Flight attendants staying positive! The critical role of career orientation amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

PurposeThe airline industry has been one of the hardest-hit industries during the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aims to examine which flight attendants are likely to positively reappraise job insecurity and subsequently elevate their performance during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA two-wave (i.e. Time 1 and Time 2), multi-source (i.e. flight attendants and chief flight attendants) survey was conducted. The final sample consists of 408 flight attendants matched with 57 chief flight attendants. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsFlight attendants with an organization-centered career orientation are likely to positively reappraise job insecurity and, in turn, have better job performance than those with a self-centered career orientation.Originality/valueFlight attendants are likely to experience job insecurity during the COVID-19 crisis. This study highlights a potential positive coping mechanism that is contingent upon flight attendants’ career orientations, facilitating the interaction of the stress-coping and vocational literature in a hospitality context.