In February I was traveling back home from an epic Bali/Dubai trip with a list of new travel destinations for every month in 2020. I had a masterplan of taking this blog global. Well we know where that story goes…. Since March, I’ve been dreaming and fantasizing about getting on an airplane, I didn’t care where to, I just wanted to hear the words “boarding pass please.”

As things start to “re-open” and summer is coming to an end, people seem to have been slowly getting back to traveling, nothing over the top. Seeing family in safe states, road trips etc. I’ve been going back and forth with the idea of potentially flying somewhere, anywhere that COVID cases are low, where I can easily socially distance and would get tested before my departure. I was curious as to the flight itself. What has changed, and how are airlines keeping their passengers safe. What do Flight Attendants think of the whole situation and whether or not they recommend traveling at all.

The United States still deemed travel as a no-go for non-essential travel and there are many arguments on both sides of the coin. Staying safe and keeping COVID contained is the priority, but at what point do we say. If I am safe and follow the rules, can my life go on?

Ask a Flight Attendant

What’s your name?

Would like to remain anonymous. 

What do you do?

Sass server at 34,000 feet, better known as a flight attendant.

How long have you been a flight attendant? for what airline?

I have been a flight attendant for four years.

What is your favorite part about being an FA?

Besides from having the world at my finger tips (pre-covid), just interacting with people. Learning why people are traveling through small interactions is my favorite thing to do. People travel for so many different reason. Mostly vacations or work trips – but sometimes people will be traveling for unfortunate circumstances. Those interactions mean the most to me. Going the extra mile to show people you care is what this job is all about (minus The safety aspect and saving your butts if anything goes wrong). There’s nothing more rewarding than a passenger saying “this is the BEST flight I’ve been on thanks to you.”

How did the Pandemic affect your job?

The pandemic has thrown the aviation world upside down, unfortunately. We are running at about 30 percent of what we used to. Less routes mean less work for everyone – flight attendants to pilots to caterers. On the day to day basis, there’s a modified service so we can’t even provide the full “flight experience” to both first class and economy passengers. Once the CARES act (economic stimulus bill to help airline workers) is up a lot of people in the entire industry will be furloughed. It’s really sad and crappy but as unfortunate as it is, that’s the reality of what’s going to happen.

Did you work during the pandemic? If so how was that experience? 

I was working when covid started. I think people were just as much on edge as I was. Some people were wearing masks before it was mandated. It was horrifying because no one really knew much about Covid. Before covid I was crazy about germs, cleaning my work space and washing my hands – and covid just took it to the next level. I took a few months break during the peak of Covid. Luckily my company offered leaves to anyone who wanted them. I was 100 percent paranoid (and living for the Lynn Hazan Covid update post), and grateful that I could take off. I have friends who worked throughout, and there were not many flights to work  Flight attendants have two types of schedules: a “line,” which means a set schedule that you get to choose or you are on “reserve.” This means you are on call for the company and get paid a set amount of hours whether you get called or not. Seniority dictates what type of schedule you get. Due to the lack of flights most of my colleagues went back to being on call. Many of them went months without working a flight because of how severely the schedule was cut. I was completely heart broken to hear this. When I returned to work I felt completely safe. We are provided with gloves, Clorox wipes, extra masks and aircraft cleaning is next level. Everyone is required to wear a face mask on the aircraft and in the airport. There are numerous new announcements we have to make in order to remind passengers that this is for their safety (and ours too!). The biggest thing that freaks me out nowadays (and Honestly, always) is when people use the bathroom but you dont hear them washing their hands.

How did you stay safe during the pandemic?

When I was working and covid just started I stayed safe by extra hand washing. No one knew if it was beneficial to wear masks at that point, but I knew a good long hand washing could protect me from any germs passed on from hands or surfaces. Every layover I’ve had I wipe down every surface with Clorox wipes and spray the entire bed with lysol.  While I was leave I basically stayed home everyday. I would go for a walk early in the morning when we weren’t on stay at home orders just to get some sunlight. Since I wasn’t working and had the opportunity to stay home, that’s exactly what I did.  Now that I’m currently working again, when I get home I take my uniform off and throw it in the laundry. I don’t bring my suitcase (Also, because potential bed bugs) or shoes into the house (I live with my parents so I’m paranoid to bring in the germs to them).

How did you feel about people traveling during the pandemic?

