Why Flight Attendants Carry THREE Bags All the Time

① Flight Attendants with Three Bags

Airline flight attendants always present themselves with neatly tied hair and immaculately dressed in uniforms. In airports, they often don pristine outfits and pull their distinctive crew suitcases. The sight of these professionals dragging specialized carry-on rather than ordinary bags tends to stand out.

Flight attendants receive their uniforms, dedicated carry-on, and the airline’s ID card upon joining an airline. Every year, airlines provide a set clothing allowance for replacing worn-out or lost uniforms. This also applies to flight attendant-specific carry-on and stockings.

After recruitment, the bags given to flight attendants include carry-on embossed with the airline’s logo. Commonly known as “flight bags,” they can be categorized as long-haul carry-on, short-haul carry-on, suit carry-on, and personal flight bags. Most are seen with a main carry-on and a smaller garment bag attached.

While a single travel bag can already feel heavy, flight attendants always seem to carry multiple bags. One can’t help but wonder: what essentials necessitate them to bring so many bags?

② Busy Schedules Require Multiple Bags

The bags carried by flight attendants may all look similar – usually in black – but serve different purposes. Unlike regular travelers, flight attendants stack their bags in two or three layers. The main carry-on contains the items necessary for the flight. The second bag, placed on top of the main carry-on, holds the flight attendants’ personal items. The garment bag ensures their uniforms remain wrinkle-free.

Flight attendants, while carrying personal items, prioritize flight essentials. They must bring their ID cards, inflight manuals, and announcements. Some airlines have digitized these manuals for smartphone access, but many still use physical books.

Aprons and oven gloves needed during in-flight meal services are also among the items they pack. They also fill extra uniforms and stockings, preparing for scenarios where their uniform might get dirty or stockings get runs.

For long-haul flights, comfortable clothes and skincare products become necessary. Flight attendants sometimes bring in-flight shoes. Typically, they wear shoes with a 2-2.8 inch heel when reporting to work but switch to in-flight shoes with a 1.2-2 inch heel onboard.

Additionally, they carry personal notebooks, extra writing tools, and post-it notes. Since many passengers often ask for pens, some attendants bring a bundle of them.

The need for flight attendants to carry multiple bags can be attributed to their hectic schedules. Depending on their agenda, they might fly for several days consecutively. While direct round-trip flights might require fewer bags, layover flights need more items.

③ How are Flight Attendants’ Schedules Constructed?

So, how is a flight attendant’s schedule structured? Flight attendants receive their flight schedule once a month. “Double flights” refer to repeating the same route, and a “quick turn” means flying out and returning immediately.

“Layovers” refer to flights where they stay at the destination for a certain period before returning. The stay can be 24 hours, but sometimes it exceeds 48 hours.

Among all, standby schedules are generally the least preferred by flight attendants. Standbys can be categorized as SA and SC. SA refers to standing by at the main office at Gimpo Airport from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., while SC pertains to the standby from 3 p.m. until the last flight. They wait and sign off if they don’t have a scheduled flight.

Codes IA, IB, and IC are used for standby duties in Incheon. These are primarily long-haul flights, so attendants need to bring their luggage to wait. The RF schedule indicates they might be called upon from the previous day to the present.

Being on standby often affects subsequent schedules. Sometimes, flight attendants are only informed of their next day’s flight location the evening before. With such unpredictable and sometimes extended flight duties, it’s no wonder flight attendants always pack a significant amount of luggage.

By. Han Mia (miumia___12@mememedia.co.kr)