They make all the announcements and check all the seat numbers, but a lot of the time flight attendants aren't actually paid until the boarding door is closed and the plane's on its way to the air.
Given they're literally called 'flight attendants', it makes sense that the 'main' part of the crew's job takes place when the plane is in the air.
During that time, they're tasked with keeping the customers safe during the flight, while also offering us nice drinks and snacks to help pass the time before we get to our destination.
Anyone who's ever taken a flight will know that the job doesn't start in the air though, as flight attendants help customers find their seats, store their bags and make sure we're all settled and good to go before the flight actually gets underway.
Advert
With that in mind, people have been left baffled that the crew members aren't necessarily paid for this kind of work.
A lot of major airlines do not pay flight attendants for boarding, and if a flight is delayed, the staff might not always be compensated for the time spent hanging around.
Speaking to Business Insider last year, one flight attendant said: "We just want to be paid for the time that we're actually at work because right now a three or four hour delay is standard procedure at the airport.
"I don't feel that it is too much to ask, to be paid for the time that we are working. I'm not asking to be paid to sit on my butt at home."
News of flight attendants' pay was shared on TikTok by an aviation fan earlier this year, prompting viewers to express their shock over the revelation.
"That feels like it should be illegal," one person wrote, while another added: "That's not fair especially if the flight is delayed yet boarded. We waited 2 hours for a pilot once."
One flight attendant responded to the post to point out that the pay depends on the company, with Delta among the airlines which provides additional pay for the time spent boarding.
Salaries for flight attendants also vary depending on the company and country, with the average base salary for staff members coming in at £19,996, according to Indeed.
All in all, viewers were in agreement that the flight attendants deserved to be paid for all the time spent helping customers.
"These airlines make milllionnnns & they can’t pay their staff properly ? Absolutely liberties," one critic commented.
Emily Brown