A flight attendant took to TikTok to air a list of grievances about the less-than-courteous behavior she's seen from her passengers while on the job.
Destanie Armstrong, a 25-year-old flight attendant based in Philadelphia, “spilled the tea,” as she wrote in the caption, when it came to rude travelers on planes.
“Let's talk about things I really don't like about being a flight attendant as I get ready for bed on my layover,” she began the eight-minute video as she combed her hair in a bathroom mirror.
Firstly, Destanie goes on to explain that the 'most frustrating thing I have to deal with at this job' is the 'boarding' – adding that she strongly prefers working at the 'front' of the plane as people boarding.
Flight attendant Destanie Armstrong, 25, took to TikTok to list her biggest complaints about her field – with the 'number one' complaint being assisting passengers with boarding
As she worked the front end, she explained, “We set the tone, like, 'Hey, good morning, welcome aboard.'
Meanwhile, in the back-of-plane roles, “people make our lives really, really hard. For no reason,” she said.
'People will argue about the smallest things. People don't want to sit in the right seat and get angry when they have to go to the right seat. People want to move to an upgraded seat when they can't move to an upgraded seat.
'People want the flight attendants to lift their suitcases, while the flight attendants are not supposed to lift their suitcases. If the flight is completely sold out and we know we have no more room, people will fill the overhead bins with their coats, handbags and small items that can be placed under the seat in front of them.
“And no matter how many times we say, 'Hey, everyone's cooperation will be greatly appreciated,' no one listens to us at all.
“I was personally raised to be very considerate. And I just couldn't imagine living in a world where I exclude everyone, and I don't care about others. So it really frustrates me when people are just rude or inconsiderate.”
The second annoyance on her list? “Working with strong personalities,” Destanie said.
She further acknowledged that, thanks to “corporate greed” within the major airlines, “morale” in the US airline industry is “very low.”
She also highlighted that the “mental health aspect” of being a flight attendant is more dire than ever before – thanks in no small part to “corporate greed” and unpredictable schedules.
Because of this, she continued, “all the flight attendants are really struggling and working a lot more than they would like. And it just makes them very negative and frustrated.”
While Destanie made it clear that she understood how many people were frustrated by the changing, increasingly demanding reality of the profession, she also believed that “a lot of people needed to go… but they wouldn't go because they're too comfortable with life that the airline gave them.”
“And I completely understand being frustrated. But if you want to make your life and the people around you miserable, you have to think of something else,” she emphasized.
“I can't tell you how many times people have gotten super mad at me as a new hire because I did really little things that I didn't know were wrong. And it's like, I know you've been doing this for 5, 10, 20 years, but I'm brand new. Can you please have some compassion for that?'
From there, Destanie also pointed out that another major drawback “is the loneliness and mental health aspect of being a flight attendant.”
“Most of my friends right now, all flight attendants who are honest, are going through it mentally. You will never understand the level of loneliness flight attendants face until you become a flight attendant,” she said.
Although the lifestyle is “super glamorous,” she added, “it's actually not that glamorous.”
“It's not all fun, layovers, and sometimes you get dropped off in random places, you can't see your family and you're somewhere very far away from your family and all your friends.”
Overall, Destanie emphasized her profession: “I love this job and I am very grateful to have this lifestyle. But it's not all rainbows and butterflies
Fourth, she complained about the “stigma surrounding flight attendants” – namely how “men fetishize us so much.”
Destanie estimates that she is asked if she is a member of the Mile High Club “at least once a week.”
'And I think that's such a stupid question. I would never do that,” she said.
She also raised the premise that “all flight attendants like to sleep” in “any layover city.”
'And that to me is so far from the truth. I've never even had a date during a layover,” she said.
Destanie also recalled that “every time” she sits on the jump seat, where she faces passengers, men will creepily leer at her.
'And what goes through my mind is: “Is he okay? Does he need medical attention? Oh no, he's just being scary,” she said.
Still, Destanie admitted, the “hardest” part of the job is the pay.
Despite working almost every day, she couldn't “earn more than $3,000” for a month.
“I just think it's a slap in the face to only make $3,000. “With a comfortable full-time income, I'm probably making about $2,300 to $2,500 a month, which is not sustainable in this economy,” she said.
“Like I have to choose between a place to live and a car.”
She then lamented “how flying has affected my body, my skin and my overall health.”
She said that as a certified esthetician, she is “really hard” on herself when it comes to skin care.
But while I was working, 'I've never shown so many fine lines, so many bags under my eyes, you know? And it feels like flying makes everything ten times worse,” she explained.
“Like it's really hard to maintain that beautiful standard of beauty that people have for flight attendants when we're so tired and overworked,” she admitted.
Last but not least, she said, is the very “beauty standard” to which flight attendants are held — and the “body dysmorphia” that has given her.
“So many flight attendants, we have to keep up with this as a beauty standard and we have to wear these really tight dresses and when you're in the air you're constantly bloated and everything is just like your body fluctuates a lot,” she continued.
'I've been dealing with a lot of strange self-confidence issues since I started this job.
'I constantly feel like I have to look super beautiful.'
Overall, Destanie said, “I love this job and I'm very grateful to have this lifestyle. But it's not all rainbows and butterflies.'