flight attendant

first officer

aircraft maintenance technician

aircraft mechanic

pilot

PSA Airlines

A typical day was busy- report on time, prepare cabin and galley with sodas and snacks, make sure all safety equipment is in compliance. When plane is up to regulations- begin boarding passengers. You either work by yourself, on a plane that seats 50 Passengers or you might work on a plane with a total of 2 flight attendants, the plane seats 70 passengers, supposedly, those planes can now seat first class, so more work :) After all passengers are seated, begin securing all overhead bins and filling out the count sheet- quite often you'll have to recheck your numbers- this delays the departure time if you take too long. After those duties are complete, time to close cabin door and perform safety demonstration. After thats performed, walk through cabin and be sure all passengers are in compliance with FAA rules, cells phones off, purses and small carry on off laps and under seat in front of them, seat belts, etc. When cabin is secure, notify the Captain/First Officer that its secure for take-off. Pull out jump seat, ( which can get stuck, often), sit and secure yourself and wait for take-off. DURING take-off, review emergency procedures in your head while paying attention to passengers-(i've once had a child get out of his seat to use the restroom right before take-off-I immediately called the CA and they delayed take-off). Sometimes people can be quite confused in a plane. So during take-off you review the emergency evacuation procedures you are taught in training and will probably remember the " 30-second review" for the rest of your life. Once above 10,000ft, the CA will turn off the fasten seat-belt sign and then you are allowed to move about the cabin. After this sign goes off, its time to work. Pull out the galley cart, place the trays for the coffee, water, straws, cups, ice, etc. These planes don't have any refrigeration system, so you are in charge of placing beer on ice- it becomes tedious after several flights. Once you have the galley cart prepared, you begin the Inflight-Beverage Service. if you are by yourself, on the 50 seater plane, you better hope that flight is at least an hour. Its amazing what people ask for during that short amount of time, coffee, with one piece of ice, tomato juice or spicy tomato juice during horrible turbulence, its almost like the passengers want you to ruin your uniform. Anyways. as you finish the beverage service, you may have about 30-15minutes to re-secure the galley cart and clean up after the service. During the rest of flight, go through the cabin and pick up garbage. If you are working a flight from example DTW-CLT, Detroit is a service city and Charlotte is one of Psa's bases. If you are working a flight to Charlotte, then pretty much all of your passengers from Detroit have connecting flights in Charlotte, which is a pretty big airport. Thus get ready for passengers who have VERY close, almost impossible layover time to reach the terminal of their next flight- Passengers will keep asking you where there flight is located, it could be 5-15 minutes away from the terminal US Airways Express- (Psa) is located. ALSO, if they have over-sized carry-ons, they were stored underneath the cabin, so right after they get off the plane- either with a jet-way or right on the tarmac- they WILL have to wait for the ground crew to bring them out- which takes several minutes. MANY people will leave their baggage there, thinking it will meet them at their final destination...A lot of the job is working with very confused passengers. After you have deplaned, you must walk through the cabin, ensure nothing was left behind- including garbage- you are suppose to clean up the cabin before boarding again- it gets quite frustrating when you have a delayed flight, and you must begin boarding already- it can get stressful- PLANES BREAK A LOT, I enjoyed the delays due to, maintenance, weather, etc. For my own personal reasons...Its a very fast-paced job, once you do a few flights, you will feel confident and from there it will grow- I can't leave out the free flights ANYWHERE in the US, also international flight, you only pay for taxes- that is, when you actually have the time off!

There is no typical day working for an airline.  Your adventure begins as soon as you step foot on your aircraft.  I have learned to be patient and calm at all times. Not everyone is flying to Disney on a fun vacation.  Some are traveling for business, for school, to visit a  old friend, to see a specialist that does not live in their city or going to or coming home from burying a loved one.  You must treat everyone as if they are your family and gear your attention to their personal needs.  Not everyone loves to be carted thru the air at over 500 mph.  There are newbies that want to know what ocean or lake your are crossing over and being tall I can not even see out of the windows.  
Your direct manager sits behind a locked cockpit door.  He or she is busy making sure we get to our destination safely and on time so he or she has no time to worry if you are not doing your job but rather trusting that you are.  He or she will back you to the fullest if you have proved your self as trust worthy.  He or she has to depend on me to be their eyes and ears for any unforeseen activity that needs immediate attention such as a disorderly passenger or ice on the wings. Your coworkers are not only your fellow flight crew but the gate agents, the ramp workers, the maintenance workers and even your fuelers.  We are must work cohesively in order that our flight go smoothly and efficiently.   Communication is a key.  The hardest part of the job is the hours.  They vary day to day, trip to trip and some days you have no idea where you  just landed, what time zone you are in, where you just came from or where you are going to next.  Missing your family to insure other families don't miss theirs can be hard as well.  The most enjoyable part of being a flight attendant and working for an airline is every day is different.  You meet so many wonderful people.  You get to wake up in different cities every day and discover life outside of the bubble you are used to living in,  Its a wonderful job.

