September 9, 2018

It’s funny how your perspective of flight crews changes, once you become one.

Before two of my best friends became flight attendants, I, like most of the outside world were fascinated with the idea of them. When many people meet flight attendants or pilots, it’s as if they’re seeing a unicorn in real life. When became a flight attendant, I began to see past the mythical side of the industry.

“‘What’s it like?’, ‘What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been?,’ ‘Where are you going next?,’ ‘Is it like the movie Flight with Denzel Washington?.’ The cliché questions are endless! …and also entertaining, for the most part!

Just don’t ask for buddy passes. It’s rude, and annoying. I’ve literally had people I just met 30 seconds prior, ask me for buddy passes. There’s a saying in the airline industry that goes, “we only give buddy passes to people we hate.” In my personal opinion, buddy passes suck and are not worth it! Expedia! I still use Expedia when I need a guaranteed seat with no stress. Rant over!

Aside from that, we usually love questions about our careers! It’s also nice to settle the score on some very inaccurate and fantastical ideas people have about the aviation industry.

So this week I’ve decided to give an inside look into my life on this six day stretch of work! The good, the bad, the ugly and the boring! Because let’s be real, this industry is anything but glamorous!

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The last half of this month I managed to get rid of multiple trips out of Chicago and pick up trips that began in Houston instead of attempting that dreadful commute. Most people complain about their drive to work. I get to complain about my drive, and then the two plus hour flight following that. Which doesn’t even include all the times you don’t get cleared on the first flight, so you run around the airport like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get on another one. Commuting is brutal, to say the least. Once I had to take the last flight from Houston to San Francisco, just to turn around and take the redeye from San Francisco to Chicago…only to land one hour before my 8 am check-in. Talk about going out of the way and sacrificing sleep to get to your final destination…but that’s the commuting flight attendant life sometimes.

Thankfully that commute has come to an end, for now! I’ll officially be DFW based starting September 1st. It’s still a commute, but at least the worst case scenario is me driving there rather than flying. I’ll take a 3 hour drive over the stress of commuting to Chicago any day!

The only down side is it is DFW. The home of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers. And if you know anything about Houstonians and whatever people in the DFW area wanna call themselves is…we have a rivalry that doesn’t die. When people ask me who my favorite baseball team is I always say, “The Houston Astros and whoever is playing the Texas Rangers this week.” The same goes for the Texans. Now I always joke with the airport employees and crews from DFW that I’m going to find Houston Astros confetti and sprinkle it all over the airport like a little fairy. 😛

Aside from that I’m super thankful for that base opening and giving me a shorter, easier commute and likely more time at home…or more time to pick up extra flying because I’m a workaholic and I love money.

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So here’s a glimpse into a week in my not so glamorous work life…

Day 1 –

My favorite trips are the kind that start late in the evening. My report on day one of this easy two day wasn’t until 7 pm. It felt so good to be able to sleep in and still wake up with plenty of time to get everything done during the day I could possibly want to do. Which this month solely involves unpacking boxes and working the remodel of my new (to me) home. I even managed to get 100% ready before I even got in the car, which anyone who knows me knows this is a huge feat. Usually I’m finishing up my makeup in the car on the way to work, or on my worst days (jk almost every day), in the lavatory of the plane right before boarding. I even straightened my hair for probably only the third time this year. So needless to say, this two day trip was starting off on the right foot. Aside for my burning dislike for the snail pace TSA was running that evening, and every evening…my day was great. One easy flight to Cincinnati, Ohio and done!

Day 2 –

Another easy day in the books for day two of my two day trip and six day work block. We started with a deadhead from Cincinnati to Chicago. Deadheads are my favorite; where we get paid to fly as passengers to be repositioned to a different location. I picked my favorite seat in the house, 7D (besides First Class) and enjoyed my Iced Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk Latte from Starbucks and some bacon and gruyere egg bites before attempting to nap my way to Chicago. I failed, but the lady next to me with her bare feet stuffed all the way into the seat back pocket, pulling the velcro off the back, seemed to have no problems.

We arrived into Chicago and had a two hour sit before working ORD-ATL-IAH. While unpacking boxes I found what was probably a two year old scratch off from when I lived in Chicago, and finally remembered to bring it and redeem it at the airport lottery kiosk. Apparently two year ago me was way luckier than current me. I should have walked away with my $15 in cash, but instead lost it on two new scratch offs. Oh well, the thrill of scratching them kept me entertained for about 15 minutes for trotting off to find food!

I couldn’t resist Auntie Annie’s pretzels this time as I passed them on my way to my usual healthier option of the Farmers Fridge. I’m honestly surprised by how few times I’ve actually caved, compared to how many times my mouth has watered as I’ve walked by. Probably about three times in two years, not too bad! I ordered pretzel nuggets with the sour cream and onion seasoning, with a side of the usual snide remark from the concession worker about how they don’t usually do it but they’ll do it this once. I just say thank you so much, even tho I know they’ll do it again next time!

