They're human. Although trained to remain calm in emergency (I've fought more than one inflight fire), they still have emotions. Just as I have in other jobs, I've worked with flight attendants who were dealing with dying family members, cheating lovers, and abusive spouses.

They're sick. Although it's not a law, it's a rule of thumb that if you call in sick more than three times in six months, you'll be fired. Combine that culture with a planeload of germs and sick coworkers who should have stayed home, and you've got a vulnerable constituency.

They're tired. Despite workdays of 14 to 18 hours, their minimum layover time is only eight hours. A layover means touchdown to takeoff, so they're "resting" while briefing, while helping you board the aircraft, while finding room for your luggage in the overhead bin. Unlike other hourly employees, air crew are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which limits workdays to eight hours and workweeks to 40.

They're not getting paid. Flight attendants (and pilots) are only paid when the plane is pushed back from the gate. All of that boarding and deplaning and waiting on delays -- unpaid. I've had numerous delays of five, six, even seven hours, many of them onboard completely full aircraft. I've even served planeloads of meals on the ground before eventually canceling, which meant I was sent home without pay.