I open my eyes to the dulcet tones of my alarm going off at 2.30am on a Sunday morning.
I reluctantly drag my sorry ass out of bed and shuffle zombie like towards the kitchen, to make myself a cup of coffee. 2 spoons of coffee this morning,
I think.
The distant sounds of Saturday night revellers echo throughout the streets outside my window. Lucky Bastards.
I struggle to make myself Vegemite toast, wondering why the knife is rebelliously refusing to spread the butter smoothly today.
Sitting on the couch, I take the first sip of coffee, feeling it's warmth slowly spread throughout my body like a gentle energising wave. It's a mild improvement.
I draw back on my first cigarette, it's comfort reminiscent of my recently deserted bed.
A quick glance at the clock tells me I have an hour to get ready. Unable to muster even the minutest amount of panic over the short time frame to pack and groom, I have one more cigarette and lurch towards the bathroom.
I stare at the haggard face reflected in the mirror, and I can't help but wonder, is this really the glamorous life or am i too, contributing to the lie that all Flight Attendants perpetuate?
The soft droplets of water of the shower slowly wash away the shroud of sleep, even as my mind conjures all kinds of excuses not to go into work today. Sighing, I resign myself to the fact I have no choice but to go. I briefly muse at the fact that when I finish work today, I'll be half way around the world.
Bags packed, I call the taxi at 3.45am.
As I leave through the front door, I bump into my neighbours coming home. We smile at each other. They at me, with a sympathetic pity, and me at them, with an envy, knowing they are about to go to a nice warm bed, and I'm beginning what will be a 24 hour no sleep day.
The blast of cold hitting my face seems distant, as though its not really happening to me. Perhaps after all I'm dreaming, still in bed. Chance would be a fine thing!
4am. Standing at the bus station waiting for my bus to Gatwick Airport. The streets are filled with drunken party goers looking fr the next venue, or the nearest kebab shop. sounds of fun and merriment surround me tauntingly. What wouldn't I give to be throwing off the uniform and joining the party, rather than be flying to Barbados. Its then that it hits me. Have I become so inured and cynical towards my job already? With all these exotic destinations I go to, I cant help but wonder, Is heaven overrated?
I can hear the voices incredulously chiding me. Am I mad not to want a night in tropical Barbados, and a chance to defrost from the bitter cold of winter? Seriously, the thought of spending 9 hours in a crowded Boeing 747 is not exciting at this hour of the morning.
4.30am. all hopes of sleeping on the bus are gone, as my energy drink kicks in, leaving me hanging in the null space somewhere between the fully waking world and a dozing state. So i get out my Ipod. Too early for club music, but i scan for something uplifting. My eyes settle on Bananarama. I select it, even though every fibre of my being screams in protest against the stereotype this brands me as. Somehow the mindnumbing lyrics and upbeat tempo seems to lift my spirits, just in time for the bus to pull into gatwick.
I trudge up the aisle...the door to the outside world drawing ever closer. Going live in 5...4...3... ... ... I step onto the airport world that is my stage, smiling and looking happy and confident. Holding within, all the frustrations of inept and inconsiderate travellers that meander in front of me, aimlessly wandering with luggage carts overflowing, to cut in front, to stop in the middle of the path, without nary a care who is behind them, as i continue to serenely keep a placid, genial visage.
Finally i make it to the crew room, where a bunch of crew sit awaiting their briefing call. all sitting there, groomed and made up. Tonnes of foundation and smiles covering the fact they are all just as knackered and longing for a warm bed as I am. But we keep on smiling, even if we're out of bloody mary mix.
Who's going to Barbados, the flight manager calls from the doorway of the briefing room. In response, 16 strangers converge on the small briefing room. as i sit there, looking around at those that will now be my new temporary best friends over the next 3 days, i search for anyone I might have flown with before. Nope. I conduct a secondary scan, wondering who I am going to get along with, who is going to annoy me, and wonder, who i will be working closely with on a cart, or sharing a galley with. Funnily enough, you can never tell, and often you come back from a trip surprised at the ones you really gelled with.
Time to commence the briefing. the flight manager is talking. Whatever is being said is being lost in the world of nerves that comes before the almighty safety question. That one question that if answered correctly means youre going, and if answered incorrectly could mean being offloaed from the flight and sent back to training. UGH!
Time to get the brain in working order and up to full speed. It complains all the way and i can almost hear the gears screeching in protest. Suddenly my name is called. Shit! What was the question? My mind races to recover the last few seconds and I somehow manage to answer the question that was asked. It wasnt that I didnt know the answer, it was more that I almost missed the question.
Question time over, I can relax, and take in all that is being said by the service supervisors for the flight, and before we know it, we are shuffling out the door, grabbing cases and headed for security.
Do we really need to take our shoes off? I moan to myself. The floor is freezing. We grin and bear it, as my besocked and tighted colleagues pass one by one through the scanner.
Sitting on the airside bus that takes us to the aircraft, we all commence our preflight ritual. Out come the mobile phones, sending that last, I love you text, in the unlikely event of an emergency. I wonder if other airlines crew have this ritual too.
Before I know it, we are onboard the massive 747 and running around doing our checks and prepping the cabin. All too soon, passengers are boarding, and the everlast smiles are spread across our faces, as we prepare to hurtle ourselves into the wide blue yonder. Sigh, here we go again.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
talk about putting it out there
on my last trip i had just about everything i love happen.
passengers used my name, i had passengers shake my hand on getting off, stating it was the best flight they have had service wise, i even had someone come into the galley while i was eating ad place an order, but only when i was finished eating... WOW. i think theres a lot to be said for positive and wishful thinking.
and Tim, i reckon you would be a fun passenger.
passengers used my name, i had passengers shake my hand on getting off, stating it was the best flight they have had service wise, i even had someone come into the galley while i was eating ad place an order, but only when i was finished eating... WOW. i think theres a lot to be said for positive and wishful thinking.
and Tim, i reckon you would be a fun passenger.
Friday, December 05, 2008
things we love
well, after my rant over my pet hates in the job, to balance it out.. here's things that really make my day... or things you can do to get on the good side of a flight attendant.
1. have your boarding pass ready when you get to the door, and show it to us.. we do need to see it, and kicking up a fuss only delays things. i love it when a passenger gets on, ready, and has a happy face..i usually remember the ones who have something nice to say and store that away for later.
2. i love it when a passenger takes time to read my name badge and refer to me by name. makes me fell like a human being, and ill usually go out of my way to give them a great service.
3. whilst we do get marked on our performance on each flight, nothing makes my day more, than having a passenger comment to me towards the end of the flight, telling me they have loved my service or that i have done a great job. it really energises me for my next flight, and lets me know what im doing right. im on top of the world when i have a passenger specifically thank me for a wonderful flight.
4. i love it when passengers are honest. if they need something and come and ask really nicely... you actually feel like doing all you can to assist. we have all seen the waterworks before, and some people think it gets them what they want...it doesnt...i actually go that extra mile for people who have been totally upfront and honest and nice about it.
5. i love it when a customer comes into the galley, and sees that im eating and actually asks for something, but only when im finished. i think most people forget we are human too. they have all been fed and given drinks... and when someone comes in, during the 5 mins i actually have to eat something, and demands a drink.. and expects you to drop everything right then... of course we do anyway but do they not realise we are often working on ur feet, for over 9 hours, without a break, and they want to interrupt that 5 mins we actually do get. i tell you what... i go 110 percent further for anyone that wud come in and apologise for interrupting my meal, and ask that when i finish if i could bring them what they need. actually if someone did that i woudl probably stop eating anyway, but if not.. i can bet they would certainly get more than they originally asked for, and would be treated like royalty for the rest of the flight.
6. having said point 5, i do really love it when someone sitting on an aisl seat actually gets up and comes to us for something rather then ringing the call bell. sometimes its so ice to have a chat to someone other than the crew, whilst youre getting what they ask for.. and sometime they end up getting something extra whilst they are there (ok this goes for me i cant speak for the rest of the crew)
7. i love it when people actually say please and thank you. you wud be surprised how many people forget their manners on a plane and bark ordered or dont even say thank you when you give them something. so it really makes my day when i have someone be really polite to me. they are the ones who stand out amongst the 300 passengers, and the ones who get the extras.
8. i love it when kids do something really cute on board (as opposed to being a brat)
9. i do love it when people actually appreciate what we do. and realise we are not sky waiters..in fact, the whole food thing and drink thing is just a complimentary add on and gives us and you something to do for 9+ hours. the primary reason we are on board is for the safety thing. in case anything goes wrong, or someone gets sick. the reason you always see us serving food is that theres so many passengers it takes so long to do. i really get a kick out of someone who actually understands that, and i tell you what, they really do get all the extras.
10. ok, honesty time.. I F'ing love it when i walk thru the terminal in my uniform, i love going to work every day (i really do), i love walking onto the plane (even though they smell....all planes do, especially boeings...they have a particular scent to them, that you get so used to) i love arming doors and crosschecking, i love doing safety demos, i love the thrill of take off, i love that double ding for landing, i love getting to play in the galley , i love being able to play with all the equiptment, and i love being able to do something special for my customers. im the luckiest guy in the world. i actually getting to do what i have always dreamed of doing.
ive done the high money thing, ive done computer software analysis, ive done being a trainer, ive done sftware helpdesk, ive done all kinds of jobs. but nothing, nothing can compare to what i do now.
its funny, when you work in a plane, most of the time your not actually conscious of where you actually are...youre too busy focussed on what you are doing to think about the fact youre 37,000 feet in the air or where in the world youre over...but on that odd occaision you happen to glance out of the window...nothing beats some of the spectacular views that you get.
well, thats my balancing out all the whinges about what pisses me off in the job..and believe me the pros far outweigh the cons.
1. have your boarding pass ready when you get to the door, and show it to us.. we do need to see it, and kicking up a fuss only delays things. i love it when a passenger gets on, ready, and has a happy face..i usually remember the ones who have something nice to say and store that away for later.
2. i love it when a passenger takes time to read my name badge and refer to me by name. makes me fell like a human being, and ill usually go out of my way to give them a great service.
3. whilst we do get marked on our performance on each flight, nothing makes my day more, than having a passenger comment to me towards the end of the flight, telling me they have loved my service or that i have done a great job. it really energises me for my next flight, and lets me know what im doing right. im on top of the world when i have a passenger specifically thank me for a wonderful flight.
4. i love it when passengers are honest. if they need something and come and ask really nicely... you actually feel like doing all you can to assist. we have all seen the waterworks before, and some people think it gets them what they want...it doesnt...i actually go that extra mile for people who have been totally upfront and honest and nice about it.
