist. I'm good to listen every now and then, but

Andrew: 8:51

I don't know. And also, sometimes some of your stories are crazy, and I just have to leave the galaxy. I can't

Rich: 8:57

do it. This is when I'm

Andrew: 8:58

not buying what I get a trash bag and I'm like, I gotta go. What's too

Rich: 9:03

much for me was that a call bell

Andrew: 9:07

always back your cruise, even if you don't like them. And I have to 100%

Rich: 9:14

agree with this one. It can suck in the moment. If you know maybe your co worker isn't 100% in the right or maybe it made it worse than it needed to be, but standing firm together is so important, like, just for passengers to take us seriously in general. And we're not talking about, like, crazy egregious things that, like, you shouldn't write your co worker up on, like, being a crazy racist or something like that. But, you know, there's certain situations and dynamics where, like, you just kind of back up your crew and then later, be like, What the hell happened there? Right? What happens

Andrew: 9:49

in the aisle in front of passengers? You back your crew member, and then you walk your crew member to the galley, and be like, what were you doing back there? And why? Let's figure that out. I don't, I don't know. I don't know about all of this, but. Yeah.

Rich: 10:00

Next piece of advice, when you get to your hotel room and take your shoes off, point the toes of your shoes to the right or left, indicating which way you need to leave your room to head back to the elevators to the

Andrew: 10:10

lobby. This is actually genius. I

Rich: 10:13

know I never thought of this because never I, and I used to kind of make fun of people for when, when they were like, oh, and I got lost, like, going to the elevator. But the older I get and the longer I fly, the more I'm like, I have confidently walked the wrong direction down a hallway before and been so empowerment really

Andrew: 10:30

adjusted this last weekend, I got off the hallway, took off towards my room, and I was in another corridor. I was like,

Rich: 10:40

yeah, and where did I go wrong? It's pretty good advice. I'm not gonna lie, because sometimes you look both ways and you're like, I really do not remember, yeah.

Andrew: 10:49

Also leave your bathroom door open that way. You don't actually end up in the hallway in the middle of the night. Just saying,

Rich: 10:54

don't want to name names, but I will. Okay.

Andrew: 10:59

Next I have when you're flying, except that your entire life, literally, sunrise to sunset, is relinquished to your airline. Also, don't be an obsessive stickler about rules all the time. You have to learn to not take things personally, to not be so angry and to let things go. Otherwise, this job will consume you and you'll end up an angry person. I think they're talking to me.

Rich: 11:25

Are you? Are you becoming an angry person?

Andrew: 11:27

And no one wants to be around that more. More than one piece of advice. But shoot, I've got 26 years under my belt as a flight attendant. Yeah, I 100% agree. You can't take any of this personally.

Rich: 11:38

No on that first part, like you really do, relinquish your life a little bit to the airline, and some days it's fun, and some days it sucks, and that's just kind of part of the nature of the game.

Andrew: 11:51

Yeah, I hate to say it like that, but it really is.

Rich: 11:55

Next piece of advice is, before you leave the plane, slash your house, slash hotel room, make sure you have everything you need for work, badge, wallet, phone company issued, device, etc, double and triple check every single time. It will save you so much panic and help you learn discipline. This cannot be said enough, even years later, like, it's almost like a compulsive thing to be like, okay, like, passport, keys, wallet, phone, tablet, like, whatever you know your required items for work are, because, like, there's nothing worse than getting to work and forgetting something. And there's certain things you can probably get away with forgetting, and other things where you're in serious trouble if you show up without it. I went to work once without my crew badge. And like that is not like I was able to, like, still go to work. I just had to get, like, special permission and clearance or whatever. It made things worse, like security in Philly was kind of like whatever, because security in Philly, they're just a little more casual. But when I was in West Palm on a layover, like they were making announcements, being like, we have an unidentified crew member, like, like, security breach, and like, they're making this pa as I'm, like, walking up to the gate. And it was mortifying. It was so funny, though, in hindsight, because I looked like I was some sort of, like, criminal on the loose. But, yeah, moral of the story, don't forget your shit. Yeah.

Andrew: 13:18

Well, I put everything in the same place in my bag every time, too. So I'm not a double checker. I live on a hope and a prayer, honestly, but I hope and I pray that I put it back in the same place that it was the last time I took it out of my bag.

Rich: 13:31

So I'm just a weirdo all the way to work. I'm like, passport key, spell it, phone.

Andrew: 13:36

No, you're not the only one that does that a lot of people do. But I'm like, I mean, where else would I have put it? It has to be in this one pocket, in this one bag, because I literally put everything in the exact same place,

Rich: 13:48

certain things that just don't leave those places that shouldn't leave

Andrew: 13:50

your bag, and then if they do, you put them back in the exact same place, so that it's easier to double check or just hope and pray that you have it when you get there. I'm living on a prayer every day. Early morning, Van rides are for silent reflection.

Rich: 14:07

Bless you. Whoever wrote this, you beautiful, human.

