Continental Airlines Hiring Flight Attendants in 2011?

Has anyone heard if Continental Airlines will be hiring Flight Attendants in 2011?

I've heard that they will be looking to hire flight attendants early in 2011 however the merger with United and the fact that they (United) have flight attendants on furlough may change the need to hire off the street. I'm waiting patiently (and anxiously!) with you! I've want to fly for the new United.

SkyGuy in Waterbury, Connecticut said: I've heard that they will be looking to hire flight attendants early in 2011 however the merger with United and the fact that they (United) have flight attendants on furlough may change the need to hire off the street. I'm waiting patiently (and anxiously!) with you! I've want to fly for the new United.

I have a really good friend that is a Continental Flight Attendant and she is keeping her eyes and ears open to give my a heads up as to when they will start hiring so I can beat the crowd...She's been flying for 15yrs and I also have a cousin that's been flying with them for over 20yrs...they don't do much hiring very often so you have to stay on you toes...

That's good to have an 'in' at Continental...and of course now you can keep me updated, lol!

SkyGuy in Waterbury, Connecticut said: That's good to have an 'in' at Continental...and of course now you can keep me updated, lol!

Absolutely!!!!

I do know that Continental is still taking deliveries of new 737's and the 787's should be arriving in 2011, albeit a little late, so hopefully that will increase the need for new hires!

Cincimatti in Houston, Texas said: In addition to plans to introduce new service from IAH to AKL and IAH to LOS...

What's AKL and LOS?

Hopefully with the merger they'll offer an early out to senior people who want to retire which will increase the need for new hires even more!

I would love to be a Flight Attendant for Continental!!! Keeping my fingers crossed for things to start moving soon...

You and me both F/A 2011! They have a great reputation, route network, and have actually been growing/improving their product while others have been shrinking.

Unless CAL and UA offer some very nice early-out and enhanced retirement packages so that FAs will leave the new company, it would seem unlikely that CAL will do much hiring. Some of the CAL expansion -like AKL- has been delayed due to delays caused by the Boeing 787. By the time CAL gets its first 787s, CAL won't even exist any longer - it will be the new United.

Very true Over Easy. I guess all we can do is wait. Hope everyone had a good holiday!

Here, here GlobalFlying! Hopefully 2011 will be the year we all start our careers with CO/UA!

I'd definitely love to know if/when CO/UA are hiring! Really interesting that they're planning to start service to LOS...not a place I would have thought would be very high on the list.

God it would be wonderful if UA/CO hired. I was one of those that was invited to training for UA in 03/08 got the call 3 days before training that it was canceled. I kept calling the recruiter hoping it would change...its been almost 3 years. I've never cried over anything...I cried that day. Still hurts. I remember her saying when hiring reopened we would be called. But geez after 3 years and a merger...ummmmm yeah ok...

That's terrible Pammie! Keep your head up and when the time is right we'll all get our calls...who knows maybe we'll even be in the same training class! I have heard (although just a rumor) the UA might pull some 747's out of the desert which will mean more work for F/As

Another positive thing to consider, is the union has reached a tentative agreement.

Angha in Austin, Texas said: Another positive thing to consider, is the union has reached a tentative agreement.

do you have an idea what is the salary? do yoy have to go to school or they train you?

lily in Houston, Texas said: do you have an idea what is the salary? do yoy have to go to school or they train you?

The new agreement is very generous $19.99 till Sept. then $20.49 base pay first year, per diem $1.95(?). This is just a tentative agreement and still needs to be voted on. I wont post contract link, if people really want to read it they can google and see if it is available for public reading.

As for school, yes after going through an extensive hiring process the company will put you through training. Aprox. 6-7 weeks long, 5-6 days a week with very long days, early am's and late pm's. Don't pay for FA training schools! You will just be wasting your money!!! The FAA requires that each airline train all new hires with a curriculum thru the company mandated by the FAA. Every year you are also required to do recurrent. If you leave and rehire or go to another airline you go to training all over again.

