Crewed Talk: Are Flight Attendants “Endangered”?

CareerCast recently published its annual list of the Most Endangered Jobs. The majority of the candidates were sadly predictable. Lumberjacks, mail carriers, newspaper reporters and other print workers are all being jeopardized by obvious reasons relating to digital media, while professions like farming have been taking hits from tech efficiencies. Just one occupation on the list took me by surprise—flight attendant!

There, right behind the lumberjacks, it sat at number seven with a predicted hiring outlook of –7 percent by 2022. Two years ago — back when the legacy carriers hadn’t hired new employees in over a decade and were on a protracted streak of shrinking everything in sight, including our paychecks — I wouldn’t have even blinked at the claim, but today? Today I get to do a double take.

Forbes took a closer look at CareerCast’s lists and cited “less obvious factors” behind flight attendant endangerment. The three given are:

1) Cost reductions across the industry, which reduces the number of attendants on each flight.

I dunno. There’s nothing new about U.S. airlines putting as few flight attendants onboard as they can get away with. Just take a look at the size of a Qantas, Emirates or Singapore crew versus the size of a U.S. crew on the same type of plane. With food service already eliminated on domestic flights, I don’t see what else the airlines could cut in order to reduce crew need.

(Note to airlines: That is not a challenge.)

And what about FAA minimums for both plane-type and passenger load? The post-9/11 decade already whittled us pretty close to those numbers.

2) Fewer flights using larger planes to reduce costs.

Sure, today’s passengers could be carried that way with fewer flight attendants… but [*taps CareerCast on the shoulder*] experts like Boeing and the FAA expect the airline industry to double over the next 18 years. Double! By both number of airplanes and passenger traffic, they’re talking medium to large ones. I just can’t see how that translates to fewer flight attendants, even in a bean counter’s dreams.

3) The willingness of current attendants to work much longer careers than had been true historically, which reduces opportunities for new attendants.

Was it ever about “willingness” or “ability”? The U.S. age restrictions were lifted in 1970, and marriage restrictions were lifted in the 80s. In countries where such rules remain, there’s no prediction these things will necessarily change in the next decade.

I can’t see anything else that has gotten better in terms of flying longer. It sure isn’t the pay or the kind of fun we have (according to the “back in the day” stories!). As a stew in my 17th year, I’m just barely in the 60th percentile seniority-wise. Trust me, “willingness” to “fly till you die” is nothing new for the upcoming decade.

It is true that the airline industry is super vulnerable to things like terrorism and the world economy. Those two things alone could reverse even the most robust predictions on a dime, but those variables (thankfully) aren’t listed here and don’t seem to be the “problem” behind predicted job endangerment.

I am genuinely curious about the sources for flight attendant ending up on the “endangered” list. Even the futuristic idea of robots replacing us doesn’t seem like it would work at all. Translate this scenario played out on John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight to the airplane cabin, and it becomes clear that we’re not just needed in case of evacuation! (Thanks for the laugh, John!)

I’m not an analyst. CareerCast could be right, but personally, I’m not worried in the slightest. Aspiring flight attendants shouldn’t be either.