AC has stranded us in Athens … advice?

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by icarus

Yep I've known some Emirates and Qatar flight attendants, they come from all over the world and have a lot of fun living in Dubai and Doha. They do not resemble AC or WestJet cabin crew.

A guy I fly with flew for Emirites for a few years. Now those are some good stories

[CliffFletcher]

Even more so than most things in life, peoples' stated preferences around flying are not the same as their revealed preferences. The margins of airlines are very small, and the biggest factor in consumer choice is price. We have the service (or lack of) in the air industry because most people are looking for the cheapest and most convenient flight.

[Party Elephant]

Originally Posted by btimbit

I think if you work full time you should be able to afford rent in the city you work in.

I can't believe this is even a remotely controversial opinion

[Acey]

Originally Posted by icarus

Yep I've known some Emirates and Qatar flight attendants, they come from all over the world and have a lot of fun living in Dubai and Doha. They do not resemble AC or WestJet cabin crew.

On the flip side, any of the hundreds of YouTube videos with titles similar to "Why I left my dream job as an Emirates flight attendant" share some insight into why I wouldn't universally label it as "a lot of fun".

Originally Posted by peter12

I think a 38% wage increase is more than fair, but I would be curious about how other airlines pay in comparison.

In Canada? Less than Air Canada. Whatever happens with this Air Canada deal will set the standard the second biggest flight attendant group in the country and they will be negotiating early next year.

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by btimbit

That absolutely made a difference 10 years ago when WestJet employees were known for being pleasant and fun. It was commonly brought up whenever people were comparing the two major airlines

I swear I have a horseshoe up my butt whenever I fly WestJet, as I read so many horror stories about them, but my experiences were almost always pleasant. The FA's are usually still pleasant, and even fun.

Contrast that to my Air Canada flight to Toronto and back a couple weeks ago...ugh. First time I've experienced prickly FA's before. Had em both ways too. My next flight is definitely going to be WestJet or Porter, Air Canada can get to steppin'..

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Even more so than most things in life, peoples' stated preferences around flying are not the same as their revealed preferences. The margins of airlines are very small, and the biggest factor in consumer choice is price. We have the service (or lack of) in the air industry because most people are looking for the cheapest and most convenient flight.

Then why isn’t flair the most popular airline in Canada?

They suck. I will happily pay double to fly with an airline I know will get me there and won’t leave me stranded because their fleet is so small.

People absolutely will pay more for a better service. It’s a question of how much more.

[Torture]

They better work this out before my trip to Europe in a month.

[Acey]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

People absolutely will pay more for a better service. It’s a question of how much more.

Lynx Air rolled in here and offered $40 fares on Calgary to Vancouver, and then social media was just inundated with posts about people saying that Air Canada and WestJet are simply corporate greed monsters for charging $100 on the route and Lynx was charging the true cost to operate the flight.

Those people were apparently unaware that Calgary Airport takes 35 of those 40 dollars and were strangely silent when Lynx Air went bankrupt 2 years later, $100M in the hole.

Unless the government changes the structure of fees and taxes on airlines in this country, it's going to forever be expensive to fly, have the airlines not be bankrupt, and also have the airlines pay their employees a decent wage.

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by Acey

Lynx Air rolled in here and offered $40 fares on Calgary to Vancouver, and then social media was just inundated with posts about people saying that Air Canada and WestJet are simply corporate greed monsters for charging $100 on the route and Lynx was charging the true cost to operate the flight.

Those people were apparently unaware that Calgary Airport takes 35 of those 40 dollars and were strangely silent when Lynx Air went bankrupt 2 years later, $100M in the hole.

Unless the government changes the structure of fees and taxes on airlines in this country, it's going to forever be expensive to fly, have the airlines not be bankrupt, and also have the airlines pay their employees a decent wage.

Is there a breakdown that shows the taxes and fees charged to airlines? Even better if it shows the cost of accessing different airports.

[Acey]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

Is there a breakdown that shows the taxes and fees charged to airlines? Even better if it shows the cost of accessing different airports.

This article is a quick read. I don't know of any all encompassing document that would break down the plethora of fees.

From a passenger perspective, you'd paying about double the fees you're paying on a similar length domestic flight in the US, and Air Canada/WestJet are at zero fault for that - so it comes partially out of your pocket and partially out of their profit. We also have far more expensive fuel here which is the biggest expense next to labour, and a highly incompetent air traffic control service that is horrendously understaffed and nails Air Canada and WestJet with delays, that they then have to compensate passengers for.

