More FA q's

akaiflyer

New Member
If there are previous topics like this I apologize ..and I know all airlines will vary but just wanted to get clarity on a few things.. Mahalo in advance

Are you required to be on call seven days a week?

If you're on call it's normally a two hour window to get to the airport?

I see that many airlines state a rookie will average 60 to 80 hours of paid flight time. Is it normal to get even more hours or is that standard ?
 
Hawaiian airlines - you do have regular schduled days off. meaning no work, on-call shifts or airport reserve. Days off are by senority. If your "on-call" you have 2 hours to report to work. But if your on airport reserve, you need to be at the airport the whole time (i believe you also need to be in uniform). The plus side to "airport reserve", is the FA's just got a brand new breakroom. In fact it offically opens oct 1st, i seen pics of it and its very nice, prolly the best one within the company.

You was also asking about smaller airlines.. Feel free to check this out:
http://www.islandair.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Flight-Attendant-HNL-FT-12-045.pdf

One good thing about island air is that they do not operate 24hrs like hawaiian does. So its alot easier to plan schdules/days off. I believe their first flight is around 6am and the last flight around 8pm (i could be wrong but it think thats correct), which means you'll never start before 5am or finish after 9pm (not unless theres a mechnical problem). Hawaiian is 24hrs so its common to be on-call 2am-2pm, or some other weird overnight shift.
 
Keola and Sean may I buy both of you dinner? :)

Keola yes I saw that about Island Air, I see they also pay for training. The pay scale looks lower than HA but money isn't too much of an issue.

But..does it look bad to work for one airline to get your feet wet and then transfer to another when they have an opening? I'm guessing any seniority would start over from scratch again. I do like that Island has that kind of schedule but honestly I don't mind long layovers , waking up at 2am, etc. Been a nurse so long that I suppose it was good prep. Plus I can help a heart attack victim on board.

Here's another question and if there is a forum dedicated 100% to FA please point the way (but I like hanging out with you guys) ..once you reach full time status and are no longer reserve , is it a full time hourly position? Do they ever allow for a part time deal? In my dream scenario I'd lump a lot of the flying together so I can take four or five days off (granted once I'm off reserve).

Sean yes I saw that they are not hiring right now (HA) ...I still have the nurse job so I have time to wait it out or maybe apply to Island . I'm on excellent terms with my current employer and I know once they had an opening again I'd have a high chance of getting the job back (we usually hire six new RN's a year) ..or just apply to a different company since my resume is pretty chubby now.

Thanks for the feedback and again dinner is on me :)
 
Seniority will be lost anytime you switch airlines.

Pay is always houry, as you build seniority you'll be able to bid routes you wanna fly, so basically you'll know your schdule for the month and no on-calls/airport reserve. But i believe you can bid for on-call/reserve if you want to. Alot of people i know choose to work "low time", so basiaclly they fly the min amount of hours and thats it. Some guys that fly once or twice a week, but they have high seniority. So its possiable to work low time, but im not sure how high up the seniority list you need to be before you can do that.

If you dont mind me asking, why do you wanna be a FA?
 
If there are previous topics like this I apologize ..and I know all airlines will vary but just wanted to get clarity on a few things.. Mahalo in advance

Are you required to be on call seven days a week?

If you're on call it's normally a two hour window to get to the airport?

I see that many airlines state a rookie will average 60 to 80 hours of paid flight time. Is it normal to get even more hours or is that standard ?

- Are you required to be on call seven days a week? Being on call is all dependent on the company and if the flight attendants have a contract or not. Usually, that contract has all of the info concerning being on call for reserve and etc.

- If you're on call it's normally a two hour window to get to the airport? Also depends on the contract and/or company. Some airlines have a few different options as far as reserve call out times. For instance, at my company to my knowledge, flight attendants have "Airport Standby", "AM Home Reserve", and "PM Home Reserve". Airport Standby = sitting at the airport for 6 hours maximum until utilized. If not used, then you are released. AM Home Reserve = on call for 12 hours. Doesn't mean that you're sitting at the airport but you are on call nonetheless. It can start as early as 0300. If you are called, you have a two hour or more window to make it to the airport. Crew scheduling cannot assign you a trip within two hours of the time that you are notified. If they do, you can refuse it or decide to take it...that's on you but you aren't require to accept the assignment. PM Home Reserve = same as AM Home Reserve except it can start as early as 1200. Same rules apply as AM. One thing that is cool about the flight attendant contract is that they have a bucket list type of system so you can see who is up on the list to be used next. Also, you can arrange it to where if you don't feel like flying that day, you can move yourself up or down the list so that you can be used as a last resort. Or vise versa if you want to work, you can put yourself at the top of the list to be used first.

- I see that many airlines start a rookie will average 60 to 80 hours of paid flight time. Is it normal to get even more hours or is the standard? That all depends on the company/contract. I guess everything kind of depends on the company/contract. There is a minimum guarantee every month. It could be anywhere from 65 to 95 hours depending on the company and their work rules. At some places, you can do a lot more depending on the flexibility of the contract. At some other places, you rarely break minimum guarantee unless they are short staffed or IROPS (Irregular Operations).
 
Hi Keola ..honestly yes I want to travel more. I started nursing school after losing my father to a terminal illness. It was his wish for me to go into medical. I don't regret becoming a nurse but now I'd like to pursue a childhood dream and I do understand its not all about travel perks. I'd also love to have a job that I can clock out and not worry about. Nursing follows you 247 . It's something I can return to. A 9 to 5 m thru f job makes me feel mortal .. I prefer inconsistent schedules and thrive on change and new places.

Do airlines frown upon working for other airlines first? Seems island air would be a nice way to see the reality of the job. Are on call hours compensated for with pay? I know I'd lose seniority by switching . Maybe being reserve is all I need..

Thank you all..wish they let applicants shadow a FA before committing. Wished the same for nursing. It's a good job but very long hours and always the feeling that there is something else to do
 
No, airlines don't frown upon having worked at another carrier. It's good experience building. Many F/As spend a couple years with a regional (especially if the legacy/majors aren't hiring) and get some experience, then apply to the legacy/majors when they do start hiring.
 
great to know! there's an airshow today at K-bay (blue angels) , gonna head over and watch. Forgot to mention my sis is a pilot .. flies the small ones. I'll tell her about this forum as I see it's pilot talk too .
 
All the above information is good but don't forget that Delta has a HNL base as well and if you happen to speak Japanese I can guarantee you would get it quickly if not out of training. Don't know when we'll be hiring again but just food for thought....
 
Anybody know if Expressjet is actively hiring fa's? A friend of mine recently applied on the website and she hasn't recieved any feedback yet, curios if there are any upcoming class dates. Also where are new hires voing out of training, how hard is it to hold down cle?
 
Im not sure if i mentioned this before, but hawaiian also has weekend workers (ramp/ticket agent only), they only work sat/sun @8 hrs a day. So you can keep the high paying RN job and work just twice a week at hawaiian and claim full flight benifits with the company. I had a friend working queens and weekends at hawaiian, so its possiable. You mentioned you wanna travel, keep in mind most of hawaiians flight attendents dont have time to explore during layovers. Most of the domestic flights land after 10pm and depart by 10am the next morning. So you'll basiclly go straight to the hotel...get some sleep and back to the airport for the return trip. But certain routes, both domestic & international will allow you to have 1 day to explore the city you flew into. In any case, good luck with the application process.. I hope you get in. I personally been at hawaiian for 12 years now (non-fa) and its awsome... Havent paid for a ticket in 12 years :)
 
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