“I heard she hates long haul and regrets going over to the dark side, she cries every time she has to leave her boyfriend behind, and she said the long flights are proving to be a nightmare”
Its an age old debate between cabin crew: is it better to be long haul or short haul crew?
Short haul flights can be anywhere between 1 and 5 hours, and for the majority of cabin crew around the world, these are going to be the bread and butter of their flying. As far as the numbers go, there are many more flights departing each day that are considered short haul sectors.
For the purpose of this post, I’m going to argue it’s the better of the two options. Of course, short haul and long crew aren’t always exlusively doing shorter flights. There is some overlap with flights between 4-7 hours in length sometimes considered medium haul and completed by both short haul and long haul crew. The majority of the flights they work, however, will be only a couple of hours.
There are many reasons why short haul is the best of both worlds, and if you’re looking to work as cabin crew it’s likely going to be the best option. There’s no doubt this is a hotly debated topic among flighties, and there’s arguments for both sides of the fence. There are many flight attendants that have done both, and ultimately decided that short haul is the more sustainable option.
More Stable Home Life
“I have to admit, I wouldn’t like it if the shoe was on the other foot, and my partner was always going away, and I was the one at home alone…”
I don’t care what people say, if you’ve got a young family, short haul flying is going to be a lot better for your home life. While many manage, the fact is that being away regularly as long haul cabin crew can be very disruptive, and if you’ve got a new relationship, or even a long term one, it can prove problematic. You need a secure other half, and you need to be present when you get home, which can be difficult when you are exhausted/jet lagged from the trip you’ve been on.
You still get to stay overnight if different cities as a short haul crew member, so it’s not like you can’t experience different places. The difference is every time you go to work you don’t have to pack a bag, and if you prefer turnarounds and want to come home each night, it’s definitely possible as a short haul flightie. For many people this represents the best of both worlds. Overnights when they suit, but shorter days as well.
Because you’re away less, you’ll also miss way fewer social events, or important engagements than your long haul counterparts, meaning it’s a lot easier to maintain a social life and have friendships that aren’t crew. I know a lot of international flight attendants that are away so often they find it hard to maintain networks of friends outside flying, because people assume they’ll always be away.
Less Time With Aggravating Passengers, Easier Service
Passengers on short haul flights are generally lower maintenance, after all there’s only an hour or two before they get to their destination. If they are problematic, or just rude, you’ll also see the back of them a lot quicker. Expectations are also a lot less on shorter flights. They don’t expect as much service, if any at all, and their ticket price is a lot less. Speaking of the service, it’s a lot more straightforward. Less rubbish to collect, quick to deliver, and no cleaning bathrooms throughout the flight, which can’t be said for long haul crew. There’s a lot more disgusting behaviour from passengers you’ll likely to be exposed to as long haul crew.
Better For Your Health
Less jetlag, less germs, and less people in small space means that short haul flying is generally a lot better for your health. Because you’re home most nights, there are also health benefits that are associated with more consistent routine. That’s not to say that long haul crew can’t stay healthy, it’s just maintaining a healthy lifestyle needs a lot more management and fatigue is more of factor. From my experience, there’s also a bit more of a party culture among long haul crew – more alcohol, less sleep, and potentially the need to rely on sleeping medication – all of which can take their toll long term. Because of more time in the air, and more flying closer to the earth’s poles, there’s also a lot more radiation exposure as long haul cabin crew.
More Variety and Options of Destinations/Shifts
The kind of flight pairings that you do in a typical day as a domestic/short haul flight attendant is likely to be a lot more varied. You might do an early morning breakfast turnaround, lunch afternoon, and visit three cities in a day. It also DOES NOT mean you only fly domestically within a single country, as you’ll also need a passport and may be travelling to a whole range of countries.
You may only fly part of the day, whereas at long haul you’ll be likely to be flying the whole day or the whole night. Also, there’s a lot less red eye flights as a domestic flight attendant. For many of the international jaunts, at least one of the flights on the trip will be overnight – often several. Often short haul crew fly to more destinations than their long haul counterparts, and often regional centres as well as bigger cities, not always larger metropolises like international crew.
“I’d go back over to short haul in a heartbeat if I could get full time. I’ve done it, now home is my favourite destination and nothing else compares!”
Of course this is just one side of the picture – keep a look out for our forthcoming post about why if you want to be a ‘real’ flight attendant, long haul is the only way to go.
