Becoming A Flight Attendant Was Supposed To Be A Dream Job. Instead, It Wrecked Their Finances—'It's Been Financially Devastating'

A flight attendant thought they were starting their dream job. Instead, they say it has been “financially devastating.”

They recently posted on Reddit’s r/povertyfinance forum, sharing how a career shift left them drowning in debt. "I recently became a flight attendant for a major U.S. airline, and it's been financially devastating," they wrote. "After bills, I have nothing left over—no savings, no wiggle room."

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From $5,000 a Month to Credit Card Debt

Before taking the leap into aviation, they earned about $5,000 a month in a flexible job with no debt. But after being hired in October 2023, they were told training would begin in February 2024. So they quit their old job.

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That plan quickly unraveled. "They sent me home on Day 1 of training due to paperwork delays," they said. Training didn't resume until July, leaving them without income for six months. They tried finding short-term work, but nothing stuck.

To survive, they leaned heavily on credit cards. Now they’re buried under roughly $20,000 in high-interest credit card debt and a $6,500 personal loan. "One credit card account was recently closed after a returned payment and being over the limit for too long," they said.

Living $400 in the Red

They shared a screenshot of their monthly budget, which shows $2,132 in income and $2,532 in expenses. Rent is $1,025. Car insurance is $238. Two of their credit cards have 29% APRs. "I'm in a financial relief program with Amex and got my APR reduced to 9.99%, but I'm still drowning," they said.

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The numbers are bleak. Their budget includes:

• $165 for parking at their apartment
• $110 for groceries
• $30 for car tolls
• $208 toward the personal loan
• Nearly $900 in monthly debt repayments

After all that, they have nothing left over. "I'm not even sure how to start climbing out of this," they wrote.

Reddit Responds With Real Talk

Commenters flooded the post with advice and encouragement. The most repeated tip: move back home. "Rent is currently half your income, that’s too much," one person pointed out. Another added, "Moving back with parents would probably be the best move. If you do, then turn the saved money to tackling the debt as much as humanly possible."

OP agrees. "I know it's the problem, it's horrible, I'm looking to move back home and maybe sell my car and pay some debt off faster," they wrote. "I would have to commute, which I'm willing to do."

Many also recommended paying off the two highest-interest credit cards first, then tackling the personal loan, and saving the American Express cards for last. "That's exactly the order I'm trying to kill everything off by," they responded. "Especially leave the Amex towards last as I'm not being charged any fees."

Some encouraged them to find a second job, donate plasma, or apply for debt consolidation or 0% balance transfer credit cards.

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What the Job Really Pays

Despite popular belief, entry-level flight attendants don't earn much. OP is currently making less than $2,500 a month. When asked why they accepted the job, they wrote: "Travel benefits that aren't even worth it because I have no money to travel."

Another Redditor summed it up like this: "$24,000 a year is ‘live with your parents' money, not ‘got my own place!' money."

Veteran flight attendants chimed in to say that things can get better with seniority, but it takes years. One wrote, "Eventually with seniority, the job gave me a livable wage, but it took years."

For now, OP is stuck in limbo, hoping a raise will come and that they can get out of their lease early. "It's hard because my family thinks this is a great job for me and they think I'm making it work," they said. "Not knowing I'm so far deep in debt that I might as well file for Chapter 7."

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