Don't Get Your Hopes Up

Now so far all I have written of are the positive aspects of my job. Well it only takes one rotation gone wrong to turn an enjoyable 3-day trip into the trip from hell. Before I explain, Here's some advice when it comes to air travel. Here are some ways to prevent a diaster of a trip.

1. If you have a feeling something bad is going to happen... Like a delay or a reroute... Don't say it out loud. It will happen. The second the thought even crosses your lips it's like a magical spell takes over the flight and whatever you jokingly said you didn't want to happen... Will. I promise.

2. Don't get excited about your destination. And God forbid you make plans. Your flight will get delayed, cancelled, rerouted or all of the above. When you think you will be arriving at said location full of enthusiasm and energy ready to explore, you won't. You think you're ending up at a lavish 5 star hotel in the middle of downtown with 24 hours to kill, you will end up with a Motel 6 by the airport with sandpaper for sheets and rocks for pillows and only 5 hours to sleep. But never mind the sleep the sound of the highway by your window and the glare of a flashing vacant sign will keep you awake.

3. Pack for all occasions. Even if you're going to the Caribbean chances are you will need a jacket.

4. When your flight gets delayed don't take it out on the flight attendants. Delays affect us as well. Believe it or not we actually do have a life outside of the galley, and no we do not enjoy collecting your trash. We would like out of The sardine packed airplane just as bad, if not worse.

5. When you see a flight attendant walking with a trash bag or pushing a trash cart this is the time to hand them your trash. Believe it or not we do not like fumbling with your garbage as we walk through the aisle on the way to something better to do empty handed. And please DO NOT hand me your baby's dirty diaper.

6. Book nonstop flights. I do not have information on your connection. And only an idiot would book a connecting flight 45 mins after scheduled arrival. Ever heard of deplaning? It takes forever. And chances are you're about a million miles away from your gate.

7. Things will go wrong. Count on it. Don't take it personal.

Now my story.

I picked up this rotation from open time. Which is a giant list of flights that haven't been assigned to a crew yet, so they are open for the taking. That's how I scored what seemed to be awesome high trip time rotation with long layovers. One being in Vancouver. I've never been to Vancouver but I heard it's pretty. And plus it's international... Right? Well technically but doesn't seem so. Whatever.

Problem one. The crew was awful. Okay, so I'm slightly exaggerating. I've had worse, but they were about as fun as going to the dentist and had the personality of a wet paper towel. not much fun for 18+ hour layovers. They literally drove me insane. I N S A N E. One was a complete nerd who only wanted to talk about his technology and Japanese anime, and the other was a typical rude New Yorker. Doesn't blend well with a southern sorority girl.

Problem two. Remember how scheduling loved me last week? Well our love hate relationship was in full swing hatred this time. During our first layover in Milwaukee there was a change in our rotation in the middle of the day. Which no one informed us of. Remember when I said earlier if you think something bad will happen do not say it out loud? Well the technology geek flight attendant said it out loud and jinxed us during briefing the day prior. No I would not like the flight to get cancelled and deadheaded to Vancouver, funny... thanks for joking. So here we were up at the butt crack of dawn for a 5:20am pickup. That required waking up at 4am. So much for checking out the breweries downtown due to early pickup. This is strange... Pilots aren't at pickup. Oh well they're probably already there. We arrive at the airport to check our gate for the 6:20am departure. Delayed 3 hours!!! You've got to be kidding me? Remember the no show pilots? Well they were still soundly sleeping at the hotel because they had been informed of the delay. As well as our fourth flight attendant who would be joining us due to aircraft change. What was the delay due to you may ask? Weather? Mechanical? Air traffic? Even better. Insufficient crew rest. How ironic. So there the majority of the crew sits for 3 hours waiting on the pilots while we uncomfortably sit in airport chairs when we could have been in the comfort of our own hotel room. Some rest.