Hey GlobalFlying I sent you an email. Everyone else can email me too: SkyGuy2011@live.com

Hello everyone! First off, I would like to say how refreshing it is to see such excitement in your posts! It reminds me of how I felt when I started my flying career 17 years ago. Let me take a moment to give you all the "inside" scoop...the instructors that are being hired now are for our cross training needs as we begin the integration of the two workforces. CO crew will need to be trained on the UA A320/A319 and 747-400, while we at UA will need to be qualified on the CO 737-500/700/800/900, 757-300 and 767-200/400. With nearly 25000 flight attendants combined, you can imagine the magnitude of work that must be done to facilitate a smooth flow through of crew. Now, CO and UA flight attendants have different union contracts that call for very different scheduling practices and staffing levels. I won't get into a "who's better" debate, as I feel that should stay within our Company, however, future staffing needs will be dictated by the contractual provisions of the surviving union. I wouldn't plan on any new hire additions until 2012 at the earliest. The new airplanes coming online over the next few years will be for fleet renewal, not growth. I can say this...UA has many many many VERY senior flight attentants who are waiting to see what kind of package our Company offers to encourage retirement. If the package is attractive, we may be in need of new hires sooner rather than later. And lastly, the furloughed crew at UA are all on voluntary leave. No flight attendant is out on an involuntary furlough. I think we've had a group or two return to the line already, and have about 1000? still out....don't quote me on that...I'm not sure of the numbers...Anyway, best of luck to all of you! We're always anxious for the next round of hiring...

Pammie in Waukesha, Wisconsin said: God it would be wonderful if UA/CO hired. I was one of those that was invited to training for UA in 03/08 got the call 3 days before training that it was canceled. I kept calling the recruiter hoping it would change...its been almost 3 years. I've never cried over anything...I cried that day. Still hurts. I remember her saying when hiring reopened we would be called. But geez after 3 years and a merger...ummmmm yeah ok...

Pammie...I'm sorry to hear about this. I am positive we hired through most of 2008. To my knowledge, none of the training classes were canceled. Are you absolutely sure there was no abnormality in your 10 year check? Medical? I know it seems like an eternity, but it has been a very challenging decade for our industry. When your time comes, the wait will have been worth it. Keep your chin up!

stew4united2 in Henderson, Nevada said: Pammie...I'm sorry to hear about this. I am positive we hired through most of 2008. To my knowledge, none of the training classes were canceled. Are you absolutely sure there was no abnormality in your 10 year check? Medical? I know it seems like an eternity, but it has been a very challenging decade for our industry. When your time comes, the wait will have been worth it. Keep your chin up!

Pammie...I did some checking, and it looks like the last graduation date was 3/17/08...at least that's the last class photo on our union website. That would mean the last class start date was around the first week of February, 2008. Sorry for the confusion. :)

Thanks for the scoop stew4united2! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they offer an attractive early out for the senior ppl. Keep in touch stew!

stew4united2 in Henderson, Nevada said: Pammie...I did some checking, and it looks like the last graduation date was 3/17/08...at least that's the last class photo on our union website. That would mean the last class start date was around the first week of February, 2008. Sorry for the confusion. :)

stew4united2, Thank you for the inside scoop and taking the time to let us know what is going on.
To my recollection my class was the last one to go through UA training center before it was closed. We started 10/01/07 and reported to base in SFO the week of Thanksgiving. Due to a family situation I had to leave UA, but was fortunate to get on with CO-EX.
I loved it, but sadly my base closed during company restructure. I have been waiting ever since to get on with mama CO. Like you said so many things are happening in the company right now with merger, contracts etc. I am excited to see what will happen and am patiently waiting for them to start hiring again!

SkyGuy2011 in Waterbury, Connecticut said: Thanks for the scoop stew4united2! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they offer an attractive early out for the senior ppl. Keep in touch stew!

