1. Wake Up

Where and when a flight attendant wakes up is constantly changing. Flights depart at every hour all around the world, so a flight attendant could be waking up as early as three in the morning or even as late as nine in the evening! They might be waking up in the city where they live, or at a hotel in any one of the destinations that their airline flies to.

2. Make Up

A professional look is very important for cabin crew, and many airlines have strict guidelines when it comes to appearance. Even if they are waking up before dawn, flight attendants need to look their best!

3. Eat Breakfast And Have A Coffee - Hopefully.

At home, this is no problem. With such a varied schedule, often when flight crews are preparing for a work day in a hotel, it is before restaurants and cafes are open. This makes for many mornings of instant coffee!

4. Go Through Airport Security

There are airports that have crew member security screening that is much quicker than the average process. They are able to offer faster screening for crew members because of the extensive background checks that the airlines require of their flight crew. However, other airports require crew to go through the exact same process as every other passenger.

5. Pre-Flight Safety Checks

When the crew steps on an aircraft for the first time that day, there are a variety of safety checks they perform, like making sure all the emergency equipment is present and operational.

6. Provisions Check

After the important safety work is done, flight attendants will check to ensure the plane is fully stocked with everything they need to provide the passengers with excellent service. The food and beverage items on the plane will depend on the length of the flight and the time of day, for example, on an early morning flight the cabin crew would want to be sure that there is enough coffee and tea on board.

7. Boarding

Passenger boarding is often the busiest part of a flight attendant’s day! During this time they could be working to reseat passengers who want to sit together, serving pre-departure drinks to first class and business class passengers, and making sure that all the carryon bags fit in the overhead bins. In addition to these tasks, flight attendants are assessing every passenger that walks on the plane. In the event of an emergency, they need to know which passengers might need help getting off the plane, like small children. They are also looking for passengers that would be able to assist the crew in the event of an evacuation, especially the passengers located near the emergency exits. The final step in the boarding process is making sure that the correct numbers of passengers are on board the aircraft.

8. Getting Ready For Takeoff

Once the boarding door is closed, it’s time to prepare for takeoff. This includes making sure that all the various compartments and overhead bins are closed and latched. They will ensure that everyone’s seatbelts are fastened, tray tables and seat backs are in the upright and locked positions, and carry on items are properly stowed.

9. Service

The most well known part of a flight attendant's day, serving food and drinks. What is served will depend on the time of day and length of the flight. Some airlines determine the type and frequency of service based on the flight time, while others decide based on the distance travelled.

10. Relax! Well, Maybe.

If the flight is long enough, the flight attendants will have some down time between services. Some aircraft used for long haul flights even have hidden crew rest areas.

11. Prepare For Landing

Preparing the cabin for landing is very similar to preparing for takeoff. The crew will ensure that everyone is seated and all items are properly stowed.

12. Deplaning And Cleaning

The crew will thank the passengers as they make their way off the airplane. At this point many airlines will have cleaners come on board to prepare the cabin for the next flight; however flight attendants on some smaller airlines will do this work themselves.

13. Repeat

Some days the crew will only work one long flight, but other days they could work up to six short flights!

14. Hotel Time

After all their flights for the day are done, the crew will make their way to the hotel for the night. The amount of time they have each night varies. The minimum amount of time the crew have between work days is usually nine hours. After long international flights, airlines will try to give the crew more time to rest; sometimes they even have multiple days in their destinations.

15. Exploring The City

If they have enough time to spare, the crew will share a meal and explore the city together.  Most flight attendants would say that this is their favourite part of their job!

16. Heading Home

The amount of time that flight crew members are away from home is different depending on what airline they work for. Some airlines will have a maximum number of days they can work in a row, while others do not. Due to this variability, flight crew could be away from home anywhere from two days to an entire month!

As you can see, much of the work life of a flight attendant changes day to day and greatly depends on what airline they work for. It can be a demanding job, but being able to see the world and interact with new people everyday makes it worthwhile.