Unknown: 14:10

You're beautiful, beautiful.

Rich: 14:13

Sage advice. You will not make friends running your mouth on the van at four o'clock in the morning, I

Andrew: 14:19

just don't know how you have anything to say at four o'clock in the morning. How have you gotten, like, gotten enough to say, I haven't even, like, checked Instagram to figure out what's going on in the day, to, like, figure out what I need to talk about this early. Such a good point.

Rich: 14:37

Yeah, and some of these co workers, it's like we had a minimum rest overnight. Why do you have so many stories?

Unknown: 14:43

You were already back to talking about your ex boyfriend. I don't get it

Rich: 14:46

well, or they're like, having a 20 minute conversation about the blow dryer. I'm like, do you do this at home?

Andrew: 14:53

Oh, they have to. Well, that's their cats.

Rich: 14:55

The cats are listening. Sorry. Painting a very specific. Picture here.

Unknown: 15:01

The cats are listening.

Rich: 15:03

Next piece of advice, flight attendant hubby says, if you need to remember, to take your food from the hotel fridge, put one of your shoes in there. There's a lot of advice related to shoes in this thread. Um, I don't think I'd put my shoes in the fridge, but I I definitely see the like, I

Andrew: 15:21

don't know if you all can tell, but I'm an eater. I'm not forgetting my food. No. Same gets packed up before I, like, do anything else I I don't

Rich: 15:30

think I've ever done this because, like, I just leave my lunch box sitting open on the counter. So, like, my brain above the right. So my brain is always going to be like, Hmm, why is this open?

Andrew: 15:41

Like, I see the advice, but also I live my life for food. I like the whole day I've planned out how I'm gonna eat everything in my bag, yeah, so it's not getting left.

Rich: 15:52

I promise I have left it at home, but that's before, like, everything is packed up, like in a hotel. I feel like it's different, but I do have

Andrew: 16:01

a fridge advice, though, if you're taking, like, lettuce or vegetables that tend to freeze, wrap them in a towel and put them in the refrigerator. Oh, the towel helps keep them from freezing. For some weird

Rich: 16:13

reason, we should do a meal prep episode.

Andrew: 16:15

Oh, we Hunter. Tell us what you want. But yeah, we should. We're not meal prep crazy things. Fight attendance. Cook on the way we heat our food up.

Rich: 16:25

That's a whole nother conversation. And once again, our podcast goes into food and does not return.

Andrew: 16:32

That's funny. The next one is, don't make plans on go home day.

Rich: 16:37

Sage advice, that is probably, unfortunately, this is one of those lessons you will learn the hard way. You have to learn this one the hard way because you think landing at nine o'clock in the morning. Of course, I can go to a concert at 8pm No, you can't Tuesday. That's a really afraid. Yeah, exactly, maybe next week. But yeah, I mean, if there's something really important, do not fly that day. Don't even fly the day before. Like, have a buffer.

Unknown: 17:07

You'll get rerouted. Yeah, sure,

Rich: 17:08

you'll get somewhere. I mean, there's stories about flight attendants being like, late for their own wedding. I mean, there's like, crazy things that have happened. So don't make plans on go home day is the

Andrew: 17:20

biggest I also live on a prayer on this one too. Truthfully, I make plans on my go home day all the time. And how does that work out for you? 5050, but most of the people that I'm making plans with understand and are like, last minute cancelations are fine. Well, if it's not like,

Rich: 17:34

too serious of a plan, like, maybe we'll have dinner or maybe we'll do happy hour, that's one thing, but question marks

Andrew: 17:41

by everything on that last day, but I make plans. I'm a planner.

Rich: 17:44

Next up, it's okay to want to do nothing on a layover. Can we

Andrew: 17:49

normalize that you can do nothing on a layover?

Rich: 17:53

I'm gonna finish okay. It's okay to not want to do or it's okay to want to do nothing on a layover. It's okay to rot in your bed, eat, read and just be kind to yourself. This job can take a lot out of you. Take those quiet moments to do things that bring you joy. I love this because it really like, sometimes layovers are like self care Central. It's like, I don't have to think about my responsibilities at home. I can just have a day to chill and do nothing. I know a lot of parents that fly that feel this way because they're like, I don't know kids running around like, I can put my feet up and actually relax.

Andrew: 18:30

I will let you do nothing, because I do nothing, or on most of my hotel room on most of my layovers. I'm really a slam clicker mom. That's someone who, like, slams the door and clicks the lock and doesn't leave for the night. But anyways, I'm normally a slam clicker, but if we're having a good time and reviving I will guilt you to come out with me, because I don't like a lot of people. So I would agree with that. If we've had a good day and I want to make plans, I will guilt you to come out with me, because I don't like a lot of people enough

Rich: 18:59

to do that. Slam clicking is great from time to time, but definitely also push yourself sometimes to go see stuff. Like, I always tell myself, like, I'm not doing international trips. If I get to a layover and feel like I don't want to do anything, then I'm like, It's time to switch up and stop doing these trips. Because there's some places where it's like, this is so cool that I get to be here. Don't sit in your hotel room in Rome and do nothing, you know, it's like, that kind of stuff makes me almost like, depressed. So there's like, a line

Andrew: 19:31

I would totally bid Rome to go watch an Italian soap opera.

