Flight Attendant Jobs are hard to fine....right?

[crew4jets]

Since September 11, the airline industry has undergone a drastic
change, with many airlines downsizing or even going out of business.
If you were considering a career as a flight attendant, you may as
well give up, right? I mean, the majors aren't hiring, so there are
no job openings, are there?

In reality, all that is far from true. When asked about the job of
working for the airlines, most people are surprised to learn there are
over 70 airlines in the US and Canada that hire flight attendants.

Since 9/11, the "majors" have been recalling furloughed employees,
though now that they are merging together, their “off the street”
hiring has been slowed. But the "majors" (United, American, Delta,
and USAirways) constitute only 10% of the airlines in the US and
Canada.

The rest of the airlines consist of the mid-size carriers, such as
Southwest, jetBlue, Virgin America; regionals such as SkyWest, Mesa,
ComAir; and finally charter and niche airlines such as Miami Air,
XtraAir and Era, to name a few.

Prior to the events of 9/11, nearly all airlines were desperate for
quality flight attendant applicants. When they majors had difficulty
finding them at their own open houses and job fairs, they began to
recruit from the mid-size and regional carriers. That left the
smaller carriers with serious shortages of applicants, which has eased
somewhat with the cutback of hiring at the majors.

Sure, it's enticing to go to work for a major airline, and have the
chance to fly to Paris or Tokyo. But keep in mind that it may take
years with your major airline to be able to work those more-desired
flights. Meanwhile, you'll be working the same type of flights as the
regional airlines. And with major companies like American in
bankruptcy, size does not necessarily matter in the job security
department.

It's easy to become just another cog in the machinery when you work
for a major airline that may have over 25,000 flight attendants. With
a regional airline, you have a more supportive "family" atmosphere.
And with shorter flights, you may actually be home more often than you
would with the major carriers. Another advantage is the possibility
of being based in the town you live- especially if it is the only base
for that airline. Most of the regional airlines have alliances with
the majors, so you will be able to use your employee travel benefits
on the majors without ever having to work for them.

Charter Airlines are also included in the mid-size airlines group.
These can have you traveling to all parts of the world right out of
training, as their schedules are dependant on the contract they have
with the group that books their flights. The charter airlines have
been looking for flight attendant applicants throughout the past
decade.
Perhaps the fastest growing area of aviation is the corporate or
fractional jet employment opportunities. These luxurious private and
corporate aircraft cater to a high-end clientele, and also require
professionally trained flight attendants. While many corporate jobs
require previous corporate specific safety training, there are others
that will train you as part of the hiring process. Finding corporate
work requires a lot more research and networking on your part.
Recommended places to start are with the National Business Aviation
Association (www.nbaa.org) and Women in Corporate Aviation (www.wai-
intl.org).

How do you find a Flight Attendant job? Most airline companies have
employment sites on their company website, and there are many all-in-
one third-party sites such as www.AviaNation.com and www.CrewVacancies.com
You can also findFlight Attendant jobs listed at www.FlightAttendantCareerGuide.com/jobs.cfm,
There are many aviation forums with inside intel on specific hiring,
such as www.AirlineCrew.net, www.CabinCrew.com and www.FlightAttendants.org
- to name a few.

So get out there and start applying for the job of your dreams. The
truth is out there, and so are the hiring airlines. Feel free to
contact me via e-mail at crew...@aol.com if you have any questions.


For more than 18 years, flight attendant applicants have been turning
to The Flight Attendant Job Finder & Career Guide by Tim Kirkwood, a
35-year veteran of the aviation industry. Now in its 3rd Edition,
celebrating the 77th Anniversary of Flight Attendants, applicants
consider the Guide required reading. Kirkwood helps them choose the
"best" airline to work for, and gives them the hiring requirements of
over 80 US and Canadian airlines.

Contact Information:

Tim Kirkwood
(561) 843-6006
crew...@aol.com