Problem three. Our second flight to Vancouver was set to depart at 9:25. Our first flight was delayed until 9:15. It doesn't take a mathematician to figure that one out. So instead of working to Vancouver we would be deadheaded, which means we basically get paid to fly as a passenger to another location to work. Remember the joke earlier? Suddenly not so funny. Deadheading is usually amazing and flight attendants love to score those! You get paid to sit in a passenger seat, partake in personal pastimes, be served by other flight attendants, and if you want descretly change into human clothes. This deadhead, not so great. Mainly because the flight would be a 7 hour wait. Which cuts into our layover. Remember the 5 star downtown hotel? Now gone. Replaced with the crummy airport hotel. Remember the plans your not supposed to make? Good thing I didn't prepay for that whale watching trip. This glorious deadhead would only be after they put us in another airport hotel in Minneapolis to enjoy our 7 hour day layover. So now where I was supposed to be done working and arrive at my wonderful layover by 11am and enjoy the whole day, I was now stuck waiting in hotels and airports and arrive around 7pm. No bueno.

Complete waste of a day. One day. 3 hotels. 2 states and 2 countries. No long layover. No fun.

Which is where I am now. Currently 30,000 feet in the air writing a blog, with another day of the rotation from hell to go. Thankfully the technology geek crew member has a login and password for the onboard Internet and was nice enough to share. I told you in was exaggerating. Things may be looking up. I just won't say it out loud.

My European Adventures

P a r i s

This is what a crazy flight attendant getting ready in the lounge looks like

Nutella and banana Crêpes 

The cute restaurant where we ate

P i s a

My best friend that got added to the trip and surprised me 

All the steps are made from marble. They have been completely smoothed down from so many people walking them from over the years. 

Paris, Pisa and Sarah Jessica Parker.

So the A-day Gods have come down and kissed me on the face! if you haven't read my previous blog entry about my terrible luck with my a-days, basically it's when I'm at my airlines beckon call 24hours a day for 6 days out of the month. They can send me anywhere in the world out of any of the 3 airports in the New York area any time of day and they only have to give me 3 hour notice. Unless of course you are short called and you get a call from scheduling telling you "Hi, you've been rewarded a trip! Oh and by the way they're boarding. Get to JFK in 30 mins." These are usually the times when you're 4 episodes in to a Sex and the City Marathon or just got done working out and have no time to shower. Then there's the dreaded call that sends you to Newark, New Jersey... Which isn't really another state but more like an entire country all together. Or scheduling can always play joke on the new hire and put you on international standby at 5am when the first international flight doesn't leave until 1pm. So you sit for 4 hours in uniform waiting to at least be used for a transcontinental flight to San Francisco or LA. But you never do. Back to the crash pad.

So this has been my luck so far. But not this month. No sir. I have hit the A-day jackpot. Let me just tell you.

I have to commute in the day before to be available starting at midnight. So as I am commuting from Atlanta to New York I am continuously checking open time on the flight to see what they can slap me with. You can preference what trips you like and if scheduling is feeling nice they will reward you with it. So up pops an 18-hour 3day trip with layovers in Charlotte and Albuquerque. Now me and Albuquerque are not the greatest of friends due to a 9hour mechanical delay during my last training flight, but 18 hours for 3days isn't bad, and it isn't Jersey. I'll take it.

So as I'm chatting with a friend in the galley, another commuting flight attendant comes up, "Hey did you see that trip to Paris that just came into open time?"

What?! You're kidding! I just pref a trip to Albuquerque and now they need people for Paris. So I run back to my iPad and check. Sure enough they need 5 flight attendants for a Paris trip that signs in at JFK at 12:20am. This is my typical A-day luck. I'm at LaGuardia  in uniform at 10:30pm just headed back to an uncomfortable bunk bed in Queens when I could be catching a red eye to Paris.

The second our plane lands I call scheduling. "Hi, this is Brittany. You just awarded me a trip for my A-days starting tomorrow, but I've noticed a trip to Paris has opened up for tonight. Well ya see... I am at LaGuardia and I wouldn't mind hopping in a cab and running over to JFK to help out. I mean I am in uniform and all..."