Rich: 19:37

All right, have at it. Then.

Andrew: 19:40

I think this one is similar. Self Care is extremely important. You're gonna get sick, take the time off to recover. Have hobbies outside of flying. This is extremely important, and will help you enjoy your layovers. I run, so I go running and explore cities when it's not cold, as a way to explore. Lower the city, go visit a coffee shop in every city, if you like coffee or the bookstore, if you like books, make it something uniquely that you enjoy doing wholeheartedly agree. I travel for food. All of my layovers this month were bids so that I could go eat food. That's the only reason I bid them was because I wanted food.

Rich: 20:21

Yeah, one of my favorite things about layovers is finding little coffee shops. Like, I love that sort of advice and like, you get in your own routine on layovers. Like, some people go to grocery stores, some people go to coffee shops. Like, some people find a little like, indie bookstore. Like, it's that's the cool thing about layovers is you really get to make

Andrew: 20:41

them your own. I love a museum, I love a bookstore, and I love food.

Rich: 20:45

Next up, choose your battles. Not everything a passenger does is worth the fight. Are you sure? I know you're not sure you're like, you want to fight, you want to you want to go. I would agree with that. I mean, there's certain things where they always say in training, like, these are wings, not a badge. Like, you know, you're not necessarily here to police people. You're there to advise them of the rules and that sort of thing. And so as much as, like, certain things, really, you should strive to make sure they happen. There's also certain things where it's like, I can't argue with a grown adult, you know, I if I argue with every grown adult who doesn't want to do what they're being told to do, I would lose my mind, and some flight attendants do, and you burn out that way.

Andrew: 21:28

And as someone who's pretty self reflective on stuff like this, know when you're the problem and step out. Amen. Know to step out. Know to go get someone else and be like, It's me today, but I'm having problems. Can you go deal with this issue for me, because I'm just gonna make it worse. Like, it's really okay to be like, I'm not having a great day, and I'm not being a good communicator here. So like, can you go take care of this for me, that right there is,

Rich: 21:57

like, one of the best pieces of advice I've heard is knowing when to walk away and, like, tap out. Like, you know, there's certain airlines and planes where, like, you might be the only flight attendant, but in most cases, you're working with somebody else, and it's okay to be like, You know what, me and this person got off on the wrong foot. There's no coming back. Can you go talk to them about whatever? Like, that's what your co workers are there for. That's why we all say we're a family, and also we're human.

Andrew: 22:23

We you get text messages from your family right before you take off that do something to mess with you. It's okay to be like, I know you're not supposed to carry your personal life into work, but it's really hard not to in this job. So like, it's really okay to be like, I'm having a day, yeah, and just step out of it. Yeah, it

Rich: 22:43

can be really hard, because our job, like really requires so much of us, physically, mentally, emotionally, all the things to like, separate and compartmentalize. So yeah, sometimes, sometimes you just need to tell somebody what's

Andrew: 22:56

going on next. We have on my very first layover, a flight attendant took me under her wing. I still remember her telling me, snitches get stitches.

Rich: 23:07

Snitches get stitches. I love it. I mean, we all joke about that phrase, but honestly, snitching, we are not the industry for snitching. There might be a certain airline that doesn't have a union where that is very common, but for the rest of us, we don't play that game also.

Andrew: 23:24

I just feel like no one can be 100% 100% of the time, yeah? And you don't want someone to catch you at your 10% and throw you out and throw back in your face. Yeah? You want someone to catch you at your 10% and be like, You know what? You go sit in the galley today. I got this for you. I'm totally feeling it. And who was it? I don't remember who it was, but I feel like there's a famous podcaster that does like relationship advice, and she's like, relationships are not 100% like both of you don't have to bring

Rich: 23:57

100% it's Brene Brown, maybe.

Andrew: 23:59

But I feel this way. I feel this applies to flight attendants too. Like in our relationships with each other, not everyone has to bring 100% all the time, but like, collectively, we need to bring 100% so if you bring 50, and I bring 40, and someone else brings 10, like we'll get through the day together. It's okay, whoever's

Rich: 24:16

bringing 10, I'm not bringing more than that,

Andrew: 24:18

but bring more than that. No, I know what you mean, though, but everybody has days, and collectively as a whole, we should be able to bring 100% but not everyone's gonna bring 100% to this job. And like snitching doesn't do anybody any good, because what it does is it puts you on guard for that day that you're not 100% and I promise you it will happen. We'll get tired. You will get run down. Something in your life that, like outside of work, will bring you down, and you're not going to have a great day. And what you want is, you want to know that your other crew members are going to rally behind you and build you up and make sure that you're 100% that day,

