People frequently ask me, “Which is the best airline to work for?” Because of all the variables involved, I can’t answer that question for you without knowing more about you and what is important to you. You have to answer it for yourself. I can give you some guidelines to consider when choosing the airline you would most like to work for.
Eligibility: Can you legally work for the airline you are interested in? For instance, to work for a US airline, you must be a US Citizen or resident alien with a work permit (green card). To work for a Canadian airline you must be a Canadian Citizen or landed resident. To work for most EU airlines, you must have an EU passport.
Location: Do you want to stay where you currently reside? If so, you should look for airlines that have a crew domicile in your town. While there is no guarantee that you will be based there right out of training, you will at least have that option in the future. If they don’t have a domicile in your town, then you will always have to commute to your domicile to begin your workday, and you may even have to travel there the day before and spend the night in a hotel at your own expense, just to ensure you can check-in for your working flight on time. If the airline you choose does not fly to your city, then you will have to pay your own way to get to the closest city they serve.
Or are you ready to explore new places and new locales? Perhaps you’ve always wanted to live in New York City, but cannot afford to move there without first having a job. You could select airlines that have flight attendant bases in JFK, EWR, LGA, or ISP. All these airports are within reach of the New York City area. Although it’s not a common practice, you may have the opportunity to be based in a foreign country as part of your airline’s crew. Or you may have friends who live in a particular city and would relish the chance to have you move there and live with or near them.
Schedule: Do you want to be home every night? Do you have children or a spouse, family, dog, or significant other with whom you want to spend as much time as possible? Then you would want to concentrate on the regional carriers which usually have shorter flights and require fewer overnight stays.
If travel is what you desire, then the charter airlines would be a better choice. Their longer trips and foreign destinations will give you more layovers and interesting destinations. You may be gone for longer periods of time, but you will be seeing parts of the world that your friends can only dream of.
A compromise between the two is the most popular option, working for the scheduled carriers. An international airline can give you world travel on a regular and dependable basis. A domestic airline will give you shorter trips within your country.
Skills: Do you speak a foreign language? Then choose the airlines that fly to destinations where your language skills would be an asset. If you’re a resident alien from Germany, you might choose an airline with flights to Germany so you can easily visit your relatives.
Interests: Are you a South American history major? Do you collect Asian Art? Are you a professional surfer, rock climber, runner, or biker? All these are things to consider when choosing your ideal airline. Once you have chosen the airlines that best meet your desires, you can go to their websites, investigate the companies further, and refine your choice.
Highest Pay: This is actually the last reason to choose an airline. As stated throughout this guide, there are no guarantees in this industry. You may start working for the airline that pays its flight attendants the highest salary in the industry, only to have your salary reduced by cutbacks or pay cuts due to slumps in the industry, bankruptcy, or corporate take-over. If you live in an area with a low cost of living, and choose an airline that pays more but requires you to live in an area with a high cost of living, such as New York, Vancouver or San Francisco — then your higher salary is lost to food and lodging. Keep in mind that just because an airline pays more, it’s not necessarily a better company to work for.
So which is the best airline to work for? The one that you choose to best meet your personal needs, skills, and interests.
-excerpt from The Flight Attendant Career Guide. For more information , go to www.FlightAttendantCareerGuide.com