Pros
Piedmont is a very low cost carrier/company. Considering it can take years to get off of reserve I suggest you just invest your time into a mainline carrier unless you live near a base. bc you will already have to relocate or battle commuting. and it seems to me there is at least opportunity with mainlines as you gain senority. with piedmont you do eventually tap out. TRAINING: training was 4 weeks paid in Salisbury, md but supposedly they are moving it to charlotte. I believe you get around 400ish bi weekly. All the instructors are very nice and helpful at piedmont. they are extremely helpful and want you to succeed in training. Jeanine, Amanda, and Lesley are among some of the funniest, sweetest instructors there. training is intense and the days are long. you have to wear professional attire everyday. the Microtel provides free breakfast but you arE on your own for the rest of the day. personally I did not study much I just did my homework and listened the 6+ hours of class and the info is nailed into ur brain. prepare yourself for the emergency evacuations bc these were the most intense and hardest. I am sure that mainline training is way more difficult. after you graduate from training you have to go on IOEs with new instructors and they will train you and they have to feel comfortable with your abilities to sign you off to work on your own. the actual job: piedmont is owned by AA so yes you get the same benefits and you travel for work but its not travel like you think. you have your layovers in small towns in the middle of nowhere. If scheduling does not end up putting you in a dump in the middle or nowhere consider yourself lucky if there's places within walking distance of your hotel. the rooms are not always completely clean I often see hairs in the tub or a dirty toilet. ect. so if that freaks you out, now you know. piedmont is not very organized at all as a company and they blame it on the new aircraft. scheduling can be a nightmare and they have messed my schedule/hotel more than once. you don't really have the opportunity to speak to any current employees about the job until you are out there on the line. I learned quickly that there are a lot of unhappy flight attendants. most people complain but stay there lack of better options. the pay in 18.62ish a flight hr which is not much. the union doesn't actually protect you until you are off probation yet the dues are still deducted from your pay. as a regional flight attendant I definitely see big differences in the way main line flight attendants are treated FROM regional flight attendants. they are treated better and it may be because of the contracts. for example, my crew has often had to wait longer for things than mainline flight attendants. people often think that it is easier as a regional flight attendant but I think its much harder because as the only f.a you have no one else to refer to and the express flights are hard on your body because you are going up and down multiple times a day. it is a very physically demanding job and you are easily worn out. you really do get paid for a small portion of the actual work you do. to me its really not worth it because its a job you have to wait around on for little reward. i will apply for a mainline company to see if its a better experience but i highly recommend you wait for a mainline opportunity because i think that it will be a better investment in the long run.
Cons
-dirty old planes, LOUD, stuff is always breaking and in constant need of maintenance - you are always always in a rush (I have never experienced a job like this) it seems like how fast you go you can never catch up lol, from the moment you leave for the airport until you are done by the end of the day. you are constantly rushed by your crew and gate agents for take off. its important to not let that stress overwhelm you bc it is so easy. - eating schedules are out of whack, you eat when you can because you never know how long it may be until you eat again.