Just When I thought that my week couldn't get any worse...

There is nothing that I love* more than to board up a full flight of passengers, only to deplane them a half of an hour later due to a hydraulic fail... *(hate)

I tell you one thing, after the arrogant businessman, I didn't think that my work week could get any worse, but it did.  We boarded up our flight this morning in Buffalo, and sat at the gate to be deiced.  We had been sitting at the gate for about 20 minutes after that when eh! Steve came over the PA and said that they had an indication in the cockpit that we were low on hydrolic fluid, somewhere on the airplane.  He then called me on the interphone to say that we were going to have to deplane the passengers and wait for contract mantainence* to show up. 

*(For those of you who are not familiar with the term contract mantainence, I will explain it to you.  We have mechanics at all of our hub cities to fix airplanes when mechanical issues arrise.  We also have other cities where heavy mantainence is done.  So what happens when we have a problem in a non-hub city?  That's when we call contract mantainence.  Sometimes they are mechanics who are employed by the airport, or other airlines.)

 

When I went to open the passenger door, there was some residule anti-icing fluid left in the crack, and it got all over my face.  I had to rush to find some water to get it off my skin, and away from my eyes before it caused any damage to my person.  I had to call the cockpit to get one of them to open the door for me, because I couldn't see, because I didn't want to get it in my eyes.  I was extremely lucky that it didn't get in my eyes.

 So we deplaned everyone, we found out that we had to wait for the next Chicago flight to arrive with a part that the mechanics needed so that they could add hydrolic fuel to the aircraft.  So we sat around for over 3 hours.  Luckily they took us off of our Nashville turn, instead of making the BNA passengers wait around in Chicago for us.

By the time that our airplane was fixed, they had already rebooked all of ourpassengers on other flights.  That was including 15 people who were going to Cancun. We went back to Chicago with an empty plane.  I think that I have flown more flights empty in the past 2 weeks, then I have in my entire career.  I felt bad for our passengers, most of them were going to warm vacarion places.

So what did we all do for our empty flight?  Changed into our normal clothes for our last flight back to Chicago.  Ahhhhhhh it was nice to be in warm, comfortable clothes at work for once.  When we got to Chicago, and opened the door, the gate agent looked at us kinda funny when he saw the four of us get off the airplane in regular clothes.

I am so glad that January is over.  I just hope that things go more smoothly next month!

Everyone is a critic

Can't I get through one flight, this week, without someone criticizing every little detail?*

*(for those of you who do not like reading about my complaints, you might not like reading this entry.  It's been a rough week at work, so I haven't been inspired to write anything whitty or glamourus.)

The stares... The whispers...  The comments... The glares...  Passengers do not realize that a plane is a big metal tube, and sounds especially voices, carry further than they think.  It's almost like a megaphone.  We KNOW when you are talking about us!

I don't know how many times I have made my way throught the cabin doing something or another related to my job, and as soon as I have passed someone I over hear them making some sort of commentary about myself.  I have heard comments that people have made about my looks(or in their opinion lack of), height, speed of service, personality, ect.  Some are nice, but most are down right rude.  The majority of rude comments it seems comes from elderly couples, or from business men who feel that they are entitled to be catered to their every whim.

This week it seems that everyone has been a critic. It all started on our flight back from the Twin Cities.  My other flight attendant Cari, caught the cold that I had last week, so she isn't as cheery as she normally is.  It's her job to brief the passengers who are sitting in the exit row to ensure that they have the ability to open the exit.  We are REQUIRED by the F.A.A. to ask, and get a verbal YES from every passenger seated there.  It's a pain, I hate doing it, but those are the rules. 

When she went to ask a businessman, and some lady the standard question, he said yes, but the woman kept nodding her head.  Cari had to ask her several times before the lady finally said yes.  When Cari walked towards the front to where I was, she over heard the guy making comments about her not being in a good mood.  Repeatedly through the flight we overheard him making comments to other passengers about Cari's supposed attitude.  It's hard to sound cheery when you can't BREATHE through your nose.  Cari told me later that when she was doing her safety demo, that the lady kept making gestures towards her to smile.  (When someone does that to me, it makes me do the exact opposite)

During the beverage service, I had the misfortune of serving the business type guy, and smilely lady.  Lucky me!  (Can you hear the sarcasm?)  I could tell that the lady was someone who didn't fly very often, and who was very excited about being on an airplane.  That doen't bother me, as I have said before.  I like being around passengers who are excited about being on my plane. 