5. i love it when a customer comes into the galley, and sees that im eating and actually asks for something, but only when im finished. i think most people forget we are human too. they have all been fed and given drinks... and when someone comes in, during the 5 mins i actually have to eat something, and demands a drink.. and expects you to drop everything right then... of course we do anyway but do they not realise we are often working on ur feet, for over 9 hours, without a break, and they want to interrupt that 5 mins we actually do get. i tell you what... i go 110 percent further for anyone that wud come in and apologise for interrupting my meal, and ask that when i finish if i could bring them what they need. actually if someone did that i woudl probably stop eating anyway, but if not.. i can bet they would certainly get more than they originally asked for, and would be treated like royalty for the rest of the flight.
6. having said point 5, i do really love it when someone sitting on an aisl seat actually gets up and comes to us for something rather then ringing the call bell. sometimes its so ice to have a chat to someone other than the crew, whilst youre getting what they ask for.. and sometime they end up getting something extra whilst they are there (ok this goes for me i cant speak for the rest of the crew)
7. i love it when people actually say please and thank you. you wud be surprised how many people forget their manners on a plane and bark ordered or dont even say thank you when you give them something. so it really makes my day when i have someone be really polite to me. they are the ones who stand out amongst the 300 passengers, and the ones who get the extras.
8. i love it when kids do something really cute on board (as opposed to being a brat)
9. i do love it when people actually appreciate what we do. and realise we are not sky waiters..in fact, the whole food thing and drink thing is just a complimentary add on and gives us and you something to do for 9+ hours. the primary reason we are on board is for the safety thing. in case anything goes wrong, or someone gets sick. the reason you always see us serving food is that theres so many passengers it takes so long to do. i really get a kick out of someone who actually understands that, and i tell you what, they really do get all the extras.
10. ok, honesty time.. I F'ing love it when i walk thru the terminal in my uniform, i love going to work every day (i really do), i love walking onto the plane (even though they smell....all planes do, especially boeings...they have a particular scent to them, that you get so used to) i love arming doors and crosschecking, i love doing safety demos, i love the thrill of take off, i love that double ding for landing, i love getting to play in the galley , i love being able to play with all the equiptment, and i love being able to do something special for my customers. im the luckiest guy in the world. i actually getting to do what i have always dreamed of doing.
ive done the high money thing, ive done computer software analysis, ive done being a trainer, ive done sftware helpdesk, ive done all kinds of jobs. but nothing, nothing can compare to what i do now.
its funny, when you work in a plane, most of the time your not actually conscious of where you actually are...youre too busy focussed on what you are doing to think about the fact youre 37,000 feet in the air or where in the world youre over...but on that odd occaision you happen to glance out of the window...nothing beats some of the spectacular views that you get.
well, thats my balancing out all the whinges about what pisses me off in the job..and believe me the pros far outweigh the cons.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Time flies
Is hard to believe that a year has passed already.
I have been at Virgin for a year come Wednesday.
Have just emerged from SEP, my annual exams. I dont think i have ever been so stressed out in my life. To tp it all off, i got the flu right before it, so trying to study while being muddle headed is not easy, and was making me panic even more. was i aboout to lose the job i had earned for all my life, and finally achieved??
Well, of course not. Passed with flying colours.
I think being my first one, with no idea what to expect, you listen to everyone else on board saying how vile it is and how hard it is. well there was nothing hard about it. If you study,and understand what you do, then its pretty easy.
The couple of mistakes i made in the exams, were purely down to reading errors...oh, except for which way to handle turns on the crew rest door to lock it.. what a stupid question, i mean really..you can see it lock so if you turn the wrong way you know instantly and turn it the other way.. sigh.
so i promise to study throughout the year and keep on top of my manuals and read a section each month... hahaha.. everyone says this every year..
locations were actually the hardest... where things are located on board each aircraft type.... god, its almost like its in a dogbox, attached to the bulkhead adjacent to the centre hatrack forward of the aft door... GRRRR
anyway... to celebrate my first year i put together a package which pretty much sums up my year. hope it balances out my top ten pissed off things. haha
I have been at Virgin for a year come Wednesday.
Have just emerged from SEP, my annual exams. I dont think i have ever been so stressed out in my life. To tp it all off, i got the flu right before it, so trying to study while being muddle headed is not easy, and was making me panic even more. was i aboout to lose the job i had earned for all my life, and finally achieved??
Well, of course not. Passed with flying colours.
I think being my first one, with no idea what to expect, you listen to everyone else on board saying how vile it is and how hard it is. well there was nothing hard about it. If you study,and understand what you do, then its pretty easy.
The couple of mistakes i made in the exams, were purely down to reading errors...oh, except for which way to handle turns on the crew rest door to lock it.. what a stupid question, i mean really..you can see it lock so if you turn the wrong way you know instantly and turn it the other way.. sigh.
so i promise to study throughout the year and keep on top of my manuals and read a section each month... hahaha.. everyone says this every year..
locations were actually the hardest... where things are located on board each aircraft type.... god, its almost like its in a dogbox, attached to the bulkhead adjacent to the centre hatrack forward of the aft door... GRRRR
anyway... to celebrate my first year i put together a package which pretty much sums up my year. hope it balances out my top ten pissed off things. haha
Friday, October 03, 2008
top 10 things that piss me off in the job
if you really wanna piss off your flight attendant.. heres some good clues. these are the things that really really get my goat when im working
1. people who open overhead lockers inflight and then sit back down without closing them!!! do they think they are not allowed to close them? if you hear a loud slam on one of my flights you will know its me closing one of them!
2. passengers who have no concept of what underneath the seat in front of them means. even after several boarding announcements, a safety video and hearing crew tell others to push something further under their seat, you will still find some daft moron with a handbag sitting on their lap as we secure the cabin.
3. walking down the aisle with a coffee pot...saying Coffee? Would you like some coffee? cup of coffee? only about 50 times already, to have someone then put their cup on your tray and as you pour coffee into their cup, they ask you..."is that tea?
4. having already done 2 rounds of tea and coffee...having said either coffee or tea about 100 times as you slowly walk down the aisle with a tea or coffee pot, to then be collecting in the trays and have some loser ask....'aren't you going to serve tea/coffee?' AHHH!
5.idiots who think they are superheros, who, whilst the seatbelt signs are on, and the plane is jostling and lurching around so much, that even the cabin crew are sitting down, think they can just wander up to the toilets, that have been locked off, to stand around in the aisles...even tho announcements have been made to fasten seat belts and toilets are out of use..... do they have death wishes??
6.passengers, who even after seeing/hearing the seatbelt sign go on.. and having a cabin announcement being made that the seat belt sign is now on and you have to fasten your seatbelt...with crew moving through the cabin to check seat belts are fastened...will just sit there, having made no attempt to fasten theres, in fact act either hostilely or surprised youre even asking them to fasten theirs.
7. (again seatbelts...can you tell they are the bane of our existences) that even after several announcements regarding if you are using blankets, to fasten the seat belt over it,to save us having t wake you, still get the shits if you wake them because they have covered their belts with a blanket. honestly folks...do you think we enjoy having to stop what we are doing..which could include finally having 5 minutes to ourselves to eat something...just to check if you have your seatbelts on. whilst im on the rant... what is with parents, esp mothers... who refuse to wake their child to fasten a seatbelt, and will actually argue and yell at you... do they have no care to their childs safety at all?? its not our fault the law states we have to care for your child more than you do.
8. this one will REALLY piss off any cabin crew. A passenger will ring their call bell, typically they will be in the row furthest away from the galley. they will ask you for a mixed drink. you will walk all the way back to the galley, to make the drink and then walk all the way back to their seat. (im betting any cabin crew will guess whats coming next..) only to then have the person sitting next to them say "can i have one too" AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
9. passengers who press the call bell by mistake, and either dont bother to turn it off..or keep pressing the button oblivious to the dinging going on over their head and the little light going on and off!! forcing us to have to rush all over the plane rather than set up and serve the drinks/food. and these are typically the people who complain that the service is slow in coming. whats just as bad is parents who let their kids continually do this, with an only mild "sorry" and a "shanay, stop that" only to let them continue.
10. kids that scream and yell and chuck a temper tantrum, when its time to sit down and put on the seat belt for take off. if this isnt bad enough, parents that just let their kids run all over them, and let them get away with behaving like that. i know kids are kids.. and sometimes just dont want to do things.. but you can tell the kids that are just so used to getting their way...back in my day (oh god did i actually just say that?) heaven help me if i didnt do as my parents told me! so we end up delaying.. just to try to placate some tantrum throwing child..when the parent could just yell at or discipline their children (non physically of course)
sigh... just had to get that off my chest.. ... so that i can continue to smile and be pleasant.. even though we have run out of bloody mary mix...after having been awake for 20 hours, having been on my feet for 9, without a break longer than 5 mins, and having been yelled at by ungrateful pigs for things beyond my control... sigh. i do love my job, really.....promise.. lol
one day ill have to right a top ten best things just to balance this out.
1. people who open overhead lockers inflight and then sit back down without closing them!!! do they think they are not allowed to close them? if you hear a loud slam on one of my flights you will know its me closing one of them!
2. passengers who have no concept of what underneath the seat in front of them means. even after several boarding announcements, a safety video and hearing crew tell others to push something further under their seat, you will still find some daft moron with a handbag sitting on their lap as we secure the cabin.
3. walking down the aisle with a coffee pot...saying Coffee? Would you like some coffee? cup of coffee? only about 50 times already, to have someone then put their cup on your tray and as you pour coffee into their cup, they ask you..."is that tea?
4. having already done 2 rounds of tea and coffee...having said either coffee or tea about 100 times as you slowly walk down the aisle with a tea or coffee pot, to then be collecting in the trays and have some loser ask....'aren't you going to serve tea/coffee?' AHHH!
5.idiots who think they are superheros, who, whilst the seatbelt signs are on, and the plane is jostling and lurching around so much, that even the cabin crew are sitting down, think they can just wander up to the toilets, that have been locked off, to stand around in the aisles...even tho announcements have been made to fasten seat belts and toilets are out of use..... do they have death wishes??
6.passengers, who even after seeing/hearing the seatbelt sign go on.. and having a cabin announcement being made that the seat belt sign is now on and you have to fasten your seatbelt...with crew moving through the cabin to check seat belts are fastened...will just sit there, having made no attempt to fasten theres, in fact act either hostilely or surprised youre even asking them to fasten theirs.
7. (again seatbelts...can you tell they are the bane of our existences) that even after several announcements regarding if you are using blankets, to fasten the seat belt over it,to save us having t wake you, still get the shits if you wake them because they have covered their belts with a blanket. honestly folks...do you think we enjoy having to stop what we are doing..which could include finally having 5 minutes to ourselves to eat something...just to check if you have your seatbelts on. whilst im on the rant... what is with parents, esp mothers... who refuse to wake their child to fasten a seatbelt, and will actually argue and yell at you... do they have no care to their childs safety at all?? its not our fault the law states we have to care for your child more than you do.
