flight attendant

customer service representative

software engineer

baggage handler

pilot

American Airlines

Aviation industry is definitely a unique environment compared to most other jobs, especially ever since 9/11. High security, safety focused, and very strict regulations and policies. 

It's the type of job that you will either exit within a year or do it for the rest of your life. You are entering a bubble, where your job becomes your lifestyle. The job requires so much flexibility from one-- you either leave or become the job. It is either a brainwash or a new lifestyle. The movie "Up in the Air," is actually not a fantasized portrayal of the actual life of people who are in the bubble. 

You will have the key to every door in the world. You literally wake up on your off days and think, ' Should I go to Paris or Turks and Caicos, or LA?' Also, you can hop on any airplanes under the same alliance with your airline at any time. You can literally run to a gate and ask if you can have a seat. However, this becomes a chasing game of 'what's my next trip' where you feel like you're fast forwarding you life because of that. 

There's also a lot of waiting time where you're just sitting on the airplane waiting for it to ascend or descend. It gets pretty boring. 

A lot of people tend to think the customers will drive you nuts, but this is not how I felt while working as a flight attendant. I was rather extremely annoyed by the "senior flight attendants." There's technically no boss on the plane, so whoever worked 148 years in the air will bully you or try to boss you around during the 4days flight you have together. It gets tricky since airline industries have thousand policies and it is very easy to make one small mistake that the older flight attendant can use the case to report you to your direct supervisor. On the positive note, you will learn to grow a thick skin and learn to hold your ground. 

My reason to leave the job even with the unlimited traveling, glamorous lifestyle and great discounts for hotels (50-80% off for flight attendants), was I didn't like myself becoming so detached from my "ground life." I wasn't able to plan my weekends with friends or families- the sunday barbecues, christmas gatherings, spending valentines day with my boyfriend and more. Everyone around me started losing track of my schedule which was all over the world. Also the job makes a lot of people feel jealousy towards you and this job definitely tested a lot of my relationships, including the ones with my significant other. Breakup and divorces are one of the most common topics of conversation you have in the morning on your first flight with your newly scheduled crew that you just met. It is hard to form a relationship or develop one when you're sleeping in new york one night, seattle the next day, and then Mexico and Germany the next two.   

In conclusion, the job has extremely high-highs and low-lows. That is why people in the industry often say that the job "gets in your blood."

If the nomadic, jet setter lifestyle is you, go ahead and go for the 7 hour interview and the world will be yours. Trust me, you will meet so many cool and important people by flying to islands and the coolest cities in the world on a monday during off-peak seasons, which is when the rich and world travelers will start a conversation with you at hotel lounges and first class onboard services. But if you are someone who values stability and family- this is not the lifestyle for you. You will face struggles and will have some of the people you value walk out of your life.

I entered the job planning on doing it only for a year and I kept my promise. Looking back, I would say I gained more than I expected, but I also lost more than I expected. It took me about 4 years to get over the job and not feeling tempted to get back into the industry. In the end, I am proud that I had the experience- at least I can say that I've done it!

This company has had a lot of changes,not for the better nor better for the employees.
More work and responsibilities without the pay to match.
Other airlines with same job title are paid $30-40 k more a year and have less responsibilities. example one type of aircraft to work on, while we have 6 and adding several more types.
Same large company "motto" continue to pay upper management large bonuses and take from the workers at the lower levels.
It's hard to see anything positive happening for employees. We are so far behind financially,we can never work enough to make up what this company has taken from the employees. Over the last 10 yrs I have lost more than $200,000.00 in wages alone.
Many employees are bitter and "done" with working here,just kind of riding out the storm and waiting for retirement. It was a good company to work for,until most of the company's energy is now spent on stealing as much as possible from the employees. It's to the point is seems daily stripping of something. At the end of the day you just about need to make sure they didn't take any silver fillings. 
Hard to stay positive when upper managers receive bonuses that can support a family for generations and working 60-70 hrs a week and looking back we made the same amount 10 yrs ago in a 40 hrs work week.
This has been a mistake to have stayed with a company that doesn't care for it's employees. It has put a major strain on my family and my marriage because of financial strain. It basically turned myself into a liar with the promises that I made with the family of the things we were going to do. When this company started stripping the money away it snow balled slowly. While the years went by the company promises of things getting better kept employees faith that good times would return for all.........Only for the upper management did it get better.
Don't work for the airlines if you want any kind of life. Work hours are all over the place, you can't have a normal schedule and there are no such things as a "weekends" Say good bye to friends you know because the 9-5 people will never understand a airline schedule.
You wife will be sleeping alone and raise your family by herself.
The divorce rate is sick and I wish when I was in college for this career a teacher would have told me this " you live once,the airlines will suck the life out of you,pick another career"
I look forward to retirement as, just not having to work for nothing anymore.........a real positive thing.
I also have a better chance of hitting the lotto than getting a real retirement out of the airlines.

