Hannah has been an air hostess for over a decade and has seen her fair share of adventure. The tall, athletic, easy-smiling brunette conquers everyone’s sympathy in half a second. The valuable trait granted her seats in jets worldwide, invitations to exclusive parties and more days on exotic beaches than most mortals could ever witness in ten lifetimes.

With a thing for fashion and nightlife, an air hostess budget will only let you fly so far. But all of this was laid to rest once a passenger made a risky suggestion. He would buy Hannah’s tights for hundreds of euros. Not just any tights, though – her work tights.

Dark, semi-transparent tights are part of the airline uniform; an air hostess will carry a few spares on any given day in an air hostess’s life. Trolleys, canisters, and seats risk tearing them inadvertently and can easily defeat an impeccable look.

Once Hannah realized this commercial potential, she started advertising her unique service on appropriate channels. With every pair, she would send out evidence these were used onboard – a picture and a reference as proof of authenticity.

The last pair had bids going above €400/$429. Hannah keeps a humorous approach to it while safeguarding her identity. This is honest work through the classic chain of supply and demand.

“Everyone welcomes the idea to travel for free. But once you’ve been to Orlando for the 30^th time, you start to think differently!” Laura tells us about these words with a funny roll of her eyes. She’s been flying for a long time without wanting to go into further detail. If you wish to remain on good terms with an air hostess, never discuss age.

“After you turn 30 and see the world a few times, you appreciate your time at home, snuggling, relaxing and catching up with friends. Anything but the cabin’s noise and recycled air.“

She spends most of her time away from home in hotels that won’t always shout glamour. The most common option is a convenient accommodation close to the FBO where much-needed rest can be resumed as quickly as possible. Aircrew are constantly on short call, making city centres and similar options a waste of time and less rest.

When Laura lands in London for a week off, she’s jetlagged and moody. Nights are short; it’ll be a day or two until you want to meet people again. She forces herself out of her apartment and meets up with friends for dinner and a drink. It’s always been like that, where a constant struggle between an extrovert and a survival introvert exists in the same room.

After a while, those friends stopped asking where she’d been. Everywhere, they know that much. Apparently, there isn’t anything new in the world, but there’s always some funny story to tell. It won’t be long until Laura is hopping on the back of a jet, heading to the other side of the world. Her friends will wait for her return with the next night out in the cards.

Oh, the glamour. Sofia has worked in the airline business for the last 20 years, and she always dreaded the alarm clock. In any given roster, it can go off at 3 a.m. or 11 p.m. In every case, that’s usually far less than a good night’s – or day’s – sleep. She doesn’t as much complain about this fact as she glorifies it with a smile. It comes with the job, and there’s no way around it, ever.

“The airline business isn’t for everyone. You must develop a resistance to the circadian rhythm. You never truly get used to it, and managing fatigue is what the job is really about.”

Most people never consider the hours before they apply for an air hostess job. And while the fun side can be indeed fun, Sofia tells the younger generation as it is. Even before you step out of the house in the middle of the night, you’ve already been through a demanding hair and make-up exercise.

“Back in the day, there was far more glamour. The money is far from impressive, the hours are long, and you don’t own your schedule beforehand. It’s only worth it if you love it dearly, but it’ll always take its toll.“

In fact, airline staff face several stresses, mainly in their social life and health. Friends with regular jobs are hard to keep track of, and the cabin environment will affect nearly every single body function for life.

When Sandra started flying, she told her colleagues she wouldn’t be doing it for too long. After they laughed in her face, they were met with a resilient look. Little did they know that Sandra had a plan all along.

Aviation, as we stated previously, can be a lonely business. Behind these genuine, kind smiles are broken time schedules and difficulty sustaining relationships with regular people. People with normal hours and jobs live in a different world altogether.

As soon as Sandra grabbed her wings, she planned to grab someone else’s. She was prompt to charm her way into a young pilot’s heart. It didn’t take too long until they moved in together, married, and had children.

While this tendency is understandable, Sandra admits it wasn’t an innocent approach. She’s seen it happening numerous times over the years. Plus, both the status of being married to a pilot and the increased financial availability helped her narrow her search.

Her children attend the most excellent schools, and the couple lives in a lovely house in a fancy part of an undisclosed town – somewhere in Switzerland, we can tell you that much.

Pilots and air hostesses seem to be a match made in heaven. It’s not anyone’s place to say whether or not it feels like a cliché. Working together in such a demanding environment makes things easier. The same dialect, many of the same issues, and indeed, the same sky! Do pilots and air hostesses get together at destinations? It depends on how the flight goes.

“You’re always in some fancy destination or exotic beach, like a Princess.” – these were the words Julia got tired of listening to. Her friends’ considerations about her job couldn’t be further from the truth.

