So You're Wondering What We Do In Class....

  
     September's class schedule was bit off our norm, as we had our first airline interviews and 

recruiting event first thing Tuesday morning.    This meant we needed to work late Monday prepping.  We started at noon with introductions, class rules, and interviewing basics.  Once the instructors completed their introductions, we went around the room and heard from each of the students.

Lisa Maile arrived mid afternoon, to begin helping us hone our skills.  She is the best!  She is a true professional and we REALLY enjoyed her!

On Tuesday, we had our first airline interviews, which took most of the day!  Thank You Republic Airways for the one on one interviews!

On Wednesday, we learned some self defense and situational awareness, had some etiquette fun with Connie, did some test prep, worked on our One Minutes, and practiced interview skills.

On Thursday, we started the morning with another airline here recruiting.  Thank you Cindy & Roger from PSA! Roger has a great sense of humor and made our interviews FUN!  We all loved what we heard, and are filled with anticipation as we hope to get selected for training by PSA!

In the afternoon, we had YET ANOTHER airline here!  JetBlue came and told us all about their company, and what we need to do to get hired.  We were very happy to learn that Flight Attendant Express and JetBlue are business partners, and what that means for us! Thank you JetBlue!

On Friday, we got up early and headed for JetBlue University!  Here we were able to have a hands on experience with the cabin trainers.  We sat in the jumpseats, and did announcements over the PA, and practiced the safety demo.  Then we did a ditching simulation exercise and practiced our evacuations!! 

After our FAA Approved Safety Training at JetBlue University, we went back to the classroom. We did a few more classroom exercises, and ended with Graduation.  Since everyone passed, we were all very excited!  There were prizes and cake and pictures!  There was also a little bit of sadness, as we have had the most memorable week here at FAE, and have made lifelong friends!

Come Join Us!                      

Pilots, Cruise Directors,& 1 large dose of sarcasm...

What is so difficult about this?  Why the constant confusion?  Who plants these seeds? Where does the confusion lie? How do we clear this up? When will we ever learn? (there's a song in there somewhere!  Ut-oh - showing my age).

I hear a lot of things on the phones, and one of the biggies is this:  "I have been looking at other schools and they say _______________________________(fill in the blank) about your program." Firstly, let me just say this:  we DO NOT talk about other schools by name.  We are NOT a school.  We ARE an industry  specific professional training and placement program - 

     a training and placement program. 

A TRAINING AND PLACEMENT PROGRAM

(can you hear me now?)

WE ARE NOT A TRAVEL SCHOOL.
(if I had the ability to make this statement flash, I surely would)

We are quick to point out the differences between us, that's for sure, but we do not call out by name. Professional and respectful - that's what we are (blog sarcasm aside).

We are apples and oranges people.     APPLES.     AND.     ORANGES.     We are the only program in the country that is owned and operated by Flight Attendants; CURRENT Flight Attendants. There are other programs out there, yes.  One is owned and run by pilots.  Let me tell you something - pilots don't know squat about being a flight attendant.  And that goes both ways mind you - I don't know squat about being a pilot either.  I have no more business teaching pilots how to fly planes than pilots have teaching me how to run my cabin.  So why would you go there? They don't even do that in the movies.  Ask Mike or Gwenyth.  :)

View From the Top

 I can't tell you how many students we have had, that went there first, couldn't get placement assistance, and then paid to come here. And now have their flight attendant jobs, thanks to us. I feel bad for these people, I really do.  It was a costly mistake.  They didn't do their homework.

