The seatbelt sign is still on, but that doesn’t stop the guy in 14C from stumbling down the aisle, beer in hand. Three rows back, someone is blasting music from their phone, and the overhead bins are still stuffed with oversized duty-free bags. The flight hasn’t even taken off yet, and the crew already know – it’s going to be one of those flights.

Not all flights are created equal. Some routes make cabin crew want to call in sick just to avoid the misery. These flights test patience, push limits, and sometimes make you question why you ever joined the airline industry.

If you’re dreaming of a cabin crew career, read carefully. These are the routes you’ll pray to avoid.

The flights that turn into bars at 35,000 feet

Most dreaded routes:

  • London Stansted → Ibiza (Ryanair, Jet2, easyJet)
  • Manchester → Tenerife (TUI, Ryanair, Jet2)
  • New York JFK → Cancun (American Airlines, JetBlue, Delta, Aeromexico)
  • Los Angeles → Las Vegas (Southwest, Spirit, Delta, American Airlines)

These flights aren’t just full – they’re full of drunk, rowdy, and overconfident passengers who treat the plane like their personal pre-game venue. You can spot them immediately:

  • Loud, overexcited, already tipsy at the gate.
  • Clutching duty-free liquor bags like lifelines.
  • The ones who “only had a few” but reek of vodka before they even sit down.

Within minutes of takeoff, the requests start pouring in. “One more round,” “Another beer,” “Make it a double.” Someone always sneaks their own alcohol, gets caught, and acts personally offended that they can’t BYOB at 35,000 feet.

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By landing:

  • There’s been at least one seatbelt sign standoff (drunk guy vs. basic safety rules).
  • Someone’s passed out in the wrong seat and refuses to move.
  • The cabin smells like stale beer and regret.

The return flight? Even worse. Now they’re hungover, sunburned, and broke.

The 45-minute flights that feel like a marathon

Most dreaded routes:

  • London Heathrow → Amsterdam (British Airways, KLM, easyJet)
  • New York LaGuardia → Boston (Delta, JetBlue, American Airlines, Southwest)
  • Dubai → Doha (Emirates, Qatar Airways, flydubai, Air Arabia)
  • Hong Kong → Taipei (Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, EVA Air)

It’s a 45-minute flight, but for some reason, passengers act like it’s a long-haul journey. The second the seatbelt sign goes off, everyone needs something – a drink, a snack, a pillow, their seat changed because they “don’t like” their neighbour.

Here’s what’s happening behind the curtain:

  • Trolleys flying down the aisle like a Formula 1 pit stop.
  • Crew throwing snacks like it’s a relief mission just to get through service.
  • Someone wants a full meal service – on a flight shorter than their Uber ride to the airport.

By the time you hand out the last coffee, the captain announces “Cabin crew, prepare for landing.”

And then? You do it all over again.

The red-eye flights that leave you seeing ghosts

Most dreaded routes:

  • Los Angeles → New York (American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, United)
  • London → Dubai (Emirates, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic)
  • Sydney → Perth (Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar)
  • Bangkok → Seoul (Thai Airways, Korean Air, Asiana)

Midnight departure. Early morning arrival. Red-eyes sound easy – until you work one.

  • Half the passengers want complete silence.
  • The other half want full service at 3 AM.
  • Someone’s crying, someone’s snoring, and someone’s pacing the aisle like it’s a haunted house.
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At some point, a guy wakes up outraged that the meal service is over. “But I was asleep!” Yes, that’s how time works.

The only ones fully awake? The crew – who haven’t slept in 20 hours but are still expected to smile and pretend they don’t hate everything.

The ultra-long flights that feel like a prison sentence

Most dreaded routes:

  • Singapore → New York (Singapore Airlines, 18+ hours!)
  • Dubai → Los Angeles (Emirates, 16+ hours)
  • Sydney → London (Qantas, 20+ hours with layover in Perth)
  • Doha → Auckland (Qatar Airways, 17+ hours)

By Hour 10, passengers stop asking for things.
By Hour 14, they just stare at you.
By Hour 18, crew start questioning their life choices.

Yes, there’s a crew rest area. No, it’s not as glamorous as passengers think. Try sleeping in a shaky metal bunk the size of a coffin while turbulence rattles your bones.

And when the flight finally lands? The layover isn’t long enough to recover before doing it all over again.

The family flights that feel like a chaotic daycare

Most dreaded routes:

  • London Gatwick → Orlando (TUI, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, easyJet, Norwegian)
  • Dubai → Manila (Emirates, Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, flydubai)
  • New York → Cancun (American Airlines, JetBlue, Delta, Aeromexico)
  • Paris → Marrakech (Air France, Royal Air Maroc, easyJet, Ryanair)

A flight full of families? Brace for impact.

  • Kids sprinting down the aisle like it’s recess.
  • Parents pretending they don’t see it.
  • Sticky fingers, spilled juice, a questionable smell from Row 17.
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And then, the seat-swapping nightmare. Families book random seats to save money, then expect the crew to rearrange the entire plane so they can sit together. If you say no? Somehow, you’re the villain.

By the time the flight lands, the crew are covered in apple juice, mystery stains, and sheer exhaustion.

The “Groundhog Day” flights that make you lose your mind

Most dreaded routes:

  • New York → Washington DC (American Airlines, Delta, United, JetBlue)
  • Los Angeles → San Francisco (United, Delta, Southwest, Alaska Airlines)
  • Toronto → Montreal (Air Canada, WestJet, Porter Airlines)
  • London → Dublin (Ryanair, Aer Lingus, British Airways)

Some flights are so repetitive that they feel like a glitch in the matrix. Crew work four or five legs a day on these routes, doing the same announcements, the same service, the same forced small talk until reality starts blurring.

There’s no layover, no proper break – just takeoff, land, repeat. By the end of the day, crew don’t even know what city they’re in.

Final thought: Would you survive these flights?

Passengers come and go. But cabin crew? They’re stuck flying these routes over and over again.

Aspiring flight attendants, take note: this job isn’t just about layovers and travel perks. It’s about dealing with:

  • Drunks, divas, and difficult passengers.
  • Flights so exhausting they feel like survival missions.
  • Shifts so long that time stops making sense.

Still want the job? Good luck. You’re gonna need it.

Would you survive these flights? Let’s hear it in the comments!