Should anyone have any specific questions, I'd be glad to answer them to the best of my ability. Ask away!

stew4united2 in Henderson, Nevada said: Pammie...I'm sorry to hear about this. I am positive we hired through most of 2008. To my knowledge, none of the training classes were canceled. Are you absolutely sure there was no abnormality in your 10 year check? Medical? I know it seems like an eternity, but it has been a very challenging decade for our industry. When your time comes, the wait will have been worth it. Keep your chin up!

Not sure if you are refering to UA or CO training classes, but I can tell you that I was supposed to go to training with UA in April of 08. Two classes that were scheduled were cancelled at that time. It was very disappointing. I was supposed to be IAD based, and the other class cancelled was going to be BOS based. I hope what Pammie said will indeed happen when training resumes. I was told by someone at UA HR that all of those in those classes would have to reapply when hiring resumed again and would not be given any preferencial treatment. I am anxiously awaiting the day when I can start flying international, which is why I chose the IAD base. I have been flying domestic for four years now, and ready for some variety! Hang in there everyone! And hopefully we will all see each other out on the line someday!

MSPFA in Saint Paul, Minnesota said: Not sure if you are refering to UA or CO training classes, but I can tell you that I was supposed to go to training with UA in April of 08. Two classes that were scheduled were cancelled at that time. It was very disappointing. I was supposed to be IAD based, and the other class cancelled was going to be BOS based. I hope what Pammie said will indeed happen when training resumes. I was told by someone at UA HR that all of those in those classes would have to reapply when hiring resumed again and would not be given any preferencial treatment. I am anxiously awaiting the day when I can start flying international, which is why I chose the IAD base. I have been flying domestic for four years now, and ready for some variety! Hang in there everyone! And hopefully we will all see each other out on the line someday!

I was unaware of class cancellations until reading these posts. But it makes sense, as shortly after the classes were cancelled, the fuel prices went through the roof and we retired ALL of our 737s and 6 747s. I believe it is likely that those affected will have to reapply, but I will ask around when I'm at RET (recurrent) in FEB.

Do they do HIV testing for F/A?

stew4united2 in Henderson, Nevada said: I was unaware of class cancellations until reading these posts. But it makes sense, as shortly after the classes were cancelled, the fuel prices went through the roof and we retired ALL of our 737s and 6 747s. I believe it is likely that those affected will have to reapply, but I will ask around when I'm at RET (recurrent) in FEB.

Thanks Stew! I will be anxiously awaiting your reply. Unfortunately that's what I was told by HR as well, but maybe they will reconsider? And yes, fuel prices was the reason that the classes were cancelled. As you can imagine for those in the two classes it was extreamly difficult as we had gone through the entire process, thought we had been hired, and many had already given their two week notice to employers. Thankfully I didn't do that so I was able to keep flying for the airline I worked for at the time. Really looking forward to working for a mainline carrier, and can't wait till UA starts hiring again! Thanks for your help!

I can't imagine what that was like MSPFA! Planes are fuller and fuller these days which is a positive sign for the economy.

MSPFA in Saint Paul, Minnesota said: Thanks Stew! I will be anxiously awaiting your reply. Unfortunately that's what I was told by HR as well, but maybe they will reconsider? And yes, fuel prices was the reason that the classes were cancelled. As you can imagine for those in the two classes it was extreamly difficult as we had gone through the entire process, thought we had been hired, and many had already given their two week notice to employers. Thankfully I didn't do that so I was able to keep flying for the airline I worked for at the time. Really looking forward to working for a mainline carrier, and can't wait till UA starts hiring again! Thanks for your help!

Well, I'm sorry to say that all the info you've been given is correct. You will need to reapply once hiring begins again. Unfortunately, just too much time has passed to allow those formerly hired to continue without being seen again. Some good news to report, though....AFA has asked the National Mediation Board to accept UA/CO as one carrier so the vote for union representation can begin. This means that the process has begun to fold us all into one union, which will speed the process of obtaining one contract...thus clearing the way for accurate staffing projections...hopefully translating into the need for hiring! We are set to announce several decisions concerning customer offerings in the next 30-60 days. Combined fleet configuration decisions will give us an idea of how staffing will play out in the future. Finally, things are starting to move at a faster clip toward "customer day one." More later...