I still got my Farmers Fridge afterwards to save for later. Seasoned chicken and pesto pasta salad for the win. I’m addicted to Farmers Fridge and wish they were everywhere. A lot of people are skeptical of food from a vending machine but its restocked daily and all the items are local which I love. Also they have a rewards program and I’m all about rewards. If you’re ever in Chicago O’Hare and are looking for a healthier option I definitely recommend trying it! I’ll even throw a link at the bottom of this picture so you can get 50% off your first order!

https://try.farmersfridge.com/kelsies

By time I wasted time roaming for food and lottery tickets it was time to work. I headed to the plane to work two easy legs back to Houston, with surprisingly no delays! Then headed home for about twelve hours before turning back and doing it all over again.

Day 3 –

My crew is over here talking about it being day one of their four day and I’m all like yeah well its day three of six for me sooo…

There’s only a handful of us who are willing to work so many days straight. I don’t love doing it, but time is money. The more time I’m away, the more money I make. So for now, I tough it out.

The check-in for my trip was at 9:13 am so I left home around 8 am. Once at the airport I go straight to the plane where I start my safety checks and meet my crew. I had worked with the captain and first officer on multiple other trips. I had never worked with my flight attendant before but she was super sweet and easy to work with. My captain is one of my favorite in Houston…my first officer on the other hand…we just butt heads. You can tell he’s an only child. He tends to bratty and demanding. I was raised an only child (I have a half sister and stepbrother but never lived with them), so I get it. I know for a fact I can be bratty and unintentionally selfish because I never had to think of other people growing up, but I try to be aware. Either way, we battle. He demands pretzels, and I crunch them up before he has a chance to eat them. I can imagine dealing with him is what it would have been like to live with a bratty little brother. That’s also the joy of it all though, for four days straight my crew and I are a family…sometimes dysfunctional, but a family.

So my little family for the week and I started day one by working Houston to San Antonio to Denver to Eugene. I honestly picked up this trip for the opportunity to go thru Denver because, FOOD! My favorite sandwich in the entire world is in Denver International Airport. Heidi’s Deli in the B gates makes the most amazing sandwiches. I’m not even a big sandwich person but it’s addicting. There’s multiple delicious looking options and I’ve been a million times but literally can’t force myself to get anything except the Hell’s Kitchen. From scratch egg salad topped with spicy Cajun sauce, avocado, bacon, cheese and onion on, also made from scratch, white bread. Paired with one of the, if not the best, sugar cookie ever! Which I told myself I would forgo this time but totally accidentally grabbed.

After an hour and a half sit in Denver eating my beloved sandwich we loaded back up and headed to Eugene, Oregon. We got to Eugene around 5 pm and my plan was to go to a disc golf course near by. I usually keep two discs in my bag just in case. Apparently Lyft and Uber are nonexistent in Eugene, and the hotel shuttle was too busy so instead I did what I also do in Eugene…cardio along the river. The hotel is right on the Willamette River with a great path for miles along it. I also think Eugene is good luck. Last year I decided to go run before work, but missed the turn off for the loop back to the hotel. I ended up having to run about 6 miles straight to get back to the hotel in time for work. That day, the Astros beat the Blue Jays 19-1. Fast forward to game seven of the World Series in 2017, which by then my superstitions have me convinced that my cardio routine correlates to Astros wins. I ran 5 miles along the River in Eugene just to get back to the hotel in time to finish watching the Astros beat the Dodgers 5-1. Maybe coincidence? Maybe I’m lucky? Either way, it helped me get in better shape!

My run in Eugene wasn’t as productive this round, but I will note that the Astros did beat the Angels that day 8-3. I ended up getting distracted by blackberries along the trail.

I’ve never seen so many wild blackberries in my life. Both sides of the path covered with thousands of them. I made it a short way from the hotel, opposite the direction I usually run, before the trail got a little sketchy and I decided to head back and fill my shirt full of berries along the way. I ended up with a few cups full then headed to the hotel gym for a quick workout session before heading up to eat the fruits of my labor and call it a night.

Day 4-

My alarm goes off at 3:30 am PST. Actually 5:30 by my body clock but still way too early for my liking. We work Eugene to Denver (where I pick up another Hell’s Kitchen sandwich, oops) then Denver to Cincinnati. By time we got to the hotel I went straight to my room to shower and watch tv until I fell asleep. For once I actually was in bed and falling asleep by 9 pm.

Day 5 –

My alarm goes off at 4:30 am EST, 3:30 according to my body clock. Brutal for anyone, but especially those of us who are far from morning people.