                       DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

I do know that the schools put us down because we are not a school.  That's just ridiculous. Do you put down Apple because they teach "Learn how to operate your ipad courses?"  NO.  First of all, you don't need a school to become a flight attendant. Not only that, but you don't need all the travel agency stuff they teach you either.  I KNOW what they teach.  And I don't need to know ticketing, reservations, weather, or how to book a cruise, in order to be a flight attendant. These schools will tell you that you should learn all this stuff in case you get furloughed (laid off) so that you can just slide over and work the counter at your airline.  That is simply NOT TRUE.  Airlines don't do it that way.  They will not reposition you to another department. So why would you PAY an enormous sum to learn a bunch of stuff you don't need?  And spend months learning it when you could spend ONE WEEK with us, and already be flying for crying out loud?  And don't you want to learn CURRENT industry standards? These schools are employing retired flight attendants to teach their programs.  Most of these retirees haven't worked in 10 years or more.  Their knowledge is outdated. They are behind the times. Well let me tell you something else, this industry isn't what it used to be.  But you already knew that didn't you?  You already knew that flying today is like taking the bus (with wings).

There are no frills, no free lunches, and hardly even any peanuts anymore. Some airlines even charge for overhead bin space and are talking about charging you to use the toilet.  And have you seen what people wear???  I digress.

One of the travel schools was all excited recently because they had ONE airline come to their school, to their 4 & 8 & 12 week school, to do a presentation.  This airline was not  recruiting. They were just talking about their airline.  Yeah?  SO WHAT? We had THREE AIRLINES come to our ONE WEEK program and ALL THREE WERE ACTIVELY RECRUITING FROM OUR CLASS.  On top of that, we ALSO had airlines doing presentations.  So don't get so excited that the travel school had one airline do a presentation. Come to the program that does active recruiting instead.  

And another thing - NO, we do not offer financial aid.  WHY NOT?  Because we are not a school!!  Because we don't need to.  Because we are affordable.  Because we are a placement program too.  Because we have an interest free payment plan.  So what does your tuition get you with us?  It teaches you a thorough understanding of the industry and the job.  It includes your Four Star hotel stay. It includes your safety training at JetBlue.  It includes the airlines we bring to you to actively recruit.  It includes LIFETIME PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE. You think we charge too much?  Call them and ask what they charge.  We're a bargain and a half compared to them.

Oh!  There's another one!  "Do you guarantee me a job?"  (Are you for real?  Did you just ask me that?  Do you hear yourself?  Seriously?)  When you attend the local community college and take a typing course, does the college guarantee you a secretarial career?  When you go down to the temp agency to look for work, do they guarantee that they will find you a position?  When you call the travel schools and tell them you want to be the Cruise Director on the Love Boat, do they guarantee that they will get you Julie's job? (I'm sure they are BFF's with Captain Stubing and will just call him on your behalf.  Check out Julie's expression. Even she knows I'm right).

       

We ONLY teach you what you need to know.  Our tuition is significantly lower because we don't waste your time or your money teaching you a bunch of stuff you either don't need to know, or that the airlines are required to teach you anyway!  Why would you be worried about CPR & First Aid?  Your airline is required by law to teach you this anyway.  If you wanted to spend your life teaching high school Math, would you go to school to master Oceanography?   If you are going to waste your time and money learning information not relevant to becoming a flight attendant, then go take courses on how to install carpet. Or automotive maintenance.  Or, hmmm, I know! UNDERWATER BASKET WEAVING!!!!

If you want to be a travel agent, or a ticket agent, or a gate agent, or a baggage handler, or a cruise director, or, well, nevermind.  You get the idea.  The point is, that if your life's goal is to become one of those things, then WE CANNOT HELP YOU.  PLEEEEEEEZE call the travel school. ( I was going to insert a picture of a travel agency here, but I couldn't find one.  Maybe that has something to do with the fact that there are so few in existence anymore.  When is the last time you saw one?  Or USED one??  See what I mean?  Imagine a picture of a dinosaur instead).

HOWEVER, if your hearts desire is to become a Flight Attendant, then you NEED to come to us.  We are the NUMBER ONE program in the country.  We train and place more flight attendants than all the other schools in the country combined.  We are the absolute BEST at what we do.  If you want the highest chances at successfully becoming a flight attendant, call us. We are the first, the original, the only, and the best. If you are willing to spend months, learn a bunch of outdated and useless to becoming a flight attendant information, and you want to pay 3, 4, or 5 times the cost, then by all means - call the travel agency school.