PSA stands by its mission statement and actually takes action to make it happen.

The culture is inclusive and welcoming to everyone, find its a very positive place to work. You can genuinely be yourself here.

Management works hard to make sure everyone has what they need to succeed and assist as needed. Find the open communication with management is what makes PSA different from other workplaces. 

The hardest part of the job is waking up super early (2am) for a 4am showtime/van and being worked till 5pm or later. It's a lot of satisfaction, but the days can be long, and wears on you if it's back to back on a trip. 

There's a loneliness this job has that is surprising, but it's there. That and being disrespected by guest for things you don't control also can get difficult as it piles up through the legs of a trip. It's challenging at times, especially if the unruly guest hits a sensitive topic that's painful. That said, PSA has really good mental health services, and you can tell they put a huge emphasis on mental wellness and taking care of the team. 
 There's group activity at least once a month the company has (this month is the airshow) and there's several opportunities to connect with others outside work. (Or doing work functions/volunteering.) Information for that is in the break rooms if you're ever lonely.

The best part of the job is talking with the guest and hearing their stories. Also enjoy alleviating people's fear of flying, so they can enjoy it. It's nice seeing someone go from crying at takeoff to looking out the window, grinning, and clapping at landing. Best feeling ever.

Being a PSA flight attendant is never dull, and find the lifestyle exciting. I've gained more confidence and smiling a lot more now days. Love this strange and wonderful job.

I'm a current flight attendant. Training was pretty good with emphasis on safety. The only negative feedback regarding training is not much time is spent on daily duties so you learn that once you start flying.  Initially I got my 2nd choice for a base and had to commute.  This can be very costly. I paid $250 a month for a crash pad in base, $11 A-day to park in my home town airport 5-6 days per week = $55-66 per week in parking.  Frequently I was assigned ready reserve and had to uber to the airport at $10 each way, $20 round trip. I sat ready reserve times 7 times a month so spent another $140 per month in uber expense. Between crash pad 
parking and uber I went into debt during this time.  Once I did get to my Hometown base it took a while to get the parking pass and then another few months before I was reimbursed what I spent out of pocket parking, about 4 months before I was wholly reimbursed.  My experience the last few months is little flying, never anywhere near guarantee. I sit ready reserve an average 7 times a months.  While it is less costly than when I commuting it is not easy. You get dressed, pack everything as though you have a 4 day trip, load bags into car, unload, get on and off shuttle with all luggage, get through security to sit in the airport for hours and not fly!!! Then reverse all those steps to get home. The employee shuttle can be packed at times. You may have to wait as several full shuttles pass before you are able to get on one. This can take another 40 minutes to an hour. The process is draining and deflating when you arent flying. The pay is among the lowest in the industry. The flight benefits are great. I feel alone and broke. I'm going to use my ready reserve time to look for another job.

The communication between Crew Scheduling and the FA's/Pilot's was rocky. Some phone calls were great while others were not. Unprofessional demeanor and tone went both ways at times.

The #1 issue is management, the Crew Scheduling Manager and Director of Crew Scheduling truly did not have their employees back. They hid in their office's 24/7, they promoted Crew Scheduling Supervisor's that were inconsistent. One Supervisor yelled at me so loudly that the entire OCC turned to listen (this was when I was fairly new). The scary part is that no one stands up to anyone that is acting in an inappropriate way to other co-workers. 

Great, hardworking employees were not being appreciated, while unprofessional employees that did the bare minimum are their for the long-term. They are having an issue with keeping the good (wanting the company to succeed) to stay while hiring inexperienced young people. Unprofessional language in the workplace, inappropriate workplace conversations are a daily. The issue is that the coordinators and shift supervisors either don't care to listen to the drama or they are leading the conversation. 

Another issue, the on-the-job training is inadequate, these new schedulers are being thrown into a shark tank. When I worked at PSA, I hoped a top American employee would go undercover and see exactly what I am describing to you. You will never truly understand why PSA's numbers are falling in performance if you don't investigate thoroughly.

Flight benefits were amazing, but health insurance coverage was a joke.

