If your dream is to become a flight attendant for one of the so-called “big three” US airlines (for the uninitiated: American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines), you need to be very organized and act incredibly quickly.
As it turns out, United Airlines began accepting applications for new flight attendants on Tuesday morning for the first time in over a year, but if you weren’t yet aware of the reopening of the recruiting period, it was probably already too late for you.
The opportunity to apply was so short that United removed the job posting within 24 hours and closed the recruitment window. This was definitely a recruitment drive reserved only for people with connections who had been informed in advance.
The recruitment tactics used by United stand in stark contrast to the lengthy hiring campaigns of major U.S. airlines after returning from the dark days of the pandemic, when they busily recruited thousands of new flight attendants to keep pace with the recovery in travel demand.
Fortunately, there are no signs that demand for travel will decline drastically any time soon, but United and its competitors can obviously be much more selective than they were in 2022 and 2023.
The lucky candidates who managed to submit an application before Tuesday’s short recruitment deadline still have to go through a multi-stage hiring process. If they are successful in receiving a job offer, they must still complete a rigorous six-and-a-half-week training program at United’s dedicated training center in Houston.
Despite the popularity of being a flight attendant, life in training school is anything but easy. As with other major U.S. airlines, United’s initial flight attendants do not receive full pay, but the airline does provide lodging, breakfast, and lunch. Flight attendants in training also receive a weekly per diem of $140 for other meals and expenses.
Flight attendants must also cover the cost of their initial uniform and baggage supplies, although United says it offers a payment plan to spread the cost over multiple paychecks.
After completing training, flight attendants are sent to one of United’s seven hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco and Washington Dulles.
At least the training facilities are among the best in the industry. Last year, United opened an expanded flight attendant training center in Houston at a cost of $32 million.
The heart of the 5,200 m² training school is a 360,000 litre tank with a replica of an aircraft fuselage, so that flight attendants can practice the very worst case scenario of a water evacuation.
In addition to the state-of-the-art aquatic center, United has also installed additional cabin models so flight attendants can train in realistic environments. The models are equipped with sounds, lights and smoke to mimic the types of emergencies that flight attendants might face in real life.
There are also various “door trainers” that allow flight attendants to practice the different techniques for opening and closing different models of aircraft doors. These door trainers also allow flight attendants to practice emergency evacuation commands.
If you missed United’s flight attendant recruitment drive, all is not lost. Delta Air Lines plans to resume flight attendant recruitment on September 4th… Don’t say you weren’t warned!
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