I won’t lie, at first I felt really upset. I know my coworkers were out there being exposed everyday. Especially, if it was unnecessary travel. It was like a slap in the face to essential workers, healthcare works and just people who were actually doing the right thing. As time passes by I understand that the US is “open,” and if people can travel safely with certain precautions are taken – I’m okay with that. We can only go forward and hope that everyone is doing the right thing.

What are precautions your airline is taking to make sure people are safe?

As I said before aircraft cleaning is at an all time high. It’s like cleaning on steroids. Each tray table and high touch air is wiped with disinfectant. They spray each after craft with electrostatic spray to disinfect before boarding. This is real! I have seen the machine and have not been able to board the aircraft because the cleaners had just sprayed and you have to wait a few minutes before it’s safe to board. We are given individual sanitizer wipes for each passenger, that we give out during boarding. The service is modified to limit contact between passengers and flight attendants. There are also new hospital grade high efficiency filters on aircrafts circulate and remove airborne particles. This components are just on the actual aircraft. Passengers must social distance during boarding. Truly I feel like the “new” travel experience is safe.

Do you recommend people travel to approved destinations?

I do recommend that people travel if they can take appropriate safety measures. It’s about being safe on the aircraft and when you arrive at your destination. Masks are the new normal, get a cute one and be prepared to wear it on the plane and wherever you plan on traveling.

What can people do to prepare for a trip?

Like I said buy cute masks! Be prepared to leave your mask on during the plane ride. You are able to remove it briefly while eating or drinking but please keep in mind the mask is to protect others! Bring hand sanitizer and extra sanitizing wipes even though they are provided to you on the aircraft (truly you can never have enough). I would do research on Covid restrictions wherever you’d like to travel to. Also, I can not stress enough, always sanitize your hotel room! And be nice to your flight crew.

How can they make your life easier?

Wash. Your. Hands. But seriously – just wash them! Can you tell this is my pet peeve? Also, acknowledge that flight attendants are people too! We are going through this pandemic just like everyone else is. We know this precautions are probably annoying, but we just want you to be safe – so give us a break. As much as you dont want to wear the mask, we truly don’t want to enforce it – but we have to! Oh and just sit back, relax and enjoy your flight but still wear your mask

Anything else you would like to share? 

Hopefully Covid will be over soon so everyone can go back to traveling and posting their insta worthy trips, and when the world is open again I’ll be right there to fly you to your destination. For now, follow the rules, be safe, wash your hands and wear your mask.

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What’s your name? 

Ashley

What do you do? 

Flight attendant

How long have you been a flight attendant? for what airline? 

I’ve been flying for a total of 6.5 years. I spent 4.5 years flying for a regional airline (Skywest) and 2 years flying at Southwest. 

What is your favorite part about being an FA? 

Our schedules are incredibly flexible. I can work as much or as little as I would like. I’m not meant to work a 9-5, so this is perfect for me. Flying for free also doesn’t hurt.

How did the Pandemic affect your job?

The pandemic has made things that were already bad much worse. My biggest issue has been with passengers being rude about how we are choosing to approach COVID-19. We have recently become pretty strict on our mask policy—pretty much, you have to wear it for the duration of the flight (unless actively consuming a food/beverage) and it has to cover your nose and mouth. 90% of the people who fly are compliant and non-combative…but that 10% is loud. It makes our jobs so much more difficult because we *have* to enforce the rule. We’re in a delicate position because we’re actively bleeding in terms of money. We want to keep people flying in order to avoid furloughs, we want to have happy customers…but at the same time, we are trying to keep people safe. Passengers will take our photographs if we don’t enforce the mask rule well enough. Passengers will take our photographs if we enforce it too much. They’ll post photos of us online and shame us for whatever reason. Going into work means mentally preparing, every single day, for a conflict.

Did you work during the pandemic? If so how was that experience? Please share anything you can think of.

Yes. I think I’ve shared most of it on the previous question. But I guess towards the beginning, it was scary because the airlines were still wrapping their heads around PPE, so we weren’t allowed to wear masks (I guess it looked bad? I don’t know) Then they okayed it, but weren’t providing them. So that lasted a hot minute. Then they finally started requiring them after a few months. So the ball was kind of dropped at the start of everything.

Not to mention, it feels like a lot of other crew members don’t believe this is real, so they don’t really use precaution. They will remove their masks to talk to you…not enforce the rules for passengers…etc. Pilots are notoriously bad for thinking this whole thing is a hoax. It’s beyond frustrating. Crew members are getting exposed left and right. 

How did you stay safe during the pandemic?

I tried not to work too much. I was very cognizant of washing my hands. I really tried hard to keep my mask on at all times unless eating/drinking. I left my bags in my garage and showered immediately upon returning home even before greeting my fiancé. 

