Confessions of a Hostie 3

by Danielle Hugh

  changing times

  The flight from Singapore allows more time to chat with Kathy. She has seen many changes in the airline industry during her career. I am fascinated to find out her opinions on how the job and lifestyle has changed - and why.

  She speaks candidly:

  'Back in those days we were called air hostesses or stewardesses. The job itself wasn't that glamorous - we had to clean up vomit, collect trash, and clean the toilets, just as we do today, but the big difference was: the job was perceived to be glamorous. Everyone I talked to who wasn't a flyer thought my job was so classy, so stylish. I think the general public is much better educated these days; they travel so much more. Most know the job is anything but glamorous. When I first started flying, people would say: oh you lucky girl, it must be so fantastic up there; traveling around the world. These days they say: oh you poor thing; how do you do it?'

  Kathy reasons the job hasn't changed that much, however people's attitude has. These days passengers have higher expectations and stronger reactions - or as Kathy called them: 'overreactions'. Kathy, or me, had never heard of a term like air rage until more recent years. She makes comments applicable to whole community:

  'I see a lot more impatience and anger. People are more irritated and in more of a hurry to get somewhere. So often we see the passengers get on the plane stressed. I know airports are busier than they used to be, however check-in processes are more streamlined and if you are well-organized it shouldn't be a traumatic process. Clearing security is always going to be what it is and waiting in terminals is becoming increasingly more comfortable. I see unwarranted anger not only on planes, but everywhere; on the roads, in the streets, even in supermarkets. I was buying groceries the other day and a woman, a young woman, started screaming at the cashier because the supermarket wouldn't accept an out-of-date discount coupon. God help this woman if she flies with us and we are unable to give her a meal choice or she doesn't get an aisle seat.'

  I totally understand what Kathy is saying. Overreactions to little things are my biggest gripe also. When passengers have genuine complaints or enquires I go out of my way to help, but when they overdramatize simple scenarios or ask for the impossible, then I too get frustrated. The number of times passengers bitch and complain about things out of my control is staggering.

  I'll relay a recent onboard incident to demonstrate: During a meal service I was trying to serve a row of three passengers, when two of them, a couple, started complaining (and yelling) about something so obviously out of my control. The onboard entertainment system for the entire aircraft had some issues. This happens. The onboard manager made a clear announcement to say the system, being a computer, was being reset. It would take 10-15 minutes to reboot, hopefully fixing the problem. That announcement was five minutes prior. This couple could see us out in the aisle handing out meals this whole time. It was oh-so-obvious that the crew were hearing exactly what the passengers were hearing.

  'So when will the entertainment system be fixed?' they snarled.

  'The manager just made an announcement saying it will be 10-15 minutes to reboot the system, so it should be available soon.'

  This couple started yelling and screaming: 'This is a long flight, what are we going to do if there is no entertainment system?'

  I reiterated my earlier statement, however they still kept complaining - and yelling.

  Why are they yelling at me? What can I do to miraculously make the system work on my command? I am not a genie, I have no magic wand. I am standing there trying to serve them a meal (and now delaying food being served to everyone else behind them) all because they expect me to perform a miracle.

  I am magician, yet fortunately I can multi-task.

  'As I keep repeating: the manager made an announcement saying it will be 10-15 minutes to reboot the system, so it should be available soon, for now would you care for the chicken or the beef?'

  They still argue. I serve the gentleman sitting next to the agitated couple. He quickly responds 'Beef'.

  'And sir, how about a nice glass of wine to have with your meal?'

  He has a red.

  'There you go sir, please enjoy your lunch and I am sure the entertainment system will be up and running before you have finished.'

  I manage this whole conversation while the couple next to him continues to bitch.

  I ask them again 'Would you like the chicken or the beef?'

  They still complain about the lack of entertainment.

  'As I keep repeating, I have no control over the entertainment system, yet I do have control, at this stage, of a choice of meal. Should I need to come back later with your meal, that option may not be available. So, would you like the chicken or the beef or would you prefer to eat whatever meals are left over later?'

  I was only moments away from pushing the cart toward the next row when the man finally answered 'One beef and one chicken.'

  I know some people like to vent for the sake of venting, yet being yelled at because an entertainment system is unavailable for 10 minutes-or-so is ludicrous. Fortunately the system did reboot successfully. Sometimes it doesn't. It is an aircraft, having limited power and limited capacity with nonessential items, such as inflight entertainment systems. The mechanics of the plane essential to flying through the air have intricate backup systems; entertainment systems don't.

  I'd much rather have a reliable aircraft than a reliable TV screen. I would have loved to relay that to the screaming couple.

