I had become accustomed to flying with dogs or cats making noise when placed in the cargo hold as my time went on during my flight attendant career.  One month in particular, I noticed a huge influx of birds being transported in the cargo hold, which I found interesting.

I noticed a cockatoo being loaded into the cargo hold one day, and as passengers were settling down into their seats, you could hear this faint yell coming from the aft of the plane.  At this point, no one really noticed the noise.

Unfortunately, once airborne, it was impossible to miss the horrible sounds.  There was something in cargo screaming at the top of its lungs “HELP!!!” and every once in a while threw in a “Mommy where are you?”  And “Have I been a bad girl?”

To say the least it took a lot of convincing of the passengers that there was not some little girl trapped back there, it was truly someone’s pet cockatoo!

In the end I had to take a few passengers back to the peep hole to look into the cargo hold to see for themselves that there was no child being tortured!

In flight attendant school the critters we might encounter were a quick lesson, but I never thought I’d be explaining to a plane full of passengers the ways of cockatoos and reassuring them the pleading screams were not coming from a trapped child!

Popularity: 5% [?]

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Three airlines have filed for Chapter 13 protection this week. ATA, Aloha, and Frontier Airlines are the latest victims to today’s economy and or simply bad management techniques.

It seems that Airlines file for Bankruptcy protection more than any other corporate businesses. Unlike many other corporate businesses, Airlines have this lucky charm; its name is Uncle Sam.

We are a country that is losing billions of dollars on the Iraq war and most importantly losing the lives of many of our young men and women. We are a country that does not offer medical coverage to all that are in need. Our senior citizens travel abroad to get medical attention which includes prescription drugs. Our public school system is so poorly funded that many children are “being left out.”

Yet, our Federal Government will find the funding to help airlines bail themselves out, again and again.

The horrors of September 11th were the last time that we the people helped bail out the Airlines.  The tragedy that took place paralyzed our nation and its Airlines. However, what most people don’t know is that long before September 11, some of the same Airlines that were bailed out already were in debt and trouble.

As Airlines are bailed out some good things happen. The worker bees, the Flight Attendants, Gate Agents, and other front line employees maintained their livelihoods. However that livelihood is usually tied into large reductions in pay, and benefits.

Your Airline Corporate People believe that those same line workers are just lucky to have their jobs. Meanwhile Golden Parachutes, Stock Options, and large Performance Bonuses are lined into Managements bottomless pockets.

Stock prices free fall. At the right time our Senior Managers and CEO’s are lining their undies with money that will soon grow like a Chia Pet.

Before you enter Flight Attendant School be aware of what I have just shared. Have a long Flight Attendant Career because you love what you do. Fight in order to not be taken advantage of, and smile when you say “bye, bye” to the other group of people that are being taken advantage of………your Passengers.

Popularity: 13% [?]

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A sponge is a very interesting organism.  When just glancing at it, it doesn’t do much.  But, when you stop and really investigate that little critter, it is doing a lot more than just sitting there.  It is doing the one thing we should all learn to do; the sponge is filtering and absorbing nutrients from out of the environment around it.

The first day of flight attendant school turned out to be very fruitful for me.  Not because of any particular thing the teachers said, but what my fellow students said.  Of course, the first day you are meeting and greeting A LOT of new people, you are introduced to a multitude of past careers and life lessons; and if you play your cards right, you can figure out how to avoid the hard knocks and how to intercept gifts of plenty through others.

As my flight attendant career began I did not drop the habit of absorbing the conversations around me.  Three main places to listen like a hawk: the bus from the employee parking lot to the airport, the plane when you are around your passengers, and always around your crew.  Don’t take everything you hear as gold, but do filter as much as you can.  Okay, so, I guess I am saying learn to be an eavesdropper (if you aren’t already).  BUT I think the benefits of the random, varied, and unimaginable education well outweighs the faux pa of it all.  (Please note: This is not permission to gossip.)

Popularity: 16% [?]

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One of the most important factors in the Airline Industry is on time performance. In Flight Attendant School this concept is introduced to you quickly. Flight Attendants must be on time, all of the time, beginning with the first moments of their Flight Attendant Careers.

Flight Attendant Schools have various sets of on time rules, however none will be too lenient for too long.

When I was in Flight Attendant School our rule was three strikes and you were out, that meant kicked out. It was really two strikes, because on the third strike the game was immediately over.

You will see it happen. You will make a close friend, and boom they are gone. This applied in our case even if there was an emergency in the family.