And while taking some snapshots in New York, central London, or enjoying the Maldives was fun, her intent was far from provoking jealousy. Life before flying was more straightforward but predictable. Now, a short call standby can mean packing a bag for weeks away in the Caribbean or Afghanistan!

While everyone loves the perfect shots, Julia’s seen the poorest parts of the world and that profoundly changed her perception. On the side, she volunteers for NGOs that have a presence in such destinations by providing healthcare, education and basic supplies.

“It’s my way to give something back to the world. I’ve been so fortunate to see all these places and their cultures, but the reality is very different from what we imagine. We have an extended network that helps people go along with their lives in countries with short opportunities.“

Martina could be a model but preferred to become an air hostess for a private jet operator instead. A friend in the business challenged her to try, and it quickly became addictive.

“If you see a celebrity on TV, I’ve likely met them in person,” she tells us. And although she won’t get into the slightest detail on who, where, and when, there are some juicy stories to tell.

“A famous footballer offered to take me out for dinner and follow up on an exotic holiday. He did everything he could to charm me, but little did he know I was married to the job, not the passengers!“

Air hostesses have dealt with harassment since the job ever came to be, but nowadays, Martina hints, people are more careful and respectful. Her passengers have always been polite, reserved, and chevalier. That’s not to say some fall under the spell of this 5’9 Scandinavian blonde woman with a killer smile. There are far more myths that are true in aviation, and getting rather indecent proposals comes with the job.

She tells us how easy and amusing it is to decline any romantic offer with a smile. With passengers who are used to getting much of what they wish for, she grants us that not everything is up for grabs. It seems it takes a sense of humour and a bag full of class to make it in this business.

Magda recalls her Middle East adventure as an air hostess for a popular airline with a vague stare in her eyes.

“There was constant pressure to look perfect and act accordingly. I noticed it was a real problem when I secretly ran into a terminal toilet to eat a cheeseburger before bursting into tears. They had my passport and controlled our life to the point where they knew who would enter the building and at what time. It was like Big Brother, in real life.“

Not long after, Magda left the airline, but not without some pain to retrieve her passport. By the national law of her country, such a document is her sole property and, therefore, untransmissible. After signing a contract with said airline, she gave up many of the rights she took for granted at home.

Back on European soil, she found her way into three different airlines, all providing a far more positive experience. You might cross paths with her if you fly long-haul in first class. She recalls the burger episode with a unique sense of humour, reminding us that such meltdowns are common in some parts of the world.

Maria had all sorts of passengers on her flights, but perhaps more rockstars than most will get to see perform in ten lifetimes. Even though she doesn’t speak any names out loud, she’s funny enough to share some hints on why the mile-high club is a real thing. Music performers on tour are the wildest she’s ever had in an aircraft cabin and to whom almost any sin can be forgiven. Even when sex, drugs and rock’n’roll take over the whole trip.

While she refuses to say whom, where and when we know this much: a rock band came on board with their entourage.

“These were the most beautiful, tall, sexy women I’d ever seen, and they would immediately fill a room with their presence alone.“

Maria doesn’t tell us if she took her part in the fun that went on board, but we know that for some rockstars, there’s no difference between an aircraft cabin and a hotel room. When asked directly, she smiles, looks down and says:

“Well, in this one particular case, I was a great fan, so…” – up in the air, almost anything can be forgiven.

Some air hostess stories are so unbelievable that you’d have to be there and see it for yourself to make any sense of it all. Such a story happened to a few of our colleagues, who shall remain unnamed.

On a fine day, while the all-male crew was walking to the aircraft to operate another flight, one of the guys said: “Do you know one of our colleagues is a playmate?” The sentence was met with absolute confusion. The First Officer picks up his phone and shares it with the gang. It seemed like one of their colleagues, a female air hostess, had taken her unique beauty to mainstream media and left her clothes hanging with fantastic taste.

Even though everyone got to see those pictures, no one had the nerve to mention it. Those flying with the bunny in the sky for the following months were often awkward and childishly embarrassed. The funniest line came from passengers turning to her and oddly claiming, “Your face is familiar; I think I’ve seen you before… perhaps on another flight?“

Perhaps!

These are but a mere sample of the endless stories of our colleagues, friends and acquaintances. Some are so sensitive that we need a deep reflection before posting them. Still, all of them share one thing: a deep respect for the women and men that keep passengers safe and comfortable in what would, otherwise, be a rather unwelcoming environment.

We invite you to meet some of these heroines and heroes of the skies and charter a private jet at the best rates today. Our team is available 24/7 to take your query and ensure you get the flight deal you’re after. Contact us and join the thousands of happy customers who make JetFinder.com their go-to service to travel the world in style.