Why Flight Attendants' Request For $92 An Hour Actually Makes Sense
A flight attendant's job is far from easy. We should be fighting for improved pay alongside them.
Yaroslav Astakhov / Sandra Matic / Shutterstock There are few jobs out there that are as difficult as being a flight attendant. Between dealing with outraged passengers over delays that are out of your control, having to constantly be on your toes ready to respond to emergencies, reorganizing overhead compartment bins, reassuring scared passengers during turbulence and having to listen to screaming babies for hours, it is shocking that some of them still do not earn enough to live comfortably.
The challenges of the job coupled with the average pay have prompted flight attendants who work for American Airlines to initiate the threat of striking the billion-dollar company until they earn a significant raise. And it’s about time.
American Airlines flight attendants are planning on striking until they are paid $92 dollars an hour.
This would be a 50% pay raise over the course of a four-year contract for flight attendants are currently making, who wish to maximize their wages after 13 years of service.
American Airlines flight attendants are represented by the Association of Professional Flight (APFA), who urged dedicated workers to strike in order to receive an improved paycheck. The strike would not happen overnight, as airline unions have to abide by the Railway Labor Act, a 1926 legislation designed to "promote stability while offering workers some measure of protection." Before it takes place, there would be mediation and a 30-day “cooling off” period where negotiations from both sides fail to be met and satisfied.
“We are fully prepared to reach an agreement with management, but we are willing to do what it takes to push this bargaining forward, including requesting a release for a strike,” the union shared in a memo.
More than 99% of flight attendants voted to authorize the strike.
Photo: Hananeko_Studio / Shutterstock
The APFA is proposing a 35% immediate pay increase, a 6% pay increase in subsequent years, boarding pay and bonuses for international flights and working premium cabins. Although American Airlines is negotiating a new contract with its flight attendants, the two parties have very different expectations as to what seems fair.
This has been an ongoing battle for years, and it is about time we see a victory for the flight attendants.
Management may believe that given the fact that there is currently no shortage of flight attendants as there are pilots, with the application process said to be more selective than most Ivy League schools, this does not eliminate the fact that they are working just as, sometimes more, than pilots.
While the pilots may be the ones operating the plane, it is the flight attendants who keep it running. They are the ones who get all of the passengers and their carry-on bags situated, the ones who serve cranky fliers their meals and drinks to keep them satisfied, the ones who have to remain calm in the face of crisis despite their own fears and the ones cleaning up after sick or messy passengers. They do this for up to 14 hours at a time some days, jumping from flight to flight with little time to collect themselves, eat, hydrate or get much-needed rest.
After the global pandemic forced many people to bunker down in their homes for months, many of us could not wait to jet off for a much-needed vacation and travel excursion once restrictions were lifted. There was a 70% growth in flight departures and seat capacity achieved in the first eight months of 2022 compared to 2021. This meant even more work for flight attendants.
Since they are often thrown across different time zones multiple times a day, they are prone to having a disrupted sleep schedule and burnout. Being a flight attendant can also take a toll on one’s physical health. Research conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that flight attendants have a higher risk of developing cancers, including thyroid, cervical, uterine and gastrointestinal due to the doses of radiation they can get exposed to. According to the CDC, flight attendants also have a higher rate of suicide compared to the general public.
While flight attendants may not be running into burning buildings to save lives or performing life-saving procedures on people, this does not at all imply that their jobs are insignificant or easy. It also does not mean that they are not worthy of a raise.
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, flight attendants earn on average $46,000 a year, with the top 10% earning more than $70,000 a year. While this may be considered to be decent money for some, it is important to note that the average annual average salary in the U.S. is $60,575 and the income required to own an average home in the U.S. is estimated to be around $115,000.
Given how many people use air transportation to get around every day, the role of a flight attendant is far from irrelevant, and we often take all that they do for us for granted.
Most of us don’t even bother looking them in the eye as they take our drink orders or help us lift our bags. Their responsibilities are far from mundane, and if we have traveled on a plane anytime in the past few years, we should support their petition to strike for higher wages.
Without flight attendants, there would be no functioning airline companies and no vacations for us.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.