“Honey, just to let you know, it’s polite to let those more senior check into the hotel before you do. It doesn’t matter to me, but its just a respect thing!”
It’s no secret that among pilots, there’s a definite hierarchy and an established chain of command. Second officers defer to first officers, and first officers take direction from the captain. Every one on the plane is under the command of the captain.
But what about flight attendants? Apart from the purser/cabin manager being the leader of all the crew, every other flight attendant is equal right? Depending on the airline, the answer is complex. In some ways all crew are completely equal, but in others ways we are far from it.
In any large group of people, such as a few thousand flight attendants, there’s definitely a kind of pecking order, even though we all do the same job. For many decades, you were given a lot more privileges based on how long you had been flying. This is known as seniority, and was a big deal, and to some crew, still is a big deal – and it’s contentious. The idea being, slowly you move your way up the ranks, and are afforded a few more perks in the job. Some of the benefits from being ‘more senior’ than other crew still exist today, but many are being slowly phased out.
It kind of reminds me of being in grade 7. We boarded the school bus last and had to sit wherever there were seats left. It sucked, but we knew 12th grade we would board first, get the best seats on the bus. Even by year 8 there would be people ‘under us,’ so we’d get a slighter better seat.
Fair Enough Or Unfair and Unjust?
In an airline setting, in essence the idea sounds fair enough. The length of time should afford you certain benefits, as a reward for your years of service. However, the problem is that it doesn’t promote the idea of an equal playing field, and promotes the idea of a pecking order. Pecking orders will naturally occur in large groups of employees, but I’m not sure the idea that one person is more important than another should be encouraged.
Mostly as crew, we are so used to seniority, and we accept it and don’t think twice. For outsiders looking in though, it can seem bizarre that for no other reason, other than you been in the workplace longer than another person, you get first pick of duty, work positions and other perks. I’m not sure I know of any other industry where two people doing the exact same job, have different benefits applied to them, unless based on merit.
Some Examples Of A Pecking Order
A pecking order among cabin crew is less of a thing than what it used to be a couple of decades ago, but for airlines with a seniority system, there are still many way a ‘pecking order’ manifests on board.
I have heard stories about the most senior on board being the first to choose their meal, while the newest crew member, even if they had been there a decade, being forced to take the vegetable crew meal. I personally haven’t seen this play out and thankfully crew politely work things out like meal choice with an adult discussion. What I do see on a routine basis, however, is the most senior crew members offered their choice of first or second break before the other crew.
Other Ways Seniority Comes Into Play:
- The greater the length of service the more chance you can bid for your ideal roster.
- Work position. Flight attendants in order of the highest seniority choose where they want to work on the plane before others.
- Non-Revenue Travel. Based on the number of years of service you’ll have different upgrades to business or first class over other airline employees, and if there are limited seats, get a higher priority.
I was politely told on my very first flight by a older flight attendant that I should wait until last to check in to the hotel, as its seen as disrespectful to check into the hotel before those more senior, and I would put noses out of joint if I did this.
Still to this day, depending on the crew, I generally wait for others to check into the hotel before me. If you’ve ever seen flight attendants hang back at check in, or form a line, you can bet they are letting those in front check in first based on their seniority.
I once saw a captain furiously berate the hotel front desk agent because she handed out room keys to flight attendants before the flight crew. It was delightful when she told him to back off as he wasn’t her boss, and she wasn’t bound by his ‘airline bureaucracy’ and ‘hierarchy.’
Should Seniority Be Shelved?
I personally don’t benefit from seniority, and for many airlines who hired flight attendants hired in recent years aren’t under this system, I’d say that it’s a generally a good thing. But of course I would say that right? Because I don’t benefit from it.
There are, however, so many hard working crew who are under the seniority system, have given many years of service and have slowly worked their way to the ‘top of the heap.’ It’s important that this still is honoured and respected. For me personally, the longer I stay working, I won’t gain many benefits merely for my length of service. However, I because I’ve never had it, I won’t miss it.
I think eventually not having an entrenched hierarchy among flight attendants will also put everyone on a more equal playing field. Ultimately it will help minimise the potential for conflict, the ‘us and them’ mentality, and sense of entitlement based on how long you have worked somewhere.
Respect Those That Have Gone Before You
It’s important to note that at least in my experience, very few crew pull the seniority card, don’t expect to check in first at the hotel, have a sense of entitlement based on their seniority or try to exercise any other privilege because they have more seniority.
I’m always however going to respect those who have gone before me, and some of the best lessons I’ve learned about flying have been from senior crew. I think at the end of the day, feeling respected is all that all of us want.
There’s always going to be a degree of an informal ‘pecking order’ in a large workplace, but things are changing, and in many cases, an entrenched pecking order among flight attendants is becoming a thing of the past.