I believe this seems harsh in order to prepare the Flight Attendant for their career. At our Airline if you are over three minutes late for check in, you were replaced.

Traffic, alarm clock malfunction, parking problems, did not concern the Crew Scheduling people. If you are not on time, you are a no show. If one collects enough no shows, one may receive a long vacation, without pay.

The industry revolves around this on time rule. If the Miami to New York flight is late, that same aircraft that continues on to San Francisco is late.

If that same Miami flight is real late, the passengers connecting to other cities in New York either will be re-routed, wait for the next flight, or be canceled.

Always have a back-up time piece. Cell phone, extra alarm device, and wake up call, when on the road.

If you are a Johnny come lately kind of person, think twice before you give up a career to become a Flight Attendant.

Don’t subscribe to the Rolling Stones song, time is not always on your side.

Popularity: 25% [?]

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Every hotel you stay at has its stories and over your career you will probably hear them all!  During my flight attendant career, I ran into plenty of “haunted” hotel stories.

One particular ghost story I heard the most and sort of experienced for myself was in Raleigh-Durham, NC.  Every stay invoked a telling of the modern Romeo and Juliet story, details varied, but the plot was always the same:

In the service elevator a boy and girlfriend took their lives.  The girl’s family was sending her away.  The guy worked at the hotel.  When she told him of her family’s plans in the service elevator he came up with a suicide’s way out.  The obvious story goes from there.

In flight attendant school we were told about pilots’ tendencies towards superstitions, so, to say the least, we NEVER rode that elevator.  The pilots also refused to sleep on certain floors at the hotel, because in the past year three flight attendants had committed suicide.  I couldn’t help but wonder why our company had us staying at this doomed and depressing little place.

One time I rode the “Haunted Elevator” by myself.  I ended up spending two and a half hours in the broke-down thing stuck between floors.  Maybe I should have listened to the pilots.  At least I was returning with a new Sudoku book and a pencil from the gift shop!  Always find that silver lining!

Popularity: 32% [?]

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The time spent in Flight Attendant School is very structured. A class schedule is posted, and you know where to be and what you will be doing at the appropriate time. This schedule includes break and lunch time.

Once your Flight Attendant Career has begun you will have a defined schedule. Unfortunately, this schedule does not include breakfast, lunch and dinner times.

We eat on the run. We eat when we can, and what we eat is another issue. The organized Flight Attendant will bring food from home. These people pack a lunch container, sometimes containing multiple days worth of food.

Some of us tend to live our life as a carryover from our Flight Attendant Career, hectically. This means that some of us are not prepared for the long periods of time when we need food and there is none in sight.

Some of us frantically will rummage through our bags during these times searching for anything edible. Gum to old snack bars, desperation is what desperation does.

If we are lucky there may be some Coach meals left. If we are really lucky, there may be some First Class meals left. However, this can’t be counted on.

Sometimes your crew will cover for you on a short turn, and let you run off the aircraft in search of food. In those times you will pray for short lines at the food stand. If you are not back by boarding time, you may get some vacation time…….. without pay.

Pack your carry-on with goodies. Know the restaurants locations at the airports you are visiting. Make a list of the pizza and Chinese places in your cell phone for those short layovers, and call in your order before you leave the airport.

You will eat like you work, fast and furious. If possible be prepared. If you can’t do that, I will share half of my PB&J with you…….if I’ve got one.

Popularity: 47% [?]

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If you are on a longer over-night stay, it is always a good idea to pick the mind of your van driver on your ride to the hotel.  More than my fair share of times the driver recommended me to a wonderful little place I would’ve never tried AND got a discount because I mentioned a certain name!  Yes, sometimes the place you have been recommended to will be a questionable little dive, but, judgment calls must be made sometimes in life.

Even if you don’t have a long night, buddy up anyways.  Chances are you can convince them to take you places that normally they wouldn’t be willing to take you (or in some cases technically allowed to take you).  This helps you with staying cooped up in the hotel, paying for a taxi, or walking to some place less desirable.  Just make sure you always carry cash for tips and remember that they do get tipped well, so don’t feel bad if all you’ve got is a dollar.  Even if you don’t ever use this friendship for more than a good conversation, you still win something out of the deal.

Flight attendant school gives you a good idea of how to tip, so don’t fret.  After listening to and talking with Captains and First Officers, I learned that having a traveling career, which includes a flight attendant career, means it is expected of you to tip as a part of your expenses.  Which means?  Tips are tax deductible!