If becoming a Flight Attendant is your dream, your passion, or your life's goal, then you owe it to yourself to do it the right way.  Don't waste your time and your money on a travel school.  Don't go there first, figure it out the hard way, and then (like so many others) come to us anyway.  Cut out the middle mistake and come to us first. We should be your first stop.  Call for reservations.  Now Boarding.  Next stop, the world.

Do not make me put any trivial disclaimers on here about Stewardesses not being PC.  In their day, these women were classy, smart, sophisticated, and well educated.  I could go on...but you've probably had enough sarcasm for one day...

Flight Attendant's are Sorry People...

Flight Attendant~ “To the Flying Public, We’re Sorry”- author unknown

We’re sorry we have no pillows.

We’re sorry we’re out of blankets.

We’re sorry the airplane is too cold.

We’re sorry the airplane is too hot.

We’re sorry the overhead bins are full.

We’re sorry we have no closet space for your oversized bag.

We’re sorry that’s not the seat you wanted.

We’re sorry there’s a restless toddler/overweight/offensive smelling passenger seated next to you.

We’re sorry the plane is full and there are no other seats available.

We’re sorry you didn’t get your upgrade.

We’re sorry that guy makes you uncomfortable because he “looks like a terrorist”.

We’re sorry there’s a thunderstorm and we can’t take off.

We’re sorry we don’t know when it will stop.

We’re sorry you’re crammed into a space so small that if you were an animal PETA would protest.

We’re sorry our plane has no music or video entertainment for your 3 hour flight.

We’re sorry we ran out of your favorite soda.

We’re sorry there are no more sandwiches.

We’re sorry that Budweiser costs $6.

We’re sorry we don’t have diapers for your baby.

We’re sorry we don’t have milk for same baby.

We’re sorry you can’t hang out by the cockpit door waiting to use the bathroom.

We’re sorry you can’t hang out at the back of the airplane.

We’re sorry you have to sit down and fasten your seatbelt.

We’re sorry you have to put your seat up for landing.

We’re sorry we don’t know when we’re going to land.

We’re sorry we don’t know whether your plane to (substitute any city in the world) will be waiting for you when we land.

We’re sorry we’ve been diverted because we ran out of gas waiting to land.

We’re sorry for these and so many other things that we have absolutely no control over but which we are held accountable for EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Please understand. Flight attendants are not the enemy. We share your space. More than anyone – we want to have a nice, pleasant travel experience.

There is a reason behind everything we ask you to do. It may be a FAA directive. It may be security related. It may be a company procedure.

We don’t just make stuff up. We don’t spend 8 weeks at the flight academy learning how to pour a Coke. There are many things that flight attendants are watching for constantly on every flight FOR YOUR SAFETY. It’s not because we’re bored or so controlling that we just enjoy telling people what to do. I, for one, would like to have one flight where I didn’t have to repeatedly tell people to put their seats up for landing. Seriously. Can’t you just do what we ask sometimes? Without the glares, eye rolling and disdain? For the record – putting your seat up for landing may not seem that important to your personal safety. However, it is very important for the person sitting BEHIND YOU. If you have ever tried to get out of a row where someone has their seat back you know it can be a challenge. Try grabbing your ankles (emergency brace position) or getting out of that row quickly with smoke in the cabin.

Understand a little better now?

Many of the things we ask passengers to comply with are FAA directives. Like carry-on bag stowage and exit row requirements. When we can serve drinks (in the air) and when we can’t (after the aircraft door is closed or on an active taxi-way). We are only allowed to move about the cabin during taxi out for safety related duties. We can’t get you blankets, or hang coats, or get you drinks. It’s not because we don’t want to. It’s because we are held personally responsible if we fail to comply with FAA directives. Meaning that the FAA can fine us personally up to $10,000 if we fail to comply or enforce an FAA Directive. Like no bags at the bulkhead. No children in the exit row. No one moving around the cabin during taxi. Perhaps now you know why flight attendants get a little testy when people move about the cabin when they’re not supposed to. It’s not the company that gets in trouble for that. It’s us.