When it came to the arrogant business guy, I wanted to throw him out of the plane somewhere over Wisconsin, without a parachute.  He was busy typing on his laptop.  I went to hand him his orange juice with no ice, he just tapped on the tray, with his finger, where his napkin was, instead up taking it from my hands.  (EXCUSE ME...  I don't think so.  Noone treats me like that!)  So what did I do?  My hand didn't move, and I just repeated, "Here you go!" untill he took it from me. 

That's not all folks...  As he got off the airplane, he proceeded to complain to myself and eh! Steve about how the other flight attendant, the red head needs a serious attitude adjustment.  (Why because she made the woman, in the exit row, say yes?)  The only person who needed an attitude adjustment on that flight was him.

Oh, it's not over yet.  We were slightly delayed getting out of Des Moines, and even then we had to wait for these two guys who couldn't get to the airport in time.  What would they had done if we would have been running on time?  When we were taxing in, I was giving my usual arrival P.A.s that I am required to give verbatim by my company and the F.A.A. with no abiviations.  When I finished doing what I had to do, one of those guys who we had to wait for started making comments to the other guy about how I had diarrea of the mouth, and never heard someone talk so much in his life.  Like I have control over what I can and can't say.  Throw me a freaking bone.  The only thing that I could do was just glare at him.

Comming out of Des Moines this morning, as you guessed it, we were delayed.  We were supposed to get into DSM last night at 9:30.  We didn't get in untill well after 12:30am and into the hotel till 1am.  So our new show time this morning was 9:30am, instead of 6:30am.  We departed at 10am instead of 7:30am.  I knew that my passengers weren't going to be happy. I wouldn't be either if I had to wait around for the crew to show up, to take me where I wanted to go.  Noone likes waiting, especially not me.  Though this woman had the gall to make a comment to the fact that "They probably did it on purpose, there was no weather last night." as she walked on.  She was stopped in front of Cari and I for a second while she had to wait for the isle to clear.  I wanted to make a comment, but I bit my tounge.

Overall it's been another rough week, with weather delays and all.  I hope that next month goes a little smoother.  I will be in White Plains, New York...

 

 

Home at last!

Back at home, safe and sound right before a heavy snow storm.  How lucky is that?

I think that I have recovered from my cold completely, in spite of having to work in a freezing cold airplane from Buffalo to Chicago yesterday morning.  The airplane's heating system wasn't working, and the ground crew in buffalo didn't have a way to heat the airplane.  You know how hard it is to do a safety demo when your feet hurt because they are starting to get frost bite?  No exaggeration folks.  It was only 10f in Buffalo yesterday morning.  That's just some of the fun things that I get to encounter as a flight attendant.  It did finally get warm when we got up in the air.

When we got to Chicago we had to go to Nashville and back.  It was starting to snow, so we had to wait to be deiced.  That took about 45 minutes.  Comming out of Nashville, we didn't need to be deiced, but we were held on the ground for 25 minutes because of the weather in Chicago.  Though when we got there, it was nice and sun shiny, but cold.  We were only an hour late this time getting back.  One disadvantage to my job is that I really can't sneek out of the office 15 minutes early on fridays, especially if there is weather.

Another case of the sniffles....

Delays, de-icing, MORE cancellations, blizzards and snow oh MY!  And to top it all off now, I have caught a cold.

Every week it seems like something else happens to us on this trip!  Is it too much to ask to have just ONE four day sequence go as it was scheduled?  I guess mother nature would disagree.

Tuesday started off hopeful, until we got on our airplane and my pilots discovered an issue that needed to be fixed.  It wasn't the knob this time, it was something else.  So of course we were delayed for over an hour.  They had cancelled our flight at first, and put everyone of our passengers on the next flight to MSP, but then reinstated our flight, even though we now had no passengers.  We get to MSP, and Eh! Steve (my captain) asked the agents for a heat cart for the airplane, because we didn't have a way to heat the plane on the ground.  They refused, so Eh! Steve refused to board the flight until we got heat.  So the agents put the 20 remaining passengers on the next flight that was now leaving at the same time that we were.  We went BACK to Chicago empty. 

We are now over an hour and a half behind schedule at this point, and just went to Minnie and back empty.  We had to go to Des Moines and back next, an hour and a half behind schedule.  We had about 50 passengers going to DSM.  Whom I must say, in spite of the circumstances, were rather delightful.  The agents had kept them informed as to where we were comming from, so they knew why we were late.  these guys were really great.  When we got to DSM, we were so late that they had put all of our passengers on the other plane that was leaving a few minutes before us.  We left DSM empty with no passengers. 

When we finally got to Chicago, it had started to snow, and was really windy.  I knew that it wasn't going to be quick and easy getting out of O'Hare going on to Buffalo.  We were already over an hour behind schedule, and with the weather a few of the passengers were kind of spooked.  I can understand why someone who doesn't travel very much can get leary of flying in an advancing snow storm. 

