A former stewardess has revealed why she quit her job after just a year, revealing the pros and cons of working in the air.
Virgin Airlines host Ashlee Rogers has shared the reasons behind her “bittersweet” decision to leave the airline industry.
She says the disadvantages of being a flight attendant began to outweigh the advantages and she has now decided to pursue a career as a social media influencer.
Ms Rogers explained that because flight attendants work in shifts, they can be expected to work “every hour, every day, every week”.
“It changes every day, it changes every week, and that in itself I think is really exhausting,” she said.
“Aviation is a 24/7 industry that never stops. So, with shift work and hundreds of employees, it’s very difficult to be flexible at work.”
“It’s hard to get time off and it’s hard to change shifts. You must give several months’ notice of annual leave, and even then the leave may not be approved.
Ashlee Rogers, a hostess at Virgin Airlines, shared the reasons for her “bittersweet” decision to leave the airline industry (pictured)
She explained that the scheduling system is determined by individual preferences, such as having weekends off and preferring early morning or late night shifts. However, these preferences are not guaranteed.
“That’s why it’s a little bit hard to plan your life around work, it’s doable, but it’s just a little bit harder,” she continued.
The third reason for her departure was the unpredictability of the airline industry.
Nothing is guaranteed. Your change for that day is not even guaranteed. Whatever you have tomorrow is not guaranteed. Everything can change in a second,” she said.
“You can just go on the day shift and the next minute you can be gone for four days. You don’t know what will happen.
– Basically, they can send you anywhere, anytime.
“Obviously there are rules on that, but they can just change your lineup, they can change whatever subs you have.”
Ms Rogers said passenger lists were sent months in advance, so flight attendants did not know whether they would be absent overnight or on standby days.
“So when you’re on standby, you don’t know where you’re going or what you’re doing. I like being organized. I like to know what I’m doing,” she said.
Her final reason was simply to be more of a homebody.
“Even though I had so much fun exploring new places and things like that, I eventually started to dread it and didn’t want to leave,” she said.
“I didn’t want to leave my partner, I just wanted to be at home with him, and when I was in these hotels, all I could think about was that I wanted to be home.
“I don’t even like that aspect of the job.”
The aspiring influencer decided to pursue a career in social media when she discovered that the disadvantages of being a flight attendant were starting to outweigh the advantages (pictured)
Mrs Rogers (pictured) explained that because flight attendants worked in shifts, she was expected to work “all hours, every day, every week”
Ms Rogers said she has met “amazing” people and that being a flight attendant could be the best job in the world if you make it your lifestyle.
“And it’s a great lifestyle, but it’s a lifestyle on their terms, on your employers’ terms. You can be in Bali for a week, you can be in Fiji for the next week or you can be in Perth and it’s great, it’s a great lifestyle,” she said.
“You basically travel for free, you get to visit all these amazing places, but not on your own time, if you know what I mean.
“So if you can adapt and you can just surrender to the changes they give you and wherever they want to send you, you will love the job and probably stay in it forever.
“I will definitely miss flying and I am grateful to have had this opportunity. It definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone and I met so many people I would never have met before.
“But now it’s time for my next chapter.”
Australians liked her views on the industry.
“My daughter literally just left today. She had a short distance and it just made her sick and exhausted. She is devastated because she loves this job,” said one of them.
“Girl, my life has changed since I stopped flying! I feel rested and I don’t get sick as much anymore, it’s amazing,” said another.
“It depends on the airline, but mine doesn’t have many problems like this. It’s very easy to replace it and gain free time on mine,” said a third.
A fourth said: “Yes, yes, yes! You literally explained all the reasons why I left this lifestyle…thanks for the reassurance. I needed this today.
Ms Rogers (pictured) explained that passenger lists were only sent out a month in advance, so flight attendants could not plan their lives like other full-time workers
