United Airlines Veteran Flight Attendant Lays Bare ‘Shocking Decline’ In Professionalism Among New Hires [Roundup]

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About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. No new hire is making 70 bucks an hour. While there could be more professional behavior from som FAs, I call BS on this post. A simple fact check would show actual pay rates. Talking to the press, or speaking out on social media, is a good way to lose your job.

    Bitch all you want, we all do/did, but keep it among friends and family.

  2. Blame the youth! Don’t mentor, sponsor, teach, train, endorse, befriend, or pay them well, and certainly do not plan for their retirement or any other benefits. Just spit in their face, and watch the world burn. Then, wonder why things are not getting better. Good plan. Oh, and tax cuts for the wealthy. Be best!

  3. I think its a generational attitude toward work in general that accounts for the lack of professionalism. I don’t think how much money they make is the primary problem.

  4. Pay Taco Bell wages, get Taco Bell employees.

    Charge Taco Bell fares, get Taco Bell passengers.

  5. Spot on comment from 1990 and disappointing from John. God forbid we ever talk about salaries needing to be good for young people? We need more information here.

  6. It’s disgusting the way some of them look. Not professional at all. Its damaging our profession we were so classy us flight attendants. Shame on management.

  7. @ Gary — As a Global Services, I have not seen any such unprofessionalism. In fact, the FAs are much improved over when I was last a UA-heavy flier some 8-10 years ago.

  8. Well I can’t generalize too much, but from occasional teaching of high school students I find overall their attention spans and ability to sit down, learn and pay attention to details have really gone downhill since my kids were in school. Cell phones, instant gratification, an endless noise of stuff coming at them makes it very difficult to concentrate, plan goals and really get organized. Some do, but it’s really a matter of having a professional attitude in what one does–and even knowing what that means! I think this starts with parents helping their children determine what matters, how to make plans and then how to exercise good critical thinking and judgment skills in what they do. But organizations have to select for it too and then really foster the best in what people are capable of.

  9. @Jay Gee

    Finally… someone gets me. Yet, I suspect you’ve fallen for my comments that were in-character, you know, my functionalized persona of a ‘well-intentioned, poorly informed high-status idiot’ — In reality, I just happen to enjoy airplane gossip, travel hacking via credit card sign-up bonuses, supporting the proletariat, and, of course, getting called silly names by anonymous online strangers. Feed me.

  10. *fictionalized

    (if only our comments here were more ‘functional’ … we are mere farts in the wind)

  11. @Linda – did you read OP’s full comment regarding the $70/hr? They never said new hires get paid that amount and you’re completely throwing context out the window. This is what they said:

    “ If you’re an FA hired during the days of class and decorum, and you’re working with 3 other post-covid hires, they’ll go on and on about how you “do way too much for the passengers.” and try to bully you.. getting paid nearly $70/hr to hand out drinks with a smile is easy f*****g work.”

    They’re referring specifically to themselves getting paid nearly $70/hr, because they’re the ones handing out drinks with a smile while the junior crew says that they’re “doing too much.”

    Reading is essential, Linda.

  12. WOW! That’s insane! I’ve been in aerospace for over 38 years, I’ve worked at 2 of the biggest aerospace companies and we’re getting the same unqualified people too! I hope you feel safe when you fly!

  13. It’s called DEI hiring practices. Call it for what it really is. Maybe sprinkle in some union protectionism and viola! You get what you get.

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