I'm a Flight Attendant. I've been flying for 18 years. This is my take on the state of the industry right now

Here are the main points I think are important to note about why the airlines keep screwing up. Let me just premise this by saying not all airlines are created equal. When I say "airlines" or "carriers" I am referencing the big four. American, Delta, United and Southwest.<br><br>TL;DR; - Airlines are hiring very inexperienced workers. Everyone is overworked and understaffed. Crew shortages are the problem.<br><br>When you hire 500 new people a week, it takes time for them to get through training. It takes even longer for them to get comfortable and experienced in their role. Last year, I was on a plane with a brand new flight attendant who trained during Covid. She had never even worked a real flight. Her very first flight ever was to London. I have probably worked over 2,000 flights (conservative number) and I've never even worked a trip to London. I saw her a few months later and asked her how it was and she said it was horrible. So much pressure as a brand new employee to do that. Now imagine being a brand new pilot and having to work a massive mistake prone flight. This is unprecedented. In my 18 years I've worked one international flight. Most captains have never worked an international trip until they were on the job for at least 15 years, minimum. I wouldn't want a new pilot or new flight attendant on a huge long haul flight. Even though I've worked over 2,000 flights, I wouldn't want to work a London flight unless it was the same rotation I always work. There is just too much to learn. And these poor new hires are thrown to the wolves. I personally think the training that all of us have gone through is woefully inadequate to have us perform our duties. I've learned through OJT (on the job training). Most of what I know, I learned from more senior crew members. <br><br>We are all very, very overworked. Every single person in the aviation industry is worked to the bone. Pilots, flight attendants, customer service agents, ramp agents, caterers, everyone. I was talking to a pilot from a different airline last night and he was saying how he used to take 3-4 months off every year. Now he gets 10 days unless he calls in sick. I'm in the same situation. We are worked until we literally can't work anymore. The majority of delays and cancellations are due to crew shortage. This is a fact. There just aren't enough of us to do the job. And with the 5,000 or so we've lost over the past 2 years due to Covid, it's making it even harder. <br><br>And for those of you who are saying, "Oh, well, I guess I won't be flying this summer" that's not an option for most people. We have to fly. Whether it be for work or we are immuno compromised and need to go to a big city for healthcare, there are so many reasons people have to fly. This is not a first world problem. This is people's livehoods. There are entire cities and regions of the country that rely entirely on a functioning airline industry. This is what happens when you have monopolies. They do not care about you or your travel problems. They care about their bottom line and the shareholders. I would much rather have a system like the European railways where everyone can easily and affordably take the train. Even with all its problems the US airline industry is a miracle when you look at the rest of the world.