American Airlines Has Changed Its Flight Attendant Recruitment Process And We Have Concerns

If you’ve been following developments about whether American Airlines is recruiting flight attendants, you’ll probably have already found out that the Fort Worth-based mega airline has revamped its hiring process, with a dedicated new-look recruitment website, and lots more information about what life as an AA crew member is really like.

The idea behind a lot of the changes is to make sure candidates know what they are getting themselves into… after all, it costs a lot of money to hire and train a brand new flight attendant, and American Airlines doesn’t want new-hire crew members dropping out after six months or a year because life on the line isn’t what they were expecting it to be.

The other reason that American Airlines has switched up its hiring process is criticism from veteran crew members that new-hire flight attendants just weren’t up to standard, and, to be fair, they did have a point… at least to a certain extent.

While there have been lots of phenomenal new-hire flight attendants joining American Airlines in the last few years, the carrier wasn’t immune to a trend that swept across the entire industry, and it can be traced back to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When lockdowns and travel restrictions were lifted, airlines rushed to hire new flight attendants. This wasn’t a careful and controlled hiring process like we are used to seeing now. Instead, it was as if someone had twisted a tap fully on and water was gushing out.

The simple truth of the matter is that many airlines, AA included, hired lots of candidates at this time that wouldn’t have landed the job during normal times. Again, this isn’t a criticism of the many wonderful candidates who were hired at this time, but it’s an observation from across the industry.

And now, just like other airlines, AA is trying to correct its mistakes by redesigning and tightening up the recruitment process… and perhaps there’s a bit of an overcorrection happening.

While some candidates have complained about the mind-boggling personality tests that are now part of the process, I wanted to address AA’s redesigned in-person experience, Assessment Day, as this has also been overhauled.

The in-person experience has lots of familiar aspects, like a group exercise where recruiters observe how you interact with other candidates, take notes on your communication style, and score your teamwork skills. This is all very standard.

There is also a 2:1 face-to-face interview where recruiters get to ask you the same kinds of competency and behavioural questions that you would have already prepared for your On-Demand Video Interview and live virtual interview. Again, very standard.

But then there’s a so-called ‘Cabin Simulation’ where candidates are expected to work in pairs and deal with a range of mock in-flight tasks such as boarding passengers, beverage service using a real beverage cart, making an in-flight announcement, and deplaning passengers.

American Airlines is using this setup to test the same skills that lots of other airlines do, but there’s a very good reason why it’s rare for recruiters to use a cabin simulation: lots of candidates don’t have prior flight attendant experience and can’t be expected to know what to do in this situation.

And even if a candidate does have previous flight attendant experience, recruiters don’t want to see how they carried out service at their old airline, because what they are really looking for is someone with the underlying qualities that make a great flight attendant but who is able to adapt to the standards of their new employer.

As one candidate who has recently been through this process put it: “The instructions came FAST and had a lot of unfamiliar aviation terminology thrown in, like FA1 and FA2, as well as specific service procedures, etc… As someone who’s never worked as a flight attendant, I was struggling to keep up.”

And the additional issue for this candidate was that her partner was an ex-flight attendant who knew the terminology and the basics of the service.

“I think this format gives experienced flight attendants a significant advantage,” the candidate said. “If you’ve previously worked as a flight attendant, you’re already familiar with boarding procedures, beverage service, cabin announcements, crew positions, and the general flow of in-flight operations.”

For everyone, they are trying to learn an entirely new dictionary and job while also being assessed in a completely alien environment.

That, to me, doesn’t sound like the best way to get the best out of people. But there are some ways you can still shine, even when the environment feels so different from what you are used to. Remember, AA is testing your core skills and attributes, and recruiters will understand that you can’t be expected to know the flight attendant role.

So, what does this look like in person:

• Listen carefully to the instructions, using active listening to process what you are being told. If unsure, repeat back the instructions to check for understanding, and don’t be afraid to answer follow-up questions. Do it with a smile and grace, and no one will mind.
• Behave in a way that you would expect a flight attendant or any other customer service professional to. This means good composure, a warm smile, making eye contact, and being well-spoken.
• Don’t be afraid to talk to your ‘coworker’ and ‘passengers’: Put them at ease. The art of making casual but polite conversation cannot be underestimated.
• Practice your public speaking skills for the announcement drill. We have a separate guide on this subject which you might find really helpful.
• For the beverage service, you can’t be expected to know exactly what American Airlines’ service standards are, but there are some basics that translate across the hospitality sector:

• Ask each passenger individually what they would like and serve them individually.
• Serve from window to aisle to avoid spills
• Repeat back the order, using full brand names. For example, if someone asks for a ‘Coke,’ you can reply: ‘Today, we are serving Coca-Cola. Does that sound good?’
• Check whether the passenger would like ice or lemon, rather than assuming their order.
• Always use a napkin, placing it down, before the drink. If there is a brand label, ensure this is facing towards the passenger.
• Place the drink on the napkin and repeat the order once more.
• Ask if you can get the passenger anything else.
• If the passenger is wearing headphones, don’t shout or wave your hand in front of their face to get their attention. Lower yourself to their level, make eye contact, and smile to politely get their attention.

There’s no need to go out of your way to learn aviation terminology before you head to your American Airlines In-Person Experience. If you’ve never worked as a flight attendant before, it’s easy to think that those with crew experience will have the upper hand, but these candidates have their own challenges.

Candidates with crew experience will walk in with knowledge of how their old airline did things, and it’s very easy to shake those habits. Which is another reason why, if I were designing the AA assessment, I wouldn’t be relying on cabin simulations!