Once-glamorous gig a grind as airlines falter, passengers fume

Source: NewHouse News Service
Author: Susan Todd

Flight attendants, whose work places them between the struggling airlines and an increasingly angry flying public, may just have the worst job around these days.

As passengers grapple with canceled flights, excruciating delays and extra charges for nearly everything, flight attendants are the ones on the front lines, forced to listen to the gripes, offer explanations and attempt to ease passengers’ mounting frustration.

“The job is 1,000 times tougher than it was 20 years ago,” said Roland Rust, executive director of the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland and an expert on airline service. “The flight attendant has to deal with a bunch of surly passengers. It’s a nasty work environment.”

“I could see the flight attendants making the argument, ‘Hey, it’s tough out there,’ ” Boyd said. “So, we want some compensation.”

Whatever remains of the glamour associated with being a flight attendant —- world travel, flexible schedules —- has become overshadowed by the current rigors of the job. It’s no longer enough for flight attendants to be poised and personable, or even multilingual. What they really need is tough skin.

“I think it’s pretty irrefutable —- things have gotten tougher,” said Eric Kaufman, who has been flying with Continental Airlines for eight years.

Air travel in the United States has become plagued by flight delays and cancellations, which often leave passengers stewing. Outrage at the industry is so intense that last year a group of passengers mobilized to lobby Congress for laws penalizing airlines for inconveniencing travelers.

The nation’s economic downturn hasn’t helped matters. The soaring cost of jet fuel has forced carriers to generate revenue by charging passengers for, well, just about everything. Earlier this month, JetBlue Airways said its passengers would have to start paying $7 if they wanted a pillow and blanket during a flight. The New York-based airline said the revenue would help offset fuel expenses.

As if all this weren’t enough, many of the nation’s largest airlines are operating their flights with the minimum staff required by the Federal Aviation Administration. That means more work for everyone, especially when flights are full.

Many carriers have begun charging passengers for checking more than one bag. The new fee led to a surge in the number of carry-on bags, which had dropped after the federal government began prohibiting passengers from carrying liquids onto planes in 2006.

The sudden increase in carry-on luggage means flight attendants often have to scramble to accommodate extra-large bags, and passengers may have to be notified their luggage will have to be checked because it doesn’t fit in the cabin.

“There can be some tense moments,” said Kaufman, who agreed to speak as a representative of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

Defusing stressful situations is part of the job, said Kaufman and other flight attendants. It’s just that today, there is a lot more stress —- traffic leading to the airport, parking headaches, airport security requirements, delays that may go on for hours.

“Flight attendants are dealing with the repercussions of stressed-out passengers,” said Michael Cianci, a longtime Continental flight attendant who, like Kaufman, agreed to speak as a union representative. “It is stressful.”

Flight attendants are still responsible for service, as they have always been. But these days, there is more of an emphasis on safety.

They are expected to know first aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and to be vigilant against possible terrorist activity. In fact, one of the latest training requirements is self-defense.

“There were things they did 40 years ago that they don’t do today,” said Jerry Glass, an expert on airline industry labor issues. “They were perceived as stewards, as stewardesses. … Now, they’re perceived as safety professionals.”

The trick, flight attendants say, is meeting passengers’ expectations of service while dealing with the growing number of safety issues.

“It can be very challenging for a flight attendant to put out fires,” said Deborah Munday, who has worked for JetBlue since 2002. “You have to be able to soothe [passengers] the best you can. It’s something that you learn along the way. You just listen and you try to empathize with them.”

Flight attendants say they understand the toll air travel takes on passengers.

“We don’t always see people at their best,” Kaufman said. “But part of our job has always been rallying our people skills and dealing with people who are not in their comfort zone. We’re used to trouble-shooting that way.”

Nevertheless, Michael Boyd, an airline industry expert from Denver, said the work has become a lot tougher.

“It’s a much harder job than it was a year ago,” Boyd said. “Airlines have increasingly stupid rules they inflict on people. If a flight is canceled, good customer service says put them on the first available flight. Today, some say we can’t do that —- we’ll have to charge $25 —- and the flight attendants are stuck dealing with this stuff.”

Boyd predicts the public’s growing annoyance with the airlines and the difficulties that creates for flight attendants could translate into demands for higher pay during contract negotiations.

“I could see the flight attendants making the argument, ‘Hey, it’s tough out there,’ ” Boyd said. “So, we want some compensation.”