We were taking a long time to taxi because of all of the congestion, which made one of our passengers convinced that we should JUST GO BACK TO THE GATE, and try again tomorrow.  She rang her call button, and asked why it was taking so long to get off the ground.  When I went to answer her question honestly, that everyone was backed up, she kept interrupting me, and making comments about no thinking that it was a good idea that we go in the snow.  I had to walk away from her, because #1 I hate being interrupted, and #2 there was no talking any sense into her.  I was also starting to get a cold, and I honestly didn't have the patience to stand there, listening to her talk nonsense, because she was unwilling to listen to me.  Yes... I DO understand that not everyone flies as much as I do, and it's easy to become worried when there is alot of show comming down.  these are concerns that need to be adressed before you step on an airplane, not after we are almost to the runway.

We did make it to Buffalo Tuesday night, rather Wednesday morning at about 12:45am.  Which was about 2 hours and fifteen minutes behind schedule.  We were supposed to work the 2pm flight out Wednesday afternoon, but it cancelled.  Instead we deadheaded back to Chicago, and just went back to Des Moines for our nice 9 hour over night.  Yes we were LATE yet again, and I didn't get my beauty rest.  Which I really needed, especially with this cold that I am trying to deal with.  We had a late show time this morning. 

I feel bad for my passengers when things like that happens.  My company chooses to schedule us with only 9 hours on the ground, which is asking for trouble this time of year.  It leaves no room for weather delays.  We are required by the FAA to have a minimum of 8 hours rest.  That includes the time it takes to go to and from the hotel, clearing security, and getting dressed and showered.  You do the math...  With all of that, I am lucky to get a full 5 hours of sleep with reduced rest.  And I am responsible for people's safety.

I am now back in buffalo, minus, Cari and Eh! Steve.  They each had something to do so they dropped the last day of our trip.  I am flying with this new hire flight attendant who reminds me of myself when I first became a flight attendant.  She has been flying for only 2 months, and she is SOOOO excited about the job.  It's refreshing to see someone who is as passionate about what they do as I am.  I hope that she doesn't loose her passion, as she becomes more senior.  We fly back to Chicago tomorrow morning bright and early.  We then go to Nashville and back, and hopefully will be finished by noon!  YEA....  Then I can rest and recover from my COLD with my kitties!

FAN Mail

Here's an e-mail from one of my fans who lives in Paris!

Well Heather, if you're fluent in French, come over and use it!  Even flying regionally, you can deadhead across the pond can't you?

Deadhead no, but I can use my flight benifits and travel anywhere my airline and our mainline carrier fly.  Though I do get travel benifits, it still costs money when you get to where you are going!  Remember I have an extremely limited income!  I only "deadhead" when I am getting repositioned to complete a trip.

Had a look at your diet entry today.... good tips.  It sounds like you've got a lot of ideas about what to talk about.

Here's some that maybe you might want to get around to sometime:

(why not today?  LOL)

- How do flight attendants "attack" a new city when you're on layover... always the same bars with the pilots and other crew? 

The only thing that I really attack on a layover is my head hitting my pillow in my hotel room.  Layovers are so short now a days that there isn't alot of time to site see.

Or do you peel off with friends?

Most of my friends are fellow crew members, and are flying the same time that I am, or are normal people who live in Chicago, so I don't get a chance to see them on layovers.

Do you laze around in the hotels and use the gyms and stuff?

I laze around and relax.  We work up to 6 flights in one day.  That kind of stress on your body takes it's toll.

Or does your airline make sure you always get back to your home base at the end of the day?

If you want want to be home every night, you can bid for day trips.  I like day trips in the spring and summer.  It's a nice change to be home every night when the weather is good.  Though for the most part, I either work 3 or 4 day trips.

- How are you treated by the passengers?

I am invisible to passengers for the most part, just as if I were a blanket or pillow.  Some passengers treat me very nicely, while others make a point of trying to put me in my place.  It's like anyother job where you deal with public.

What are the worst (and best?) pick-up lines male passengers have tried on you?

There are no good pick up lines from male passengers.  The only men who attempt to hit on me are the kind of men who hit on any woman that they see.  The line that I hear the most is, "So is this your overnite?" The few guys that I have actually thought were cute, I was way to shy to even talk to.

How do jealous women passengers try to put you down?

When I get a woman who is intent on trying to put me in my place, I usually find it hard to keep from laughing at her.  They are the fussy ones that noting is never right, or they can't make up their mind.  Or they think that they do not have to listen to me because I am JUST a flight attendant.