Rich: 24:57

and that right there is truly one of the best parts of our job. Job is that we have each other's backs in those moments that can be difficult, and if you feel like you're going to get ratted out, that's not a team vibe. And plus, it's going to mean way more coming from a co worker who's like, Hey, listen, what you just did not okay. Or you cross the line like, is everything okay? That's gonna hit you harder than some manager calling you and saying you're in trouble. Here's whatever disciplinary process is gonna happen, like we take care of each other and we mean that, yeah, next up, have a life outside of flying so you don't lose yourself. Oh, my God, I love this advice

Unknown: 25:38

so much. Pilots, are you listening

Rich: 25:43

their whole personality and their only personality? That's really funny. It's such good advice, though, because, like, you really and this is funny coming from us, because, like, we have kind of built a little world with two guys on a plane that revolves around being a flight attendant, but we do have lives outside of being flight attendants, too, and that is so important, whether it's like a hobby or family and friends who aren't in the industry that keep you grounded. No pun intended, like having something else reminds you that you're a human like this job can be so dehumanizing, sometimes you need something else as an outlet, something to make you you correct.

Andrew: 26:25

Remember all of those things that you enjoyed before you became a flight attendant and go back to those things outside of work or take them on a layover with you, but continue to be that person? Yeah, that is funny. We've built a whole. We have built a whole, we

Rich: 26:40

built, like, a whole little world of it. So maybe don't listen, you know, like, practice what we preach or whatever, but do as we say,

Andrew: 26:48

not as we do. Use your sick days. Don't go to work sick.

Rich: 26:54

I mean, don't go to work sick. That's just rude. But also, yeah, like, that's what it's there for. Use your sick

Unknown: 27:01

days. Use your sick time. I mean, you know

Rich: 27:03

when you're sick, not when you're not sick. Obviously, no one would do that. That's just

Andrew: 27:07

crazy, and we've learned a lot over the years, if you think you're sick, if you are just coming off of getting sick, put a mask on. Protect yourself and the people around you, because if you take this to work and you don't put a mask on, then you're gonna pass it on to everyone else too. So like we know enough about how things are transmitted at this point that you should be able to politely protect yourself and everyone else too.

Rich: 27:32

Agreed. Next up, learn your contract as two union reps here sitting on this couch talking to you, you better know that contract, because scheduling and the company and everybody is going to try to get you to do things that you are not required to do, and when you know your contract, they can't do that. They can't believe you. Here's the big ones.

Andrew: 27:53

You don't have to know the whole contract. There's a lot of words in there, but there are sections that you need to know, scheduling, reserve, pay, those are all very important. They apply to your like everyday life. So while, yes, the whole contract is important, it's not going to apply to you every day of the week, every day that you're on the airplane. So like, scheduling, pay, reserve, know those sections like the back of your hand, definitely get into those hours of service. Those are going to be important sections for you to look at. Know those,

Rich: 28:29

knowing your legalities goes such a long way, because on days where you're getting pushed to the max duty, day is also a day that that company is probably losing their minds as well, with their operation going to shit, and they're really going to try and get you to do something or extend or do whatever. And, yeah, there's certain things you need to know.

Andrew: 28:51

Try not to pick up bad habits from sloppy, experienced crew members.

Rich: 28:57

I mean, we talk about defending crew through and through, and you should to a certain point, but I think we can all agree there's some flight attendants out there who aren't always doing the best, and they're maybe a little on the lazy side, maybe a little on the crazy side, and they definitely are doing things that you shouldn't pick up. And I don't know that I need to say any more about that, but you know, yeah, don't pick up bad habits. You'll know them when you see them.

Andrew: 29:29

Well, our job is pretty easy. All things aside, our job is pretty easy. Do what you know you're supposed to do. It makes everyone's job easier if everyone just does the job they know they're supposed to do.

Rich: 29:43

That's the crazy thing. And we could go on a tangent about this. It's a whole

Unknown: 29:46

episode, because, like

Rich: 29:48

you really it's not work when you're working with people who are doing what they're supposed to do. And I'm saying you can all just do like the bare minimum, and it's so easy,

Unknown: 29:59

so easy. But when you're

Rich: 30:00

you've got someone even a little weak on your team, suddenly you feel like you're doing everything. And those are the days when there's call bills like crazy, there's medicals, there's 1000 things going on, and you're like, why am I the only one working right now?

Andrew: 30:12

I tell people all the time, we don't care how many trash runs you've done until you haven't done any.

Rich: 30:17

That's so true. Oh my god. And then we make like a motivational poster series about this.

Andrew: 30:23

As phytogenes, we don't count how many trash runs you've done until you don't do any. Yeah? We know. We know what you're doing, yeah?