8. this one will REALLY piss off any cabin crew. A passenger will ring their call bell, typically they will be in the row furthest away from the galley. they will ask you for a mixed drink. you will walk all the way back to the galley, to make the drink and then walk all the way back to their seat. (im betting any cabin crew will guess whats coming next..) only to then have the person sitting next to them say "can i have one too" AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
9. passengers who press the call bell by mistake, and either dont bother to turn it off..or keep pressing the button oblivious to the dinging going on over their head and the little light going on and off!! forcing us to have to rush all over the plane rather than set up and serve the drinks/food. and these are typically the people who complain that the service is slow in coming. whats just as bad is parents who let their kids continually do this, with an only mild "sorry" and a "shanay, stop that" only to let them continue.
10. kids that scream and yell and chuck a temper tantrum, when its time to sit down and put on the seat belt for take off. if this isnt bad enough, parents that just let their kids run all over them, and let them get away with behaving like that. i know kids are kids.. and sometimes just dont want to do things.. but you can tell the kids that are just so used to getting their way...back in my day (oh god did i actually just say that?) heaven help me if i didnt do as my parents told me! so we end up delaying.. just to try to placate some tantrum throwing child..when the parent could just yell at or discipline their children (non physically of course)
sigh... just had to get that off my chest.. ... so that i can continue to smile and be pleasant.. even though we have run out of bloody mary mix...after having been awake for 20 hours, having been on my feet for 9, without a break longer than 5 mins, and having been yelled at by ungrateful pigs for things beyond my control... sigh. i do love my job, really.....promise.. lol
one day ill have to right a top ten best things just to balance this out.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
September Update
Standby Month has been gruesome!
My first trip, i was at home waiting and crewing happened to call at the worst possible moment when i couldnt make the next train, which meant i woud miss the next crew bus from gatwick....long story short, i was way later to the airport than the allowed 2 hours... so i got rolled onto a dubai flight.
was actually the best thing that could have happened since i havent been there before. Was a bit of a killer arriving there during Ramadan...it meant i couldnt have a cigarette until we were actually in our hotel room... bugger!
But wow! what a room they gave us.
At night, in the one and only restaurant that was open, even then we had to wait unti 7pm before they would serve us alcohol... oh well.. when in rome...
The buffet dinner at the hotel was awesome... and i dont think i have ever eaten so much.... oysters, lobster, prawns, steak...... i must have gone back about 9 times to fill my plate.
my 2nd trip was a quick shuttle to New York... only there for 16 hours... but the highlight of my tri was i actually got to close the rear left hand door of the aircraft. We Never get to close or opens doors..ever... so this was a real treat!
(we only practice opening the doors in emergency drills in a rig never on the real aircraft...in case you wondered)
On the down side... we got our rosters for October.. and the dreaded time has finally arrived. My annual recurrent exams. The yearly exams that all flight attendants dread. If we fail these exams we no longer have a job. They are gruelling to say the least, there are 4 major exams, and a whole day of practical exercises to get thru..including all kinds of emergency evac situations, cabin fires, decompression, dangerous goods drills.....pilot incapitation, emergency opening of all door types on all aircraft types.... shame is we dont get to go down the slide again... bugger that.. that was way too much fun.
so the next 4 weeks are going to be filled with study...the exams are quite hard so you have to know every line of the manuals.
just as well i have practiced my reading. i have recently discovered a series of books by Stephanie Meyers. The Twilight saga.. and lord if i havent become addicted. I have read all 4 books in 5 days. thats 3x600 pages and 1 x700 pages.
The first book is due to be released as a movie in nov, but ima bit worried they will not capture the true essence of the book.. oh well.. ill still go see it.
As luck wud have it, scott requested a Sydney trip, which is 9 days,and wouldnt you know it, they gave it to him, exactly during my exams.. so i will be faced to do my first recurrent alone without any support. i cant tell you how pissed off i was at this, but i am used to having to deal with most things on my own so i will just muddle thru. it wud have been nice to have him here to support me as i will be stressed and terrified, but i guess i have fallen into the trap/lure of having someone to depend upon and support me, where i have usually in the past been so fiercely independant and un-needing of bolstering from others. So its a good reality check for me.
time to go hit the manuals i guess....
My first trip, i was at home waiting and crewing happened to call at the worst possible moment when i couldnt make the next train, which meant i woud miss the next crew bus from gatwick....long story short, i was way later to the airport than the allowed 2 hours... so i got rolled onto a dubai flight.
was actually the best thing that could have happened since i havent been there before. Was a bit of a killer arriving there during Ramadan...it meant i couldnt have a cigarette until we were actually in our hotel room... bugger!
But wow! what a room they gave us.
At night, in the one and only restaurant that was open, even then we had to wait unti 7pm before they would serve us alcohol... oh well.. when in rome...
The buffet dinner at the hotel was awesome... and i dont think i have ever eaten so much.... oysters, lobster, prawns, steak...... i must have gone back about 9 times to fill my plate.
my 2nd trip was a quick shuttle to New York... only there for 16 hours... but the highlight of my tri was i actually got to close the rear left hand door of the aircraft. We Never get to close or opens doors..ever... so this was a real treat!
(we only practice opening the doors in emergency drills in a rig never on the real aircraft...in case you wondered)
On the down side... we got our rosters for October.. and the dreaded time has finally arrived. My annual recurrent exams. The yearly exams that all flight attendants dread. If we fail these exams we no longer have a job. They are gruelling to say the least, there are 4 major exams, and a whole day of practical exercises to get thru..including all kinds of emergency evac situations, cabin fires, decompression, dangerous goods drills.....pilot incapitation, emergency opening of all door types on all aircraft types.... shame is we dont get to go down the slide again... bugger that.. that was way too much fun.
so the next 4 weeks are going to be filled with study...the exams are quite hard so you have to know every line of the manuals.
just as well i have practiced my reading. i have recently discovered a series of books by Stephanie Meyers. The Twilight saga.. and lord if i havent become addicted. I have read all 4 books in 5 days. thats 3x600 pages and 1 x700 pages.
The first book is due to be released as a movie in nov, but ima bit worried they will not capture the true essence of the book.. oh well.. ill still go see it.
As luck wud have it, scott requested a Sydney trip, which is 9 days,and wouldnt you know it, they gave it to him, exactly during my exams.. so i will be faced to do my first recurrent alone without any support. i cant tell you how pissed off i was at this, but i am used to having to deal with most things on my own so i will just muddle thru. it wud have been nice to have him here to support me as i will be stressed and terrified, but i guess i have fallen into the trap/lure of having someone to depend upon and support me, where i have usually in the past been so fiercely independant and un-needing of bolstering from others. So its a good reality check for me.
time to go hit the manuals i guess....
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
What Dan did in august
Just to prove i have waaaaaay too much time on my hands, here is a vid clip of my journeys in August
Whilst i always try to be tolerant of other cultures, i have to admit, jamaica was the worst trips i have ever been on. its so dangerous there we cant leave our hotel. Add on top of this they are extremely violent towards homosexuals, and are white racist to the extreme too. so you can imagine the fun we had on the flights.
we fly into montego bay, stay a night and then transfer as passengers on board an air jamaica flight to kingston and then stay the night before crewing home. The air Jamaica flight takes 20 mins, but can you believe it takes us 6 hours to actually do it.... with the airports being soooooo bad, with long long lines for everything. we were in the check in queue for 2 hours.
managed to finally get into manhattan this month and fell in love with the place.
st Lucia was great too.... we got a 4 hour catamaran booze cruise....i was so drunk when i got off that thing....lol
Sunday, August 24, 2008
So you want to be a flight attendant?
saw this and thought it amusing.....and so true.
Go to a resale store and find an old, navy suit that an army sergeant might have worn. Add a white shirt and a tie. Wear that same outfit for three consecutive days.
Go to an airport and watch airplanes take off for several hours. Pretend you are standing by for them and they are all full. Go home. Return to the airport the very next day and do the same thing again.
Fill several large boxes with rocks. Lift them over your head and place them on the top shelf of a closet. Slam the door shut until the boxes fit. Do this until you feel a disc slip in your back.
Turn on a radio. Be sure to set it between stations so there is plenty of static. Turn on the vacuum cleaner and garbage disposal. Run them all night.
Remove the covers from several T.V entrees. Place them in a hot oven. Leave the food in the oven until it's completely dried out. Remove the hot trays with your bare hands. Serve to your family. Don't include anything for yourself.
Serve your family a beverage one hour after they've received their meal.
Make them remain in their seats during this time.
Ask them to scream at you and complain about the service.
Scrounge uneaten rolls off the plates for you to eat 6 hours later when you're really hungry.
Place a straight-backed chair in a closet facing a blank wall. Use a belt to strap yourself into it.
Eat the rolls you saved from your family's meal.
Ask your family to use the bathroom as frequently as possible. Tell them to remove their shoes and socks before entering, and see who can make the most disgusting mess. Clean the bathroom every hour throughout the night.
Make a narrow aisle between several dining room chairs and randomly scatter your husband's runners and loafers along the way. Turn off the lights and spend the night walking up and down the aisle while banging your shins against the chair legs and tripping over the shoes.
Drink several cups of cold coffee to keep yourself awake.
Gently wake your family in the morning and serve them a muffin in a package. Don't forget to smile and wish them a nice day when they leave for work and school.
After the family leaves, take a suitcase and go out into the yard. If it's not raining, turn on the sprinkler system and stand in the cold for 30 minutes pretending like your waiting for the crew bus topick you up.
Then go inside and wait by your bedroom door for another 30 minutes for an imaginary maid to make up your room.
Change into street clothes and shop for 5 hours. Pick up carry-outfood from a local deli. Go back home. Sit on your bed and eat your meal.
Set your alarm clock for 03:00 am so you'll be ready incase you don't get your wake up call.
Repeat the above schedule for three days in a row and you'll be ready to work your first international flight
Go to a resale store and find an old, navy suit that an army sergeant might have worn. Add a white shirt and a tie. Wear that same outfit for three consecutive days.
Go to an airport and watch airplanes take off for several hours. Pretend you are standing by for them and they are all full. Go home. Return to the airport the very next day and do the same thing again.
Fill several large boxes with rocks. Lift them over your head and place them on the top shelf of a closet. Slam the door shut until the boxes fit. Do this until you feel a disc slip in your back.
Turn on a radio. Be sure to set it between stations so there is plenty of static. Turn on the vacuum cleaner and garbage disposal. Run them all night.
Remove the covers from several T.V entrees. Place them in a hot oven. Leave the food in the oven until it's completely dried out. Remove the hot trays with your bare hands. Serve to your family. Don't include anything for yourself.
Serve your family a beverage one hour after they've received their meal.
Make them remain in their seats during this time.
