The day finally came. This is what I had been waiting for from the day I started those missions; the day we would start bringing those soldiers home. It felt odd to us to deadhead over to Rome and then fly a huge empty MD11 the 10 hours down to Kuwait. We were excited. TheContinue reading “Got Jumper Cables?”
Tag Archives: Flight crew
Homeward Bound
Finally with a fresh new battery on board and a planeload of tired, spent soldiers we were ready to point our nose towards the long journey home. Things were different than we all imagined right from the initial boarding process. Our crew was in full pep rally mode and had the aircraft decorated to welcomeContinue reading “Homeward Bound”
The Show
The Gulf Wars took their toll on the airline industry and the infrastructure was adjusted such that it was no longer easy to commute from Montana to Salt Lake City, so I finally bit the bullet and changed my base to Atlanta and headed south. In this way the aviation industry is a lot likeContinue reading “The Show”
Fridays in Tel Aviv
My next stop on the international educational tour was Tel Aviv. It just felt easier. The irony of that was not lost on me, what with attacks from Gaza on a regular basis and a new crew hotel because the old one got shelled… I just grew weary of having to use bottled water toContinue reading “Fridays in Tel Aviv”
Yabba Dabba Dubai!
Ultra long range flying is attractive to flight attendants because we are only paid for the time after we push back from the gate until we land. We get a base rate of pay (less than minimum wage) and then we make an hourly rate per flight hour based on our seniority. A lot ofContinue reading “Yabba Dabba Dubai!”
Coffee, Tea or Farsi?
I was reminded by a close friend of the subtle differences between life in the UAE and what we are accustomed to. Her observations were quite astute and things that had struck US flight crews immediately. The sheer beauty and elegance of an Emirates flight crew in motion, particularly in the UAE, was notable. Continue reading “Coffee, Tea or Farsi?”
Bucket Lists and Opera
So what other kind of flying do senior flight attendants do when they aren’t just packing on the hours? Believe it or not, after all of those years of travel we are adventure geeks at heart and love to explore. I finally decided to take some time and see the sights. Upon recommendation, I choseContinue reading “Bucket Lists and Opera”
Roman Holidays
Rome. Need I say more? What’s not to love? I actually had no real interest in going to a huge city in Italy at first glance. It seems that folks who travel a bit, say Europe maybe once a year or so, love to bash big cities. It was easy to get on board withContinue reading “Roman Holidays”
Talking the Talk
As I spent time each week in Italy immersed in their culture, I found myself picking up Italian a bit at a time with no effort. A melodic language, easy on the ears, it had remarkable similarities to English and the Italian propensity to embellish communications with gestures helped with translation. I took the nextContinue reading “Talking the Talk”
Something More
To say I made the most of my commercial flying career would be an understatement. The friends I made and the experiences I was afforded by traveling the world were priceless. I spent most of my career commuting to a base since I often chose to live in smaller towns and more intimate settings. WhenContinue reading “Something More”
Whitefish Dog and Home 