What is a normal schedule for a flight attendant?

I want to be a flight attendant but need information

• How important on a long-term basis is choosing an airline to work for? I want to work as a flight attendant for a larger international airline. I live outside of Philadelphia and have easy access to any hirings that may be going on in the city, and am willing to relocate if I need to, but I don't know how important it is to wait to try and be hired by my ideal airline. I want to work on international flights, and I'm willing to take on a tough schedule (I'm a 20 year old female with lots of energy and gumption to travel), and I'd like to get started in this field soon, but I also don't want to take the first job offer that comes along just because I'm anxious to get started. Does anyone have any advice? I really want to get into this career, but I don't want to regret choosing the wrong airline, and I need to know how important being particular in making this choice is. Also, are there specific things I need to know about where I am most likely to get hired? I have had two years of college, and I know that I fit the physical requirements and at the very least, the minimal desired communications/customer service criteria.

• Answer:

  I'm not sure how well you can judge something like this, and I only know it in the context of pilots but it probably applies to FAs, too, is how the airline is going to perform in the short and long terms. The reason for this is seniority; first hired is last fired, as they say, and you probably want the airline to be growing (adding flights/routes). If they're growing, they'll be looking to hire, for one thing, and you can get in and then start to move up the seniority list. If the airline is cutting back, though, they're less likely to hire, and if you did get hired and then the airline cut back more, you'd be near the bottom of the seniority list and one of the first to go. Because of seniority, it can be a pretty important choice, because seniority at one airline doesn't count for anything if you were to move to another airline. So, if you get a job with an airline and it doesn't fit you, and you're sure that the problem was the airline and not the job itself, I'd try to get out as quickly as possible and look for a job with a new airline, so you can get started building seniority there quickly. It's good that you'd be willing to take on a tough schedule, because as a new hire that's what you're likely to end up with. (Having more seniority also means getting better choices/assignments for routes and schedules.)