My World As A Flight Attendant

Gone are those reserve days! Airport reserve days are days when we have to be on call, show up in the crew room for our designated time of assignment either very early in the morning or stay late at night until the last flight of the night leaves.  Home reserve days are days when we need to be at the airport an hour prior to the departure flight when crew scheduling calls and assigns a trip. I was on reserve for almost a year, which is the usual case in New York.  I didn't mind being on reserve.  It was sort of a downtime.  I had my books and magazines to read.  I had a favorite spot to sit where I could see planes taking off, which was a fun thing to do. It's not necessary to stay in the crew room when you are on airport reserve. We could roam around JFK, as long as we are reachable.  Most of the time when we got tired sitting, we walk around, window shop, and take photos...

In August 2010 during the time when there was still CNN iReport, and I was active writing, they had the assignment "What did you want to be when you grew up?" So, I wrote this piece, entitled "High Profile Attendant"  . . . When I was young, I wanted to become a Flight Attendant or more popularly known as Flight Stewardess. I wanted to travel the world and see the beauty of other countries.   My first attempt to apply as a Flight Attendant during my earlier years was a failure.  I was not qualified physically because I was short of 1 inch.  My lack of swimming skill was another reason. Despite my lack of qualifications, I believe that I have some skills that a Flight Attendant should have. I am a people person, and I give high regard to excellent customer service.  I am outgoing and versatile. My dream profession was a failure. Nevertheless, my failure didn’t stop me from achieving some things in life.  I may not have travelled th...

What is your favorite wisdom to live by? In June 2015, I had an elderly woman who has some sight trouble, travelling by herself from Syracuse to JFK on our early morning flight. She's having theraphy in New York, and she does it regularly. She's nice and sweet. Later that afternoon, I was surprised to see that she's on our flight again, this time from JFK back to Syracuse. She gave me this bracelet and thanked me for taking care of her.  She told me that she volunteers at a hospital and makes bracelet for them. I  always say that I admire elderly and sick people who travel alone.  They have a lot of courage and determination. One of the things I love about this job is the people like her that I encounter - those elderly, sick and disabled passengers on our flight.  They can be challenging and a lot more work, but it gives me the opportunity to serve them and be a part of their travel experience....