Popularity: 53% [?]

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The first day of Flight Attendant School is very exciting. The instructors will go over the do’s and don’ts of the course. Company Executives will express their pleasure on having us as part of the team. The Credit Union lady shares the benefit of your own in-house Credit Union.

However, the main attraction is when the travel people come in to explain your flight benefits and how they work.

You will learn early in your Flight Attendant Career that the pay isn’t great, the hours can suck, and the passengers can sometimes be a challenge. Through it all, one thing is sure, the Benefits are great.

Usually your medical, dental, and vision benefits are wonderful. However, what we all work for are those flying benefits.

There is a challenge to the flying perk. In most cases, there must be an open seat available for the employee to get on the aircraft. In addition, most airlines have those empty seats taken by employees, in seniority order.

Don’t fear, there are usually plenty of flights to choose from, and as a Flight Attendant we hold an ace card, we can Jump Seat.

The Jump Seat is where we sit during take-off and landing. Most aircraft have one or two extra Jump Seats. They are usually available for Flight Attendants to freeload on.

For example: You are at the Cancun gate, thinking about the senoritas, and the sun. You have checked in for the flight. The Gate Agent shares some bad news. She tells you that there are only three seats left. You learn that those three seats are going to be swallowed up by the more senior Pilot and his family.

In addition, there are two operation people with more seniority ahead of you. If a miracle occurs, and extra seats appear, they will have those seats.

Put on your Poker Face, and pull out the Ace. Politely you take your rookie self over to the Gate Agent, and ask for a Jump Seat Form.

Your seat for today’s flight won’t have any movie, or alcoholic beverage privileges, however, you will be doing the “Hat Dance” by nightfall.

Popularity: 62% [?]

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Flying back to home base usually meant trying to beat a storm, this time the lightening storm beat us there.  Thankfully, the Captain and First Officer had agreed at our previous stop to fill up the fuel tank completely, instead of just a partial fill.  They felt that tower was incorrect in thinking we would beat the storm.  Woman’s Intuition I guess, as they were right!

As we neared FLL, we were diverted over Nassau to wait the storm out.  Then, the storm stalled.  We circled for about 45 minutes, after about an hour and a half flight.  People were getting edgy, night had fallen, and the distant lightning show was no longer amusing its audience.  Finally the plane was diverted to Fort Myers, Florida (across the state’s panhandle) to fuel up again.  I learned in flight attendant school that diverts were something that shouldn’t last too terribly long and were avoided at all costs.  This divert turned into a 4 hour experience.

The whole time I had three very nervous unaccompanied minors and two very friendly gentlemen helping me with them.  Once we landed I let the minors call their parents on my cell phone – good thing too because the parents were completely in the dark.  The two gentlemen helped me turn the event into a party.  With comped drinks to the whole flight everyone had a blast.  A full plane with happy, content, and most importantly safe passengers in a stressful situation is every career flight attendant’s goal.

Popularity: 64% [?]

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All airlines were not created the same. It is evident even today as the Customer Service Reports come out.

More often passengers are discovering that the flight they are on is not what they had planned on. Routes from San Diego to Phoenix, Chicago to Cleveland and Dallas to Detroit are now using much smaller aircraft. The Regional Jet is here to stay. Airlines are saving large sums of money as these smaller version jets hop their passengers around.

The problem is that the hopping around is no longer restricted to short flights, we find ourselves on these “Mini-Me” airplanes for three hour flights or more.

The need for the Regional Airline has opened the door of opportunity for many more airline personnel. When one thought of Flight Attendant School, your mind may have pictured, France, China, and Hawaii. Today you may work for an airline in Hawaii, an airline that is only fitted with Regional Jets.

The original mission regarding the usage of the Regional Jet may have been lost. These airplanes don’t just fly short routes any longer. Unfortunately the passenger ultimately pays for the swing in the travel industry.

Regional Jets more often than not offer a very limited beverage service. They very rarely will offer a substantial snack. If you are in the mood for in-flight entertainment, you may only have the option of watching the six foot two inch guy squirm in his undersized space. Carry on space is not only limited it is almost non-existent.

These smaller airlines, with their smaller aircraft also pay smaller wages while working longer hours.  If you want to have a long Flight Attendant Career, you may want to get hired by a Major Airline. Thinking big pays off in more ways than in just dollars. Schedules, vacations, sick time, work time; all equate to peace of mind time.

Popularity: 71% [?]

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