What are the tips you have between yourselves to tone a passenger down? 

I never let someone see that they are getting to me.  I just smile, and make sure that they have every need attended to, about EVERY minute or two.  I try to treat passengers as I like to be treated even if I want to take them and give them a good swift kick in the butt.  But they wind up getting immortalized somewhere in my BLOG.

- How can passengers get extras they aren't normally allowed?  I'm not necessarily talking upgrades, more things like the snacks from First, or better meals (is it good to order the no-sodium platter to get served first?)

As I have said before, I work for a regional airline.  There is NO first class, and no meals, no special meals,  just snack mix.

- What's your training like?  I had a friend who worked for United, telling me about the training week in London where they are sometimes woken up at 4 in the morning and asked to show their fire drill routine....

Our training was four and a half weeks, six days a week.  We were in class from 7 am to 6pm everyday, and had at least 2 hours of studying to do when we got back to the hotel.  We have to go back for recurring training every year for 3 days.

- Do you modify your uniforms to make them look or fit better?  How do you rate the competitors' uniforms (even on the international lines, where sometimes famous designers are behind the clothes?)

I have had my pieces altered so that they actually fit my body, though even then my uniform is FAR from flattering.  My favourite uniforms are the ones from the early 60's.  Like PAN AM, TWA, and Braniff once wore.  They were so stylish back in those days.

I hope this answers all of your questions, my Aussie in Paris!! 

What a week!

Ahhhh....  Two down grades, thunder storms, reduced rest and a cancellation!  Another four day trip finished!  Boy am I glad to be back home!

Let's see where do I begin?  It's January, so nothing ever really goes smoothly.  Tuesday started out ok, untill my DSM turn down graded to the EMB.  I am the junior flight attendant so I had to work the flights, while the other flight attendant and pilots got to sit around the crew lounge for 5 hours. Honestly, I'd rather work then sit around and do nothing.  I got back in time to join my crew for our overnight in Buffalo.  At least that one was uneventful.  We met down stairs at the bar, sans our captain, for a night cap.  There we ran into a crew from LGA, and chatted with them for a bit.  The Captain read both mine and Cari's palms, or so he said, while the 20(well maybe he was 25) year old first officer tried to flirt with me.  I wasn't amused.  Cari, who is married, tried to tell me that I should have...  "You're in Buffalo, he's in Buffalo...." She mumbled as we walked back to our rooms.  "I'm not 19 anymore!" I replied as I retreated to my room.

The next day we got to the airport and found out that we were down graded to the EMB again.  Cari, my other flight attendant, decided to work the flight because she hates deadheading.  Lucky me!  I got to take a nap!  We went to Nashville and back, and on the way to Nashville there was this odd fellow sitting in the very back of the plane humming.  He was sitting right next to Cari, so I made a point to call her up on the interphone several times and hum along too.  (well I guess you would have had to be there)  When we got back to Chicago and were getting ready to go to our short 9 hour overnight in Des Moines, a thunder storm rolled in and delayed our departure for over an hour and a half because the ramp had shut down.  You can do the math, 8 hours on the ground total in DSM, not a happy flight attendant Heather be!  Not only am I not a morning person, but put lack of sleep on top of that...  Well I will spare you the details!  Needless to say we were delayed comming out of DSM the next morning.  Luckily the passengers were nice in spite of having to wait around for a bunch of tired and grumpy crew members to show up.

When we got to Chicago we had one easy leg back to Buffalo, which went smoothly.  No delays ect, just the way I like it, especially going into where I am going to be overnighting.  Though when we did get there, we had to wait at the airport for over half of an hour for the hotel van to come and get us.  All four of us decided to meet down stairs at the hotel bar for happy hour.  My captain, "EH! Steve" had one cocktail and then split, while Cari, our first officer "Coors" and I had some beer and played pool, for a little longer than we should have.

So needless to say I was exhausted this morning when I got up.  It's hard to look glamourus when your eyes are all blood shot, and all that you can think about is wanting just 5 more minutes of sleep.  We were supposed to go to Nashville again after we got back from Buffalo.  The plane was running late getting into O'Hare, and when it came in it had a mechanical issue that needed to be addressed.  The same knob problem that we had last week.  So of course we cancelled.  Great for me, because I got to get home to my kitties 3 hours early, but there was a mob scene of people at the gate trying to get rebooked.  There were like 5 families all standing at the gate screaming at the agents who were doing their best trying to help them.  Now, I can understand being upset, but there is no reason to throw temper tantrums in public, especially in front of your own children!