Rich: 30:30

Oh, I love that. All right. Next piece of advice, always choose flying with friends over the actual trip or a destination. A destination will always be there. You never know when your friends will stop flying, though, flying with friends will heal you when this job breaks you in so many ways that is so well put, because it's amazing what flying with friends do. I actually just picked up a trip with my friend Brittany because of this exact reason. I'm flying high time right now, and I'm like, I just need to know that I have a friend on this crew and that I have at least this one trip this month where I know I'm gonna have fun. Yeah? No surprises, yeah.

Andrew: 31:08

Thankfully, I fly with friends a lot. Co workers who are friends at this point, I fly with them a lot. And honestly, it's one of the main reasons why I haven't left the airline that I'm at because, you know, I know exactly who I'm flying with every day, and it really does change it. And I always know I have an ally, or somebody who's gonna call me on my shit. Yeah, it's having a bad day. They're gonna be like, sit down, Andrew, you're you're terrible today, or they're gonna make me laugh my terrible day away, like I just it is one of the things that I love about my airline the most is that I know, right? I know exactly who I'm on an airplane with every day, and I know that I'm amongst friends, and it makes it so much easier to, like, get up at 3am and go to work.

Rich: 31:53

Yeah, that's such a good point.

Andrew: 31:55

So yes, I agree. Choose friends over destination. I'll choose friends over airline. Honestly, carry a 15 foot extension cord in your bag. I can't tell you how many hotels you will have where they only have one plug and it's way over there. You're 100% correct. But no, I'm not carrying it.

Rich: 32:14

I'm definitely not carrying a 15 foot extension cord. You know, much crap is in my bag. I'm not doing I don't need another No, no. I will put my phone nowhere near the bed, and that's fine. I will say hotels are getting better

Andrew: 32:25

charge it before I go to sleep, and then I will charge it again when I wake up, right? But it's not, there's no, there's no extension cord.

Rich: 32:32

Hotels are getting better about this. But, yeah, I'm not, I'm not doing

Andrew: 32:37

Sorry, friend. It's great advice if you want to carry a giant ass extension cord with you, but it's a no

Rich: 32:42

for me. Next is add massages, especially foot massages, as a monthly bill. It'll pay off in the long run. You should go at minimum once a month, and as you gain seniority and increase your pay, bump up to twice a month. Could be on a layover or an off time, but your body needs it. I love that, but also, I don't have the budget for that at the moment. But like, good for you, I don't either.

Andrew: 33:05

But as like, a 20 year old, I knew what a podiatrist was. So like, yeah, go to the foot doctor. If you're not gonna get a massage or a foot massage, go to the foot doctor. Have yourself checked out, make sure you've got the proper orthopedics. Get good shoes. Like, do all of those things now, because you don't want terrible feet when you're

Rich: 33:25

absolutely I might start doing this, though I'm liking this foot massage once a month. Thing, I should actually look

Andrew: 33:31

into that. And after Thailand, I really need to look into like, regularly, just period, don't use coffee pots in hotel rooms. And why rich don't we use coffee pots in hotel room?

Rich: 33:42

Because people are disgusting. Have you seen that Tiktok lady going viral? She washed her undies in the Keurig. Oh, or wait, no, it was more than that.

Andrew: 33:54

She never mind. She like, stuffed her underwear into where you put the coffee pod and then let the hot water run through it.

Rich: 34:00

No, no, I know. But there's, there's another one where she ran some dirty water through the I don't know.

Andrew: 34:06

You don't want to know. What we know is that people are foul. People are not use anything on a hotel room. That's like, not, yeah, that you shouldn't.

Rich: 34:16

Oh, don't. Life as a flight attendant gets lonely, so take time and layovers to do things you enjoy. Learn to go to that cute coffee shop. We've kind of talked about this one already, but it never hurts to repeat it. Make your layover is what you want of it, you know, find joy in those little things. Because even the worst day of flying, you have a little bit of time in your layover to like, find time to reset. It can go a long way.

Andrew: 34:40

Don't let the negativity of other crew members get you down.

Rich: 34:44

I like that. That's hard, though.

Andrew: 34:47

I am a person who is affected by the energy of people around me, so it's really hard for me to like take this advice, but it is really great advice. Yeah, I think

Rich: 34:56

it's, it's good advice for all of us, because we're literally in. Such a like, pressure cooker sometimes, and someone's energy being off can totally throw you off course. But yeah, it is good to kind of take those moments, to stop and pause and step back and be like, okay, this person is just like that, and that has nothing to do with me. And I need to, like, continue being me flying with negative people, though, is exhausting, because you're either falling into their negativity and becoming negative yourself, or you're doing the opposite, and you're trying to like, counteract their negativity and be like so positive, which is now sucking. I thought of you either way. Yeah. But good advice when you aren't loving the job, change something. Stop commuting. Change bases, change positions on the aircraft. Types of trips that you're flying, take time off, reduce hours that right there is such solid advice, because I really feel like, like, it's amazing. What can change, like commuting. I know people who are like, I finally moved to base, and I've never been happier. Or people that were doing international and red eyes, and they were like, I finally realized doing turns makes me way less tired, like, just little things can really make such a difference with this job. There's so many types of trips