Thanks for the updates Stew! You're the best!

Stew,
Thanks so much for checking into that for us! Although it's not the news I wanted to hear, I can certainly understand why we would have to reaply. At least we can be a bit more confident when hiring starts again, as we know we have already gone through the process once. Hopefully that will give us a leg up next time! Thanks for taking the time to find out the info. Fly safe! Thanks!

Hello, I would like to work as a Flight Attendant in the United States, I am from Colombia but I am also an American citizen. I am bilingual (Spanish and English) and I hold a couple of associated degrees, one from Colombia, and one from the USA, I am 5´8¨, 110 pounds and 34 years old ( I am the image of a bathing suit company in Colombia), but the salaries here are very bad. I have a lot of experience in customer service, I really don’t know the requirements for this job, but I really need some help about the monthly salary, any idea? Thank you!!

tatianis in Santa Marta, Colombia said: Hello, I would like to work as a Flight Attendant in the United States, I am from Colombia but I am also an American citizen. I am bilingual (Spanish and English) and I hold a couple of associated degrees, one from Colombia, and one from the USA, I am 5´8¨, 110 pounds and 34 years old ( I am the image of a bathing suit company in Colombia), but the salaries here are very bad. I have a lot of experience in customer service, I really don’t know the requirements for this job, but I really need some help about the monthly salary, any idea? Thank you!!

Hello, and welcome to the board. Salary can and does vary wildly from airline to airline. Unlike most of the world, flight attendants in the US tend to have very long careers, often 35-40 years. Flying for a regional airline will often pay less than a major over the course of your employment. All US airlines start low, think $1300-$1800 per month. After a few years, one gains more control over scheduling and can fly as much as needed. It is important to note, most flight attendants do not seek the position to be "rich." It is all about quality of life. That being said, medical and dental insurance and retirement plans account for a significant portion of our compensation. Our benefits are hard to match in this day and age. Based on what my wife and I make as flight attendants, I would say the yearly salary at 15 years of service ranges from $33000-$55000 depending on how much you choose to work. That figure does not count the value of our benefits. Of course I do not speak for my company or any other airline, I am just offering an idea of current compensation. Also, please understand, flight attendants in America take our charge of cabin safety very seriously. Presenting an image of a "bikini model" could not be lower on our priority list. Best of luck in your quest.

stew4united2 in Henderson, Nevada said: Hello, and welcome to the board. Salary can and does vary wildly from airline to airline. Unlike most of the world, flight attendants in the US tend to have very long careers, often 35-40 years. Flying for a regional airline will often pay less than a major over the course of your employment. All US airlines start low, think $1300-$1800 per month. After a few years, one gains more control over scheduling and can fly as much as needed. It is important to note, most flight attendants do not seek the position to be "rich." It is all about quality of life. That being said, medical and dental insurance and retirement plans account for a significant portion of our compensation. Our benefits are hard to match in this day and age. Based on what my wife and I make as flight attendants, I would say the yearly salary at 15 years of service ranges from $33000-$55000 depending on how much you choose to work. That figure does not count the value of our benefits. Of course I do not speak for my company or any other airline, I am just offering an idea of current compensation. Also, please understand, flight attendants in America take our charge of cabin safety very seriously. Presenting an image of a "bikini model" could not be lower on our priority list. Best of luck in your quest.

I have a cousin and a really good friend that are employed with Continental and they love the company and their jobs, that's why I have my heart set on becoming a part of the Continental FA team...

FlightAttendant2011 in Houston, Texas said: I have a cousin and a really good friend that are employed with Continental and they love the company and their jobs, that's why I have my heart set on becoming a part of the Continental FA team...

Hold on to your dream. Work is such a large part of life, it pays to enjoy your job. Continental is being folded into United, and we hope to become a company that personifies the best of both. You'll have to start practicing..."On behalf of all of us at United, I'd like to thank you for flying our Friendly Skies..." Good luck to you, too!

stew4united2 in Henderson, Nevada said: Pammie...I did some checking, and it looks like the last graduation date was 3/17/08...at least that's the last class photo on our union website. That would mean the last class start date was around the first week of February, 2008. Sorry for the confusion. :)

Hi,
I have to correct you stew4united2. I am for the very last class of United and 3/17/08 was our first day on training and graduation day was May 1st that year.

