Shay Austin’s days typically start before the sun rises and long after it sets. In the course of one day, she might see several cities or even fly to a different country and back. Austin, 33, has been a flight attendant since 2017 and has worked for each of the three major U.S. airlines at some point in her career.

Though she rarely knows the day of the week, she always knows the date, has learned to tell military time as if it’s second nature, and knows just about every airport code in the U.S. She logs more daily steps than most people, closing tens of thousands of steps by noon, and can navigate nearly all the major airports with ease.

However, for Austin, it’s all in a day’s work. Austin shared specific details of what an average day as an international flight attendant looks like with Travel Noire.

Shay Austin walking on a street in London — Photo credit: Shay Austin

Day One

Morning – Leave Home, Flight to Puerto Rico

5:30 a.m. – Austin wakes up to start her day. She does her makeup, packs a lunch, and heads to the airport. With an 8:30 a.m. takeoff, she’ll need to be there by seven to give her time to park her car, grab some coffee, and get to the gate by 7:30 a.m.

8:30 a.m. – Austin interacts with passengers and completes her various flight attendant responsibilities throughout the 4-hour flight. The job is so much more than pouring ginger ale and handing out those popular cookies, but Austin enjoys it.

She tells Travel Noire that one of the most exciting parts of her job is meeting new people and learning where they’re from, where they’re going, or random facts about their lives. She’s met actors, music artists, and top executives who travel for work, fun, or somewhere in between.

“It’s cool…meeting people. And they’re mostly nice, too,” Austin shared with Travel Noire.

Afternoon – Flight to Colorado

1:30 p.m. – Austin’s plane lands at San Juan International (SJU) in Puerto Rico. As passengers deplane, she stands near the exit and wishes them a good day or week. She and the rest of the crew will only be on the ground for a short while, about an hour, before the plane takes off again and heads to its next destination—Denver, Colorado.

Austin uses the short intermission to eat the lunch she’s packed.

2:30 p.m. – By now, the 33-year-old has logged a few thousand steps and is nearing her daily 10,000-step goal. Now, the plane has been emptied and then refilled with its next set of passengers, and it’s time for Austin to do the job all over again.

This time, though, the flight is longer. The six hours from SJU to Denver International Airport (DEN) will include meal service and two snacks or refreshment times. That means more walking the aisles, but still, Austin loves it.

“Sometimes I like the longer flights,” she said. “They actually go by pretty quickly.”

Evening – Overnight in Colorado

6:30 p.m. – The third flight of the day has landed, and the passengers exit. By now, Austin has been in three time zones in one day. What began as Eastern time is now Pacific time, and the flight crew is staying the night on the West Coast.

“Whenever I can, I try to stay on the same eating or sleep schedule as where I live so I’m not tired or my body isn’t confused,” she said of time-change jet lag.

Though it’s 6:30 p.m. in Denver, it’s 9:30 a.m. where she lives, so Austin is planning to get some sleep when she checks in to the hotel. After waiting for passengers to deplane and other final responsibilities for the crew, Austin and the other members of her flight board the shuttle and head to a local hotel for the night.

She stops by the hotel restaurant for a quick dinner, followed by a shower before bed by ten. Austin packs up most of her belongings, leaves out her second uniform, and grabs the steamer from the closet.

“Sometimes I iron my stuff at night and hang it up so I have a few extra minutes in the morning,” she said. Austin, who often chooses multi-day trips, said she enjoys the constant movement, but it does come at a cost.

“I love what I do, but like any job, it can be tiring,” she told Travel Noire. “Since I’m constantly between time zones, it takes a lot of discipline to keep my sleep schedule on track. I drink a lot of water, too. People underestimate how much hydration can help maintain energy and avoid jet lag.”

Day Two

Morning – Flight to The Bahamas

Austin has a 10 a.m. flight scheduled on the second morning but wants extra time to eat a good breakfast before heading to the airport. She gets dressed, packs her bag, and exits the room to meet another flight attendant for breakfast. The two have a quick morning meal and then, along with the rest of the crew, board the shuttle back to the airport for their 9 a.m. call time.

10 a.m. – The four-hour flight takes off and goes by without interruption.

4 p.m. – Once at Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) in Nassau, Austin and other crew members wave to the exiting passengers who look like they’re all excited for a vacation.

Afternoon – Flight to New Jersey

Austin and the crew will only be in paradise for about an hour.

“There are lots of times I have [a schedule with an] overnight, but it’s not every time. Sometimes you get to look out and see paradise for a quick minute and then turn right back around and head home,” Austin said.

5:30 p.m. – It’s time for another leg of the trip, so Austin and the rest of the crew do what they do best: get passengers to the next destination.

Evening – Flight to New Jersey

8:30 p.m. – As the flight lands, and the day nears its end, the passengers exit. Austin wishes them a good evening. By now, her steps goal has been reached, and she is beginning to feel that familiar hint of tiredness in her feet. Though they don’t outright hurt, she can feel the slight impact of the last day and a half on them.

Austin gets her second wind of energy as the latest group of passengers boards the plane. It’s her last flight of the two-day trip, and she’s excited to get home to her bed. The hour-and-half flight lands quickly, and Austin waves to the exiting passengers.

Late Night – Land Back Home

11:30 p.m. – After about an hour, she’s on her way to the parking lot to head home. She’ll have a day off and then get ready for an upcoming trip to Tokyo and back later that week.

FLight attendants