I’ve chosen to take a 6 month leave that my company offered because I just think it’s going to get worse before it gets better. 

How did you feel about people traveling during the pandemic? 

It’s a double edged sword for me because if people don’t fly, I’m out of a job. I wish we would have shut all flying down for a short period of time at the start of this rather than slowly bleed out for months while helping facilitate the spread all over the country. But…now it’s like I just want people to follow the rules if they’re going to fly and stop acting so belligerent. 

What are precautions your airline is taking to make sure people are safe?

Providing PPE to crew members. Providing extra masks to passengers if they need it. Keeping middle seats empty. Requiring passengers wear masks at all times. Keeping up as best as they can with CDC guidelines. 

Do you recommend people travel to approved destinations? 

Again, this is a tough question for me. I fully believe this pandemic is real and we’re not doing a very good job of handling it. I’ve had to postpone my wedding as well so I kind of have a chip on my shoulder when I think about people going on vacation to hotspots. 

I guess I need people to travel to keep my job…I just wish everyone would take it more seriously. Follow the guidelines. Quarantine if it’s requested. Have I mentioned wear your mask? 

What can people do to prepare for a trip?

Pack their own food/beverages. Try to keep their consumption of them quick. Pack their own wipes. Wipe down their seat, tray tables, etc. Comply with the guidelines (peacefully). WEAR YOUR MASK.

How can they make your life easier?

Please give us a break. We’re so stressed out and we’re just trying to balance customer service with safety guidelines. Just wear the mask and be nice. 

I try so hard to be empathetic and kind to people. I know everything is weird right now. I don’t like it either…but it’s so much harder doing my job when people are combative.

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What’s your name?

Jessica

How long have you been a flight attendant? for what airline?

I’m 2 1/2 years in with American Airlines

What is your favorite part about being an FA?

So many favorites to this job! The flying benefits is definitely the best, along with the flexibility. For the most part I make my own schedule. So if I wanted I could go on vacation once a month! It’s so nice to just be able to pick up and go whenever I want!

Another big perk, at least for me, is that this its not your typical 9-5 office job. I’ve had that previously and it really just wasn’t for me. All throughout training all our instructors kept saying that being a flight attendant is a lifestyle and it really is so true! I love that everyday is different. I meet so many interesting people from my crew members to passengers on board. I’ll leave base in NY and end up Denver later that day with time to explore – then off to a different location the next day!

How did the Pandemic affect your job?

UGH, COVID. This pandemic has so drastically changed the travel industry I still can’t even wrap my head around it. Right now there is a lot of uncertainty of whether or not there will be upcoming furloughs. Since there has been such a decline in travel as a whole, not to mention Americans aren’t even allowed in specific countries, there are too many airline employees and not enough demand for travel in which we are needed. The company has offered extended leaves I

of absence and early retirement options in order to keep a furlough from happening. Im hoping enough people took them in order to save us junior flight attendants! The silver lining is that I have no doubt the airline industry will eventually get back to normal and should furloughs happen, I don’t see it lasting too long!

Did you work during the pandemic? If so how was that experience? Please share anything you can think of.

So the last flight I worked was the first week in April and then as soon as I finished that trip NY as a base completely shut down. I then decided to take a 3 month leave and just started working again August 1st. Things are entirely different! To walk into an airport that is usually full of life and see it so empty is honestly really devastating. One of the fun things about this job is being able to interact with your crew members & passengers – now things are just, weird & awkward. At the end of the day there is a virus going around so you always have that in the back of your head. You’re basically going to work to bring the plane from a to b with as little interaction as possible and when you are talking to someone it’s with a mask on, trying to be as far away from the other person lol. Layovers are also very different. Typically you click well with either all of your crew or at least one other person and if the layover is long enough, go out and explore. Even if you were to go out alone it’s just not the same. Most cities are suffering so lots of things you normally could do on your layover are now unaccessible.

How did you stay safe during the pandemic?

I WEAR A MASK!! Lol, but seriously that’s the biggest thing I do to keep myself safe. I also bring my own soap to use on the plane, have wipes, hand sanitizer and a small bottle of Lysol I bring to sanitize my hotel room!

How did you feel about people traveling during the pandemic?

So thats kind of a tough question, while I understand people need to get to specific places I think there has been too much leisurely travel. But my job also depends on that so I guess I’m saying I’m ok with it? I definitely think if you are planning on traveling you take the right measures to keep yourself safe as well as those around you! Get tested before and after your trip!