Silence. "oh I'm sure... Please hold." So I wait, and wait, and wait, and then wait some more. "Yes, Brittany... Looks like you're going to Paris! You better head to JFK now" I literally screamed out loud! Everyone deplaning looked at me like I was nuts. I just apologized and explained to them I was headed to Paris last minute. Actually I told everyone!! I cannot even tell you how excited I was. I told every flight attendant, gate agent and security guard I passed along the way. Oh but wait. I may be in uniform but I was the definition of a hott mess. My game plan was to go home and shower... But that just wouldn't be possible on this short call. Greasy hair in France. Not cool.

So there I am in the JFK crew lounge with rollers in my hair, brushing my teeth and reapplying my make up. What was I thinking?! I hadn't slept! I hadn't eaten!! I had no business working a 2am flight across the ocean. But there was no turning back. Like it or not I have a date with a Boeing 767 and the Eiffel Tower.

The trip was complete bliss!! The Eiffel Tower was just as big and beautiful as I had imagined, the wine was even tastier, and the Nutella and banana Crêpes were perfection. It was the perfect layover and the perfect A-day trip!! It didn't matter I hadn't slept in 24-hours! I was in Paris and had fallen head over heels!! 

There will be pictures to come. I have more stories.

So my Paris high had worn off and I was headed back to Queens to finish out the rest of my Adays. Wonderful. Well after any transoceanic flight you are required to have 24-hour rest. So an entire day of my 6 A-days would be devoted to me sleeping. My best friend from training was also in New York that day so instead we spent the day shopping on 5th avenue, because i was on rest they wouldn't use me right? Wrong. As we're headed home on the subway we stop about 3 subway stops up from our crash pad to eat dinner. I look at my phone from not having service in the subway and what do I see "Voicemail: Scheduling". My heart sank and Amanda literally could see my heart beating out of my chest. You only have 20mins to respond to a page or you get a failure to cover aka youre in big trouble with your supervisor. It had been 35.

I frantically call back about the time they were entering my failure to cover. Just in time. I mean I literally had just became "legal" to work again. What were they thinking. "Yes Brittany. You have a trip for this afternoon. Sign in is at 7:45pm at JFK. You're going to Pisa, Italy"

You've got to be kidding me. Another international!! Another short call!! It was 6pm! I had hardly any time to get back to my crash pad and get dressed yet alone make it to JFK. So Amanda and I rush back to the subway then hurry our ass's back to the crash pad. As I'm frantically getting dressed and packing, Amanda is checking my rotation information and calling me a cab. Then like a perfect roomie or more like a husband she gave me $20 for the cab. Thanks hun. Long story short I make it there in plenty of time and now I was headed to my favorite country where my passion for travel all began.

It gets better.

As I'm in the lounge I overhear how short they were on people for international. So I called Amanda and told her she should put herself on availability and she would probably get an international trip. As I'm sitting at the gate waiting to board who walks up.... Amanda!! She had been assigned the SAME trip! So now not only was I headed to Italy... I was also with my best friend. It can't get better right. Wrong.

It gets better.

You will never believe who was on my flight. The one and only Carrie Bradshaw!!! Yes! My first celebrity, Sarah Jessica Parker. This trip was made for me! And let me just tell you, she is the sweetest person I have ever met. I was completely star struck and amazed. She came to the galley to talk to me and I thought I was going to pass out. Okay so maybe she didn't want to talk to me... She wanted baby bottles warmed up. But the fact is she was talking to me. So of course Amanda and I bragged a little  about how much we loved her and SATC, and a few other small talk topics. I asked for a picture but instead she got my address to send me whatever I wanted. So yes now Mrs. Big herself is walking around with my name and address in her purse.This couldn't get any better!! Not only did I have the company of my best friend... But now my favorite movie star, and new best friend Sarah was there too! Absolute perfection. Thank you Adays!!!

