Originally Posted by
AlanB
Well I guess that depends on what your definition of "highly paid" is. If highly paid to you is $35,000 to $50,000, then yes I guess they are highly paid. But those who actually do their jobs, certainly earn every penny of it. I know of one cook, the highest paid person in the dining car, who has been with Amtrak for about 18 years and he's making about $22 an hour.
Returning to the attendant position, I don't know of any flight attendants that have to make and strip down beds, or put them up and down for their passengers. I don't believe that I've ever seen a flight attendant clean a bathroom. Most flight attendants do not assist with luggage. Flight attendant don't sleep on the airplane normally, much less in a room where anytime someone hits the call button, a bell rings in their room. Flight attendants aren't on duty 24/7 for two days straight.
Lets not minimize the responsibilities of a flight attendant.
On the service side, they are indeed responsible for the cleanliness of the toilets, which on a 14 hour long-haul is no minimal task. They prepare meals. They serve drinks and food to 50 or more people, sometimes multiple times. They answer call button requests for issues ranging from critical to silly. They run the IFE. For sleeper seats, they do set those seats for day and night modes. They collect trash. They are the target for whatever grief passenger wish to aim at their employer. They are often away from home for days at a time, and sleeping on the plane is not uncommon for those assigned to international routes or red eyes.
Most importantly, they have the primary responsibility for the safety of the passengers. They ensure passenger compliance with safety requirements. They are trained in first aid, CPR, and have access to an AED (does Amtrak have AED's on any trains?). In the event of any incident from decompression to evacuation and everything in between, they are the people in charge. And, flight attendants are prohibited from accepting tips.
In short, flight attendants have a pretty tough job and, with the pay cuts of the last few years, get paid shockingly little for what they do.