Andrew: 36:14

out there. You do this a lot. I do. You change the type of flying that you do, you'll like do something for like, six months to a year, and then it'll start to, like, wear on you, and you change the type of flying that you do, and you're like, oh my god, I love this job again. I'm so excited. It's all brand new, true,

Rich: 36:30

because you get a

Andrew: 36:31

different group of crews that you're working with, you get a different group of passengers, you get a different group of everything. You get a different airplane that you're working on. You just change what

Rich: 36:41

you're working it's the best part of this job. In my opinion. I really love it same. There's another part to this advice. This person said, live below your means, especially in the beginning. Don't exhaust yourself for pennies. Find your position in place. And if you've exhausted all your options and still are unhappy, it's okay to leave. Find what makes you happy. I really agree with that. Live below your means, especially in the beginning, you know, people, especially now, I feel like, with social media, people are so into comparing and kind of like, you know, I have this and I have that, and what's the best? And it's like, the people I know that are happiest now at my seniority, are the people who didn't put themselves in crippling debt in the beginning of flying, because you don't get out of that. No, and so, yeah, that's solid advice.

Andrew: 37:26

Okay, the next thing I have an oldie but goodie. Put a shoe in the safe with your important documents. You won't forget them that way. What? What do you all I forget my shoes. I would leave my shoe. I don't Okay. We have to figure out you

Rich: 37:42

would walk down the hallway like one shoes feeling like something feels

Andrew: 37:49

I know I like the advice, but also, okay, be kind to yourself. Hydrate, eat well and sleep. Just thought of this one buy stocks for Trader Joe's, lol, don't go to work with blocked ears ever. That is the best piece of advice. If your ears are even a little bit clogged, that ear drum is the most sacred thing that you have. So if you have don't blow it. Ear issues

Rich: 38:15

or ear aches or anything of the sort. Go nowhere near work for a while because it's excruciating. You can blow an ear drum. It can cause so many like, long term issues, yeah, don't do that. If you see a flight attendant, grab a trash bag. You grab one. A water service tray, you get one. Don't sit in the back on your phone. This lady sounds like she's she's really fed up with people being on their phones, but it is good advice. Like we were talking, you mentioned this earlier. No one's counting how many trash runs you've done until you're not doing any. Yeah, like everybody works,

Andrew: 38:48

I keep a trash bag in my pocket so when I see another flight attendant, I can just pull it out and be like, Oh, I was about to go to but you

Rich: 38:58

Oh, but since you're already, you're up. You love,

Andrew: 39:01

love on already. You go Google. I'll get the next one.

Rich: 39:03

This is why I love working with crews that, like, where everybody works, though, is because you don't feel like you're working. You don't have to, like, just in your thinking, Oh, someone should go for a trash walk. I did one. I'm tired. I don't want to. Someone gets up and it's like, Oh, you think it's my turn. And it just makes your day, like, that much easier.

Andrew: 39:19

So much easier. But yes, I understand the sentiment here. And yeah, no one's counting until you're not doing it and then, and we're all noticing, as this person is noticing you're just on your phone all day.

Rich: 39:31

I honestly, I was flying with someone once where I was fed up because it was three of us in the back. I was the only one doing anything I did, like the initial trash run alone after the service, I did another one. I answered a call bell. I finally got up at one point during the flight, threw a trash bag down on the floor, and I said, it's your turn. Because I was like, I'm done. I'm tired of this. Like it's not fair. We have a full flight of people. I'm working my ass off here, and neither one of you have looked up for. Newspaper or your phone.

Andrew: 40:01

I had this happen to me a couple weeks ago, and it was pretty open on the leg down and pretty full on the leg back. And you know, you have an open row, you get comfortable. Whatever I had done all the trash runs I was doing, all the walk throughs, la, da, towards the end of the flight, I walked back, and I was like, so I'm not working on the next flight because I'm to you three to take care of this.

Rich: 40:24

I'm tapping out because I've not doing anything.

Andrew: 40:27

I did not do a thing on the next flight and do nothing. I didn't do nothing. Sat there and read a book. I was like, it's your turn.

Rich: 40:33

Good for you. Yeah, you read so many books at work.

Andrew: 40:37

We don't. We don't have to tell my

Rich: 40:38

boss that. No, I'm just kidding, he listened the one book, the manual.

Andrew: 40:44

Yeah, yeah, the one book the manual. This is really great advice. Don't take things personal. It can be personal. They don't know you. It allows you to deal with others and situations from a different perspective. It's not personal. It never is. It feels that way

Rich: 41:05

though 97 some of their digs like teeter on being very personal, and you're like, they really just hate my airline right now. They don't hate me,

Andrew: 41:13

yeah, they hate all the rules that they don't think they agreed to when they bought their ticket.

