Story of Flight Attendant

HOW I BECAME A FLIGHT ATTENDANT

My story starts at age four. I was watching a kiddie TV show, and suddenly, there on the screen appeared the most beautiful creature I had ever seen! She wore an elegant navy blue uniform with golden wings on her chest, and she got to fly in airplanes EVER DAY! Well – that was enough for me! I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, and have never deviated from that dream!


From that day on, I lined up chairs in the living room and filled them with dolls and teddy bears, making them my passengers. I talked my brother into being the pilot; he flew the “plane” and I served everyone coffee for hours on end.


When I graduated from high school, I went on to college in Texas, but all I could think about was flying. I would be walking to class, look up in the sky and see an airplane and longingly dream of what would one day be my “office” in the air. I started applying to airlines and flew to several interviews while in school, once getting stranded an entire weekend in Houston! But that didn’t discourage me – I just kept applying, hoping that one day I would be successful in my diligent pursuit.


Finally my chance came. I had just turned 19 (I was finally old enough!) and I heard that Eastern Airlines was having interviews in the Washington, D.C. area – my home. It was to be held on the following Saturday at a hotel in McLean, Virginia. So I made my plans.


I awakened that morning to ten inches of snow, still heavily falling. I wondered if the recruiter would still be there to interview me today. Oh, well, there was no way to find out but to go. And if there was a way to get there, I was determined to do it!


I had snow chains on my tire and an ice scraper in my gloved hand. Dressed in Eskimo attire, out the door I went, headed for my lifetime adventure. Knowing that the interview was about ten miles away and the inclement weather would probably slow me down, I left an hour early. Nothing was going to stop me, even though I experienced a quite a bit of difficulty driving. I skidded a couple of times, stalled out at one point, and my heater went out. But I was undeterred. As I plowed through the thick blanket of falling snow, I had only one thing on my mind. All I could see through the blinding white was a vision of myself strutting through airports, dressed in my finest airline livery, gleaming golden wings pinned to my chest. Faraway lands awaited me, and I was trying my best to get there!


After driving slowly and carefully, I arrived at my destination. With no thought as to how I would get back home in the deepening powder, I forged ahead with my interview, and gave it my all. I developed an immediate chemistry with Mrs. Burton, the recruiter. She must have felt compassion for me, observing that I had driven through a raging blizzard. Sensing how determined and serious I was, she closed the interview with the assurance that I would hear something within one week.


A week came and went. And another week. I could hardly contain myself. Finally, I could stand the suspense no longer - I called the recruiter! She reassured me that I had been recommended for employment, and couldn’t figure out why I was not contacted. “However”, she said, “it is not customary to inform an applicant why he or she was not hired”. She regretted that she could do no more to encourage me, but I pressed on. I told her that if there was anything that needed to be changed and it was in my power to change it, I wanted to be given a chance to do so. Maybe I could take steps to improve or clarify whatever was holding me back. She protested at first, but I persisted in my crusade and was able to convince her to investigate. She said she would get back with me.


I waited by the phone in agony another three weeks. What in the world was happening? Why didn’t they notify me? What went wrong? Finally the jangling of the phone shook me out of my despair – it was Mrs. Burton! My heart pounded; my hands became moist and shaky – this was the big moment!


“Wendy”, she murmured, “I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to begin flight attendant training in two weeks!” I had finally received the answer I wanted to hear – I got the job! She said that my application had been set aside, waiting for my physical report. It got placed on the wrong desk – the desk of someone who no longer worked there! Mrs. Burton found it, and the rest is history!


I never, ever became daunted in the quest of achieving my goal. I am an active participant in shaping my fate. After this tumultuous interviewing experience, I went on to enjoy six wonderful years of flying, which led to other positions in a supervisory capacity. I am more sensitive to the plight of the applicant who really wants an airline job, and this experience has had a major part in influencing many of my decisions as a recruiter. Determination is a valuable thing – just think how my life might have been had I not relentlessly pursued my goal!



WHY WE want to be FLIGHT ATTENDANTS

There are many good reasons to become a flight attendant. There are several reasons why we pursue this sometimes elusive career path.