Personally, I wish the airlines would show worst case scenario safety videos. Like what happens if you walk through the cabin during turbulence. There could be a guy who has just fallen and smacked his face on the metal armrest and now has a bloody, gushing broken nose. Or an elderly lady who now has a broken arm because someone walking to the bathroom fell on her.

Maybe a passenger with a broken neck because somebody opened an overhead bin during turbulence and a suitcase fell out and onto the person sitting beneath it. These things can easily happen in a fast moving, unstable air environment.

Please just trust that we are looking out for your best interest and stop fighting with us about everything we ask you to do. It is exhausting.

Finally, please, please direct your hostility and frustrations in the direction where they will be most effective: The customer service department. They are the ones equipped to handle your complaint and implement procedures for CHANGE.

Think about it. Complaining to the flight crew about all your negative travel experiences is about the same as complaining to the office janitor because your computer isn’t working. It may make you feel better to vent about it – but it really won’t fix anything. More than anybody we are already aware of the lack of amenities, food, service and comfort on the aircraft. Please share your concerns with the people in the cubicles at corporate who need that information to make better decisions for the flying public.

It’s frustrating that so many people are in denial about what the travel industry is about now. The glory days of pillows, blankets, magazines and a hot meal for everyone are long gone. Our job is to get you from point A to point B safely and at the cheapest possible cost to you and the company. So be prepared. If you are hungry – get a sandwich before you get on the plane.

If it’s a 3 hour flight, anticipate that you may get hungry and bring some snacks. If you are cold natured – bring a wrap. Think for yourself and think ahead. Otherwise, don’t complain when you have to pay $3 for a cookie and are left with a crusty blanket to keep you warm.

We hear often that the service just isn’t what is used to be. Well, the SERVICE we provide now isn’t what it used to be. When I was hired, my job was to serve drinks, meals, ensure that safety requirements were met and tend to in-flight medical issues.

Since 9/11 my primary job is to ensure that my airplane will not be compromised by a terrorist. 9/11 may be a distant memory now to many, but be assured that EVERY DAY a flight attendant reports to work he or she is constantly thinking about 9/11. We feel a personal responsibility to ensure that something like that never happens again. We can never relax. We can never not be suspicious about someone’s intentions.

It is difficult to be vigilant and gregarious at the same time. Especially when most of us are working 12 hour days after layovers that only allow 5-6 hours of sleep. Not because we were out partying and having a grand time on the layover – but because the delays that you experience as a passenger also affect us as a crew, so that what was a 10 hour layover is now 8 hours which doesn’t leave a lot of time to recover from what has become an increasingly stressful occupation.

Despite everything, I still enjoy being a flight attendant.

I am writing this letter because I do still care about my profession and about the public perception of flight attendants. In the increasingly challenging travel world it is becoming more imperative than ever for people to just be decent to each other. I can go through an entire day without one person saying anything remotely civil. I will stand at the aircraft door and say hello to everyone who enters and maybe 50% will even look at me and even less will say hello back.

I will try to serve someone a meal who can’t be bothered to take their headsets off long enough for me to ask them what they want. Most of the time the only conversation a passenger has with me is when they are complaining.

Is it any wonder why flight attendants have shut down a bit? After suffering the disdain of hundreds of passengers a day it’s difficult sometimes to even smile, much less interact. We are human. We appreciate the same respect and courtesy that passengers do.

The next time you fly, try treating the flight attendants the way you would like to be treated. You may be surprised how friendly your flight crew is when they are treated like people.

author unknown

A special thank you to the unknown author I borrowed this from. 

Take it from me...

Not Such A Good Idea

I hear this on the phone all the time - I think I just want to try this by myself first, and then if I can't get hired, I will come to you.