C in Malibu, California said: Hi,
I have to correct you stew4united2. I am for the very last class of United and 3/17/08 was our first day on training and graduation day was May 1st that year.

Thanks for the correction. As my post stated, I was going on the date of the last class photo on the Union website. Thanks, again.

stew4united2 in Henderson, Nevada said: Hello, and welcome to the board. Salary can and does vary wildly from airline to airline. Unlike most of the world, flight attendants in the US tend to have very long careers, often 35-40 years. Flying for a regional airline will often pay less than a major over the course of your employment. All US airlines start low, think $1300-$1800 per month. After a few years, one gains more control over scheduling and can fly as much as needed. It is important to note, most flight attendants do not seek the position to be "rich." It is all about quality of life. That being said, medical and dental insurance and retirement plans account for a significant portion of our compensation. Our benefits are hard to match in this day and age. Based on what my wife and I make as flight attendants, I would say the yearly salary at 15 years of service ranges from $33000-$55000 depending on how much you choose to work. That figure does not count the value of our benefits. Of course I do not speak for my company or any other airline, I am just offering an idea of current compensation. Also, please understand, flight attendants in America take our charge of cabin safety very seriously. Presenting an image of a "bikini model" could not be lower on our priority list. Best of luck in your quest.

Thank you very much for your answer, I really needed an estimate in salary, I appreciate all your help!!

Does anyone know if you have to have a passport to get into the flight attendant info sessions? i am in the process of getting one, but haven't received it yet.

amy in Nacogdoches, Texas said: Does anyone know if you have to have a passport to get into the flight attendant info sessions? i am in the process of getting one, but haven't received it yet.

They use to require that you have a passport or a receipt for the passport to even attend an open house...I'm assuming that's still a requirement.

ok, first at all, how do i send my application?
I am in Colombia (South America)

I currently work for Continental Connection. Will this help my chances in being hired for Continental mainline? I don't know any foreign languages, how important is that? Any tips on what would make my application stand out? Any new news on when Continental will be hiring? Thanks.

stew4united2 in Henderson, Nevada said: Thanks for the correction. As my post stated, I was going on the date of the last class photo on the Union website. Thanks, again.

Where are there class photos??

RegionalFA in Houston, Texas said: I currently work for Continental Connection. Will this help my chances in being hired for Continental mainline? I don't know any foreign languages, how important is that? Any tips on what would make my application stand out? Any new news on when Continental will be hiring? Thanks.

Sorry to tell you, but working for Colgan only hurts your chances.

Hey guys! I've been thinking about being a flight attendant for that past year, but I am still in school. Is it possible to go to college and be a flight attendant? I know it is probably possible, but I am more concerned if it is actually managable. I also had another question, I was reading some posts people had posted about Delta and they were saying they had to relocate to New York or Atlanta. Is that just for the trainning or will you be asked to move some where else when you get hired? I'm confused :(

Michelle in Columbia, Maryland said: Hey guys! I've been thinking about being a flight attendant for that past year, but I am still in school. Is it possible to go to college and be a flight attendant? I know it is probably possible, but I am more concerned if it is actually managable. I also had another question, I was reading some posts people had posted about Delta and they were saying they had to relocate to New York or Atlanta. Is that just for the trainning or will you be asked to move some where else when you get hired? I'm confused :(

Technically you dont have to move but being on reserve it'll be alot easier to be live at your base. I work for a regional and based in Chicago. There are alot people that commute but if they cant get in on their days their supposed to work (especially on reserve) you can get in a lot of trouble or even fired.

justcheckingin in home, Texas said: Do they do HIV testing for F/A?

No, if you get CJO, condition job offer, next step is health examination, they will give you a form asking what kind of medications are you taking.