Travel Agents turn vague travel plans into concrete itineraries, whilst Flight Attendants look after customers as soon as they queue up for their flights and until they disembark.
But who actually works harder: Agents or Flight Attendants?
Hmm, let’s take a look and see…
1. WHO HAS THE MOST PREDICTABLE SCHEDULE? TRAVEL AGENTS
Without a doubt, Travel Agents have the most predictable schedule.
Flight Attendants, on the other hand, regularly have to change their own plans at the drop of a hat due to flight cancellations, rescheduling and a set number of days each month where they must be “on call” and either at or near the airport – this ain’t no regular 9 to 5 job.
Each month Flight Attendants have to submit their schedule preference in a process called “bidding,” and the longer you’ve been with the airline, the more power you have to define your own working schedule. This means that a Flight Attendant’s work schedule changes from month to month.
Travel Agents, on the other hand – bar the odd fill in shift or coming in on a Saturday – can better plan their life around work.
2. WHO WORKS LONGER HOURS PER DAY? FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
On average, Flight Attendants work longer hours on an average day, but then they get more time (days) off in between shifts. On the other hand, Travel Agents work a set number of hours per week (not taking into account those days when they have to stay back or come in early) which may in fact mean that they work more hours per month than a Flight Attendant.
As all of you already know, Travel Agents (normally) receive a base salary and earn commission on top of that, which means that they won’t earn a dime from all the time they spent helping put an itinerary together for a customer that doesn’t book.
Interestingly, in the case of Flight Attendants, they only get paid when they are up in the air. This means that that Flight Attendant greeting you upon check-in isn’t actually getting paid at that moment. Did you already know that?
3. WHO HAS TO PUT UP WITH THE MOST $HIT? TRAVEL AGENTS
Unfortunately, both Travel Agents and Flight Attendants have to deal with annoying people on a day-to-day basis.
However, in the case of Travel Agents, putting up with annoying customers isn’t necessarily financially compensated (that whole commission thing). Flight Attendants, however, are at least earning money when dealing with rude and douche-like passengers; that is, assuming they are up in the air and not on the ground…
So although both professions have to deal with an equal amount of $hit whilst doing their job, this one goes to agents as there’s no worse feeling that putting up with annoying people and not getting paid for it, right?