  Planes in modern times have always been reliable, yet safety has improved dramatically over the years. With more and more planes in the skies each year, one would expect more incidences, however there are less. It is testament to a professionally run industry with strict guidelines. I regularly say that I feel safer in a plane than in my car - but that might be a reflection of my driving abilities. The facts are that you are safer in a plane than in a bus, car, or a train.

  I have been asked 'What is more important; safety or service?'

  It is a clear choice: Safety.

  Did you get there safely is a far more significant question than how was your meal or how was the movie?

  In a perfect world each passenger has a choice of meals, a working entertainment system, and a seat with plenty of legroom. It does not always pan out that way. When passengers complain - and they do - we try not to take it personally. Some things are out of our control. Even so, you need a thick skin to be in this job.

  Working with Kathy continues to be a pleasure. She's had 40 years of complaining passengers. There were no individual entertainment systems inflight when she began flying. There was next-to-nothing. Reading a book or watching a small TV screen with only a couple of movies were the only forms of amusement on a twelve hour flight, yet, according to Kathy, passenger complaints were a rarity.

  Kathy is not the type to start every sentence with when I began flying or back in my day..., however I love learning about the job 40 years ago. I ask many questions. Kathy is happy to oblige.

  When she first joined, the airline the Boeing 747, the Jumbo, was the latest and greatest aircraft to hit the skies.

  'I remember how huge it was, how impressive' Kathy recalls. 'I thought to myself at the time, being the 1970's, that if this amazing aircraft is flying around now, what will be in the air by the turn of the century? I remember thinking in the year 2000 that the Jumbo still looked like the Jumbo from 25 years earlier. I know there were refinements and more efficient engines, but essentially it was the same aircraft as a quarter of a century earlier. The aviation industry hasn't changed all that much - and I thought it would. I know it is much safer. That we can be thankful for.'

  Regardless of the changing times I sense Kathy is enjoying the job more than ever. I guess she has limited time left flying, wanting to make every moment count. I admire her attitude.

  don't expect a gold watch and lavish send off

  I ask Kathy how long she intends to keep flying. She talks frankly:

  'A
s long as I still enjoy the job - and they don't force me out the door - I'll keep doing what I do.'

  When Kathy said the word they, she is referring to our company. Retiring is something I had not given a lot of thought to - until now.

  A job as a flight attendant, particularly internationally, is unique. My closest non-flying friends in the workforce include a school teacher, a dentist, a medical equipment technician, an accounts manager, a café owner, and a police woman. These are all jobs based in either a head office or one location, working with the same core of people consistently. We hosties go to work with different groups of people on almost a daily basis. If something goes wrong we are accountable, but by-and-large we go from trip to trip as virtually a self-managed team.

  I have an overseer supposedly monitoring my overall performance, but as I keep a clean slate I don't have any dealings with that ground-based manager. I am not Danielle Hugh the individual, I am a multi-digit staff number. If a ground-based manager wanted to know what I looked like, they would need to look at a picture on my computer profile. I am sure it is the same with most large companies, with the added complication that my office is at over 30,000 feet in the air.

  There are advantages to being virtually anonymous, yet, like most things in life where there is a positive there is often a negative.

  Kathy tells a poignant story: She returned from a recent trip to find a male colleague sitting on a curbside gutter crying. She knew the man well, making her way directly to him. He had 41 years of flying, having returned from his last ever trip - yet he was not crying because of retirement. He explained to Kathy he was excited to enter the next phase of his life with no jetlag and loads of free time. He described of just having returned his staff I.D. This is the card required to enter the airport, our company's buildings, car-park, and so on. On the way to the security section to return his I.D he passed a staff room of ground-based workers. A woman, who had been with the company for less than 18 months, was being thrown a party as she was pregnant and going on maternity leave.

  The retiring flight attendant walked past the office party. After handing-in his I.D, he was escorted from the building by security personnel.

  Over forty years with the one company, the one job, and he is shown the door. That's it; not even a goodbye. His tears were due to the impersonal way he had been treated.

  'I was not expecting a gold watch or some sort of lavish party' the man said, 'but to finish my last trip, made to return my I.D, and then be escorted off the premises, well, that is humiliating. I don't know what I was expecting, but not this.'

  Kathy treats every trip as if it could be her last. She wants to leave on her terms, with no regrets. She has seen so much in her 40 years of global travelling, yet she wants to see more.

  If we have no dreams, we have no passion.

  For much of the flight home I talk with Kathy about what she wants from her remaining 'hostie time'. Surprisingly, she wants little. She has no bucket lists, no definite plans. All Kathy wants is to enjoy herself.

  With the trip finishing I hug Kathy to tell her 'I can't express enough how enjoyable it was working with you - and learning from you. I hope you fly for many more years to come - and I hope we work together again.'