In the beginning days of air travel, “stewardesses”, as they were called then, had to be registered nurses who swatted flies in the cabin, lifted mailbags and distributed gum and served passengers box lunches and water served in thermos jugs. Things have come a long way, however, as “passengers” are now referred to as “customers”; “stewardesses” are now called “flight attendants”, they bid their trips by computer, and flights that used to take 10 hours can now be navigated in 3. And now, there are some very good reasons for becoming a flight attendant.


You will probably never get rich being a flight attendant; monetarily rich, anyway. The average salary is in the $45K range; however, flight attendants flying lead, internationally, with seniority, have been known to make upwards of $90K. But you don’t do this just for the money – you have to have a passion for it to make it as a flight attendant. Because being a flight attendant is just SO MUCH FUN!


When I went to my first airline interview, I went through a raging blizzard to get to the recruiting office. The recruiter was impressed that I came out into the frozen tundra, that I wanted the job so badly that I would endure scraping the windshield and hazardous driving conditions and bitter cold just to meet with her. What makes this job so coveted that people will do brave these kinds of conditions in order to get a job in the sky?


Let’s start with environment. Few jobs offer the chance to work in a different environment every day, with different scenery, surrounded by different faces. One day you may fly with a rock star, the next day with a sweet, kindly grandmother that wants to show you pictures of all her grandchildren and shower you with compliments; you may meet people who are noted scientists, politicians, celebrities, military personnel or world-famous athletes. Our flight attendants flew military charters to Desert Storm and received medals from the military. I have met poets, movie stars and all the above, plus the plain-old, down-to-earth boy-next-door college guy who just thought I was the “bees knees” getting paid to fly around every day! We sat and talked and he gave me all the information I needed to explore the sights of Maui.


Ah, adventure - the ability to see the world! I have experienced the turquoise of the Caribbean Sea, the black sands of Hawaii, the excitement of London’s Piccadilly Circus, the Emerald Isles of Ireland, the ancient wonders of Egypt, the splendor of the Rockies, the grandeur of the grand canyon, and so much more, while still young enough to appreciate it.


One of the wonderful things about being an airline employee is the benefit of mobility. I could go see my best friend in New Jersey who just had her baby and visit my cousins in North Carolina; I was able to hop a quick flight to Virginia for a family emergency, fly to California to see a rock star I met at a concert, and hop a flight to Philadelphia for an exciting date. I once woke up on my day off and decided to take a spur-of-the-moment jaunt to St. Thomas for a day of shopping, bought a watch and some shoes, had a great time, then flew back home.


I have met other airline employees whom I will never forget; a pilot who took me flying in his Cessna and taught me to roll and do loops; a customer service agent who went on vacation to Thailand and brought me jewelry from his trip; another flight attendant based in New York who invited me up to do lunch, shopping and a play, and many other memorable people. I met lifetime friends while I was flying, and no other job enjoys the incredible camaraderie as that of flight crewmembers.


There is nothing routine about the job of a flight attendant. Schedules are so varied – I have flown early morning flights, afternoon flights, evening flights and midnight flights. Sometimes I worked for 3 hours, sometimes for 14. The humdrum routine of 9 to 5 is virtually nonexistent in the aviation world; around every turn there is a surprise! Your schedule changes sometimes daily, especially in the beginning, when most airlines start new flight attendants on “reserve”, or on-call status. Being on call can be advantageous – you can have opportunities to fly some really good trips that you normally have to have a lot of seniority in order to fly. As a new reserve, I once flew a trip from Atlanta to Los Angeles. While in LA, we took a tour of the telescope at the Mt. Palomar Tower. I had a long layover in Portland once, where all the crew went snow skiing! Ah, the good life.


And then there’s the time off, one of the great perks of being a flight attendant. My flight attendant roommate and I used to sit on our balcony and watch the nine-to-fivers trudge home from work, briefcases and umbrellas in hand, weary of their daily trek to and from their boring existences. We were off at least 10 scheduled days a month, not to mention the days on reserve where we were never called out for a trip. We would simply go to have fun somewhere or go see a friend and take the pager or cell phone. Most people have the same 8 days off every month; we had a lot more.


As you can see, this is an exciting job, none other even remotely like it. By virtue of the fact that you are one of the few chosen out of hundreds enhances the job appeal, and nothing equals the feeling of walking through an airport terminal in your uniform, wings proudly displayed on your chest. If you want to pursue an outstanding career, become a flight attendant!