Ask them to scream at you and complain about the service.
Scrounge uneaten rolls off the plates for you to eat 6 hours later when you're really hungry.
Place a straight-backed chair in a closet facing a blank wall. Use a belt to strap yourself into it.
Eat the rolls you saved from your family's meal.
Ask your family to use the bathroom as frequently as possible. Tell them to remove their shoes and socks before entering, and see who can make the most disgusting mess. Clean the bathroom every hour throughout the night.
Make a narrow aisle between several dining room chairs and randomly scatter your husband's runners and loafers along the way. Turn off the lights and spend the night walking up and down the aisle while banging your shins against the chair legs and tripping over the shoes.
Drink several cups of cold coffee to keep yourself awake.
Gently wake your family in the morning and serve them a muffin in a package. Don't forget to smile and wish them a nice day when they leave for work and school.
After the family leaves, take a suitcase and go out into the yard. If it's not raining, turn on the sprinkler system and stand in the cold for 30 minutes pretending like your waiting for the crew bus topick you up.
Then go inside and wait by your bedroom door for another 30 minutes for an imaginary maid to make up your room.
Change into street clothes and shop for 5 hours. Pick up carry-outfood from a local deli. Go back home. Sit on your bed and eat your meal.
Set your alarm clock for 03:00 am so you'll be ready incase you don't get your wake up call.
Repeat the above schedule for three days in a row and you'll be ready to work your first international flight
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Im wondering why this song is so stuck in my head
i cant stop humming or singing it and its driving me nuts. (at least im not singing that crazy numa numa yei sng anymore)
Friday, August 15, 2008
surviving Jamaica
back from my first Jamaican trip. its one of the hardest trips we do. suffice to say most of the passengers are extremely rude to us and theres usually fights on board. Luckily i didnt have any of that on mine.
arrvied at Montego Bay, after working a 9 hour flight (means i was actually working 11.5 hours) and then a 30 min bus ride to our hotel, only to then wait 1 and a half hours for my room to be ready. thought i was gonna keel over. on top of this... they decided to tune the piano in the hotel lobby, next to where we were sitting.... i had to think.. THIS IS HELL!!! i actually died on the flight and im now in hell.
we didnt even get 17 hours to stay i the hotel, before having to get up early in the morning to passenger over to Kingston. What is a very short 20 min air jamaica flight, actually takes 6 hours door to door. its ridiculous! we waited in the check in line for almost 2 hours. Then we got to wait in the line to enter immigration, to then wait in line for security, then in line for immigration booth..we then got to the gate to find our plane has been delayed for an hour...before waiting in line to board the plane.
i luckily got an emergency exit row. The safety demo was a bit amusing...do they actually train to point like that or what.. but i picked up some good tips on how to deal with jamaican passengers for my leg from Kingston to London.
Once off the plane, we got to again wait in line for immigration and were forced to fill out an immigration form, even though we had just done a domestic flight!! go figure.
We got to the hotel just over 6 hours from when we left the other hotel. But kingston is so dangerous we are actually advised not to really leave the hotel. We did get to drive past Raetown, one of the most dangerous areas in the carribean so im told.
The flight home was relatively calm..the one and only passenger really kicking off was a scottish woman, who apparently complained about everything, continuously...luckily i was upstairs and didnt have to deal with her... however, i did get to hear her complaining loud and aggressively as she got off at how ridiculous it was that she and the other passengers had to wait until the people in the front of the plane get to disembark first..... honey, youre only gonna have to wait at the luggage carousel anyway so whats your rush? some people just need a good smack around the head.
oh well.. off t sunny st lucia soon... my little island paradise... one of the most beautiful islands we go to...where the locals are actually friendly. despite the 1.5 hour bus journey from the airport to the hotel..better make sure i go to the lav before i get off the plane eh?
oh well.. thats my whinge for the week...im sure there will be bright and bubbly and funny stories to tell next time.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
from no class to upper class
Just back from my last trip. we were 1 senior crew member down so they asked if anyone wanted to "work up" I.E work in the upper class cabin. i jumped at the chance as i had not done it and thought it a good chance to learn something new. We are not trained for this cabin when we start.
I was so nervous on my way ot the aircraft that i left my cabin bag at the security checkpoint.. oops.. had to be driven back to go collect it. had a fantastic trip, loved working in our upper class cabin.. its so different. different kind of passenger and totally different style of service. Crew said i did a fantastic job and they couldnt tell i had not worked up there before. Even got a glowing performance review from the onboard manager. so all in all i was chuffed.
now just a few days off before i have to go to jamaica. one of the most undesirable tris we have. the passengers are all so rude and obnoxious and totally white-racsist.. so im in for a real treat im sure. going to just chalk it all up to experience and try to enjoy the poolside once i get downroute.
here is the summary of trips for july
Monday, July 21, 2008
My life in the sky
a couple of mates have asked me what its like being a long haul flight attendant, so thought i would sum up a typical day in the life of one.
halfway through the month you get your next months roster... we all sit on the edge of our seats, waiting to know if the following month is going to be heaven or hell. will we be relegated to the depths of standby hell... or worse, annual exams.. or will our lifes be filled with sun, sand, fun filled destinations and good paying trips. usually its dire, with one little ray of sunshine somewhere in the month.
As we have to be at the airport 2 hours prior to scheduled take off, and factoring in the 1 hour travel time for me to Gatwick, or 2 hours to Heathrow, plus the minimum of 1 hour to groom and get ready before i even leave the house, i could have been up and on the go at least 6-7 hours prior to the flight even taking off. With flight times anywhere from 7-14 hours you can imagine how tired we can be at the other end.
We sit around crew check in, waiting for todays on board manager to call us in for our briefing. This is our first chance to know who are crew are going to be. We sit around in a tiny room, looking at 17 strangers, trying to figure out who we will get along with and who we wont. its usual that you fly with a complete bunch of strangers every time... with over four and a half thousand crew, the chances of you flying with someone you have flown with before are small.. but it occasionally does happen.
No one really talks to each other during this phase.. we are all too nervous about the briefing, where we are told the particulars of the flight, details of the aircraft, briefed on what each cabin manager expects from us and how they want the service run, and are asked the dreaded safety question, based on this month's topic. failure to answer the questions correctly can lead to you being offloaded and sent back into training, although i am yet t see this actually happen... we all know our stuff, but its the fear of getting a question we cant answer that fills our heads at this point.
Once the briefing is over, its a quick dash to have the one last cigarette that has to last you for the duration of the flight and get through security, and onto the bus that takes us to the plane. This is where we start tentatively exploring each other. We all usually sit alone on the bus, frantically texting or making last minute calls to loved ones saying we are about to go, and how much we love them (you just never know what might happen on the flight) and start testing the waters about the personalities of those you are going to be working with. We all pray fr a god crew that gels together nicely, and that you can have a good laugh with during the flight and downroute.
we get onboard and get our checks done and prepare the cabin for the passengers. and before you know it, the seats are filled and you are strapped into your jumpseat ready for take off.
By now you have a small indication of what the passengers will be like. if they have been making tiresome demands or ringing call bells before they have even sat down, you know its going to be one of "those' flights. If we manage to close the doors without any tears, or people demanding to have seats changed or complaints about being separated from a companion, then we are going well.
once in the air, its all systems go for the crew as we get everything out ready for the endless services that we perform on the plane. it is literally non stop from the moment we ourselves board the plane until the moment we get off it. when you don't see us in the cabin, we are in the galley packing away the last service and preparing the next. on some flights, youre lucky if you get 10 minutes to eat something yourself.. usually done whilst standing up.
They tell us in training, that you will see all walks of life and every facet of human behaviour on board...and they arent kidding.
we can expected to be waiters, rescuers, survival experts, policemen, counsellors, dangerous goods experts, medics, fire fighters, world encyclopedias, security agents, safety procedure experts and above all do it with a smile and a winning personality, even though its probably been 16 hours since you last slept.
if we are lucky, we are given crew rest, which means an hours break 9sometimes a bit more depending on the length of the flight) and you rush to the crew rest area, and lay in the bunks, desperately trying to get some sleep..sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt.
it still amazes me hw many people do not wear the seatbelts for the entire flight. pilots cannot see r anticipate clear air turbulence and planes can suddenly drop some hundred of feet without warning..which would result in passengers flying up out of their seats.. or during bouts of turbulence, be thrown around in the seats, and yet they still argue and grumble when you tell them for their own safety to fasten their seat belts. i have even seen passengers get up and walk around or try to go to the toilets during turbulence... its just crazy.
finally the moment will arrive that you have been hanging for for the last few hours..... descent... and again, it amazes me how many people do not consider their own safety, and when you ask them to raise window blinds, or fasten seatbelts, they look at you like you have asked them t bite the head of a small child.
it doesnt matter how many announcements you make about placing bags under the seat in front, you can guarantee that at least 4 people have totally ignored it and still have a bag under their feet or on their lap. women with handbags are the usual... it seems a foreign concept to them, that if their handbag was in the hatrack above their head, they wouldnt possible notice if someone went into it and touched their bag.
from the moment the seatbelt signs come on... the cigarette craving starts.. funny, i never even think about it during the flight, but the prspect of soon being able to light up, seems to make the last 20 mins of the flight drag out. Then you strap back into your jumpseat, and have to sit in front of passengers, feeling like total crap, being tired out of your brain, but still manage to have a smile and strike up an intelligent conversation with the people sitting opposite you, all the while, concentrating on whats happening and ready to spring into action should anything untoward happen.
finally the darlings are all off..you're knackered, but glad to be off that aircraft.
they (the groundstaff) say that when the doors are opened, the emanating stench is enough to gag a maggot. (well i guess the BO and the farts of 400 people confined in a small space would be enough to make anyone retch) but funnily enough we crew seem immune.... that is until you go to iron your uniform for the way home and it reactivated the smell that has permeated your clothes.
by the time we get to the hotel, you feel knackered, but hopefully you have bonded with at least 1 or 2 of the crew (sometimes the whole crew gets along like long lost friends) and you will head out for after work drinks or a crew party.
i think we are picked, amongst other things, for our ability to form close bonds quickly. passengers on flights would never guess that the mates having a laugh over a cart or chatting together on the jumpseat, have really only just met. one of the positives for this is, when youre down route, you know you can let your inhibitions go as you dont really know these people, and probably wont fly with them again, and yet can trust them to look after you should anything untoward happen.. like god forbid you should get drunk.. lol. Since we have all just gone through the same ordeal of a flight, we usually all have something in common now.
depending on where in the world, that metal tube has spat you out, will depend on how long you will have there, and what you can get up to whilst your there.. but you have to ensure you have enough rest before you receive that wakeup call 1 hour prior to being picked up from the hotel and driven back to the airport, to crew the flight home and go through it all again... fun.
funny things that people do..... can you believe on my last flight, we found a plastic glass on the bench in one of the toilets, with poo in it. someone had shat in glass and left it in the toilet.... why??? who can say.. but thats just one of the those crazy unexplained passenger behaviours. they do they expect us to clean that up after them??? ummm.. no.. we do not.. FYI, the offending bathroom was locked off for the remainder of the flight.. we can be dealing with shit.. when we are food handlers)
halfway through the month you get your next months roster... we all sit on the edge of our seats, waiting to know if the following month is going to be heaven or hell. will we be relegated to the depths of standby hell... or worse, annual exams.. or will our lifes be filled with sun, sand, fun filled destinations and good paying trips. usually its dire, with one little ray of sunshine somewhere in the month.
