Interestingly enough my dad father was a firefighter, my brother is a firefighter and my mom was a "stewardess" (she'd proudly tell you) back in the day. There is absolutely no way that being a flight attendant is nearly as physically demanding as being a firefighter. To even attempt to compare the two on that front is laughable.

Like it or not, I think the job is considerably more akin to the waiter/waitress end of the spectrum. A waiter/waitress takes your coat...so does an FA. A waiter/waitress brings you food and drink...so does an FA. A waiter/waitress vacantly greets you when you arrive and gives you a hollow "have a nice day" when you leave...so does an FA. Come to think of it, if the restaurant were to catch fire I suspect your waiter/waitress would direct you to the nearest exit...just like an FA.

I have never been on a plane that had to be evacuated...so I may be missing a crucial piece of the puzzle. However, I'll bet that most FAs have never been on a plane that had to be evacuated either (training sessions don't count IMO). I suspect that as in most professions FAs are prone to over-valuing their contribution/worth. In the case of an evacuation, you have 150 people that are extremely motivated to get off the plane. Provided one gets the door open (with help from passengers in the exit rows) it can't be all that hard to do. Seems to me the challenge begins and ends with the evaluation of what door(s) to open (i.e. this engine is still running, there's a fire on this side of the plane, etc.), after that it a question of standing back and letting instinct (self-preservation) take its course.

The point about long periods of time away from home, etc. is a good one. But that's also the nature of the job. It's not like you're hired as a FA and then they suddenly tell you about the travel and overnights. You know that going in. So whether that's worth some kind of premium is debateable. There are some pretty nice benefits that come along with being an FA...like free travel. I don't get that where I work, do you?

Every job has its pros and cons. And in the world we live in, the expectations of every job are changing. But as far as I know, none of us are laboring under slavery or indentured servitude. We are all free to leave our jobs at any time and go elsewhere, to what we think will be a better situation. Any job is a pendulum...compensation, perks, etc. all swing back and forth from labor to management and back. Attemping to artifically stabilize such a system is nothing but pissing in the wind. I've had to change careers/fields 3 times...so hearing people griping about that kind of move falls on very deaf ears here.