Is a flight attendant a lower SES job?

[Anonymous]

Pink collar FTW

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It looks so fun but also feels like it’s a blue collar job?

Yes, it is basically a waitress job that they promote as a borderline EMS job for the just in case scenarios.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks so fun but also feels like it’s a blue collar job?

Yes, it is basically a waitress job that they promote as a borderline EMS job for the just in case scenarios.

I would say definitely blue collar BUT it's dominated by prissy and sometimes attractive woman so lets just say it's pink collar.

[Anonymous]

It is low pay but can be very prestigious. Layovers become girlfriends weekends in Paris and you meet many interesting international people along the way.

[Anonymous]

Yes, basically a maid with make up and skirt.

[Anonymous]

Good Lord. Who cares what SES strata it is? Would you enjoy it? Would it support a comfortable lifestyle? Would you be good at it?

No offense, but what a useless question, OP.

[Anonymous]

My SIL has been a flight attendant for over 20 years. It is definitely a service job and you can make a decent living but not a high one. She loves and uses the travel benefits all the time (she is unmarried/no kids). That is the main perk for her and she does not hate the job itself. Over the years she has been based in multiple different cities and that has allowed her to live in Paris, Tokyo, Santiago, Miami, Chicago, and other places at various times. She has now settled in one city and bought a condo so she stays based in the US. When she travels for work she is put up at a hotel and they are usually pretty nice (she flies for a major airline). Because of the way that they book their trips, she is able to have large blocks of time off multiple times a year, which allows her to travel (flights free and hotel discounts) extensively apart from work.

Although I am sure it still happens, I think the idea that flight attendants marry pilots or rich fliers and then are rich and live happily ever is very outdated. Many of her coworkers are gay men and there are as many flight attendant/luggage handler couples as flight attendant/pilot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is low pay but can be very prestigious. Layovers become girlfriends weekends in Paris and you meet many interesting international people along the way.

It's not at all prestigious. "Girlfriends weekends in Paris" has nothing to do with prestige.

Just going to note that there's an incredible degree of sexism in this thread. You all know it's no longer the 70s and that there are male flight attendants, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No way. Flight attendants have gone to college and marry well. And BTW--lawyers and doctors are professional, but in the service industry too!

Professional services does not equal service industry job.

[Anonymous]

You deal with the dregs of society: drunks, racists, and an assortment of idiots. You will have interesting stories to tell though.

[Anonymous]

I cant not answer this question...
yes its a service job but with many benefits. Meeting all kinds of interesting people, working on great pieces of equipment, and the office views - over the top.
One makes me wonder what kind of a question this is? Is English your first language, maybe you're not too tuned into the culture here... This seems very demeaning to even ask this question out loud, and it doesn't seem that you're of the manor born.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I cant not answer this question...
yes its a service job but with many benefits. Meeting all kinds of interesting people, working on great pieces of equipment, and the office views - over the top.
One makes me wonder what kind of a question this is? Is English your first language, maybe you're not too tuned into the culture here... This seems very demeaning to even ask this question out loud, and it doesn't seem that you're of the manor born.

Is English your first language? Your garbled reply makes me think otherwise.

Flight attendant office views? Have you flown recently? The galley has tiny windows at best. I'm pretty sure the average long haul trucker has better views.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My SIL has been a flight attendant for over 20 years. It is definitely a service job and you can make a decent living but not a high one. She loves and uses the travel benefits all the time (she is unmarried/no kids). That is the main perk for her and she does not hate the job itself. Over the years she has been based in multiple different cities and that has allowed her to live in Paris, Tokyo, Santiago, Miami, Chicago, and other places at various times. She has now settled in one city and bought a condo so she stays based in the US. When she travels for work she is put up at a hotel and they are usually pretty nice (she flies for a major airline). Because of the way that they book their trips, she is able to have large blocks of time off multiple times a year, which allows her to travel (flights free and hotel discounts) extensively apart from work.

Although I am sure it still happens, I think the idea that flight attendants marry pilots or rich fliers and then are rich and live happily ever is very outdated. Many of her coworkers are gay men and there are as many flight attendant/luggage handler couples as flight attendant/pilot.

So in sum, if you're working the Cincinnati-Kansas City route for a budget airline you're basically a glorified bus attendant. However, flying the major international routes for a major airline can make for a very glamorous and interesting lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good Lord. Who cares what SES strata it is? Would you enjoy it? Would it support a comfortable lifestyle? Would you be good at it?

No offense, but what a useless question, OP.

+1. Who cares if it's something you want to do and you're okay with salary? I had a friend with a college degree who was a flight attendant for awhile in her 20's. She had a blast. Eventually she left to go to grad school but she met a lot of interesting people and got to travel a ton. I don't think she was worried about whether or not people would consider it a lower socioeconomic status job.

[Anonymous]

Y’all haven’t flown in a while, many flight attendants are gay males.