The life of a flight attendant often appears to be a dream come true, filled with exotic destinations, luxury hotels, new countries, and constant adventure. For many people looking in from the outside, it seems like an endless vacation where you get paid to travel the world. However, one airline employee has decided to pull back the curtain and show what the job really looks like without any filters or sugar coating. Her honest portrayal has resonated with thousands of people who had no idea what cabin crew members actually deal with on a daily basis.
Livvy Louvain works as a flight attendant for TUI airlines and maintains a digital diary of sorts on social media where she regularly shares glimpses into the life of cabin crew. With nearly 25,000 followers on TikTok, she has built an audience interested in seeing the reality behind the uniform. In one of her recent videos, she stands in her crisp airline uniform and delivers an ironic message that challenges the common perception of her profession. “The cabin crew job is so glamorous,” she says while doing something that is anything but glamorous.
The video shows her emptying an overflowing trash bin from an aircraft, set to the tune of the song ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ playing in the background. Changing garbage bags during a flight means encountering everything imaginable, from leftover food and packaging to used tissues and all manner of waste that passengers leave behind. Through this video, she wanted to demonstrate that her job sometimes has absolutely nothing to do with the luxury lifestyle that people imagine when they think of flight attendants. The reality involves a lot of manual labor, cleaning, and dealing with the less pleasant aspects of keeping an aircraft running smoothly during flights.
@livylouvain Behind the scenes of being cabin crew
♬ som original
Many people in the comments praised her for her honesty and willingness to show the unglamorous side of the profession. In an earlier video where she was applying makeup before her shift, she wrote another caption that reflected the disconnect between perception and reality. “When you’re getting ready for a ‘job’ that’s actually just a paid vacation with friends,” she wrote, again using irony to highlight how different the job appears from the outside compared to what it actually entails. These candid moments have helped her followers understand that while there are certainly perks to the job, it is far more demanding than most people realize.
The work of cabin crew members is significantly more challenging than it appears at first glance. Their primary responsibility is not serving food and beverages to passengers, but rather ensuring the safety of everyone on board the aircraft. This includes conducting safety checks before takeoff, demonstrating safety procedures to passengers, monitoring the cabin throughout the flight, and taking care of passenger needs. The role requires constant vigilance and the ability to respond quickly to any situation that might arise during a flight.
Beyond the visible duties, flight attendants undergo extensive training for emergency situations that most passengers never think about. This training covers medical interventions, evacuation procedures, handling unruly passengers, and responding to various in-flight emergencies. They need to be prepared for scenarios ranging from medical emergencies requiring first aid to potential evacuation of the aircraft. The job requires both physical stamina and mental preparedness to handle high-stress situations while maintaining composure and keeping passengers calm.
The schedule of a flight attendant is often unpredictable and demanding in ways that extend beyond the flights themselves. They regularly work on weekends and holidays when most people are celebrating with their families. Long periods away from home are common, and the constant adjustment to different time zones can be physically exhausting. Jet lag becomes a regular companion, and maintaining a normal sleep schedule is nearly impossible with routes that span multiple time zones. While the job does offer opportunities to see different places, the reality is that layovers are often short and leave little time for actual sightseeing or enjoyment of the destination.
Flight attendants typically go through several weeks of rigorous training before they can work on commercial flights. This training is provided by the airline and covers everything from safety procedures to customer service protocols. They learn how to operate emergency equipment including oxygen masks, life vests, fire extinguishers, and emergency exits. Medical training includes CPR, first aid, and how to use the medical equipment stored on aircraft. The training also covers dealing with difficult passengers, security procedures, and the specific features of different aircraft types they will be working on.
The physical demands of the job are considerable and often overlooked. Flight attendants spend most of their shifts on their feet, walking up and down the aisles of the aircraft, serving passengers, and checking on their needs. They push heavy beverage and food carts through narrow aisles, often while the plane is experiencing turbulence. The low humidity and air pressure in airplane cabins can be dehydrating and contribute to fatigue. Lifting heavy luggage to help passengers stow their bags is another physical aspect of the job that takes a toll over time.
Despite these challenges, many flight attendants genuinely love their jobs and the unique lifestyle it offers. The opportunity to meet people from all over the world, experience different cultures during layovers, and work with a close-knit crew can be incredibly rewarding. However, as Livvy Louvain shows through her social media content, it is important for people to understand that behind the glamorous image lies a job that requires hard work, dedication, and a willingness to handle the less pleasant tasks that come with keeping passengers safe and comfortable at 30,000 feet.
What aspects of a flight attendant’s job surprised you the most, and do you think you could handle the challenges that come with this career in the comments?