Typical day at American Airlines entailed of answering phones and assist customers with their travel needs. Sales of tickets, re-issuing vouchers, helping airport agents via phone to locate better flights and/or re-booking customers on different flights if there was any cancellations to customers travel arrangements. 

I learned at American Airlines that having a great work attitude and good work ethics along with superb customer service skills your success will exceed your own expectations. 

Every supervisor I had in different departments at AA were fantastic. When I was monitored on calls and called into the office they always made sure that I felt good about my performance. I received multiple praises from customers all over the world for the customer service I provided and my supervisor always made sure I knew how much of a value I was to AA. I had a great work relation ship with all supervisors at AA.

Most of my co-workers were folks I had graduated the training class with and this allowed us to grow close as a team. There have never been any issues with another team member in my department, in fact when I resigned my position at AA after the birth of my son, my co-workers threw me a miss you party. We helped each other out when one was “stuck” on a question from a customer and did not know how to proper handle the situation.  

The hardest part of my position at AA was trying to help and angry customers that just were canceled on a flight due to mechanical problems on the aircraft or as simple as weather related issues. Often these particular customers had flights of extreme importance to them because they either had to be at a funeral or some work seminar. I was able to manage and handle those customers but it does make it a bit though when someone your trying to assist in the best professional possible way and to help them reach their destination is yelling and not able to professionally communicate with you. That made the call last much longer yet I was always able to successfully satisfy the consumer.

I worked at the Advantage Department which was one of my favorite. I was able to use my creative skills to rout customers around the globe. Being able to have great communication skills came in handy when dealing with "high profile" clients such as movie stars. It was exciting to speak with someone that you just saw in a movie and to know that you just booked their flight to where they were going.
I also enjoyed receiving phone calls from other countries to assist German and Greek speaking passengers to locate lost Baggage or to help them understand where and how they could obtain their belongings.

I started working in the warehouse and was forced to work second shift weekends for 5 years! I enjoyed the challenge of the work ! However in the beginning the training was sub par and many people were reluctant to share knowledge with others especially new employees! I worked with the company and the union to try to improve working conditions! I represented TWU employees for five years as a union show Stewart. Hoping for better job opportunities I transferred to the aircraft overhaul hangers and worked in two areas ! I worked many different jobs and enjoyed most of them! I honestly felt most of the time my work was never recognized or appreciated by my management! It was amazing to me they would promote some of the most incompetent individuals with little to no people skills into management positions for political reasons! Many times there was backbiting and fighting within certain work groups! Employees would compete for preferred work assignments and undercut anyone else looking toward the same positions! I finally found my niche in organizing and improving parts storage and kits for maintenance!  I enjoyed it and was recognized several times for my contributions by the FAA and my bosses! However they would never consider me for promotion despite my going back to college and obtaining a bachelors degree in statistics! During my final years I gave up trying to improve things and resigned myself to maintaining the status quo because of my declining health! In the end I had an outstanding supervisor and crew chief! Most of my crew chiefs and supervisors were either idiots, dishonorable ,dishonest or all the above! I thank God I’m now retired and don’t have too deal with the difficult people I had to deal with in the past! In the final year I was employed I worked as a part time crew chief and found it to be most challenging because people often just want to be difficult! I had a new appreciation for crew chiefs and supervisors at that point! However this did not change my assessment of many of the past idiots I had to deal with! The job provided well for my self and my family over the years and the job security and benefits were good ! My medical insurance paid for a transplant and some related expenses! Many of the people I worked with over the years were very good to me! They took up several collections for me while I was in the hospital and recovering! I will never forget their kindness and generosity!  Overall considering my options at the time I started  it turned out well for me ! However I still feel I could have made more of a contribution if allowed an opportunity! I found no matter where you are life is what you make it!

