Why people apply to be a flight attendant is as varied an answer as the day is long.
One lady is here from Honduras. Here husband has dual citizenship between the USA and Honduras; she is here to get the flight benefits that we will enjoy as some of the lowest hourly paid professionals in the USA.
You may be asking what are flight benefits, quite simply they are a portion of our annual pay structure. Once you are a flight attendant, or pilot you get to fly any time without having to pay for the cost of the ticket. Sometimes you get to fly international flights which usually range from 3 to 5 thousand dollars per seat. Other times it is a little as a ticket from Denver to Oklahoma City to visit family, FREE!
As a flight attendant I will strive to not abuse this precious portion of my total compensation package. As I have witnessed with my fellow trainees, some of them are here to abuse the benefit and fly friends and acquaintances around the world on the company dime. Something clearly outlined as against policy in out IOM (Inflight Operations Manual).
But I digress, this young mother has been away from her daughter for 4 weeks and should be able to fly to Honduras on Friday to be with her husband and child this Friday.
Up Up and Away Shari!