As we have to be at the airport 2 hours prior to scheduled take off, and factoring in the 1 hour travel time for me to Gatwick, or 2 hours to Heathrow, plus the minimum of 1 hour to groom and get ready before i even leave the house, i could have been up and on the go at least 6-7 hours prior to the flight even taking off. With flight times anywhere from 7-14 hours you can imagine how tired we can be at the other end.
We sit around crew check in, waiting for todays on board manager to call us in for our briefing. This is our first chance to know who are crew are going to be. We sit around in a tiny room, looking at 17 strangers, trying to figure out who we will get along with and who we wont. its usual that you fly with a complete bunch of strangers every time... with over four and a half thousand crew, the chances of you flying with someone you have flown with before are small.. but it occasionally does happen.
No one really talks to each other during this phase.. we are all too nervous about the briefing, where we are told the particulars of the flight, details of the aircraft, briefed on what each cabin manager expects from us and how they want the service run, and are asked the dreaded safety question, based on this month's topic. failure to answer the questions correctly can lead to you being offloaded and sent back into training, although i am yet t see this actually happen... we all know our stuff, but its the fear of getting a question we cant answer that fills our heads at this point.
Once the briefing is over, its a quick dash to have the one last cigarette that has to last you for the duration of the flight and get through security, and onto the bus that takes us to the plane. This is where we start tentatively exploring each other. We all usually sit alone on the bus, frantically texting or making last minute calls to loved ones saying we are about to go, and how much we love them (you just never know what might happen on the flight) and start testing the waters about the personalities of those you are going to be working with. We all pray fr a god crew that gels together nicely, and that you can have a good laugh with during the flight and downroute.
we get onboard and get our checks done and prepare the cabin for the passengers. and before you know it, the seats are filled and you are strapped into your jumpseat ready for take off.
By now you have a small indication of what the passengers will be like. if they have been making tiresome demands or ringing call bells before they have even sat down, you know its going to be one of "those' flights. If we manage to close the doors without any tears, or people demanding to have seats changed or complaints about being separated from a companion, then we are going well.
once in the air, its all systems go for the crew as we get everything out ready for the endless services that we perform on the plane. it is literally non stop from the moment we ourselves board the plane until the moment we get off it. when you don't see us in the cabin, we are in the galley packing away the last service and preparing the next. on some flights, youre lucky if you get 10 minutes to eat something yourself.. usually done whilst standing up.
They tell us in training, that you will see all walks of life and every facet of human behaviour on board...and they arent kidding.
we can expected to be waiters, rescuers, survival experts, policemen, counsellors, dangerous goods experts, medics, fire fighters, world encyclopedias, security agents, safety procedure experts and above all do it with a smile and a winning personality, even though its probably been 16 hours since you last slept.
if we are lucky, we are given crew rest, which means an hours break 9sometimes a bit more depending on the length of the flight) and you rush to the crew rest area, and lay in the bunks, desperately trying to get some sleep..sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt.
it still amazes me hw many people do not wear the seatbelts for the entire flight. pilots cannot see r anticipate clear air turbulence and planes can suddenly drop some hundred of feet without warning..which would result in passengers flying up out of their seats.. or during bouts of turbulence, be thrown around in the seats, and yet they still argue and grumble when you tell them for their own safety to fasten their seat belts. i have even seen passengers get up and walk around or try to go to the toilets during turbulence... its just crazy.
finally the moment will arrive that you have been hanging for for the last few hours..... descent... and again, it amazes me how many people do not consider their own safety, and when you ask them to raise window blinds, or fasten seatbelts, they look at you like you have asked them t bite the head of a small child.
it doesnt matter how many announcements you make about placing bags under the seat in front, you can guarantee that at least 4 people have totally ignored it and still have a bag under their feet or on their lap. women with handbags are the usual... it seems a foreign concept to them, that if their handbag was in the hatrack above their head, they wouldnt possible notice if someone went into it and touched their bag.
from the moment the seatbelt signs come on... the cigarette craving starts.. funny, i never even think about it during the flight, but the prspect of soon being able to light up, seems to make the last 20 mins of the flight drag out. Then you strap back into your jumpseat, and have to sit in front of passengers, feeling like total crap, being tired out of your brain, but still manage to have a smile and strike up an intelligent conversation with the people sitting opposite you, all the while, concentrating on whats happening and ready to spring into action should anything untoward happen.
finally the darlings are all off..you're knackered, but glad to be off that aircraft.
they (the groundstaff) say that when the doors are opened, the emanating stench is enough to gag a maggot. (well i guess the BO and the farts of 400 people confined in a small space would be enough to make anyone retch) but funnily enough we crew seem immune.... that is until you go to iron your uniform for the way home and it reactivated the smell that has permeated your clothes.
by the time we get to the hotel, you feel knackered, but hopefully you have bonded with at least 1 or 2 of the crew (sometimes the whole crew gets along like long lost friends) and you will head out for after work drinks or a crew party.
i think we are picked, amongst other things, for our ability to form close bonds quickly. passengers on flights would never guess that the mates having a laugh over a cart or chatting together on the jumpseat, have really only just met. one of the positives for this is, when youre down route, you know you can let your inhibitions go as you dont really know these people, and probably wont fly with them again, and yet can trust them to look after you should anything untoward happen.. like god forbid you should get drunk.. lol. Since we have all just gone through the same ordeal of a flight, we usually all have something in common now.
depending on where in the world, that metal tube has spat you out, will depend on how long you will have there, and what you can get up to whilst your there.. but you have to ensure you have enough rest before you receive that wakeup call 1 hour prior to being picked up from the hotel and driven back to the airport, to crew the flight home and go through it all again... fun.
funny things that people do..... can you believe on my last flight, we found a plastic glass on the bench in one of the toilets, with poo in it. someone had shat in glass and left it in the toilet.... why??? who can say.. but thats just one of the those crazy unexplained passenger behaviours. they do they expect us to clean that up after them??? ummm.. no.. we do not.. FYI, the offending bathroom was locked off for the remainder of the flight.. we can be dealing with shit.. when we are food handlers)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
LA LA Land
just back from a really nice 2 days in LA, spent sunning myself and drinking and eating with a nice bunch of crew.
flights were awful.... had a passenger hurl abuse at me (we dont call this the psycho 7 for nothing) LA flights are reknown for having slightly unusual passengers.)
didnt get to sleep before check out and didnt sleep in crew rest, which left me with being awake for 24 hours before i actually got to bed at home. you can imagine how delerious i was by then. but then such is my life now.
on a positive note.... i did get to assist in upper class for the final service.. which was a nice chance to see how being a senior is.
a few days off before going back to the states...sigh.. hope the weather is nice, wanna go to the beach today
flights were awful.... had a passenger hurl abuse at me (we dont call this the psycho 7 for nothing) LA flights are reknown for having slightly unusual passengers.)
didnt get to sleep before check out and didnt sleep in crew rest, which left me with being awake for 24 hours before i actually got to bed at home. you can imagine how delerious i was by then. but then such is my life now.
on a positive note.... i did get to assist in upper class for the final service.. which was a nice chance to see how being a senior is.
a few days off before going back to the states...sigh.. hope the weather is nice, wanna go to the beach today
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Catch up
Its been so long since i had the chance to update this.
have been jetting over the world, bringing mum to the UK, and back again to australia.
since they say that pictures tell a thousand words.....here is a glimpse of whats been happening.
have been jetting over the world, bringing mum to the UK, and back again to australia.
since they say that pictures tell a thousand words.....here is a glimpse of whats been happening.
Monday, April 28, 2008
home sweet home
well, i seem to be mastering the art of one handed house packing. Two more sleeps and Ill be in the new flat. Then comes the challenge of one handed unpacking.
since im grounded from flying while my hand is out of action, i might look into coming home to sydney mid may. spend some time in the sydney holiday home.
since im grounded from flying while my hand is out of action, i might look into coming home to sydney mid may. spend some time in the sydney holiday home.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Thems the breaks
cant type much......seems i have broken my hand...resulting in this ridiculous full arm cast. Resulting in a month off work. on the plus side might mean coming to sydney a week early on my own..since im not working
Friday, March 28, 2008
Daniel-San was not lost in translation
Survived my first Narita trip. Studied a bit the day before, on some japanese phrases, and asked the national crew as i went for the japanese phrases, and managed to do the whle flight speaking only japanese to the passengers. not bad for someone who doesnt speak japanese. mind you... bit of a tongue twister saying gotojo arrigato gozaimas to every single passenger who boarded.
was a nice surprise to have scott on the flight... he managed to swap onto it the day prior.
had an earthquake while we were there... was strange... laying in bed..and the bed started shaking and the walls were creaking.... only lasted a few seconds but long enough to notice.
Our room had a mirror in it that was like the one out of The Ring.
Narita town is where all the air crew stay, so you can imagine what the bars were like.. full of flight attendants and flight deck, all getting drunk and being sleazy.
went and saw the temple at narita, which is the 2nd oldest in japan. then went out drinking again...there really isnt much else to do in narita... tyoko is 70 mins away by train and apparently you need to change trains, and buy extra tickets etc.. so wasnt worth the trip.
strange thing about the trip was how hard it was to seep at night here...and how tired during the day we were. so i was absolutely hanging on the flight on the way home. which was 12 hours long. we were lucky enough to get 3 hours crew rest, and all i remember is laying down and closing my eyes and the next second being woken up and told its time to go back. but did manage to eat 2.5 meals during the flight.
as knackered as we all were, we decided to amuse ourselves and stay alert by playing dress ups with the demo kits
and seeing how many flight attendants can fit in an aircraft toilet.
even got to join the club!!! (sorry no pics of that!!)
scotts birthday today.... havent had a chance to get him anything as we were together s much i cant go shopping without him.... but he is going away again soon so hopefully i will have some time to go look.
whats coming up for me?? a 3 night trip to the Caribbean.. nothing but booze and sun baking to do. LOVE IT!!
was a nice surprise to have scott on the flight... he managed to swap onto it the day prior.
had an earthquake while we were there... was strange... laying in bed..and the bed started shaking and the walls were creaking.... only lasted a few seconds but long enough to notice.
