I am leaving the industry

[pacific.heights]

That's about it. I have been flying for 3 years, i know it s not that long but i had about enough about this industry. I do like my job, dealing with passengers and what the job involves, i think i am good at it. But being treated like a slave is not my idea of fun. Since the low cost carriers the industry is not the same anymore and i dont want to find myself at 40 years tuck in a job i do like anymore.So leaving aty 28 is about right. The pay is not great and although i will miss not having concessions, i am fed up with being broke at the end of every month. Mangement in most airlines is bad besides we do not get respected either by PAX as now being a F/a is a bit like working on a bus. With minimum crew we have less time to deal with pax which is a shame. We have to rush the service and that s embarassing.

I feel i will miss flying at first but hopefully it s for the best. I am going to start nursing school to become a psychiatric nurse. Good luck to all of you.

I d like to hear from people who also decided to make a career change. Do they think they did the right choice? Thank you.

[pinkpyjama]

Never bite the hand that feeds you my friend :ouch:

[KTPops]

If you love flying and feel that you'll miss it so much, why not join another airline? I get hacked off with the job regularly but I know that flying is what I want to do. Maybe you just need a change of employer?

KTP xx

[FougaMagister]

I used to be cabin crew (on and off) for three years too, and in the end it felt very much like being a psychiatric nurse...

Good luck :ok:

[fourplay]

Darls,

I dare say its the carrier, not the industry.
There are many of us that love our jobs, however some may not be with the right employer.
I would urge you to look for another position rather than quit the industry.

I personally could not think of a better job... pilot maybe... narrr
cabin crew way more fun.

And its all about the fun factor

:) :) :)

[Lost_luggage34]

pacific.heights - hands up to you for saying 'balls out' how you feel.

I am not cabin crew but I have been involved in the past. So I am aware that it is a damned hard job.

As regards a career change - I think you should do something in which you can voice your opinions - you did it very articulatley.

Everybody talks about IT these days. Maybe that is an option ?

I think a trainer in something which you have a passion for would be appropriate.

Just my tuppence worth and I wish you the best.

[sweety]

I doubt changing the airline will sort it. It is the same anywhere you go, well VIP flying is a bit different. You either love it or hate it. And if you hate it flying can be hell.
;)

[Mike16]

hi

I have just done 2 years flying for a lo-co, and gone back to my old job i did before flying, well i kind of miss flying, the pax, the buzz of it all, the destinations etc....... Think carefully before leaving, what i do have now is straight forward shifts, i knbow what time i am finishing, i also have my social life ack now so there is good and bad, but i would love to fly again soon......I must be mad



mike

[JMac63]

I worked as crew for 2 years loved every minute of it. There came a point when you're up the front and you can't go anywhere else!

So I thought what else can I do? I would miss flying so much if I left so there really was only one option... learn to fly myself.

So I did it and it was the best decision I ever made, you actually get to do the flying!

Good luck

[AISLE ANGEL]

Hi there.

I left the industry after 4 years of flying, to sample the 9-5 life.
I missed flying so much that Im returning next month. It is certainly true when they say you get the 'bug' for flying once your in the industry. If you enjoyed the job, then you will certainly carry your memories with you and if you ever find yourself comparing your new job with up there in the sky, there may be a little part of you that wishes you were up there amongst it all again.
Good luck with whatever choices you make in the future.
It's never too late to get back into it if you really miss it!

[Miss World]

I'm thinking about quitting my job as cabin crew. Thinking i'd like to do abit of travelling or maybe working overseas for a while. Is it a stupid thing to do when i have a perm contract though?

[miche2]

Flying is good for a few years, but I left BA in 2003 and do not miss it a bit. I lie. I miss going to New York frequently, but apart from that it's become a slightly scummy job now and crews have little respect. Sad, but true - although some crew convince themselves they have the best job....collecting leftovers, mucky cold slops of coffee/tea, sick etc..(!).

The job is easy to get stuck in and I had a laugh downroute, but as for the work, do you really want to be in your 30s or even 40s dishing out meals and collecting headsets until you're blue in the face? The vocabulary is so limited anyway, darlings, "chicken or beef", "tea or coffee", "can you bring your seat forward" and "ice with that?" I used to liven my life up by taking endless trays of water through the cabin on a 747 going to the States saying, "neat gin, anyone"? And the Americans would say, "Jee, no thanks!"
And I do not want to cause offence to all the fab crew out there, but it's not really a proper job that you can do for too long...similar to holiday reps, I suppose!:)


"Jackets on everyone, passengers boarding":E

[Dogs_ears_up]

Flying is good for as long as it is what you want to do. When it is no longer what you want to do, don't do it anymore. Some people will fly for a career, others will fly for a shorter period. When it is time to move on, then remember the good flights, try and forget the bad flights and walk.