Here's the trouble with your thinking;  airlines hire LESS THAN ONE PERCENT of all Flight Attendant applicants.  It is beyond competitive.  And for 99% of you, you are going to be very disappointed.  Not only will you most likely not get hired, but you will have to wait one full year to reapply.  That's the airlines average number.  Some only make you wait 6 months, but for most, it's one year.

I recently spoke with someone who had been invited to an open house in Chicago. She lives in California.  So she purchased an airline ticket to go out there the day before, got a hotel room, did NOT get selected, and flew back home disappointed, but not discouraged.  So she picked herself up and did it again.  This time flying to Denver.  When she failed out there, she called us. 

If this person had called us FIRST, she could have saved herself all that time and disappointment, and she would already be flying!!  For the money she spent on those two trips, she could have paid our tuition instead.

I know another woman who spent years applying at airlines and couldn't get hired.  And she's no slouch - let me tell you.  She's a smart cookie with a lot to offer, but as I like to say:  She didn't know what she didn't know.  She came to our class and was hired on the spot!

We spent years collaborating with airlines before we opened our doors.  And it never stops.  As hiring processes change through the years, so do we.  WE KNOW WHAT THE AIRLINES ARE LOOKING FOR.  This is what we specialize in!  We did not get to be the number one program in the country by not knowing our stuff!  We have a 90% placement rating!  Do you think airlines would come to us time after time, to hand pick their future flight attendants, if we didn't know what we were doing?

So do the wise thing.  If you REALLY want to be a flight attendant, and this really is your DREAM, then don't waste your time.  Call us now.  We can help.

      Nancy                                           Dara                                                   Terri

321-663-4512                            407-234-9675                                     407-625-4976

So You Want to be a Flight Attendant....

If you are like most of us, you have wanted to be a flight attendant for as long as you can remember.  Something about the glamour associated with this career appeals to you.  You probably love people, have tons of customer service experience, and love to travel.  It might surprise you to know that,  that just isn't enough.

If you're here, then you either are already a flight attendant, or you are thinking of becoming one. You might even have been doing some research and you came across this blog (or our website, or our Facebook page, or our Pinterest site, or our Flickr site, or our Twitter account, you get the idea.  Oh!  And if you haven't come across them, by all means, check them out.  I linked them for your convenience!).

If you've been talking to people about this idea of yours, then you are probably hearing three things:  

1) Are you crazy? Why on earth would you want to do THAT?  
2) You don't need to go to school for that.  Those schools are a scam.  
3)  You'll do better if you go to school for that.

Let me start at the beginning.  

1)  First of all, if you are considering this career, then you probably are just a little crazy :)  I'm not qualified to help you with that one!

2)  It IS TRUE that special schooling is not REQUIRED for this job, and while I can't speak for every college, university, school, trade school, or program out there, I can tell you with absolute certainty, that the majority of these programs are completely legitimate ~ ours included.  As a matter of fact, I have yet to run into one that is a scam.

I should also mention that many of these schools teach other things not required to become a flight attendant. They will teach you ticketing and reservations and cruise bookings and weather and travel agency procedures.  Seriously now, how many people do you know that still use a travel agency?  Travel Agencies are like polar bears - an endangered species.  Inexpensive self travel booking sites on the web have put these gems out of business.  These schools will tell you that you need these skills in case you get furloughed (laid off) and then you can just go work the gate/ramp/ticket counter/whatever.  THAT IS NOT TRUE.  Your airline is NOT going to find you another position.  Don't pay for a bunch of stuff you don't need and will never use.

The other common thing we hear is this one:  

"My Aunt's, friends's, cousin's, sister's, best friend's, girlfriend used to be a flight attendant for PanAm/Eastern/Mohawk/Alleghany/TWA/extinctairlineofyourchoice and she says I don't need to have any training, I can just go and get hired".  