[Party Elephant]

And despite all that, Air Canada still had $500 million of cash in hand to spend on share buybacks this year.

[Acey]

Yeah, enough to buy about a plane and a half when they have a fleet of 200+.

Just swimming in cash, surely.

Pay the employees more... if my position wasn't clear.

[curves2000]

Let's get back on track here. OP: What is the verdict? How was the extra few days at the beach? Souvlaki, roasted lamb, lamb chops, saganaki?

Edit: The food part got the best of me. How about the strippers? Odds are though they are not Greek but Russian, Ukranian, Albanian, Bulgarian etc.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by curves2000

Let's get back on track here. OP: What is the verdict? How was the extra few days at the beach? Souvlaki, roasted lamb, lamb chops, saganaki?

Its entirely possible he's taken matters into his own hands and overthrown the Government and become the Chancellor of Greece and is in the process of starting his own national airline.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Locke

Its entirely possible he's taken matters into his own hands and overthrown the Government and become the Chancellor of Greece and is in the process of starting his own national airline.

Greek Flavoured Wings TM

[Locke]

[chedder]

Is $87,000 and better benefits and pension plan not reasonable? Not sure how long it takes to be a senior flight attendant and what the starting salary is though.

https://www.aircanada.com/media/air-...offer-to-cupe/

[MegaErtz]

Originally Posted by chedder

Is $87,000 and better benefits and pension plan not reasonable? Not sure how long it takes to be a senior flight attendant and what the starting salary is though.

https://www.aircanada.com/media/air-...offer-to-cupe/

From chatgpt:

If you're aiming to become a Service Director—the senior cabin crew role at Air Canada earning around $87 per hour—here's how things typically unfold:

Salary Breakdown for Senior Roles

Service Director pay:

Mainline (wide-body): up to CA$87.01/hour

Narrow-body: around CA$73/hour
Air Canada

In 2024, Service Directors averaged about CA$80,000 per year, not including incentives or benefits
Air Canada
.

How Long to Reach That Level?

Mainline Flight Attendant (10 years of service): CA$63.07/hour
Air Canada
.

Becoming a Service Director: This is an onboard supervisory role, not just based on time. It also depends on factors like performance, seniority, and availability of positions.

From mainline FA (10 yrs) earning ~$63/hour to Service Director earning ~$87/hr isn’t plug-and-play—but likely requires several additional years beyond the 10-year mark.

Considering the data:

At 10 years you're at ~$63/hr → ~$80k/year.

Rising to $87/hr will take a bit more seniority, responsibility, and perhaps roles on international (wide-body) flights.

Bottom line: You're realistically looking at 10–12+ years total to hit that Service Director pay tier.

Summary
Career Stage Approximate Pay Estimated Time to Reach
Mainline FA (10 yrs) ~CA$63/hr (~CA$80k/yr) ~10 years
Service Director up to CA$87/hr ~10–12+ years total
Why It Takes Time

Seniority-based pay: Each additional year brings incremental increases and bonuses
Campus Online
ogden.fatcatsfun.com
.

Role availability: Service Director positions are limited and competitive.

Route type: Pay differs between narrow-body and wide-body aircraft.

Union negotiation outcomes: Many pay enhancements are tied to collective agreements.

TL;DR

To make around $87/hour as a Service Director at Air Canada:

Expect to reach mainline FA level (~$63/hr) in about 10 years.

Then progress into a supervisory role (Service Director) with perhaps 2+ more years, depending on performance and vacancies.

Total: roughly 10–12 years of service.

Would you like details on the training timeline, or tips on career progression within Air Canada’s cabin crew paths?

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by peter12

I completely understand the concern over cost of living. I live in Vancouver on two high salaries, and even then it feels like a bit limiting sometimes. Not complaining, I am super privileged, but it gives me a sense of how unimaginably hard it would be to exist in Vancouver or Toronto on an "average" salary.

Unfortunately, wages are not a really good salve to this problem. We have limited our housing and all other kinds of public goods and infrastructure to such a degree of scarcity that basically everything is a race to the bottom.

Ummm, yep.

[Acey]

Originally Posted by chedder

Not sure how long it takes to be a senior flight attendant and what the starting salary is though.

Pay for the first couple years is sub-$40k, so essentially minimum wage - and most are Toronto or Vancouver based.