September 24, 2015

The life of an airline crew member can be a beautiful thing.  It has its days as does any career, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

A few days ago I hit my one year anniversary with my airline, which just so happened to be while I was in the Caribbean for my best friends wedding.

That’s the beauty of it!  

I have always loved traveling and frequently thought of becoming a flight attendant but never thought I would actually do it.  Thanks to a pre-quarter life crisis and encouragement from my flight attendant best friends…I landed a career that I love.  

 
Sure there are struggles…the pay is pretty bad especially starting out, being on reserve can drive you crazy, and if you are the kind of person who can’t be alone or away from home; it may not be for you.  If you can survive, especially the first year or thru the reserve period…then it is, without a doubt, worth it!

Although I went back on reserve once transferring back home to Houston, I still wouldn’t have it any other way.  I get at least 12 days off a month, and the other days I’m on call.  I stay on “first call” because more work means more money, and more money means more travel.  I love not knowing from day to day where I’ll be going or what I’ll be doing.  I love the unpredictability of it all.  

Even today, I was scheduled to do three flights landing back in Houston.  Instead I got reflowed in Chicago and ended up working on a new aircraft, which I’m qualified on but have never worked.  Now I get to spend the next 3 hours deadheading home, aka getting paid to ride on the plane and not having to work the flight.  Sometimes we suffer from crew support whip lash but they do what they can with what they’re given, most days!

Last week I had seven days off and spent four of them in St. Maarten for my best friends wedding, as mentioned above. No complaints there, perks of the job!  We essentially travel for free.  A few fees here and there for international but nothing crazy.  You may get stuck between a crying lap child and someone hogging all of the arm space…but for about $65 round trip to fly to the Caribbean…I’ll take a little discomfort.

Contrary to popular belief however, not all days are so glamorous.  My regional airline flies only to Mexico, Canada, the Bahamas and within the U.S.  I still fly fly essentially anywhere in the world on my off days, but my working flights are limited to the destinations above.  I love it tho, and have no intentions of leaving my regional for a mainline carrier.  Some of my best layovers have been in Small Town, USA…where until my trip took me there I had never hear even heard of.  Flying the smaller regional jets has helped me appreciate the beauty of the United States even more.  

Just this trip, I got a Medford, Oregon overnight where we rented a Prius and headed to Crater Lake National Park.  My list of never ending travel goals includes visiting all of the National Parks, and this trip unexpectedly marked one more off of the list.  

 
Crater Lake was like something off of a post card.  The weather in Oregon was nothing short of perfect!  The photo above I took of it doesn’t even do it justice, even tho it is one of my favorite pictures I’ve taken in a while!

Some days are tough…grumpy passengers, delays, short layovers, surviving off of left over first class snacks during a 12 hour duty day with no break.  However, it’s all in what you make it and the struggles are worth the sacrifice!  I’m so thankful I made it thru my first year as a flight attendant.  I look forward to many more years of one of the most rewarding careers I could possibly have!

Until next time…and thank you for flying the friendly skies!

-Kelsie

#TheFlyLife #TheFlyingFoodie

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.  Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” -Mark Twain