What are precautions your airline is taking to make sure people are safe?

The cleaning of the plane in between flights is a MILLION times better! The cleaning crew wipe down everything spotless! They also try to have the flight attendants have little interaction with the passengers so they have suspended food and beverage service unless you are on a really long flights. We have little goodie bags we hand to passengers as soon as they board the plane. They also are trying to be as accommodating as possible with keeping things socially distant as far as seating goes.

Do you recommend people travel to approved destinations?

Yes, but as I mentioned earlier PLEASE take precautions to keep you and everyone around you safe. Get tested, wear a mask correctly! If you feel sick at all – DO NOT TRAVEL.

What can people do to prepare for a trip?

I’d say that those who decide to travel just be prepared for things to be different. I believe many airports are now checking temperatures. While on the plane you MUST wear your mask at all times. Oh and be prepared of the possibility of needing to quarantine upon arrival to your destination and/or your return! They are making passengers fill out forms on where they are heading/coming from and will be making sure you are quarantining.

How can they make your life easier?

The biggest thing passengers can do to make things easier for us flight attendants is be compliant with the new rules the airlines have enforced. I can’t count how many times I’ve had to ask someone to put their mask on or put it on correctly! No need for side comments or rude remarks – just do it :)

I don’t want to discourage anyone from flying I just hope that if you decide to you really make it a point to be safe about it. Although there is so much uncertainty right now just know it’s going to better and I can’t wait for things to get back to normal!

@_jdoe  /   @touringwithdoering

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What’s your name?

Kelsey

How long have you been a flight attendant? for what airline?

3- 6 months, frontier airlines

What is your favorite part about being an FA?

My favorite part about being an FA is how many people I have met along the way. Between interviews, training, other flight attendants from every base, pilots, gate agents, ramp agents, and even passengers, I have met tons of amazing people and heard lots of great stories along the way.

How did the Pandemic affect your job?

The pandemic began as I finally graduated and embarked on the beginning of my journey. It has cancelled tons of flights, brought passenger counts to a minimum, had airports eerily empty and put fear into many over the potential loss of their careers.

Did you work during the pandemic? If so how was that experience? Please share anything you can think of.

I worked all of March, had a voluntary leave for April and May, and have been back in the skies since June 1st! In March- things were concerning. Some flights were empty. I flew one leg that carried 1 passenger to their destination. Safety is a flight attendants priority and I did as much as I could to assure passengers that we do as much as we can to keep them safe! As time progressed, my company instilled incredible changes to assure the safest environment possible for our passengers!

How did you stay safe during the pandemic?

I remained safe by staying home as much as possible. Continuing to use sanitizer and hand washing as much and as often as possible. I wore a mask everywhere I went, always on the planes! I stopped eating on planes to avoid ever having to remove my mask. I kept a safe distance from those around. I constantly monitored how I felt and my temperature.

What are precautions your airline is taking to make sure people are safe?

At first I was hesitant about air travel during a pandemic only because I was so new to the industry. Then I quickly realized that the measures taken by the company to add to the already long list of cleaning precautions taken daily, that as long as I make sure to follow my own protocols to remain safe that flying is okay! I then couldn’t wait to try to Happily greet full planes everyday that I worked!

Frontier already has a lengthy list of ways (pre pandemic) that they keep the planes clean! Our airbus have a HEPA air filtration system that Cycles new, fresh air every 2-3 minutes!! But with covid they then introduced temperature checks at the gate with refusal to fly if a temp was above 100.4. Masks are also a mandatory item to be worn over a passengers nose and mouth throughout the entire flight with the exception of eating. To minimize interactions, food and beverage service was halted with the exception of bottled water upon customer request. The company has provided masks for employees as well as hand sanitizer at bases!

Do you recommend people travel to approved destinations?

As long as people are comfortable, I do recommend people fly. Aviation industry is a massive part of the economy and also important to transport people (Especially doctors) from place to place! The airline is doing their part to keep people safe and as long as the passengers put in the same effort, I recommend flying!!

What can people do to prepare for a trip?

To prepare for a trip I recommend having masks, backup masks, a game plan, sanitizer, and wipes! All things to assure a clean environment for themselves. I also recommend people research and remain educated on the guidelines given by the CDC and keep up to date on what protocol is in their given destination.

How can they make your life easier?

To make a flight attendants life easier, we beg you to comply with the COMPANY rules. We don’t make them we just make sure you follow them. Please just comply no matter what you believe in. :)

@kelseyyhand