I started out with PSA as a first time flight attendant, having no idea what to expect. I had applied at countless airlines for over a year, but with no success. It did strike me odd when PSA was so eager to invite to a F2F interview after just applying, yet hearing nothing back from the others. I later came to find this company will hire anyone, and I mean just about anyone, to fill up these classes of 40 people, every two weeks. Why? Because the turn over rate here is higher than any other airline. They are desperate for workers here, and you will be overworked because they can’t keep their employees. The main reason for this is extremely poor management, terrible pay, and the way you are treated. 

Reserve life is difficult enough, but it was ten times worse for me with the onset of an extremely debilitating medical condition. It was not the best timing to come down with something so critical. However, this company did not make it any easier on me, or show ANY concern for my health and well-being whatsoever. I can’t even fathom the sour taste that has been left in my mouth. Anyone that has any kind of condition that flares up..stay far away from this company. They will have no understanding whatsoever.

I have recently resigned from this wasteland of a company, and am moving on to other things. I will say it’s a good foot in the door if they will take you on and your not getting hired with any other airline just so you can gain some experience, but I would not plan on sticking with them at all.

PSA is a great place to work to meet new people, eventually advance in the company, or to get started in aviation. It's easy to bond with your teammates and the shifts go by quick due to the fast paced environment. This is an FAA regulated job so it's important to take precaution and ensure you are covering all your bases in following procedure and doublechecking EVERYTHING. 

However, the Stores direct management system makes the place intolerable. If you show any resistance to the unethical and unprofessional stunts pulled from management, expect a "sudden" write up in the near future. Be prepared to have your HIPPA related information be shared and denial from management about its gossip origin. HR will only advocate for and protect management personnel, no one else, even if there is hard copy evidence that management has violated the "zero tolerance policy". 

If you are a new hire, don't expect to work anything but a 3rd shift until someone quits, gets fired, or dies and you can move up in seniority. 

The aviation industry is unlike any other. If you've been there done that, then you know what I'm talking about. You MUST go into this job being incredibly flexible. At the beginning it is difficult because financially you are strained and most likely required to move to a new base temporarily. Since you know it is temporary, you may be paying upkeep on two places since you choose not to permanently move to your temporary assignment. Point being, if you want to become a regional flight attendant you ought to go into it having some savings in the bank that you don't mind using, or have some sort of support system that is willing to help you out financially. I've heard too many people say they were sleeping in the airport or their cars because they could not afford housing. 

Every trip you are working with someone new. You have to be able to adapt to MANY different personalities, because you will be working closely with these people for 4 days a time. 

You get to go to some neat overnights, but many hotels are not in the city. You can expect to be staying close to the airport the majority of the time. 

A typical day at work was stressful and disorganized, with constant pressure but little support from management. I didn’t feel like I learned much beyond how to handle unrealistic expectations. Management often lacked communication and seemed disconnected from daily operations. The workplace culture felt tense, with low morale and limited teamwork. The hardest part of the job was dealing with unclear instructions and last-minute changes. The most enjoyable part was clocking out at the end of the day or the rare moments when coworkers helped each other despite the challenges. Honestly, the airline needs to be held accountable for how it treats passengers, and the employees. The gaslighting from upper management is unreal. Your in-flight supervisors are useless. They’re all miserable and tense. They have the auditors who fly on planes randomly as passengers to catch you doing something wrong but yet don’t even acknowledge when you’ve been outstanding. That is the entire format. Upper management is only out to punish you. They won’t even acknowledge when you’ve pulled your weight shown up or done anything good. 

I liked dispatching at PSA.  The people I worked with were pretty great and I can honestly say my coworkers were a joy and I will be friends with many of them for a long time.

My main complaint and the reason I had to leave was that the management does not support the employees.  They are good people and easy to get along with, but they absolutely cannot do the right thing for their employees unless it is written into the contract.  For a regional airline, you can't expect to make a ton of money as a dispatcher, but it would have been nice if the management would have recognized that.  The contract is pretty poor, and even though its only a year or so old, it is outdated compared to the rest of the industry.  The union does nothing to back the employees, so anything that management can do to abuse their employees and not get in trouble, they will.  I could never understand why they just couldn't treat their employees as if we were also grown men and women that helped the company even run.
I understand that the purpose of management is to turn a profit, but when you treat your employees the way they do, there HAS to be high turnover.  If you treat your employees right and pay them a fair wage, they probably wouldn't leave PSA for other regionals.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Flight attendant 10 salaries reported	$27.50 per hour
First officer 6 salaries reported	$94.00 per hour
Aircraft maintenance technician 3 salaries reported	$27.10 per hour
Aircraft mechanic 4 salaries reported	$26.52 per hour
Pilot 3 salaries reported	$129 per hour

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