Many people dream of a working life at 35,000 feet, imagining that being a flight attendant is a glamour without limits.
But Skye Taylor, 49, who spent 16 years working as a flight attendant, reveals it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
The former flight attendant told MailOnline that the situation is affected by low pay and that sitting on the beach is a rarity for many crew members.
She found a solution to her lack of money by abandoning the skies to become a porn webcam girl who shares explicit material live on the internet in exchange for money.
Skye says that when she first started her career in the airline industry, everything was different.
Skye Taylor (above, in uniform), 49, worked for 16 years as a flight attendant, but reveals it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. She says the industry is plagued by low pay.
The former flight attendant, who eventually rose through the ranks to join Virgin Atlantic, said: ‘Before Covid, we were treated very well, in the United States we had great discounts and gifts. With Virgin, they gave us seven free flights a year so we could travel with our family.
‘They were very good benefits, not that much money, especially after Covid, which I don’t blame my former airline for.
‘I blame the government for ruining aviation, taking away workers’ rights and making it very difficult to do work and make a living at the same time.’
Skye believes flight attendants’ salaries should be in line with those of train drivers.
She explained: ‘I don’t think (wages) are fair to anyone when we work so hard. A train driver earns £30,000, we weren’t paid anywhere near that amount.
‘Years ago it was very good, then the government changed the rules and gave us a standard rate, which took a lot of money from us.’
According government.ukThe starting salary for a flight attendant is just £15,000.
Skye added: ‘I think what made me leave was the constant changes and not really having a good income – at my age that was quite scary.
“Having to work other jobs besides my job as a crew member, I was constantly exhausted and also had health problems all the time, which is understandable because they work you to death and then you have to look for another job to try to earn money to live. It’s very, very unfair.”
He continued: “The best part of the job was always travelling. You knew you didn’t have a big salary, but you got to see the world.
Skye said: “The best part of the job was always the travelling. Now the government seems to have eroded that lifestyle.”
“I was also lucky enough to be able to sit on a beach in the Caribbean for four or five days. That doesn’t happen with every airline. Well, certainly not in the UK. I think American airlines treat their crews very, very well.
‘Now the important thing is… to return to base as soon as possible so that we can make as many flights as we can.
‘I knew I didn’t have a high-paying job, but I did have an incredible lifestyle.
“Now, the government seems to have eroded that lifestyle. And I ended up making less money after COVID than when I started.”
She also hopes to tempt her fellow cabin crew members to try using a webcam like she does.
Skye said: ‘Basically I’m starting my own company, First Class Models, which will be a camera agency, and I want to help cabin crew because it’s something they can do.
‘Obviously they may not want to go the adult route, but it will definitely give them an income when they’re on the go, because their job involves a lot of sitting around with their phone in a room alone.
‘That’s my main goal right now, to try to help the cabin crew community and also women.
‘I just want to help them, because it’s very difficult to get another job: you have to succeed in your first job, you have to be on the waiting list, you have to be totally committed to flying, and things can change.
‘You know, you could get stuck because of the weather, so (camera work would be) another job to supplement your income.’