I arrived home to find a pleasant suprize...  BARS on all of my windows! My landlord put bars up on my windows!!!  Chateau Heather, now looks like Folsom prison, but at least I can sleep safely at night, and now noone can get to my new flat iron!

Traveling Tips Part 2

Part 2 of my traveling tips I will focus on something that I struggle with the most when I am working:  Eating Healthy on the fly!

For those of you who have an office job, and a regular work schedule it's easy for you to eat healthy and work out.  For the polyester jet set, and road warriors, it's a whole different ball game!

Because I don't have a set lunch break, I have to grab food whenever I can.  Which most of the time is fast food.  Eating fast food takes a toll on your body, and waist line let me tell you!  Two and a half years ago I was 50 pounds heavier than I am today, because of bad eating habits that I had developed.  How did I lose the weight you ask?  Well just bringing my lunch to work wasn't a possibility so I had to think of something else that I could do.

I knew that I couldn't do the whole Adkins thing, like the rest of the US.  First of all I like beer too much, and second of all, I was going to give up eating burritos!  I sat down and tried to think of what I could eat at the airport that was low in fat and low in carbohydrates. 

I switched from drinking frappachinos to green tea.  Did you know that if you drink green tea every day for  six weeks instead of coffee, you will loose 10 pounds?  I swear by it!  Green tea has alot of antioxidents that are good for you!

I made the switch from regular pop to diet!  I turned into one of those Diet COKE!!!  people!  I also started drinking alot of water.  Milk became one of my staples as well.  If you drink 2%, it is low in fat, and has protien.(if i was running around all day and couldn't grab something healthy, I would grab milk untill I could eat good food)

I was all keen on the "premium salads" that the fast food joints were putting out!  What could be bad about the salad?  Well the dressings that they come with have the same fat and carb count as a burger.  So I just got a burger instead, with no french fries mind you!  I eat the grilled chicken sandwhiches with NO MAYO.  If you are eating bread, cut back on your fat intake!  I do eat salads, but I make sure to get basalmic Vinigrette!  Tuna fish is great!  Soups are higher in carbohydrates, but are generally lower in fat.  I get whole wheat bread and bagels whenever possible.  Burritos that have black beens and rice.  HELLO, black beens and rice together is a great complex carbohydrate!   

Need to calm your sweet tooth?  Try low fat, sugar free frozen yogurt.  Or even a sweet potato!

Another thing that I pack in my bag is instant oatmeal packets.  I always make sure that I start my day with oatmeal...  The great thing about instant oatmeal is that all that you need is hot water!  Eating fruit is good too.  Though fruit is higher in carbohydrates, it's because of the natural sugars they contain.

Pasta...  I had to give up pasta, as well as anything else that was white processed.  (White flour, sugar, ect)

The one thing that is hardest to find is vegitables at the airport.  That is untill Panda Express got on the whole low carb band wagon.

You can eat at fast food places and not become as big as a house, it all depends on WHAT you get.

Stay tuned for part three!

Traveling Tips!

Since so many people liked my last advice about style on a budget, I thought you might like some tips on how to travel like a pro!

 

Traveling as much as I do, I have learned to simplify for speed and efficency.  The thing that I see non-seasoned travelers struggle with the most is getting through the security check point.  Being prepared before you get there, not only makes it easier for you, it helps out everyone else in line behind you! 

*Having everything that is metal (even your wallet and chewing gum) out of your pockets, and put in your carry-on makes getting through the check point easier, and it also ensures that you don't forget anything!  Also just put your belt inside your carry-on and put it on after you get inside the terminal! 

*You have to keep your boarding pass and ID handy to show the screeners.

*It's winter time so that means that you have to take off your jacket, blazer ect.

*Sneakers DO NOT set off the metal detectors, unless they have the blinking lights.  If you are traveling with children, refrain from letting them wear the blinking light sneakers.

*If you wear high heels, like I do, make sure that they are easy to slip on and off!  The metal shank in the support will set off the metal detector.

*If you must travel with pets, take them out of the carrier and walk thru with them, the X-RAY is harmful.  Make sure that their collar won't set of the metal detector.

*It is policy that you allow all UNIFORMED employees cut to the front of the line.  That includes flight crew and flight attendants. Think about it, you can't get on your airplane unless we are there anyway.  I don't know how many times that I have had people make rude comments to me because I had to cut in front of them.  The extra minute that it take me to clear security isn't going to cause you to miss your flight! 

*You must take out your laptop, out of it's bag and have it screened all by itself.  I have not gotten a clear cut answer from anyone as to why, but it's something that you have to do.

*Traveling with infants and children?  Make sure that you allow yourself enough time to get through security, so that you are not rushed! 

