United Airlines has forced out a flight attendant Arina Bloom for her TikTok videos. She reports that someone “made an anonymous complaint” about her, and though United had previously commented positively on her online presence it became a liability. She had posted “roughly 20 videos where she wore her uniform” and was in violation of company policy, and pressured to resign.
My airline was pretty much aware of my social media platform, they even commented on my video back in August so it’s not like I was hiding something.
But all of a sudden in December it became a problem.
I got in trouble for every single video where I appeared in my uniform which I do understand – every airline has their own rules.
@arina.bloom Just another Flight Attendant got in trouble. #cabincrew #flightattendant
She had posted onboard videos like this one.
@arina.bloom #answer to nasrinmiah786 #bye2021 #mostviralof2021 #cabincrewlife
She talked about her job, such as when flight attendants have to clean up after passengers getting sick in the aisle.
@arina.bloom #cabincrew #cabincrewlife #flightattendant #flightattendantlife #flightattendantstories #crewsecrets
It was ultimately showing herself in uniform, effectively identifying her airline, that created problems. Bloom reports she has interviews to work at other airlines. She will, of course, lose her seniority.
It’s important to know your employer’s social media rules, and document any permission you may have where that’s required. And know that anything you do online could put you in jeopardy (Cf. ‘cancelled’). She’s certainly not the first person this happened to.
Ellen Simonetti made national news 17 years ago when she was fired from Delta after posting (rather tame by modern standards) photos of herself on board and in uniform on her “Queen of Sky: Diary of a Dysfunctional Flight Attendant” blog. She began blogging after losing her mother to cancer, and never mentioned the name of her employer but its markings were evident. This was, for some, a wake up call about the need for clear boundaries between work and online and the risks each posed to the other.
Common sense should tell people they are accountable for their words. Sure employers may not do anything right away but once you cross a line (which varies for every company) or they get a complaint, they will take action.
People seem to think they can do anything they want w/o paying a price. You can’t. Even if you work for yourself, you may pay a financial price.
Based United! Thot patrolled.
United has touted their social media standards for years now. Just use some common sense and don’t show any uniforms, logos or any way to identify the airline! It’s really that simple.
Sometimes it’s a fine line between one person’s sense of clean and acceptable humor and someone else’s malicious interpretation of video content. Lots of airline employees – in uniform – post YouTube videos (both pilots and flight attendants), TikTok videos, and podcasts. Almost all airline employees are proud of their job and I doubt any videos are posted with malicious intent. A fair solution would be a warning and demand that videos be taken down before terminating an employee’s contract. The reason YouTube removed the thumbs down count is because, even in the most benign videos, someone will find the content offensive.
You can aspire to be an online media *star*. Or you can work in the corporate world. Choices and actions have consequences.
She used Tik Tok
nuff said
I’m not on this app much, but I didn’t find any content she posted out ofine. People just suck. To cause anyone else their job is totally ridiculous.
I hope the person that complained about her gets terrible diarrhea for a very long time #Karen #jealousyissues
The rest of the crew works while she records during work hrs.
Her job is to focus on the safety of the passengers with laser-like precision. Clearly she’s demonstrated she can’t do it if she’s taking video onboard. Good riddance.
I would, I am sure a whole country at least may not be in love to mix their professional life with their personal. It is sad from the employee point of view, the airline might have decided diffently maybe with a warning to the employee but it’s US, so they “liked” first as if they r very friendly, but then made a right or ironic decision? A lesson to social media lovers?
Next thing you know, posting on this blog will be grounds for termination.
Something the previous posters will not doubt be in favor of.
::shrug:: She knew the policy and she broke it. Most likely the what did her in was recording when she was on the plane and she was supposed to be working. I would like to think airlines don’t just fire employees for being on social media in their uniform without at least giving them a warning. However, I can see an airline jumping right to firing if someone is using company time to make videos.
