Cabin crew are traditionally associated with the glamour of the skies and jetting all over the world. There are also plenty of strict rules a flight attendant has to abide by. Former US cabin crew member Heather Poole has revealed in her book that having the job of a flight attendant means there’s one thing crew are never willing to do. Poole described what the benefits of the job meant in her book Cruising Attitude.
“None of us is willing to risk losing our travel benefits,” Poole wrote.
“That’s why most of us became flight attendants in the first place… airline employees fly for free and get huge discounts on hotels and car rental around the world.”
“And that’s not all,” Poole said. “Besides deals on airport food, cell phone service, luggage, amusement parks, and SkyMall gifts, we also get discounts on all kinds of crazy things like pet sitters, noise cancellation headsets, trucks, kitchen appliances, flowers, and memberships at gyms and superstores.
“There are even doctors who give special rates to crew, particularly dentists, dermatologists and plastic surgeons – and I’m not talking about the ones in Brazil.
“All because we’re free advertising and come into contact with a lot of people.
“Best of all, FedEx offers employees at my airline 75 per cent off all our shipping needs, which comes in handy when we’re overseas and need to ship something like a piece of furniture back to the States.
The ex flight attendant added: “Not to mention there’s that little thing called longevity, as well as medical and retirement benefits.
“So while we may not make the big bucks for a week’s worth of work, being a flight attendant does have its perks.”
The problem, with having these great perks, however, is that it can make finding an honest partner a bit tricky, revealed Poole.
“I can always tell a man I’m dating is more interested in my travel perks that in me when he starts planning an extravagant trip on our first date to a place he’s been dreaming about for years.
“This is the equivalent to women talking marriage and babies with men they’ve just met. Talk about a great way to run someone off.”
“What’s worse is when a man tries to barter a room in his apartment for free flights.
“I’ve even had a woman jokingly ask if I’d be interested in polygamy just to get her hands on my passes. After we both stopped laughing, she inquired again.
“When people who are after my passes realised they’ve entered the point of no return and it’s not looking good they might come clean with their intentions… it’s not hard to tell when a man wants me for me or if he’s just looking to fly for free.”
Poole also went into detail in her book about how it can be tricky for cabin crew even once they’ve found a partner.
This is because she found men struggled to deal with the difficult timetable and jealousy.
“A relationship with a flight attendant can be tricky,” Poole wrote, “because being a flight attendant isn’t just a job it’s a lifestyle.
“No matter how many times we try to explain it, most people have a hard time really grasping that the only thing consistent about our lifestyle is just how inconsistent it truly is.
“Our schedules are always changing, making it difficult to create long-term plans with loved ones.”