Keep checking back for more tips!  I will be talking about packing, carry-ons, boarding, checking baggage, and staying healthy on the fly.  ENJOY!

Beauty tips for the budget minded!

Some of my best kept beauty secerets!

So when you don't make very much money, and you are required to look like a million bucks, what do you do?  The key is to shop for what fits well, not what label it is.  I know that 7 jeans don't fit me well, but H&M jeans look good on my shape!

I love clothes, and the latest fashion.  That doesn't mean that I spend a fortune!  It's knowing what to invest money on, and what to bargain hunt for.  Knowing what looks good for your shape is key too.

Things to invest money in:

A great timeless leather jacket

A timeless over coat

A nice fitting suit

A basic white dress shirt (or anyother dress shirt)

A pair of jeans that flatter your shape

A good pair of boots, pumps, gym shoes

A pair of khaki pants

A twin set, or two

A basic black dress

A good belt and purse, suitcase set

A nice classic watch

When you have good basic pieces in your closet, you can mix them up and update your look with trendy pieces here and there that you can pick up from a discount store!

Here are some things that you can bargin hunt for:

Trends that will only last a season

Work out clothes

Trendy shoes

Make up

Nail colour

Trendy purses, bags

Costume jewery

I do alot of shopping at discount places like: Fileen's Basement, TJMAXX, Marshall's, DSW Shoe Warehouse.  As well as: TARGET, H&M, thrift stores, Old Navy, Gap Factory Store, Nine West outlet (for work shoes).  You can find the latest trends without breaking the bank.  Though remember, it's not a bargin if it doesn't fit well.

For cutting edge hair colour and style, no need to go to a salon.  Personally I go to the Aveda Institute, which for the price of what I used to pay for a haircut, I can get a great cut AND colour!  The work is done by students, but closely monitored by their instructors.  You definately get way more than what you pay for.  Checking out beauty schools isn't a waste of time! 

Pedicures are something that I splurge for at the start of sandal weather, so that I can keep them up on my own during the summer.  though I do my own nails.  As a flight attendant I am required to have well manicured hands, so i just glue on those nail kits, cut them to size and cover with my favourite polish!  The cool thing is that if I chip or break a nail, I can fix it right then and there, without having to leave my house!  I have found that the best quality nail sets can be found at local beauty supply stores. 

OH... And lets not forget the best beauty seceret of them all for removing makeup from your face. BABY WIPES!  Forget those fancy cloths from the cosmetics section, they are the same as baby wipes, but 10 times the price!

I hope that this helps out my fellow fashionistas living on a shoe string budget!

Back at home safe and sound!

Ahhhh....  Home sweet home!  There's no place like it, even if it is my apartment!

After spending a day and a half stuck in Buffalo, it was nice to return to my apartment to find everything just as I left it.  What a relief, well except what my kitties got into!  That I can deal with!

Compared to the last couple of days, today was uneventful.  We came out of Buffalo, and got to Chicago on time.  We even had a few of our passengers who were on the flight on Wednesday.  What brave souls that family was!  Then we went to Nashville and back with no fan fare.  That's just the way I like it, uneventful and on time!  I think that you can ask any flight attendant and they would agree that they hate delays...

I would have to say that the hardest part of my trip was walking home in the slush and snow from the train stop.  I love Chicago, but not in the middle of the winter when I have drag my suitcase and tote bag through all of the slush and snow.

Before I forget.... Thank you for all of the kind words that everyone has been posting on my BLOG!  I am glad that so many people are enjoying my stories!  Your words of encouragement and delight in my stories really touches my heart, and inspires me as to why I have been a flight attendant for 5 years!

Editor's PICK!!!!

If you have ever wanted to know what it is like to be a flight attendant, well here's your chance to see what it is really like...

I am in shock really, that my BLOG was picked as one of the Editor's Picks this week! 

As I have said in earlier entries, I started writing this BLOG out of laziness.  I got alot of e-mails and IMs from people who were curious about what I do.  I got so tired of repeating my self on a daily basis, that I just started writing everything down.   I wanted to give people a real perspective of what it is really like to be a flight attendant, and to disspell some of the long standing myths.

Some of my entries may seem like I don't like my job, because all that they contain is complaints.  That couldn't be futher from the truth.  I do like my job, and I enjoy what I do.  Doesn't everyone have a bad day now and then, and complain about their work?

I hope that you enjoy my strange but true stories!  Thanks to all of my loyal readers, and new fans for taking an interest in what I have to say!  I write for you!

Just another DAY of my glamourus life!!

Two ground stops and a mechanical, what else could go wrong?