But be careful: The job is more addictive than it seems. You may find it more difficult than you imagined, slotting back into normal hours and normal life...

[FormerFlyer]

Bye then!

Thanks for coming.

cheers ;)
FF

[Rooster_mk1]

Hey,

I quit flying and the industry just over 3 years ago and have been longing to get back in some way, shape or form ever since.

Sounds like your issue is with your employer rather than the industry, so as others have said maybe a change of company is the course to take.

All i would say is think long and hard before making a decision to bail out completely because believe me, it ain't easy to get back.

All the best whatever you decide.

Rooster
:ok:

[pacific.heights]

Hi guys, thank you all for your replies.


pinkpyjama: i am not bitting the hand who fed me and is still feeding me, but it's human to have doubts and to want to move on. And in fact you are quite right, my airline litterally feeds me as i am broke most of the time as the money is crap and sometimes eating on the plane is the only option i can afford.

KTpops:

Maybe you are right, maybe my airline is the problem and not the job itself but i received a lot of messages, including some from ex BA long hauls who really made an awful description of working on 747 or 777 which is supposed to be la creme de la creme..

So even if the best is still bad....you know where i am coming from. Besides we cant really keep going from one airline to another, it looks unprofessionial on your CV. It s my second airline in two years. besides after a while the choice is limited. Appart from BA, Virgin and Bmed, what else is left?

Lost luggage: Well, thank you but IT is definitely not for me. Besides i have found an alternative option, something i am sure i will be good at even it s very challenging and like cabin crew, unsociable hours are part of the job, minus the concessions!!!!!

Miche, you are more or less expressing one of my bigger fear :

"do you really want to be in your 30s or even 40s dishing out meals and collecting headsets until you're blue in the face? The vocabulary is so limited anyway, darlings, "chicken or beef", "tea or coffee", "can you bring your seat forward" and "ice with that?"

[tonyt]

I sorta fell into this industry on a career break - 7 years ago - still here... hey ho.

Lot of our guys n' gals take career break option - seems the smartest way for anyone in two minds.

Having worked as 'something in the city' previously, I acknowledge that crew do somtimes have to put up with a heck of a lot for not much reward, however this must be one of the last industries in the world with protected 'time off' and that means a lot to someone like me who comes from a work ethic where peer pressure meant working all hours and feeling guilty about taking a break!!

Good luck with your new job, but I wouldn't burn my bridges!

[gallie girl]

I left flying after 5 years and went back into nursing. It is ok, but I must admit I really do miss flying, and all the fun that was involved with it. But nursing is similar in some ways to flying, cleaning crap and rubbish, answering call bells, and dealing with rude people. Hope you enjoy your new career, but i am sure that give it about 1 year into nursing and you will realise how much you miss flying..

good luck

gallie girl

[blue_stew]

I started flying back in the early 90's - had just finished uni and was looking for a 'break'. My first day of training a woman who was in my group had left the biz and had come back after 4 years. She told me: 'never leave. No matter how bad things may seem, you will regret leaving. Flying gets in you blood and the withdrawl symptoms are too painful'. I laughed and disregarded. Flew with that Airline for 4 years then left 'to do other things'. Unfortuneatly she was on the money and I did go into withdrawl. I couldn't even drop a friend off at the airport without feeling sick about my decision.

It took me a few years, but I got back into the biz. Its like I've got my life back. Sure I work for a lo-co this time around, the company treats us like circus animals, and the pax whinge and whine on a regular basis; but I wouldn't go back to the real world for anything!

You can keep your offices, and monday - fridays, and chirstmas at home, even your high salraries. I'm staying put! Oh and the worst part was having to go through training for a second time!

[Super 64]

I'm not CC myself, but I had to listen to my mother whinge for years that it was the biggest mistake she ever made, leaving flying that is. My cousin also recently left, but as yet she doesn't seem to miss it at all, although she has only been out of it for a short period. I don't suppose any of that has helped though. Although, I think the best pearl of wisdom has been offered by JMac63, do it, you'll never look back!!

Cheers