Flight attendants are smiley people in general but what makes them truly smile? What makes their flight a really good day out?
1 A good crew
A good crew can make or break a flight. Working with a crew member you worked with before and had a great flight with, always makes a flight attendant happy. At the airlines, we have different colleagues every day, so it’s really nice when we see a familiar face on our team.
2 No turbulence
Flight attendants don’t like turbulence, although face it on many a flight. We know how to deal with it and when it’s safe to move around or not. Any flight without the bumps is a good one.
3 Low passenger load
It’s a given, but fewer passengers is better for us than having a full flight. We don’t have to rush the inflight service and might even have time to engage with the passengers. Fewer passengers, less stress, more focus on the tasks at hand.
Photo: Hawaiian Airlines
4 No complaints
We strive to do our best and make the flight the best it can be. We rarely get complaints but sometimes things can be out of our control, but we always try and make things better.
5 No unruly passengers
The thing most flight attendants really dread is unruly passengers. Whether it’s a group of loud young people on a pre-wedding trip or a drunk business person, we know that there is potential for trouble. A flight without unruly passengers is a great one.
6 Positive feedback
We love positivity. Most passengers rush off the aircraft, heads down and without a word. If we get a genuine smile and a ‘thank you’ from a passenger that truly makes our day.
Photo: American Airlines
7 No emergencies
Flight attendants are the housekeeper, nurse, waiter, firefighter, guide, police officer and more at 34,000 feet. We are trained to deal with a medical situation or any safety or emergency procedure that may occur. We never want to have to deal with an emergency, but have to be prepared to do so every single flight. It’s our responsibility. We like our flights to be ‘uneventful’.
8 Training
No flight attendant will ever say that they love their training. It’s a time of stress, pressure and hard work. We have to pass all of our exams and the pass mark is very high. We are happy when we pass at 98-100%.
9 Crew meals
If our airline offers us a crew meal, we’ll happily eat it. It might be repetitive at times, but it’s nice to get something different when we are returning from another country. Also, once business and first class service is done and there are any leftover meals, they are distributed to the crew. That always raises a smile.
10 Gifts
It is never expected but occasionally a passenger or usually another crew member will bring a gift for the crew. This could be a box of chocolates or some candy or cookies. We’ll happily accept and share. It’s the small things, the little acts of kindness that we really appreciate.