When you are injured while on the job they make excuses and are dishonest with how they handle FMLA and workers comp. They try to cover up the injuries instead of making it right. The management does not give you the information that you need to file for FMLA when you are injured they simply make excuses and they then start looking at ways to terminate your employment. 
They go off of the dependability points system and it is not effective. Management manipulates the points and then they hold them over your head to have an excuse to terminate your employment in the future. Relationships between employees and GM's and corporate is not good, you learn real fast that you better keep records of injuries and points just in case you have to prove their incompetence and dishonesty. Instead of terminating someone for not searching planes properly or for not checking badges when accessing secured areas that have had the adequate amount of training, instead they are quick though to terminate an employee for their dependability points which only leads one to believe that they care more about flights departing and arriving on time than they do about flights actually being safe.  Employees can't just go to management and discuss concerns in hopes that it wll remain  confidential. The pay does not match the job duties. They tell you that you are cross trained and that's just where they can save money by not hiring more employees or by making the pay scale higher if you're performing more than one person's job. If you're looking to advance your career in the airline industry then it is definitely a good job it helps you to become aware by starting out as a ground agent. The efficiency of having good ground agents is most important. Ground agents need to be aware of their surroundings at all times that is how you keep passengers on the ground and in the air safe. 
What I loved most about the job was meeting different people everyday and then those regular customers and giving them great customer service and changing someone's day in a positive way was the best part of the job. Developing a relationship between airport employees from TSA to airport police and knowing that we can all make someone's day better by giving them a positive and pleasant experience some that you may never see again and some that you will that was what I loved about the job. Is it the only thing but it was to me what I found to be enjoyable. And I enjoy fast pace and being active and working as a ground agent you are constantly moving around. 

As a flight attendant for American Airlines, you first start with training that lasts about six and a half weeks; you have to pass each exam and drill with a 90% or above to be qualified on specific equipment as well as aircraft locations and emergency procedures. Once you complete training, you will then graduate and be sent to your chosen crew base (which will be established based on your age at the time during initial Training.) For example: If you are the youngest individual in your Flight Attendant training class, you will be the most Junior person! Vise versa, if you are older, you will be more Senior, which means you'll get your first choice to what base you would like to go Base wise after six months of new hire probation. You will be officially able to transfer into whichever you desire to be. However,  of course, it depends on if the company offers that specific base as a choice to move into. Everything within the airline industry is based on seniority the longer you are with the company, the better options you will get for scheduled trips, vacations if you get a transfer, etc. Lastl6, To be successful at being a flight attendant requires steadfastness, reliability, dedication, sacrifice, interpersonal leadership skills, and instantaneous response to situations that cure either safety or medical emergencies. What I like to enunciate is as an FA, being open to change is a must/plus; moreover, the number one thing I would say to not only get used to but embrace is the unexpected. Don't plan your life outside of work the day. Before a trip or the day after a trip, because you never know if you will be delayed, give yourself breathing room and plan. Nothing phases you because your life will become, at times, sporadic, either due to mechanical issues or delays, etc. Take every flight like it's your first; don't let things bother you; let them slide off your shoulders. Take a deep breath and move on. Remember when you first flew on an aircraft and how exciting it was as an adult or a child; create that experience and that feeling for each passenger you encounter; you never know if you can make or break somebody's day or year! Smile, you honestly can't beat the fantastic benefits within each airline; every airline is different, but most of them have unique packages for employees, so don't take it for granted; get out there and see the world, especially nowadays after covid-19 life is short the industry has changed even more so be in champion in a leader, and you'll make a difference! 

I was hired by AA during massive onboarding of more than 600+ reservation agents; also at the growth of the HBR remote reservation role. The job, career path and opportunities within the division were well defined meeting expectations. The downside of the experience were underlying implications indicative of a company in the middle of merger of equals. I was hired in May; the merger with USAirways was completed in October of the same year. Although I have previous extensive experience working at the enterprise level during M&As this situation was different proved challenging. Prior to this job I had worked at 5 different global companies during the merger having access to information, authority to question/critique and opportunity to provide feedback to decision makers. The struggles I observed at the operational level both teased and tested my boundaries as new, subordinate at the entry level having a breadth of knowledge but lacking seniority to gain trust or opportunity to increase my value as an asset. There are many things I could say about the trickle down effect and implications of mismanaged information on employees, morale, producitivty, performance, reputation risk. From experience I can say with some level of expertise that the key to successful transition is strategic handling of BOTH inherent and residual risks that happen when 2 companies become 1. 
As it relates to the reason I am no longer with the company - its as simple as a matter of non-compliance with ISP standards that resulted in reduced productivity, performance and morale. Being a 17+ year advocate of corporate compliance I recognized the right thing to do was terminate the position but not before exploring any/every opportunity to transition into another role. It was an unfortunate experience but one that I will use to increase perspective going forward...whether as in change management, supervisor/manager or another role it will be beneficial as a catalyst for me to make sure I am aware of the minor details; all factors are considered so that decisions are not skewed by complacency of relying on major assumptions or rule of thumb explanation...the way its always been.
In any case...its been since 2016 - it is what it is - from that experience I not only received ample payment, good benefits but also  informal lessons I can add to my breadth of work experience.

Fairly flexible reserve system. Not as flexible as Delta or SWA. However, more flexible than other airlines? 

Management is management. Some bases are better than others. NYC managers are the best in the system. They are connected and know their flight attendants. They will support you;  if you are a good employee. 

Management never put out nasty emails or memos. 

However, they do threaten with performance points often. Also, the attendance system is archaic and punitive. So, make sure you’re doing the tasks required of you (WBTs and and software updates) as well as don’t get sick. 