Ahhhh....  I just love Chicago in the winter, even more so during a major flight cancelling snow storm. 

We got to the Buffalo Airport today at about 1:15 pm for a 2pm departure.  By the time we had gotten to the gate, we had already been given a Air Traffic Control delay to Chicago which was 2 hours later.  One thing that you learn to do in this industry is to get food whenever you have the time to do so!  Even if it is over priced airport food.  I ran to get some lunch, because I knew that it was going to be a long day. 

When it came time to finally go to Chicago, we boarded up all of our 60 passengers.  The tower had informed us that we were given yet another 2 hour ground delay before we could go to Chicago.  Mind you that we had already gotten everyone on board, and we were already 2 hours behind schedule!  So we made everyone get back off of the plane, because it would be more comfortable for them to be in the terminal for 2 hours rather than in our tiny little airplane. 

After all of the passengers had gotten off of the plane, my #2 flight attendant and I went to Burger King, to get some food...  Like I said, if you have time, you go get food.  We don't get a set lunch break like a normal 9 to 5 person does.

Two more hours pass, and we try it one more time, boarding up all of our weary travelers yet again...  This time I was certain that we were going to get to Chicago.  RIGHT!  Just as we were getting the final paperwork all finished, a knob breaks off up in the cockpit, which caused our already 5 hour late flight to cancel due to mechanical.  Mind you, these people have been SO patient with everything up until this point.  So we break the news to everyone, and deplane AGAIN!  These poor people, some of whom had been at the airport since 5am in the morning hoping to get to somewhere other than Buffalo!

Now it is time to see what our fate holds for tomorrow.  We were supposed to be in Des Moines tonite, and then back to Buffalo on Thursday night.  Things aren't all that bad, we are just stuck here in Buffalo untill Friday, when we hopefully resume the final segments of our trip,  I have never had a 36 hour layover in my career...  Never say never I guess.  Does anyone have any ideas?

OH... WHERE IS MY HAIRBRUSH???

I awoke Tuesday morning to find my kitchen window wide open, and my hair dyer STOLEN!!!

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.  The eriest part of my tale is the fact that I was fast asleep in my bed the entire time, unaware that I had an intruder in my apartment. 

As a flight attendant, at times we are a target for crime because of the misunderstanding that we make alot of money, and jet off to the exotic places of the world.  I live alone with my two cats in a basement apartment, in a part of Chicago that most women of my age wouldn't dare to step a pedicured toenail.  Why do I live where I do?  It's a simple fact really, I can't afford to live anywhere else. 

Sometime Tuesday morning after I had fallen asleep, someone or someones were able to open my kitchen window.  (mind you I live in the basement, so the sidewalk is level with my window)  They crawled thru my window, and took my MP3 player, which was sitting on my kitchen table, my iron, and a wicker basket in my bathroom which contained my: flat iron, hair dryer, hot rollers, 4 hair brushes, hair clips, and 4 curling irons.  I want to know why someone would take things that I needed to get ready for work in the AM?  Why not my TV?  I can live without my TV, not my hair dryer!!!

Needless to say, I wasn't able to get to work on time.  I called the police, and they seemed concerned, asking me if I had any ex-boyfriends who would want to get revenge.  He seemed to think that someone was trying to teach me a lesson, or try to scare me.  When the forensics tech came to dust for finger prints, she said that I needed to get my landlord to put bars on my windows.  (Hopefully those should be in place by the time that I finish my trip.)

It's coward acts of violence like this, that is unsettling.  If someone tries to approach you in a harmful way, at least you can put up a fight.  When someone sneaks into your home in the night just to take your hair brush, you are left helpless and with bed hair!  To top everything off, not only was I broke, but I already had to borrow money from a friend to pay a bill this month.  Having to buy new hair stuff has put me at being penniless untill mynext pay period ten days away!

So do you think that being a flight attendant is soooooo glamourus now?

 

At a request of one of my regular readers, I added this link to a paypal account!

https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=precious072177%40aol.com&no_shipping=0&no_note=1&tax=0&currency_code=USD

USAir asks employees to work for FREE!

What I want to know is what happened with USAir during Christmas? Whatever it was it made ME stranded in DCA for 12 hours, with 8 of my new best friends!!!!

 

Click on the link, about USAir asking non-union employees to work for free to reunite people with their luggage! 

I was rather upset when I read this article.  There is something rotten in the state of Denmark, when an airline can't even afford to pay it's employees, who come in on their days off to deal with all of the baggage, to get the airline back on schedule. 