Our room had a mirror in it that was like the one out of The Ring.
Narita town is where all the air crew stay, so you can imagine what the bars were like.. full of flight attendants and flight deck, all getting drunk and being sleazy.
went and saw the temple at narita, which is the 2nd oldest in japan. then went out drinking again...there really isnt much else to do in narita... tyoko is 70 mins away by train and apparently you need to change trains, and buy extra tickets etc.. so wasnt worth the trip.
strange thing about the trip was how hard it was to seep at night here...and how tired during the day we were. so i was absolutely hanging on the flight on the way home. which was 12 hours long. we were lucky enough to get 3 hours crew rest, and all i remember is laying down and closing my eyes and the next second being woken up and told its time to go back. but did manage to eat 2.5 meals during the flight.
as knackered as we all were, we decided to amuse ourselves and stay alert by playing dress ups with the demo kits
and seeing how many flight attendants can fit in an aircraft toilet.
even got to join the club!!! (sorry no pics of that!!)
scotts birthday today.... havent had a chance to get him anything as we were together s much i cant go shopping without him.... but he is going away again soon so hopefully i will have some time to go look.
whats coming up for me?? a 3 night trip to the Caribbean.. nothing but booze and sun baking to do. LOVE IT!!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
What a goose I am
the day started like any other.. me running around trying to get ready, in time to leave to get to the airport. I had checked my roster the night before and caculated my check in time.
Got to train station, with 5 mins to spare for the train to gatwick, however, the ticket seller had sold me a ticket on one operator, and the train was another, so i had to wait 15 mins for the next train which my ticket was valid for. This meant that i would be arriving at the airport about 5 mins before my check in time.. eeek.. any delays would be disasterous. My anxious nerves jumped up and down like a kid on a pogo stick.
i arrived at check in.... only to find that instead of a 7.45am check in, i was supposed to get here at 10.40am. How had i got it so wrong?
anyway, i stood around waiting for 25 mins whilst they made a decision if they were going to roll me onto an earlier flight, so instad of a 1 night orlando they might have put me on a 2 night st lucia, which was returning via manchester.... not ideal but hey.. who cares where i go, its all the same really. but someone else was desperate to get onto that flight so i gave the position to him.
so now i sit at the airport... potentially still going to orlando, but have to standby in case they put me on something else. could end up anywhere... with only 1 nights change of clothes, for warmer climates. luckily all gatwick flights go to warmer climes.
wonder what else today is going to bring??
Got to train station, with 5 mins to spare for the train to gatwick, however, the ticket seller had sold me a ticket on one operator, and the train was another, so i had to wait 15 mins for the next train which my ticket was valid for. This meant that i would be arriving at the airport about 5 mins before my check in time.. eeek.. any delays would be disasterous. My anxious nerves jumped up and down like a kid on a pogo stick.
i arrived at check in.... only to find that instead of a 7.45am check in, i was supposed to get here at 10.40am. How had i got it so wrong?
anyway, i stood around waiting for 25 mins whilst they made a decision if they were going to roll me onto an earlier flight, so instad of a 1 night orlando they might have put me on a 2 night st lucia, which was returning via manchester.... not ideal but hey.. who cares where i go, its all the same really. but someone else was desperate to get onto that flight so i gave the position to him.
so now i sit at the airport... potentially still going to orlando, but have to standby in case they put me on something else. could end up anywhere... with only 1 nights change of clothes, for warmer climates. luckily all gatwick flights go to warmer climes.
wonder what else today is going to bring??
Saturday, March 15, 2008
a new chapter
well after a days hunting and traipsing from agent to agent we found a new flat. 1 block from the seafront and ocean views from the balcony!! moving day will be a bit of a hassel since both scott and i are rostered to be away on the day.. bloody carmen!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Living Happily Ever After
I often wondered what happened once the white knight carried off the princess into the fairytale fantasy ever after. And now i know.
12 months on, Scott and are are just as much in love as ever. true, we have our moments, like any couple.. where we could just kill each other, but then i look at him and know im where im supposed to be.
so whats happened in my life so far that has kept me away from blogging.
i was on standby, and got given a Hong Kong / Sydney run. whilst it was a 9 day trip from home, and would have me away for my birthday, but since Scott wasnt going to be home, i thought it was a great opportunity.
ended up being in HK for the actual big day. woke up in the morning and opened the parcel scott had given me to open on the day. There was a big birthday card, which actually sang happy birthday daniel to me, and a small box which contained a birthday cake and a stuff toy doberman. i should have been down...being on my own for my birthday but i was actually fine. My crew mates tok me out for the day, and we went into Bubba Gumps, a restaurant/bar at the top of victoria peak for a drink and they had ended up telling the staff it was my birthday and next thing you know theres an ice cream sunday with a candle and the staff and crew singing happy birthday, at my horror and embarrassment. but it was very sweet.
that night the crew took me out to the nightclub district. at any given time there are 4 crews in HK at the same time. and id say there was a good mix of 3 crew at the bar we first went to. they waited for a lull in the music before launching into another rendition of happy birthday at the top of their lungs, before lying me with a B52 and 3 tequila shots. 2 of which were taken as a body lick sip suck.. where i had to luck the salt of a chicks tits and then take the lemon out of her mouth. needless to say i was a bit tipsy after all that.
then we all started laying pass the cherry.. which you really do have to be a bit drunk t play. it involves someone putting a glace cherry in their mouth and then you pass it from one persons mouth to another, t another, to another... when i think now of all the germs and spit all ver that cherry i cant believe i did it.. however it did seem like a fun idea at the time. after a good pub crawl, numerous beers, and a bit of a boogie later, i finally got in a cab back to the hotel at 4.30am. slept like a log.
n landing in sydney, i tried to get a few hours sleep.. but to no avail. was totally weird arriving into sydney, but being cabin crew, and its not actually coming home but rather my stopover. every thing looked familiar yet surreal.
had lunch with a friend of mine mick, and then a quick afternoon tea with don and andy, before surprising mum once she had got home from work. Had decided not to tell mum i was coming so i could surprise her. spent the evening with her, and had my brother and nieces over.
slept back at the hotel.. like a log, since by the time i had got to bed i had been awake over 24 hours.. which seems to be becoming a regular occurance these days.
the way home was strange.. walking thru sydney airport as crew.. afer all those years as a passenger, wishing i could be crew... and now i finally did it. was surreal... like a dream come true.
when back into hong kong, some of the crew and i went to disneyland, where i regressed into a big kid and ran around hugging all the characters. was kinda fun to let go for just one day. i loved the buzz lightyear ride.
was strange to realise i was on my way back home.
when i actually started to think..im on my way home, i realised i had really started to feel like the UK was now my home, and now that i had the chance to visit sydney, it was just a stopover for me, rather than my home. it really helped me get over my homesickness and while ill always be an australian at heart and always call australia home.... im now living 100% in the uk and liking it.
my flight after that was supposed to be to miami, but i got to gatwick only to realise i had left my ID at home...so had to go all the way back home on the 40 min train, pick it up and g all the way back again... by the time i got to heathrow i had missed my flight and was now going to chicago. imagine for a moment.. miami.. warm sunshine and tropical heat.... so now picture whats in my suitcase..... now im told im off to chicago.... where we are told onboard, that its -1 and snowing. hmm.. luckily they give us a decent allowance there and i shopped up a storm buying warm clothes. basically the wind there was so cold, in 2 mins your ears and nose are frozen so badly they hurt.
was supposed to go to shanghai after that but the flight got cancelled so i have been sitting at home for a week on available days.. which means they might need me and will tell me the day before.. however... not needing me.. means i have had a week off plus 3 days leave coming up at the end of it all. enjoying the break.
so happily eer after seems like a worthwhile thing....and just keeps on being the best thing ive ever done.
12 months on, Scott and are are just as much in love as ever. true, we have our moments, like any couple.. where we could just kill each other, but then i look at him and know im where im supposed to be.
so whats happened in my life so far that has kept me away from blogging.
i was on standby, and got given a Hong Kong / Sydney run. whilst it was a 9 day trip from home, and would have me away for my birthday, but since Scott wasnt going to be home, i thought it was a great opportunity.
ended up being in HK for the actual big day. woke up in the morning and opened the parcel scott had given me to open on the day. There was a big birthday card, which actually sang happy birthday daniel to me, and a small box which contained a birthday cake and a stuff toy doberman. i should have been down...being on my own for my birthday but i was actually fine. My crew mates tok me out for the day, and we went into Bubba Gumps, a restaurant/bar at the top of victoria peak for a drink and they had ended up telling the staff it was my birthday and next thing you know theres an ice cream sunday with a candle and the staff and crew singing happy birthday, at my horror and embarrassment. but it was very sweet.
that night the crew took me out to the nightclub district. at any given time there are 4 crews in HK at the same time. and id say there was a good mix of 3 crew at the bar we first went to. they waited for a lull in the music before launching into another rendition of happy birthday at the top of their lungs, before lying me with a B52 and 3 tequila shots. 2 of which were taken as a body lick sip suck.. where i had to luck the salt of a chicks tits and then take the lemon out of her mouth. needless to say i was a bit tipsy after all that.
then we all started laying pass the cherry.. which you really do have to be a bit drunk t play. it involves someone putting a glace cherry in their mouth and then you pass it from one persons mouth to another, t another, to another... when i think now of all the germs and spit all ver that cherry i cant believe i did it.. however it did seem like a fun idea at the time. after a good pub crawl, numerous beers, and a bit of a boogie later, i finally got in a cab back to the hotel at 4.30am. slept like a log.
n landing in sydney, i tried to get a few hours sleep.. but to no avail. was totally weird arriving into sydney, but being cabin crew, and its not actually coming home but rather my stopover. every thing looked familiar yet surreal.
had lunch with a friend of mine mick, and then a quick afternoon tea with don and andy, before surprising mum once she had got home from work. Had decided not to tell mum i was coming so i could surprise her. spent the evening with her, and had my brother and nieces over.
slept back at the hotel.. like a log, since by the time i had got to bed i had been awake over 24 hours.. which seems to be becoming a regular occurance these days.
the way home was strange.. walking thru sydney airport as crew.. afer all those years as a passenger, wishing i could be crew... and now i finally did it. was surreal... like a dream come true.
when back into hong kong, some of the crew and i went to disneyland, where i regressed into a big kid and ran around hugging all the characters. was kinda fun to let go for just one day. i loved the buzz lightyear ride.
was strange to realise i was on my way back home.
when i actually started to think..im on my way home, i realised i had really started to feel like the UK was now my home, and now that i had the chance to visit sydney, it was just a stopover for me, rather than my home. it really helped me get over my homesickness and while ill always be an australian at heart and always call australia home.... im now living 100% in the uk and liking it.
my flight after that was supposed to be to miami, but i got to gatwick only to realise i had left my ID at home...so had to go all the way back home on the 40 min train, pick it up and g all the way back again... by the time i got to heathrow i had missed my flight and was now going to chicago. imagine for a moment.. miami.. warm sunshine and tropical heat.... so now picture whats in my suitcase..... now im told im off to chicago.... where we are told onboard, that its -1 and snowing. hmm.. luckily they give us a decent allowance there and i shopped up a storm buying warm clothes. basically the wind there was so cold, in 2 mins your ears and nose are frozen so badly they hurt.
was supposed to go to shanghai after that but the flight got cancelled so i have been sitting at home for a week on available days.. which means they might need me and will tell me the day before.. however... not needing me.. means i have had a week off plus 3 days leave coming up at the end of it all. enjoying the break.
so happily eer after seems like a worthwhile thing....and just keeps on being the best thing ive ever done.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Dan Francisco
Scott and I on our San Fran trip for Valentines day.
god i shopped up a storm, after walking the entire length of market st and shopped non stop for 9 hours. desperately needed a massage after all that.
was good to fly with scott again, even if he gets narky at me in the galley.
completely buggered after the 10 hour flight home, and as usual, jetlagged and a buggered up body clock.