This doesn’t surprise me. I’m aware of other FA’s on not only TikTok, but other venues, who never refer to their airlines by name, but wear their uniforms which renders them identifiable. Many are critical of not only their employers, but the passengers as well. Not great for PR, to say the least.
Despite the tameness of the videos, I get why she was fired. Wouldn’t it be great if they could fire flight attendants for incompetence as well?
Another Karen but in flight attendant uniform making a mockery of a flight attendants life? And ignoring her company logo as she casually makes her video? She’s no longer a professional flight attendant and finds posting videos on social media as just another supposedly social media influencer. Next thing we’ll see is her going to the lavatory to show the public how disgusting passengers are. Does the public relish this behavior? Poor behavior got her fired.
Good. Another attention whore shut down. At least on company time. Airline did the right thing and they have the prerogative to change their mind midstream.
So many negative comments from people that wish they could get on a big airlines. I tried a long time ago. Out of 500 they only had to openings, Heidi got one as Irecommended her, a beautiful sexy blonde. It’s easy to see how you got hired. We each had to stand and talk about ourselves. My siblings have been flight crew members for 5 decades. I started as a pilot and tried to talk my brother into retiring after 2001. He stayed on and two years later received a 52.5 % pay cut by the same after starting in 1979. He had been with Air California which he helped get my sister on as a F/A and was also briefly with PSA until there San Diego crash. Airlines is the hardest job to get. My 2nd cousin also got hired by United. They have had so many problems because they are so big. My brother always speaks highly of them. He only had one negative thing it was on a trip to Beijing he was knocked out and robbed and badly scared in the face when his crewmates went next door before he returned from the bathroom. They accused him of falling down drunk and denying his medical insurance coverage but he ended up winning the case. I tried to get on as an Air Marshal but never any openings. As a pilot, medic and police officer I thought it my destiny. You will find several other Airline offers on the condition of staying away from offending on line sites.
What is WRONG with people these days who want to bare their personal/working lives on social media? How sad is it that they have nobody to pay attention to them and must use these dopey websites so people will look at them? I’ve never been a flight attendant, but even I know that you can’t post garbage on social media wearing your freaking United uniform. So very sad.
Glad she’s gone. Social media is the worst thing ever developed inasmuch as the dumbing down of the human race. We, as a species, have lost touch with reality behind social media and it’s only getting worse unfortunately.
Anyone who posts anything other than pics of their family, cute puppy dogs, flowers, and sunsets…i.e., anything controversial…while identifying their employer is risking being “cancelled”. To protect yourself, post a disclaimer on your profile page. Something like “the opinions expressed herein are my own and do not reflect those of my employer”.
She was completely out of line. She was in Uniform and some of her videos were not appropriate. I can’t blame her employer
Women are using social media to try to get famous and make money they are doing crazy things narcissistic to the extreme it has become media prostitution i mean look at all social media and women have their faces plastered all over its soo sad desperate for attention
There are 2 things that I’m positive. Whether she started 2 yrs. ago or 30, she was taught & signed a form stating that she represented her airline 24/365; also never talk to the media but to refer them to corporate security.
Normally you would receive a letter of reprimand before being terminated.
Other than safety violations or stealing.
So what if she shot video while the cabin door was still open?
Not on company time after all….
Oh well, work in corporate America, deal with the bullshit that comes with it….
She was warned multiple times and didn’t stop…. Oh well
Not on company time when the door was open, Mike? You don’t have a clue. BTW, she represents her company 24/7 365. She / We ALL signed the paper & are more than aware.
It’s actually hard to get fired from the airline especially when you have a union. She probably has a thick file of complaints such as availability issues, sick calls, passenger complaints etc. She might have posted a video (which she now claims to have deleted) about secret FAA rules and regulations that is a no-no. She also explained in one of her videos that she used a trending sound (that had bad words) that probably got her fired. I really doubt she got fired for just one incident. I work for the airlines, and I have seen flight attendants get fired for stupid stuff, and they all get their jobs back.
Mike, I can assure you. Your flight attendant friends that got their jobs back didn’t work for non-union Delta.