Passenger relationships
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“When dealing with irate or offensive passengers, you can’t show anger because the customers are always right since they pay. Therefore it is better to avoid any confrontation”.
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“In order not to react, I might walk up and down the aisle, go into the bathroom and comb my hair, and then when I am calmed down, go back to talk to the person. Staying calm is extremely important to me”.
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“You know what they say about flight attendants—super made-up, super smiley, and super nice. Some days it’s hard to stay civil. It is wearing”.
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“If someone puts a hand on your bottom, you should say ‘Excuse me sir, but my bottom accidentally fell into your hand’”.
Compatibility of work and family
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“You can’t do this job and have children, it is too punishing”.
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“With the persons you were closest to, the difficulty was to resolve situations as they occurred because you were either going or coming, always having to postpone the problems or even the joys”.
Work related sources of stress and effects on health
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“You are away 4–5 nights, every night in a different hotel. You don’t have a point of reference”.
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“Never being in town when your friends go out contributes to the solitude”.
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“There was an epidemic of suicides because of the solitude, for not having anyone to talk to. We are an occupation at risk”.
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“The stress accumulates while I am working and I need to let it off. Unfortunately I do so with the people closest to me—I get overwhelmed and can’t handle things because I am so tired; or else my colitis acts up. In one way or the other the stress comes out”.
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“I think the hardest thing I have had to face is constantly having to adapt”.
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“This job puts your mental stability to the test”.
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