Originally Posted by canigetasixpack

Man, you think you’re doing an excellent job at work only to get on here and be told you’re nothing more than a sentient soda machine, awful at customer service, and my mere presence brings y’all endless frustration. Ouch.


I’m a FA, but I like checking out this forum because, honestly, y’all have the best gossip and news about what’s going on. I care deeply about this company & my coworkers. I know what it’s like to work an office job in a dying Rust Belt city and only make $38,000 a year. I’ve been in the industry since March 2020 (great time to make a career transition btw!) and I fly 150-180 a month. According to my investment calculator, if SWA is still around a decade from now, I’ll be a millionaire by my mid 40s. To give you perspective on my background, my parents are retiring exclusively on social security. To say that I’m grateful for everything this job has given me would be the understatement of a lifetime. Southwest hasn’t helped me climb the economic ladder, it’s put me on an economic elevator in a high rise.

A HOU Captain and I chatted at the bar a couple weeks ago for about an hour about how much we love what we do, what I try to do for our customers, and how Captains like him - communicative, caring, and just plain happy - make my job even better. I’m an A flyer, and I really do care about y’all. If you’ve heard the phrase “You need anything? I like my pilots happy and hydrated” you know exactly who I am. The displacement situation, which I only learned about because of these forums, has me so mad for y’all, especially the Denver guys and gals. Living in a base while being forced to commute to another is cruel.



I’m not acting like every FA is as good at their job as me. In fact, I know they’re not. Trust me, I see the behaviors, y’all. My no fly list has some winners on there that should never have ever made it past the interview. It’s one of the reasons I try to fly A. I need to be the first and last person our customers associate with their flight. I’m one of the best Flight Attendants we have, and I’m not ashamed to say it because dozens of SWA pilots have told me so. I’ve had customers get off a 7 1/2 hour delayed flight smiling because that’s what emotional intelligence, a personality, and true hospitality can do. What makes me so different? I actually care about our customers. On this last trip alone two different customers hugged me as they got off the plane. Travel is stressful, and everyone could use some kindness.



If we’re being honest, I guess it just hurts to wonder if all the pilots I interact with in real life - the ones I shake hands with, laugh with, and engage in conservation with - actually hate my guts. As a dude, sometimes y’all are the only other guy coworkers I get to hang out with for weeks a time. The opinions I see frequently shared on here just don’t seem to match my real life experiences in the front of the plane, the walk to the shuttle, or ride to the airport. So, what’s the truth? Am I an unnecessary, unwanted part of the crew on your plane, or do some of us actually add value to Southwest, ensuring we have economic longevity for many years to come?



The only time I’ve ever clapped back at a Captain over the years is when the guy from BWI (that I since found out many other pilots dislike) told the FO within earshot of me that “you should go to Delta, their flight attendants are hotter.” I not-so-nicely reminded him my job description doesn’t involve being eye candy for men shorter than me.



I know y’all put up with nonsense from some FAs, but don’t act like I don’t have to smile through a lot of demeaning comments and behaviors. I’ve had a captain get angry with me because I was the A and not the two attractive ladies I was flying with. I’ve had a captain say “I expect a phone call at some point during the flight to see if we need anything, or is that too much work for you?” That doesn’t feel good.



My Captain on my last trip, who even after being corrected, couldn’t be bothered to call me by my actual, easy-to-pronounce first name, had to apologize to me after being condescending to me during multiple interactions. The thing that made him snap at me the most? I let him know the B’s emergency equipment had failed a check and would need to be replaced. I appreciated his sincere apology, but I’m not going to pretend I didn’t enjoy him having to wait around to shut down the plane and hear MANY deplaning customers laugh at my jokes and say how much they enjoyed the flight because of me. I think I even heard him laugh a time or two. That felt really, really good.



Okay, that’s enough from me & my soapbox. Hoping all these new changes return us to the record profitability we all deserve.



Stay happy & hydrated.