Rich: 41:19

Yeah, don't take things personally. All right. Next up, people in your life, outside of work, will never understand how you feel. It really is that simple. These people will never understand why you need the sleep that you crave. Stretch in the morning or at night. Spend 10 to 15 minutes moving your body, even if it's just jumping in place and swinging your arms around, carry snacks, nuts, oatmeal, protein bars, cups of noodles, something, anything for emergencies. Always have a backup stash. Don't feel obligated to tip the van drivers if you don't have it, that's okay. You're just a new hire. Do yourself the favor of figuring out bidding all really good pieces of advice. There great advice. You won't believe how tired you are after a trip with this job. Like, I always tell people, you need a full day of recovery from flying and and we mean it like you're gonna sleep like you've never slept before after a trip, I've been

Andrew: 42:11

flying for 25 years, and I still have to explain to my siblings what my job is. So like, no one is ever going to get it until they do it.

Rich: 42:19

And then the keeping emergency snacks thing, like, there are protein bars that have lived in my bag past their expiration date, and I've had to throw them away. So sometimes you might think, what am I even carrying this around for? But that one day where you were stuck on an airplane for like 17 hours, this has happened to me, and you remember, I have a protein bar in my bag like it is literally a lifesaver. You never know God shit is around the corner and what one little storm can lead to, or whatever the case

Andrew: 42:50

may be, protein bars, beef jerky. I know my husband hates this beef jerky.

Rich: 42:55

Just whatever protein

Andrew: 42:57

that will pep you back up is really worth it. Leave outside problems outside the plane and inside problems inside the plane. And while that's really sage advice, it's not always possible, but figure out how to deal with your shit wherever you are.

Rich: 43:13

Well said next, be prepared to be or fight being violently sick at some point within the first few months of flying, especially if you're starting around cold and flu season, traveling unlocks a new level of germs and sickness that you'll be exposed to. This is very true. I feel very true. Teachers and nurses say the same thing, because you just like, it hits you like a ton of bricks. You're going to be sick as a dog. I know being on probation is scary, but like, take a sick call. If you need a sick call, don't come to work, but your immune system is gonna get strong and fight back. Like we have great immune systems as crew members,

Andrew: 43:52

we really do. But during that first year, probiotics, ginseng, not ginseng, vitamin C, yeah. Probiotics, emergency, those things are your like hero, because you have to figure out how to build up that immune system, and because you're working

Rich: 44:07

crazy schedules, eating at crazy times, like keeping yourself healthy and balanced is critical,

Andrew: 44:12

yeah, always place your required duty items in the same place in your bag. She knows you said this already. I did solid advice. That way you always know where they are.

Rich: 44:23

Put in the same place in your bag. Put them in the same place in your house. I am literally the worst this. I am that person that every day is like, where are my keys? Where did they go? Like, I don't know why I'm this way, but I am but this person telling you to put everything in the same place. It'll make you a lot less crazy. A magical Lifesaver Always make sure the passenger has a firm grip on the hot drink before letting go. This sounds

Andrew: 44:49

like someone weirdly specific, and like you maybe have spilled coffee on somebody's lap before somebody learned this

Rich: 44:54

the hard way and burned the hell out

Andrew: 44:57

of somebody. I don't hand hot drinks for this reason. I. I open the tray and set

Rich: 45:00

it down. Yeah, same. I don't, I'm actually the same. I don't usually pass things like that, especially like electronics. Like, I don't pass over electronics. I don't pass hot beverages. Like, there's gonna be a way where we do this, where you don't get to drop something and then blame me for

Andrew: 45:18

also, regardless of what your airline's policy is it's okay to say it's too bumpy to serve hot things right now, yeah? Like, you don't need to be like, yeah, don't wandering down the airplane over a cup of coffee. Over coffee. Look at me negating all airlines possible. Just be safe for yourself. Invest in good electrolytes. Have a small pharmacy in your bag, allergy pills, extra meds that you take, Tom's, Advil, Thera, blue, antibiotics.

Rich: 45:49

So true. I think every flight attendant has some sort of like mini pharmacy in their bag, though, because again, you just never know what's gonna hit you. And you all know how it is if you travel on airplanes, there's nothing worse than having even the slightest symptom when you're traveling. So having that pharmacy as a backup in case you need it is always a good idea. We talked

Andrew: 46:09

about it today while we were recording another episode. But when you got food poisoning recently, and like every flight attendant that we were with was like, had, oh my god, pill cases of everything, they were like, What do you need? Tom's a modem. What's the problem?

Rich: 46:26

Brittany was a life saver on that trip. Her and her husband, Cody, like I think the two of them, single handedly saved my life during those days when I was sick. They sure did. Between snacks that they had available to settle my stomach pills that they had on hand to keep me going like I owe them my life. You sure do gotta love flight attendants well, and he's also a police officer. So like another person who knows a lot about being prepared for anything, make a copy of your passport, driver's license and crew badge, and carry a copy in your suitcase and also on your person. When going out on a layover, you never know if you're alone, when something can happen and you might not be in any shape to give out this info. This is really good safe. Literally, never

Andrew: 47:13

thought about it. And now I'm gonna have to go home and, like, photocopy everything, yeah, including my face.

