“Where will I be based?” is a common question that every applicant/trainee asks. Commuting And Crashpads covers how to handle if you don’t get based where you currently live. The airlines have multiple bases that cover a region and they staff these bases as needed. I express to applicants and trainees to use this career as a point in their life for a fresh start. Be willing to accept any base and relocate if able, or if not then just commute.
I once ruined an interview with TWA when the interviewer asked me how I felt about going to JFK as my base. I answered that I really wanted to be based in St. Louis. The interview wrapped up rather quickly after that and I learned my lesson. If this career is what I wanted, I had to be flexible with where I was based. Soon, “where will I be based?” didn’t matter as much.
What Is A Junior Base
Each airline with multiple bases has a junior base, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the flying out of that base is less desirable, it’s just the junior base. I didn’t mind being at a junior base because the benefits can be anything from getting off reserve quicker to being able to hold better trips with more desirable layovers faster.
Transferring
Transferring is always an option with an airline that has multiple bases. After I learned my lesson I didn’t let the base choice ruin another interview for me. Instead I welcomed it and have had some of my best trips from those bases. In 2012 I was recalled to American Airlines and was assigned MIA as my base even though I lived in DFW. I welcomed the opportunity even though it meant I had to commute. I ended up working many flights from MIA to LAX on the 777-200 and met many celebrities. The experiences I had might never have happened had I originally gotten my first choice of DFW. After I was based in MIA for five months I put in for a transfer to DFW and it was granted, but I will always remember my time in MIA and the friends that I made there.
Conclusion
The flight attendant lifestyle is an adventurous journey that has taken me to many places in the world. If I had failed to learn my lesson I might never have seen the places I have. I always encourage applicants and new-hire trainees to just be open and excited because you never know what might happen. Don’t ask “where will I be based?” and just be excited for a new adventure. When applying with any company and learning of the assigned base, simply do a google.com search and learn about the city more.
Jason.