I'm sorry, but I know that I can't pay my bills on just gratitude.  I sincerely hope that my brothers and sisters who work for USAir are the same!  Especially after being forced to take as many concessions and pay cuts as they have over the past few years.

Here are some other related news links:

Click here to read a related AP article

Click here to find out about the concessions that USAir flight attendants are being forced to take.  I am interested to hear about this MIDATLANTIC AIRWAYS thing?  What's it all about, and why are they using our contract as a model?  Can anyone from USAir send me over some information?

Click here to read about the struggles that flight attendants at United Airlines are facing in the wake of bankruptcy.

The Glitch that Stole Christmas!

If you were wondering, like I was, what happened with COMAIR's computer system during Christmas, here's some info from an article that I just found...

Snowed-in code blamed for Comair's Xmas flight collapse

By Ashlee Vance in Chicago

Published Thursday 30th December 2004 21:07 GMT

Aging server software has been blamed for Comair's holiday collapse that left thousands of travelers stranded. Comair last week said that winter storms had affected its computer systems responsible for scheduling flight crews.

At the time, however, the carrier - a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines - did not say exactly how inclement weather had brought down its boxes. It now turns out that a dinosaur of a system was only capable of handling 32,000 scheduling changes in a month (a result of the 16-bit conundrum). Snow storms caused an unusually high number of changes to be made and brought Comair's computers down.

 A poster on Slashdot claims Comair was running the scheduling software on one of IBM's AIX servers. "The box itself is still up and running just fine; this is purely an application error," the Slashdotter wrote. "This application was not written in-house at Comair, but by another large aerospace company -- SBS."

"The great majority of Comair's traffic flows through the midwest, and the central base of operations is in Cincinnati. The midwest was hit by a major snowstorm this week, causing many, many crew reassignments. It appears right now that the application in question has a hard limit of 32,000 changes per month (ouch).

Consider that Comair runs 1,100 flights a day and there are usually 3 crew members on each aircraft. A big storm like this can cause problems for days after the snow stops falling. That's a whole lot of crew changes." Comair is said to be in the process of installing a new system called Maestro Crew - also developed by SBS, a Boeing subsidiary. The more sophisticated software package was due to be installed in January.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has ordered an investigation into the problems that affected both Comair and US Airways over the holidays. Comair cancelled all of its flights on Christmas Day and struggled for days to get its flights back in the air.

“Comair looks forward to sharing with the Department of Transportation and its Inspector General what we have learned from this chain of events as we work together to help avoid situations like this in the future," said Comair President Randy Rademacher. "Comair will cooperate fully with the DOT in this matter."

The carrier finally restored normal operations on Wednesday. ®

Well it's good to know that they are going to fix the glitch so that it doesn't happen again...  Coudos to Comair for tackling the problem so swiftly!

There is a darkside to our industry

Those who worked for Southeast Airlines, had a dream...  And now they can't even cash their final paychecks!

 

Click here to read about Southeast Airlines employees strugging to find new jobs.

Click here to read about low cost charter airline Southeast Airlines shutting its doors on November 30, 2004.

This is the darkside of our industry. One day you are doing a job that you love, and the next day your final paycheck bounces.  My heart goes out to all of the employees of Southeast Airlines who are now struggling to make ends meet.  I am sure that each of them had a passion for what they did, just as the rest of us do.  Reading some of the online news clips, I got the feeling that they were a close-knit airline family, who believed in their company.  It saddens me to see so many of my airline brothers and sisters now without a job, with the industry the way it is today.

You want to talk about a bunch of flight attendants who works hard, it was the Southeast flight attendants.  I ran into a few of them in SWF a few years ago at our old hotel.  They would fly into SWF early in the morning, and then fly out again at about 11pm that night.  Basically doing that 4 to 5 days a week.  That was their life, and I complain about my work day at times?  HA....  I know, I know!

During this past November when I was overnighting in SWF (Stewart, NY), we would be arriving for the night, just as the Southeast flight was getting ready to board.  The terminal was always full of people!  With $49 fares it's easy to see why.  Even with a whole plane full of $49 fares you can't always run an airline.  All of the employees at the SWF airport were shocked and stunned when Southeast closed up shop.  There were many of their passengers going from counter, to counter trying to find out what they could do with their now useless tickets.

If there are any Southeast Airline employees who are looking for another airline job, please e-mail me and I will be more than happy to send you alink to my company's career website! We have had a hiring freeze over the holidays, but now I believe it has been lifted.

This is one of the realities that you may have to face if you dream of a job in the airline industry.  I hope that all of you dreamers out there, will take that into consideration...

And people wonder why I am not a big fan of cheap fares?  Because sometimes it really isn't a bargin after all!