  I meant every word I said. There should be more Kathys in the world. I do hope I fly again with her soon, yet the odds are I won't. It is one of the sadder aspects of the job when working with great people and knowing you may or may not see them again in the foreseeable future.

  I have only two days at home before going to Asia again; this time to Jakarta. On my last trip to Jakarta I did some charity work. Dean came with me, so it is a destination we can share conversation and good memories. There is no charity work planned this time, although I do have a trip to Africa after my Jakarta, so that trip may provide an opportunity to give something back. For now I have thoughts of Indonesia.

  I love Jakarta, not as a tourist destination, but for what I call 'me-time'. There are so many self-indulgent things to do that are cheap and accessible. Often I will look at my roster, when knowing I am going to a place like Jakarta I will organize my upcoming beauty regime around that trip. Things like haircuts and styling, pedicures and manicures (or as Mary refers: treatment for paws and claws), massages, facials, and general chores like having keys cut and duplicated, shoes resoled, clothes tailored, and watches fixed are so much cheaper and convenient in Jakarta. The shopping is also awesome.

  I love travelling with family and friends, yet every so often it is nice to have some time on your own. This next trip will be one of those trips. I actually asked if Helen would like to come on the trip with me - and she would have loved it, but she has her niece staying at her house for a few days. Funnily enough, her niece wants to become a flight attendant. Helen asked me if I could chat with her while she is in town. These next two days will be my only opportunity so I'll attempt to shake the jetlag and see them over coffee.

  I joke that all the new female flight attendants joining our airline are young, beautiful, and all named either Amber or Holly. Helen's niece's name is Holly. When I found out I chuckled out loud. I have yet to meet Holly (the niece), however Helen describes her as: 21, beautiful, eager, and she has always wanted to be a flight attendant.

  'You just described me - 20-odd years ago' I teased at the time.

  I am looking forward to talking with Holly, being more than happy to help her or anyone else with a passion for becoming a hostie. Doing the last trip with Kathy, with her 40 years of flying, has made me think more about my own career. I reminisce about when I was Holly's age - and my desire to become a flight attendant. I had little help in applying for the airlines and even less idea about the realities of the job. I wasn't completely naive, yet I look back to realize I knew next-to-nothing. All I recognized is I really wanted the job.

  When you have been in a job like mine for as long as I have, you sometimes forget how badly you wanted it in the first place. It is not always the case, but it was for me.

  when you want something bad enough...

  Most girls who now fly were like me, having similar ambitions and dreams. Some crew, however, got the job by default. I know Mary Gomez did. She had a girlfriend who truly wanted to be an international air hostess. Mary had given it little thought, but applied anyway. It is a story I've heard a number of times; where two people apply, have interviews, and the one who couldn't really care less about getting the job is the one who gets it. Mary became a hostie, her friend didn't.

  Getting the job is a hit and miss affair, mostly misses. For the number of candidates very few get the position. I'd love to tell you that I waltzed into the first interview and they said 'We love you Danielle and we can't imagine how we'd survive without you, so can you please start tomorrow' but I can't. The reality is I was rejected on several occasions, over several years, before finally securing the job.

  I remember my first ever interview. It came after months of applications to a host of airlines. I thought the initial interview went well. It did, so I was invited back. I was so excited. The second interview went well also - or so I thought. I thought wrong. I was rejected and told I was unable to reapply for a minimum of another 12 months. I was crushed.

  What did I do wrong?

  How could I have handled myself better?

  What should I do next time (assuming there is a next time)?

  Rejection is a heavy burden, nonetheless I dusted off the disappointment to apply again.

  This time I was asked to attend an interview for a domestic airline. I'd never really given much thought to flying domestically, but at the time I said 'what the heck.'

  This time I was better prepared. I found out more about the real role of flight attendants; reading-up, learning the terminology, the expectations, and the challenges. I was prepared, relaxed, and confident.

  Once again I bombed out.

  Maybe it's me?

  Maybe I'm not what they are looking for with this job?

  Maybe
I am delusional?

  I contemplated not applying again. I went into justification mode: I already had a good job, I was university educated, why would I want to be a 'trolley dolly' pouring tea and coffee and handing out trays of food?

  When I was at high school I once joked that I wanted to join the debating team, however someone talked me out of it.

  It was purely a pun. I never wanted to be on the debating team, but I can tell you that if I set my mind on doing something, no one would talk me out of it. I have never been a quitter.

  I stopped feeling sorry for myself to apply once again, including the international carrier who rejected me the first time round. The year of being 'banned from applying' was up, although it took almost two years to be in the right place at the right time to get an interview. During that time I had matured. I worked some customer service-orientated jobs, studied another language, and improved the other language I already knew - all to help build my résumé. I travelled and loved it. I watched the flight attendants on each flight during my travels, studying their every move. I knew I had the right stuff. There would be no more excuses.