After applying online and being accepted after the initial video processing interview, I was invited to San Francisco for a final 1 to 1 interview on July 10th at 8:30am by an Inflight Recruiting member. Delighted and excited, I promptly accepted and was booked complimentary flights by United Airlines from Santa Ana (CA) to SFO. I understood it was my responsibility to cover hotel and other expenses.
I arrived to SNA July 9th at 4:00PM in time to board my 6pm flight to SFO. I was informed by UA representatives that my flight had been cancelled.
I was automatically booked onto a flight for the next day, July 10th at 10:30am. I explained to the UA representatives and manager that I was interviewing for a Flight Attendant interview in the morning, and was required to be there by 8:30am for an interview. The representatives were more than helpful and attempted to reschedule a flight from SNA or LAX, which all were completely booked and unavailable. I attempted to contact Inflight Services to inform them my flight had been cancelled, however they were already closed for the day. *** Rules of Inflight Services is you must reschedule your flights within a 24 hour notice or you will automatically be rejected and must reapply in 12 months for the position.******
I ended up purchasing a one-way ticket from Long Beach to SFO ($129 for ticket and $35 Uber fare to Long Beach) to be on time to my interview the next morning. I purchased a hotel room for $169 near the airport (UA is not responsible for this expense, however after talking to a few of the other interviewees, I learned that their hotel was covered by UA). As I should have arrived at 7:15pm from the flight UA originally booked for me, I arrived on my own purchased ticket at 11:45pm to SFO.
I got up at 5am, got ready, and arrived at my interview 45 minutes early. I was't the first to arrive and I wasn't the last. Then, I realized I had forgotten a copy of my resume. I asked Inflight Services to copy one for me, they promptly printed one from my original application, I was very grateful for their help. Everyone was all smiles and introducing themselves in the room of about 17 interviewees. Yes, they are watching you from behind, I somewhat felt like it is an awkward way to judge the interviewees because you can tell these interviewees know they are being watched - it was somewhat of a show of "look at me while I pretend I don't know you are watching me interviewee dance off."
After about a 30 minute infomative session with the interviewees, I was the first one to be called into a 1 to 1 interview. I was asked questions by Leon, a recruiter with UA for roughly 17 years. He was very polite and professional, asked me a few brief questions and was ready to direct me out of the door. I strongly felt that he had already made a decision not to hire me before I had sat down for the 1 to 1. I felt that my answers were not taken seriously and it was impersonal the entire time I was giving my answers. I smiled, answered every question confidently and in my best judgement. My 1 to 1 interview lasted no more than 4 minutes, I was escorted out informing I would get a letter of the outcome. I arrived back to the airport shortly after 10am.
After getting back to the departing flights terminal, I learned that United Airlines had taken me off the positive seat listing and my confirmed flight home was rejected.
I contacted Inflight Services, who booked me on the next outbound flight to SNA. Less than an hour before take-off, the flight home was cancelled.
I contacted Inflight services again who was about to close. They booked me on another flight out for 8:45pm.
My 8:45pm flight was late. I arrived in SNA at 10:30pm. I got home at midnight. My boyfriend had bought tickets to one of my favorite artists in Los Angeles that evening and we missed the show.
I came home with a headache, a sad heart, and a sour taste in my mouth from United. I had met many fantastic candidates who all have informed me today that they too had received a rejection letter along with myself. It truly was an experience that seemed rare on my side to have with United Airlines, but it still happened to me.
The other candidates along with myself are exceptional employees of our current workplace and do meet all of the requirements United Airlines had requested. Some of us spoke more than one language, had expertise in customer service management, and safety regulations. I strongly feel that many candidates were a great match for the position and were rejected just like myself, I do not know what more United could have asked for.
I am grateful I met some wonderful people throughout this experience. I know that we will all find a perfect fit for ourselves in aviation services.