Management also need to stop stalling on contract negotiations and give flight attendants the contract that they deserve! People can no longer afford to eat or even pay for health insurance! 

Other flight attendants are great. Very welcoming atmosphere if you are non-revving or jump seating. No snitches for the most part.

 In NYC, people fix issues amongst themselves and work as a team. Pursers in JFK are the best. Overall, a great family in NYC. 

It is a very easy career that becomes better in time. The aircraft are nice to work on (except the 737) and the product is easy to deliver -if the tools are actually there. 

Maybe,  a couple of positions and cabins are more difficult, such as purser on a 321T transcon. Management have reduced the number of crews on certain planes. 

Management have no vision. Our global network has shrunk compared to Delta and UA. Management believes that flying Cancun or San Pedro on a 787 or 737 is global enough. Or even flying multiple flights a day into London and handing passengers over to British Airways makes AA a global brand. 

Therefore, you’ll probably wait decades until you can actually hold international lines or be able to non-rev in AA business class than do it in economy on another airline. 

If you are chasing international flying or want to be based on the west coast, then your options are limited. You will most likely want to be based in Philly for your junior years and Dallas in your 35th year for international flying. 

If you west coasters or Californians are If finding yourself wanting to be based in LAX, then good luck! That maybe a couple of decades away (if ever) 

Go in, do your work, don’t expect much or take your work as well as people too seriously and you will enjoy the job. If your base has good people, they’ll make it the best job. 



In this specific department it goes from bad to worse, they don't pay you anything $16 an hour, if you ask for a salary increase they tell you that that's why you have the flight benefits. With that I cannot pay the rent, do groceries, buy clothes, and if you have children, forget it. If you complain to your supervisor, if you don't get along with a supervisor just for personal reasons, that will be your end with them, even if you do your job well they take everything personal and make your life impossible until you quit or get fired for anything.
If you buy clothes, you go on a trip, they think you're stealing from the company and they start to check your computer almost daily. They tell other employees to follow you and investigate your personal life. Since they dont pay much people dont have a choice then to have a lot of debt with credit cards.
There is a constant harassment from your supervisors and other employees. If you get sick, they don't believe you, even if you bring a doctors note, they want to know all the details why your sick even thought this is against the law. Your supervisors tell other employees to follow you to see if you are lying about your health. They are crazy. They treat you like a criminal or worse sometimes. If they fire you, they won't let you finish the day, they pack your stuff in 2 minutes and tell you to come back for your stuff. If you try to go to another department forget it, even if you  do your job well they do not recommend you with anyone. There a constant discrimination, bulling, HARASSMENT,  supervisors talking badly about employees with other employees, you trust them with personal things and they take it as a way to use it against you.
In that department there was no future, they were firing people almost daily. If they didn't like you they just fired you. They are hiring new people all the time, they pay new ones more than the people who have been there for many years. But it's no use if you may last there days, or a few months only. ZERO job security. 
I saw good and hard working people leave, they preferred to leave before being treated as criminals and being fired. I left before they did the same to me.
The worst department I've worked in my life. It was not so much the company in general.

My overall experience as an Airport Customer Representative with American Airlines was exceptional. I could not wait to go to work and be in the action and the busy and sometimes very stressful but gratifying environment, As one of my duties, speaker of five languages, I assisted passengers from all over the world, and the feeling of accomplishment was a great one, when I solve their problems and they were thankful and appreciative for it.

I learned to control my stress by making it fun and challenging in every task I was involved with. Management which at one point I was part of, was to a certain extent a mostly observant,  carefully
grading the representatives and agents in every detail to improve their performance after a review of their observations. My co-workers, as in any other large company were of many different backgrounds, nationalities, cultures and religions. You have to respect them just the same, and learn how to work in harmony with all of them. 

The hardest part of the job, was the inability to please all the passengers all the time. As we all know, the planes have a limited number of aisle seats and exit rows, so needless to say, you can not provide them all with what they want without making some of them a little unhappy.

The most enjoyable part of the job was to be able to solve problems using the skills learned, such as ticketing, routings, foreign entry documentation and the ability to communicate with so many different nationalities in their own language. In many cases, these passengers took their time to write a nice letter about my dealing with them and being able to solve the problems, such as misconnects, flight cancellations, lack of the English language knowledge, finding them a hotel, meals and transportation, providing some of them with calls overseas to their worry relatives, etc., etc..

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Flight attendant 39 salaries reported	$42.85 per hour
Customer service representative 12 salaries reported	$20.63 per hour
Software engineer 14 salaries reported	$103,357 per year
Baggage handler 10 salaries reported	$20.36 per hour
Pilot 4 salaries reported	$100,861 per year

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