The Joys of Being an Airline Flight Attendant

First of all, I would like to say that I had no idea where to place this hub. It really doesn't fit into any of the categories offered, and I think it would be nice if HubPages came up with a catch all category for "Life Experiences".  This hub isn't about how to get a job, or job skills needed, etc.  It's more about my personal interaction with life and the people I met while working as a Flight Attendant. I hope you enjoy the lighter side of traveling by plane as a job!

Airline Jobs are not always what they're cracked up to be.  If you've ever complained about having to get up early to catch a "Red Eye" flight, remember there is an in-flight crew somewhere, getting up even earlier to be at the airport and on your aircraft long before the counter agent announces your boarding call.

Originally, Flight Attendants were referred to as Stewardess'. In 1930, Ellen Church convinced Boeing that having a nurse on board would help to reduce passenger's stress and fears of flying.

Obviously with the original job of the Stewardess being opened in 1930, dress code went with the very modest of fashions from that era. In the early 70's, Southwest Airlines would throw caution to the wind and put their Stewardess' in hot pants and Go Go boots, creating a marketing plan to entice more business class men to fly with them.

Today the Stewardess is called a Flight Attendant and the uniform is conservatively professional. There are now men working as Flight Attendants and most major airlines now require applicants to have a college degree.

Many people do not like flying on "prop planes" (as shown in the top image, taken by yours truly one day while waiting for my own passengers to begin boarding the aircraft I was flying on).

As a flight attendant, I enjoyed these the most.  For one thing, I knew that if one engine went out, we could always land on the remaining one.  These seat 37 passengers and require 1 Flight Attendant, 1 Captain, & 1 First Office, by FAA regulation.  The small number of passengers always seemed to give the flight a little more ease and a "laid back" frame of mind for all concerned. More individualized attention to each passenger, and the fact that someone in the front seat could hear jokes made by a passenger in the back of the aircraft made for an eventual private party thousands of feet in the air.  Ties could be loosened and the motto of "what happens up here, stays up here" soon became a pact between everyone.

I remember one such "Memphis to Oklahoma City" flight that went like this:

We were already in flight, the Captain had turned off the seat belt sign and I was bringing the beverage cart out of the Galley. When I reached the second or third row, a gentleman a few rows back asked: "Miss, about how high are we flying?" Without giving it a second thought or even looking up from the soft drink I was pouring, I replied "Just a moment, Sir.. I'll look out the window".

Out of the corner of my gaze, I caught him elbowing the passenger next to him (obviously a buddy of his) and wink, then ask in a very "Okie" accent: "Why? Ya'll got some kinda measuring stick out there?!". (Ok, the remaining passengers roared with laughter and I had to defend myself, no doubt about it). I smiled at the gentleman as I handed him a glass of 7up, and replied: "Well, no, but once you've flown as much as we do, you can pretty well guesstimate by looking". Another nudge to the guy next to him, this time followed by a snicker before asking: "Well, just how HIGH do you GUESSTIMATE we're flying?", (the chortles turned to full blown gales of laughter and I had been put on the spot). So I put the brake on my beverage cart and proceeded to lean over the passenger with the question and look out HIS window with a grin. (well sure, I thought it was funny too).

"I would say about 25,000 feet, Sir."

"25,000 feet?! ... we can't be flying a foot of 15,000!" my curious passenger replied, laughing and glancing around at the others.  "Don't them pilot's up there have one of them dummy gages that tells 'em how high we are? Ask one of them"  (more laughter, with request for me to hurry up because someone several rows back was getting thirsty).  "Well, if we're flying over 15,000 feet, then the drinks for everybody is on ME!.. (more laughter with clapping and cheers for the light of the party sitting in seat 3C).

Fortunately the handset next to my jump seat was still within arms reach and I asked the pilot if he would please make a courtesy announcement (which would include information as to altitude, speed, estimated time of arrival, and the current weather conditions at our destination).  You could have heard a pin drop as the cabin went completely quiet, heads tilting into the aisle and looking toward the cockpit as if that would help them hear the forthcoming annoucement better.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. I would like to personally take this opportunity to thank each of you for choosing Northwest Airlines and Northwest Airlink and if there is anything we can do to make you flight more enjoyable don't hesitate to ask your Flight Attendant for assistance.  We are currently cruising at an altitude of approximately 26,000 feet ..........."

The remainder of the announcement was cut off by the roars of laughter almost simultaneously filling the cabin, drink napkins creatively wadded into balls of ammo and flung at the now red faced, but laughing passenger who was pulling out his wallet.  "I swear to gawd it don't look like we're flying that high!"

"oh and Miss... (as he was handing me a couple of twenties to cover the other passengers drinks) .. you were wrong too"!  and then he winked at me.