Listen ~ if you want to put all your faith in what some retired old trolley dolley from an airline that no longer flies because they went bankrupt's word, then that's your business.  But it just isn't like it used to be.  There aren't any meals or free drinks anymore either. So you decide.  And deep down, you must not really believe her because you are calling me anyway :)  AND on the off chance that this person is still a working flight attendant, they DON'T WORK IN THE RECRUITING DEPARTMENT. *sigh*

3)  Just like ANY OTHER PROFESSION, you will do better if you prepare yourself for this career.  Flight Attendant jobs are highly coveted and highly competitive.  You have to be the cream of the crop to get the job.  I once attended a Delta Airlines face to face interview (this was round three, I had already passed two separate phone interviews) and I was told by the recruiters that they had had OVER 100,000 applicants for 700 jobs.  Do the math. LESS THAN ONE PERCENT of all applicants actually get hired.

So now, realistically, how likely are YOU to be the needle in the haystack?  Would you do better with some education?  Of course you would.  That's not rocket science, that just common sense.  Now, for the real question....

HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT TO BECOME A FLIGHT ATTENDANT?

So bad you can taste it?

Bad enough to improve your chances by 90%? 

Bad enough to do whatever it takes?  

Do yourself a favor, research the NUMBER ONE Flight Attendant Training and Placement Program in the country.  Go to our website.  Fill out the form and get the information.  Talk to our admissions department.  Ask the questions.  Get the answers.  Visit our Facebook page and see what our students say.  Take the course. Get the job of your dreams.  It really is that easy.

And if you don't want to wait - call our admissions team now:

Nancy ~ 321-663-4512   ~ or ~  Dara ~ 407-234-9675  ~ or~   Terri ~ 407-625-4976

Please keep in mind that all of our instructors are current Flight Attendants, so if we don't answer, please leave a message so we can call you back.  Thanks!  and have a pleasant flight!

9/11 - A Difficult Day at the Airport...

Today is a hard day here at the airport.  The terminal resonates a somber silence.  Employees are quiet throughout.  TSA says The Pledge of Allegiance after the moment of silence.  The security screening lines are non-existent. The travelling public has decided to stay home.  Our flights are running at about 60% capacity at best; and our Nation weeps in remembrance.

We choose to remember ALL the lives lost, including the flight and inflight crewmembers listed above.  They are hero's and angel's to us all, but especially to pilot's and flight attendant's nationwide.

So not only today, but everyday, remember the sacrifices that have been made for our safety, because the lives we paid with came at a cost much too dear.  We Will Never Forget.

Welcome Aboard!

Hi!

This is our first attempt at blogging, so bear with us as we get our wings under us!  We are seriously flying by the seat of our pants on this one!

Firstly, we want to welcome you to our page.  We encourage you to subscribe to our blog, to get the latest and the greatest news in the timeliest fashion.  We are working on the mobile settings too - so you'll be able to subscribe to us on your mobile devices as well.  We do have a website:  Flight Attendant Express - please visit us there, and we have a presence on Facebook and Pinterest as well.

We are currently accepting students for our fall classes:

September 23-27
October     21-25
November  11-15

This is a busy time of year for us, so if you are considering attending anytime soon, we recommend you sign up early  NOW!!  These classes WILL fill up and enrollment is limited.

There are a couple of ways to sign up for class.  You can go to our website and fill out the contact form, and one of our admissions counselors will contact you. (Truthfully - this takes a couple of days)  Or you can call any one of us directly.  We are - in alphabetical  order :

Dara   - 407-234-9675 - dara@flightattendantexpress.com
Nancy - 321-663-4512 - nancy@flightattendantexpress.com 
Terri    - 407-625-4976 - 

Please keep in mind that our employees are all current Flight Attendants, so they might not be able to answer.  Just go down the list till you reach one of us, or leave a message so we can call you back!!  In addition, while we do often answer the phones on weekends and at strange hours, calling in the middle of the night, will not likely generate a kind response!  We all use our personal cell phones for continuous availability, and we are all located on the East Coast - so EST! Thanks!

We are looking forward to hearing your comments!  See you soon!