We work Cincinnati to Chicago to Oklahoma City, back to Chicago. It was a ridiculously early morning but with 22 hours in Chicago I couldn’t just slam click.

That night our hotel was playing host for our company to interview potential new flight attendants. We ended up meeting one girl who arrived hours early. She was like, “are y’all here for the interview?” I’m like, “no we’re already hired,” lol. We sat a for a few minutes chatting with her then invited her to eat with us. It definitely brought back memories for the other flight attendant and I seeing someone dressed up and anxiously awaiting her interview. I’m not sure if being around my crew and I eased her nerves or made it worse, but hopefully we gave her some comfort and she went in feeling even better about our company.

I usually take the L to the city for long Chicago layovers but I’ve been craving German food for weeks, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go Hofbrauhaus right next to the hotel with the crew. There were sooo many things on the menu I wanted to try that it was one of the toughest food decisions I’ve had in a while. I ended up getting two appetizers; the pork belly bites and the potato pancakes. I’m already craving the pork bell again. The perfect blend of crunchy, fatty, deliciousness. The potato pancakes weren’t as amazing as the ones I had at the Christmas Market in Germany but they satisfied the craving regardless. I didn’t love the side of German potato salad I got but it was worth a shot! I’m not a big drinker but when in Rome, or a German establishment in this case, I had to get a brewed in house Hefeweizen. It did not disappoint and paired perfectly with my meal.

After spending too much at Hofbrauhaus, the other flight attendant and I went to the Sugar Factory. The boys weren’t interested in sugary, fruity, and extra Instagram worthy drinks so they headed back to the hotel. Overpriced but definitely worth it, especially for a foodie like me. The drinks and desserts were so amazingly presented. I chose the White Chocolate Martini and followed it with the Bacon Cheeseburger Milkshake. I know it sounds odd but its really just a milkshake with a slider on a skewer garnish on top! I’m not a big sweet eater but I’m a sucker for a good sweet/savory combo so this hit the spot! The other flight attendant got the Cotton Candy Martini which was the best looking drink in the book, and a massive ice cream brownie. I didn’t try either but they were both presented beautifully. Meanwhile, outside of the restaurant in the middle of the plaza, a free Zumba class was going on. We probably should have opted for the free Zumba class over spending way too much on an abundance of calories…but oh well! We had a great time swapping stories about love and life over sugary indulgences!

Day 6 –

GO HOME DAY! We always joke about Go Home Day like it’s Fight Club. The first rule of Go Home Day, is you don’t talk about Go Home Day. As soon as you talk about it, it will go haywire. I didn’t talk about it, but I knew the last 5 days had gone too flawless…so something was bound to happen. In typical Chicago O’Hare fashion…a storm in the morning turned into delays and cancellations around the airport all day.

Our flight ended up being a few hours delayed but that gave me plenty of time to roam around the airport spending money on things I didn’t need, like this awesome book from Barbara’s Bookstore called Classic Horror Stories. I really bought it for how cool the cover looked and felt (I know it sounds weird) but with Halloween coming up, it’s the perfect night time read! The first story was the Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe. We read it in one of our AP English classes in high school so it made me feel a little nostalgic.

After sitting around the airport for almost two hours, our plane finally arrived and we were home bound! Chicago to Oklahoma City to Houston…two easy, half empty flights then we were done! Six days of work behind me with six days off ahead of me! Time to enjoy a few days off and pack for my next adventure…to Vegas for one of my best friends bachelorette parties!

So there’s the truth. A brief but lengthy look into the life that many of us regional crew live on a weekly basis. And as always, feel free to ask more questions or give me other suggestions for topics to write about! Also if you’re one of those who “has always wanted to become a flight attendant but never did,” just go for it! Apply! It’s a scary and intimidating thing, all the possibilities and unknowns but I promise it’s more than worth it even to just try!

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This morning, I’m sitting here at IAH in the United Club finishing this post, waiting for my flight to Las Vegas. I got to the airport around 5 am but flying standby just wasn’t going to happen since everything filled up, being Labor Day weekend, so I bought a ticket last minute. I get two United Club passes a year with my Mileage Plus Explorer card so I put one to use to pass the time in a more luxurious way. Complimentary breakfast and drinks for the win!

It’s been a stressful few weeks dealing with moving, remodeling and working as much as possible in the mix…but sitting here drinking my mimosa while watching planes push back from their gates to fly to destinations unknown, I can’t help but smile (which is a lot coming from me), and once again thank my lucky stars for the life I’ve been given. I know I complain about my job at times, well mostly the bratty passengers…but I live for these moments after the stress and chaos…even thru the long days, low pay and delays…where I can look around remember why I live the life I do.