Rich: 47:20

Love it. You're just like old school copy machine. Are you gonna sit your butt on it too and make copies of that?

Andrew: 47:27

Do you think that they'll need a copy of it? Sure,

Rich: 47:30

just in case, just in case. But that's really smart advice. There's so many things that you can do in layovers to keep yourself safe, and this is definitely one of them. I really like that one.

Andrew: 47:42

The next piece of advice we have is have as much money saved as possible.

Rich: 47:48

This is from Michelle, yeah, and I'm calling her out because she has been on every single group trip with us so far, and is one of our favorite flight attendant Friday stories, and is just a gem of a human being. So sage advice, Michelle

Andrew: 48:03

has the best story. We can't wait for her to

Rich: 48:04

be on our podcast. We're gonna have her on the show soon, so you guys can all meet her too. But yeah, having so much money saved as a new hire is, Listen, you can

Andrew: 48:12

do this job on pennies, but know that the way, like, I think this is the crazy part, that like the way our pay works because you get some advanced and then you get some paid behind. If you start training, you could actually end up being, like, two months without a paycheck. And it's crazy that that's the way that it works, but it does work that way. So, like, this is something I wish somebody would have explained to me going into training, is that maybe a little bit of money in my savings account would have been helpful.

Rich: 48:45

Oh, absolutely, absolutely.

Andrew: 48:47

But we've all done it. You can do it on a shoestring and a prayer, yeah, but if you have a little bit of a savings, it is helpful, because you could end up going like two months without a paycheck after training. It's wild.

Rich: 49:00

It's so true. Just the way pay dates fall and when you start in the month and all that sort of stuff. Like, yeah, it's rough out there in the beginning. So save up if you can. And then the last piece of advice is from another one of our travelers, Brittany, who we were just talking about, who saved my life in Thailand. She said a lot of great things. She said, use your benefits. Take your time off to avoid burnout. Take care of your feet with good shoes. Learn from crew members tricks to avoid wear and tear on your body. You can live anywhere, but it's all what you're willing to do to get to work. So keep that in mind. Don't be afraid to ask questions when they arise, as most people you work with are nice and willing to help two things that I think we haven't really talked about from that in this episode. One is using your benefits. Use them. The people that you fly with that have been here like 30 years, who are love their job and hate their job. The biggest difference, I swear, is always that they use their their flight benefits. You can tell when you're non revving somewhere, and you're on a flight and there's a miserable crew member who's been here, like, 100 years. They don't go anywhere, they don't travel, they don't see the world. And it's like, that's why we all signed up in the first place. Use your benefits, because you'll be stressed out for months, and then you'll get on that one flight somewhere, and you remind yourself I'm traveling somewhere for free or for cheap. And it's like everything comes full circle to you of why

Andrew: 50:27

you do what you do. Don't be afraid to go by yourself. And don't be afraid to tell your crew members that you want to go somewhere, because I promise you, someone wants to go with you. Well, if you don't want to go by yourself, right, someone

Rich: 50:39

will go with you. Well, I have to comment on Brittany again, too, because Brittany was working with Kona, who came on Egypt and Bali with us, and they were both working a trip together. And Brittany was like, I'm thinking about going to Bali with two guys on the plane. And Kona was like, okay, they, like, didn't know each other. They planned to go on this trip together. Became friends, and now we're all friends as a result. And like, like you said, just reach out to somebody you never know who could be your next travel buddy or lifelong friend, correct? So I really love that piece of advice from Brittany, and then also ask questions from your co workers. That's one thing that I did a lot of when I started. And like you, there's so much to learn and absorb. Don't be afraid to ask questions. There's no question too dumb. Well maybe, but and your co workers are there to help you. So always ask questions.

Andrew: 51:31

Yeah, I tell people that all the time, particularly when it comes to bidding and meal prepping, use your flight attendant like, yep, if you see me open my food bag. Ask me what I have in there, and ask me how I plan to cook it on the airplane. Because I'll tell you, both of those things are very proud of the things, of the ideas that I come up with. So like everyone else will tell you what's in their food bag too. They love to talk about the way they pack their food bag. So like, don't be afraid to ask about meal prepping from people you see carrying a food bag. You learn

Rich: 52:00

so much practical advice from your co workers when you're out on the line. Yes, well, there was a lot of great advice from you guys over on threads, and that's all we have for today. But join the conversation. If there's anything you want to add that you would give to a new hire as a piece of advice, go over to threads. We'll drop the link in our show notes to the specific posts and add to the conversation. Let us know what you think. Let us know if there's any advice we didn't cover today that you think would be great for new hire flight attendants,

Andrew: 52:29

and thank everyone for all the advice that you did give us. Thank you for allowing us to have this conversation off of the advice that you did give. And we'll see you next time for more humor, heart and stories from our beverage cart.

Rich: 52:40

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Buzz Burbank: 52:58

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