Arriving at the hotel in Japan Town in SFO
All strapped in ready for takeoff
This is how flight attendants eat dinner
Well deserved crew rest
god i shopped up a storm, after walking the entire length of market st and shopped non stop for 9 hours. desperately needed a massage after all that.
was good to fly with scott again, even if he gets narky at me in the galley.
completely buggered after the 10 hour flight home, and as usual, jetlagged and a buggered up body clock.
Arriving at the hotel in Japan Town in SFO
All strapped in ready for takeoff
This is how flight attendants eat dinner
Well deserved crew rest
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
best trip ever !
just back from St Lucia, tropical carribean paradise. had finally gotten over my deadly man-flu, going crazy from cabin fever, and got a 2 Night St Lucia off my standby.
fantastic flights, great crew, and best FSM ive had yet. despite the 2 hour bus ride from the airport to the hotel, we arrived in good cheer and headed for a famed crew room party. not sure exactly what time i got to bed, was a bit tipsy.
next day, the beer kept flowing, and started drinking before lunch (breakfast?) before laying by the pool drinking the strongest cocktail ive ever had.
after the whole crew met for dinner, some of us braved the local karaoke bar. We may have been the only foreigners but we were the last ones standing. .in fact we made them reopen the machine for one more song before stumbling to bed somewhere in the region of 3am.
with a modest few hours sleep and a lazy lunch it was time to board the bus again for the long ride to the airport. somehow, even tho my head was thrown around like a bladder on a stick, on the bumpy road, i did manager to get some sleep.
And somehow, despite some narcky passengers, managed to have a fantastic flight on the way home too.
this trip was exactly what i needed to lift my spirits and remind me why i do this job. 2 days off before being sent to lord knows where. fingers crossed its sydney.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
birthday wish list
been sitting here trying to compile my birthday wishlist. apart from a trip back home, here are the things im wishing for this year. as you can see im not really wishing for much. its the simple things in life that make me happy.
a big jar of Kraft smooth peanut butter
a big packet of cheezels
a big packet of smiths sour cream and onion chips
a pack of original tim tams
a decent bacon and egg roll with real bbq sauce
a toasted turkish bread with vegemite
a big jar of Kraft smooth peanut butter
a big packet of cheezels
a big packet of smiths sour cream and onion chips
a pack of original tim tams
a decent bacon and egg roll with real bbq sauce
a toasted turkish bread with vegemite
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
The dreaded man-flu
currently suffering the worst flu of my life. arrived back from johannesburg on friday and literally collapsed into bed, and was unable to get up again for 4 days. you know its serious when you have 2 sets of clothes on and 2 doonas on and the heating on full,and youre still shivering uncontrollably.
had to go to the doctors and have ended up getting a week off work and to stay in bed.
johannesburg was great. i was working in premium cabin with a wonderful girl and we ran the service like troopers. got great performance review from my on board manager.
now that i am earning pounds, i found south africa so incredibly cheap. i had a fillet mignon for £5.50 ..unheard of.. and you dont need to drink much as the altitude of j'burg means you get drunk quicker. got to eat ostrich on this run. hmm..travel the world... eat weird things.
scott has his yearly recurrent exams next week so we are studying a lot. standby next month so lord knows where i will end up
had to go to the doctors and have ended up getting a week off work and to stay in bed.
johannesburg was great. i was working in premium cabin with a wonderful girl and we ran the service like troopers. got great performance review from my on board manager.
now that i am earning pounds, i found south africa so incredibly cheap. i had a fillet mignon for £5.50 ..unheard of.. and you dont need to drink much as the altitude of j'burg means you get drunk quicker. got to eat ostrich on this run. hmm..travel the world... eat weird things.
scott has his yearly recurrent exams next week so we are studying a lot. standby next month so lord knows where i will end up
Monday, January 28, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
survived my lagos experience
what a bizarre but fun trip.
the flight was half full going there.... the passengers are pretty demanding... bordering on greedy.. 2 of this, half the time i think they just ask for stuff because its something they can have. i even had one guy kind of offering me his daughter. weird.
arriving at the airport... we have to be escorted from the baggage hall, out of the airport, to a waiting set of mini vans. luckily as the locals all hanging around the airport looked like they were scary and ready to jump us. the mini vans are escorted to the hotel where we stay, by 2 police vans with flashing lights. sitting int he van, staring out into the darkness.. wondering if this was indeed a dangerous place.
the hotel... lagos sheraton.. is basic at best. room that i got was nice and modern, butt hats only because several airlines have pumped money into the hotel.. some crew got old crappy, and dirty rooms... so i was very lucky.
we are not allowed to leave the hotel. hmm.. nice place they sent us too.. so we just get to lay by the pool or stay in the hotel bar. several air crews stay there.. KLM, Lufthansa, BA.. etc.
imagine our shock to all see the drama unfolding on the runway at heathrow. those poor flight attendants.... we were all imagining how knackered and tired they would have been, after a long trip from beijing. by the time you land back into london you are so tired and exhausted and almost delirious. but after al the rigorous training we have, it just goes to show it all just kicks in. i hope this does bring new respect for flight attendants in this country. i have never in all my years fo travelling as a passenger, see travellers take the piss so much with virgin crew. i have never seen a flight on any other airline where the call bells just do not stop and the demands made on crew. im not sure if its a american/british thing, but certainly flights from Australia and asia are never like this.
was shocked to actually see faeces on the aerobridge. not sure if iti was human or dog or what.. but dogs would not be allowed in the terminal so one can only imagine it was human
anyway..the flight home was full, but i was asked to work up in the premium economy cabin, which was quiet. i was working with the seniors in the front galley, and even got to man the upper class bar at one stage, so i got the sense of what it was like up there. however, every time i walked down into the back galley, it was like walking thru chaos.. passengers wanting so much, like they were tryingt o get everything they could off us before the plane landed.. however.. they all got off satisfied and happy, which ultimately is the end goal.. thats whats is important really, so we just bear with it.
took me 4 hours from the time we landed until i got home.. which meant i got home at about 9pm... a long day.
i look back at my days of training, and having to work 8 hours training with 2 hours travel time on each end, when i had to go interstate..and think back to how tired i was. well.. this is like that, only, multiply by 2, imagine spending 2 hours getting to and from work.. then spending 8-12 hours on your feet, constantly moving, constantly thinking, add into the mix jetlag and ever changing time zones, eating snacks if..and that's a big if... you have time to, usually you eat whatever crap is left over on board, from either the crew food, which is pretty bad, or leftover passenger meals..which are ok, if you only had to eat it once.. but when its 2-3 times a week... hmmm.. and even then you usually only get5-10 mins to scoff as much of it into your mouth as possible, while standing in the galley.. so you tend to eat the snacks and junk on board because you can shove it in your mouth and hurriedly chew it on your way back up the aisle to answer the 100th call bell..
my biggest annoyance so far has been when a passenger in the front row of economy presses the bell... so i have to walk the entire length of the cabin, he orders and drink... i walk all the way back, make the drink.. walk all the way back to his seat.. and deliver it, walk all the way back to the galley.. only to have the bell go off again, and the guy next to him wants to order the same drink. i literally wanted to go make one and pour it over him... but hey.. we also end up with the patience of saints.
the flight was half full going there.... the passengers are pretty demanding... bordering on greedy.. 2 of this, half the time i think they just ask for stuff because its something they can have. i even had one guy kind of offering me his daughter. weird.
arriving at the airport... we have to be escorted from the baggage hall, out of the airport, to a waiting set of mini vans. luckily as the locals all hanging around the airport looked like they were scary and ready to jump us. the mini vans are escorted to the hotel where we stay, by 2 police vans with flashing lights. sitting int he van, staring out into the darkness.. wondering if this was indeed a dangerous place.
the hotel... lagos sheraton.. is basic at best. room that i got was nice and modern, butt hats only because several airlines have pumped money into the hotel.. some crew got old crappy, and dirty rooms... so i was very lucky.
we are not allowed to leave the hotel. hmm.. nice place they sent us too.. so we just get to lay by the pool or stay in the hotel bar. several air crews stay there.. KLM, Lufthansa, BA.. etc.
imagine our shock to all see the drama unfolding on the runway at heathrow. those poor flight attendants.... we were all imagining how knackered and tired they would have been, after a long trip from beijing. by the time you land back into london you are so tired and exhausted and almost delirious. but after al the rigorous training we have, it just goes to show it all just kicks in. i hope this does bring new respect for flight attendants in this country. i have never in all my years fo travelling as a passenger, see travellers take the piss so much with virgin crew. i have never seen a flight on any other airline where the call bells just do not stop and the demands made on crew. im not sure if its a american/british thing, but certainly flights from Australia and asia are never like this.
was shocked to actually see faeces on the aerobridge. not sure if iti was human or dog or what.. but dogs would not be allowed in the terminal so one can only imagine it was human
anyway..the flight home was full, but i was asked to work up in the premium economy cabin, which was quiet. i was working with the seniors in the front galley, and even got to man the upper class bar at one stage, so i got the sense of what it was like up there. however, every time i walked down into the back galley, it was like walking thru chaos.. passengers wanting so much, like they were tryingt o get everything they could off us before the plane landed.. however.. they all got off satisfied and happy, which ultimately is the end goal.. thats whats is important really, so we just bear with it.
took me 4 hours from the time we landed until i got home.. which meant i got home at about 9pm... a long day.
i look back at my days of training, and having to work 8 hours training with 2 hours travel time on each end, when i had to go interstate..and think back to how tired i was. well.. this is like that, only, multiply by 2, imagine spending 2 hours getting to and from work.. then spending 8-12 hours on your feet, constantly moving, constantly thinking, add into the mix jetlag and ever changing time zones, eating snacks if..and that's a big if... you have time to, usually you eat whatever crap is left over on board, from either the crew food, which is pretty bad, or leftover passenger meals..which are ok, if you only had to eat it once.. but when its 2-3 times a week... hmmm.. and even then you usually only get5-10 mins to scoff as much of it into your mouth as possible, while standing in the galley.. so you tend to eat the snacks and junk on board because you can shove it in your mouth and hurriedly chew it on your way back up the aisle to answer the 100th call bell..
my biggest annoyance so far has been when a passenger in the front row of economy presses the bell... so i have to walk the entire length of the cabin, he orders and drink... i walk all the way back, make the drink.. walk all the way back to his seat.. and deliver it, walk all the way back to the galley.. only to have the bell go off again, and the guy next to him wants to order the same drink. i literally wanted to go make one and pour it over him... but hey.. we also end up with the patience of saints.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
buggery bollocks!!!!!!!
bloody sods law....and more bollocks!so ropeable!!! scott and i both swapped onto a lagos flight..... probably one of the least wanted routes, and they called him today and took him off it, leaving me to have to now go there on my own!!!!! to really rub it in, they have now put him onto the flight i was originally on, before i swapped onto the lagos. GRRRRR
to add you all into the picture.... this is a 6 hour flight each way, there are usually deportees on board this route, the passengers are rude and racsist towards white people, on the whole. Once we get there, we have to get police escorts to and from the airport to the hotel, and we have a security guard posted on our hotel floor, plus we are not allowed to leave the hotel, so we are virtual prisoners. by the time i get back, scott will be away for a night, but then we have all weekend together. so theres the silver lining.
rosters just came out... .and i have standby all month of feburary. great! so much for getting my birthday off or spend it with scott. most of it starts at 6am.. which means i have to be up and ready to go by 6am and just sit around and wait to see if they call me, then i have 2 hours to get to the airport so basically id have to leave straight away to make it to heathrow by then. on the plus side i could end up going anywhere in the world but knowing my luck ill end up in all the places that no one wants to go to. hahahaha
my life! my life!
to add you all into the picture.... this is a 6 hour flight each way, there are usually deportees on board this route, the passengers are rude and racsist towards white people, on the whole. Once we get there, we have to get police escorts to and from the airport to the hotel, and we have a security guard posted on our hotel floor, plus we are not allowed to leave the hotel, so we are virtual prisoners. by the time i get back, scott will be away for a night, but then we have all weekend together. so theres the silver lining.
rosters just came out... .and i have standby all month of feburary. great! so much for getting my birthday off or spend it with scott. most of it starts at 6am.. which means i have to be up and ready to go by 6am and just sit around and wait to see if they call me, then i have 2 hours to get to the airport so basically id have to leave straight away to make it to heathrow by then. on the plus side i could end up going anywhere in the world but knowing my luck ill end up in all the places that no one wants to go to. hahahaha
my life! my life!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Kenya believe it??
so much for being worried about my trip to kenya... turned out to be a great trip.
crew were fantastic and had such a good time with them all both on and off the aircraft.
you'd never guess what i did once i got there. i actually went ice skating. yup you read right.. all the way to africa to go ice skating. was a hoot.. since i havent skated for about 10 years. will definately be doing that again when i go back at the end of the month.
whoie crew went out for dinner to a brazilian charhuscarria ok so i cant spell it.. but i did get to eat camel.....weird!!!!! looks like braised beef but has the consistancy and taste of liver. not the greatest taste but there you go. also had croc too. although i think the aussie croc tasted nicer.
got to do manual demos in both directions.. this means getting out the old oxygen masks and life jackets to show rather than the video version.. sigh.. but its becoming old hat now and im well used to it.
did have my first medical incident on board on the way there..... a new crew memebr comes running up to me in the galley frantically telling me a man has collapsed in the aisle and she hadnt handled any medicals yet..... hmmm.. like i have.. but i raced down there and treated him. turns out he spoke french... so here i am, kneeling in the ailse, getting no response rfom him.. bending down to check his airway and breathing, you have no idea the wave of relief that swept over me when i discovered he was breathing... didnt feel in the mood for CPR...lol anyway.. looked after him.. tracked down his friends and tried to talk to them in french.. which im not good at but luckily made a mistake and said a word in german and found out they spoke german too so finished off in german.....
have been very multilingual so far.. have delt with passengers in french, german, spanish, brazilian portuguese, russian and dutch so far. still waitng on the sign language to pop up.
ah, well a days rest then off to nigeria.. .that shoudl be interesting... police escorts to and from the hotel and not allowed to leave the hotel at all.. luckily scott will be with me on that trip
crew were fantastic and had such a good time with them all both on and off the aircraft.
you'd never guess what i did once i got there. i actually went ice skating. yup you read right.. all the way to africa to go ice skating. was a hoot.. since i havent skated for about 10 years. will definately be doing that again when i go back at the end of the month.
whoie crew went out for dinner to a brazilian charhuscarria ok so i cant spell it.. but i did get to eat camel.....weird!!!!! looks like braised beef but has the consistancy and taste of liver. not the greatest taste but there you go. also had croc too. although i think the aussie croc tasted nicer.
got to do manual demos in both directions.. this means getting out the old oxygen masks and life jackets to show rather than the video version.. sigh.. but its becoming old hat now and im well used to it.
did have my first medical incident on board on the way there..... a new crew memebr comes running up to me in the galley frantically telling me a man has collapsed in the aisle and she hadnt handled any medicals yet..... hmmm.. like i have.. but i raced down there and treated him. turns out he spoke french... so here i am, kneeling in the ailse, getting no response rfom him.. bending down to check his airway and breathing, you have no idea the wave of relief that swept over me when i discovered he was breathing... didnt feel in the mood for CPR...lol anyway.. looked after him.. tracked down his friends and tried to talk to them in french.. which im not good at but luckily made a mistake and said a word in german and found out they spoke german too so finished off in german.....
have been very multilingual so far.. have delt with passengers in french, german, spanish, brazilian portuguese, russian and dutch so far. still waitng on the sign language to pop up.
ah, well a days rest then off to nigeria.. .that shoudl be interesting... police escorts to and from the hotel and not allowed to leave the hotel at all.. luckily scott will be with me on that trip
Monday, January 07, 2008
Eau de Boeing
you know, i always thought that this was a myth, but there is a particular smell to the boeing 747. it permeates everything. when you iron your uniform, you can smell it coming out of the fabric. sigh, i used to like the smell of aircraft... but now it just makes me think of work. lol
if you dont beleieve me about the smell, next time you step onto a 747, have a good whiff.. its always there.
speaking of smells... you never, ever want to open a galley oven after a flight... the smell of old meals will make you wretch!!
if you dont beleieve me about the smell, next time you step onto a 747, have a good whiff.. its always there.
speaking of smells... you never, ever want to open a galley oven after a flight... the smell of old meals will make you wretch!!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
catch up
god its been ages since i wrote something and so thought i had better catch up.
on dec 27, scott and i managed to take our first flight together, to barbados. was very surreal, getting on a cart with scott. wandering down an aisle handing out ice creams with him was something i just didnt expect to ever do in my life. and there we were, amid 376 odd passengers.
got to spend a nice day, laying in the sun, on a tropical beach.. was well nice.
even got o experience my first disrutive passeneger being thrown off the plane, and my first suspicious person, who turned out to simply be a first time flyer..
went to orlando after that, and spent all my allowances on shopping in the big mall there....well its not hard to do since they hardly give us any money. finding it a bit hard to make ends meet on the measely wage they pay us. im actually surprised, how they keep telling us how we are responsible for the safety of all these people, and at how hard we work, for many long hous, and that they pay us so little for it. im bascially being paid just over 10K in pounds per year... plus what they call allowances, which is basically meal money for when youre downroute. thsi is less than half than other airlines get and they are surprised that we are thinking of striking. however, im not working on any of the strike days, so i dont have to make a decision on if i strike or not.
weather here is bitterly cold, and if it wasnt for the sun breaks my job gives me, i would not be liking this very much.
have found my feet in the job and already it feels like i know what im doing. loving the feeling of being all strapped in, and feeling the thrust of the engines.
its amazing the different perspective you have of it all, when working on the plane. the other day i was fling over greenland and could help but lean on the door bustle and look out the back window at the amazing view fo all the frozen rivers. sometimes, ona day flight, i catch sight of the huge engines out the window, just sitting there like giant cylinders, propelling us along. its an unique view when youre standing up.
luckily most of my customers have been really nice. i have been getting good performance reviews on every flight, with most marks reflecting i am exceeding expectations. yay !! this is what i aimed for.
scott is off in new york at the moment and we have almost a week apart, with out schedules having us miss each others, passing like ships in the night. but however it is, its still better than when we lived so far apart.
oh..new pics coming soon
on dec 27, scott and i managed to take our first flight together, to barbados. was very surreal, getting on a cart with scott. wandering down an aisle handing out ice creams with him was something i just didnt expect to ever do in my life. and there we were, amid 376 odd passengers.
got to spend a nice day, laying in the sun, on a tropical beach.. was well nice.
even got o experience my first disrutive passeneger being thrown off the plane, and my first suspicious person, who turned out to simply be a first time flyer..
went to orlando after that, and spent all my allowances on shopping in the big mall there....well its not hard to do since they hardly give us any money. finding it a bit hard to make ends meet on the measely wage they pay us. im actually surprised, how they keep telling us how we are responsible for the safety of all these people, and at how hard we work, for many long hous, and that they pay us so little for it. im bascially being paid just over 10K in pounds per year... plus what they call allowances, which is basically meal money for when youre downroute. thsi is less than half than other airlines get and they are surprised that we are thinking of striking. however, im not working on any of the strike days, so i dont have to make a decision on if i strike or not.
weather here is bitterly cold, and if it wasnt for the sun breaks my job gives me, i would not be liking this very much.
have found my feet in the job and already it feels like i know what im doing. loving the feeling of being all strapped in, and feeling the thrust of the engines.
its amazing the different perspective you have of it all, when working on the plane. the other day i was fling over greenland and could help but lean on the door bustle and look out the back window at the amazing view fo all the frozen rivers. sometimes, ona day flight, i catch sight of the huge engines out the window, just sitting there like giant cylinders, propelling us along. its an unique view when youre standing up.
luckily most of my customers have been really nice. i have been getting good performance reviews on every flight, with most marks reflecting i am exceeding expectations. yay !! this is what i aimed for.
scott is off in new york at the moment and we have almost a week apart, with out schedules having us miss each others, passing like ships in the night. but however it is, its still better than when we lived so far apart.
oh..new pics coming soon
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