I am now a fan of A-days and an even bigger fan of SJP.

Pictures to come soon. I must enjoy my night in Italy with my best friend drinking wine while we stare at the leaning tower! Ciao Bella!

International Bliss

I am slowly making my way through Europe, one pick up at a time. That's flight attendant lingo for "I'm too junior to hold international trips, so I pick up any and every international trip that pops up on the swap board or open time from a senior momma!"

My favorite part about making my schedule each month is seeing what days I have off. These are not the days I plan to commute home and tell my friends, family, and beloved boyfriend who all miss me oh so much that they're long lost jet setting best friend, daughter, and girlfriend will be back in town. No. That is not my first thought on my days off, at all. Instead, I immediately check open time and the swap board to see which unappreciated international trip I can snag and spend 24-hours exploring a foreign city, all while getting paid and staying in a hotel for free.

Will it be Barcelona, Spain? Tel Aviv, Israel? Athens, Greece? Hmmm. Decisions, Decisions. Well sometimes the old senior momma's decide they want to  be greedy and not post anything. Or decide that they only want to swap their trip for another. And let me just tell you... no one in this world would swap their trip to Athens, Greece for my trip to Minneapolis.

Well this month I was lucky enough to snag my first trip across the pond to visit good old London, England.

This trip was a big deal for me! Not only was it the first time I had been to England,  but it was the largest aircraft I had worked. This was no little plane. Not the typical narrow body aircraft I had gotten so accustomed to flying as a baby flight attendant. This one had two aisles and twice as many people, complete with a business section that had seats that lay completely flat and a crew rest with bunk beds in the lower hatch of the airplane. As soon as I stepped on board my head started spinning. Where do I sit? What does this door do again? Service... uh what? After I crammed my brain with a refresh of everything I had learned in training it was just a hop, skip, and a  7 hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean. This time I actually had other new hires that had never seen the city so I was not alone in my explorations.

So we spent the day on top of a typical red double-decker bus touring the city on a "hop-on, hop-off" tour. We started our adventure through the tube (the London subway system, don't forget to "Mind the Gap") and ended up in the heart of the city in Piccadilly Circus. We hopped on the bus and made our way through Leicester Square, caught a view of the Royal Courts of Justice, St. Paul's Cathedral, The Monument, The Tower of London and of course across the infamous London Bride and Tower Bridge. We then hopped off and hopped back on a boat down the Thames River to see London by water. We boarded the boat with the perfect view of the Tower bridge and cruised down past where Shakespeare's famous Globe theater used to stand and the London Eye, which is the world's largest Ferris wheel (that will be on my  next adventure to London). The boat tour ended right at the House of Parliament and Big Ben right at the chime of 4 o'clock. After admiring Big Ben and the gorgeous surrounding buildings we walked to Westminster Abbey, the site of the royal wedding of William and Kate and the funeral of Princess Diana, then continued our stroll to Buckingham Palace. The flag was up so the queen was in. By this time my poor aching feet and cold body were ready to call it a day due to my lack of poor packing... I'm still working on that.

 

Finished out the night at a English pub eating the pie of the die and a British pear cider. YUM! Best meal I have ever had abroad. This is where the story gets good. Overall, I was completely satisfied with my trip to London. I had seen all the basics and I was completely prepared to plan my next trip back and see all the things I had missed. Went to bed that night actually looking forward to going back home. Early that next morning I got the call...

"Brittany... this is Lisa your flight leader..."

My heart sank. Oh My God! I had overslept and missed pickup! I am in so much trouble!!! The conversation continues...

Me: "Yes...!?"

Lisa: "We've cancelled. We will be working the late New York flight back tomorrow. Go back to bed and enjoy your second day in London."

WHAT!? This can't be real life. Best news ever. Now instead of my 1 day in London I would now have 2.5 days. Perfection. I love it when flights screw up on my behalf. I smiled and informed all my friends back home I would not be making it home because I was stranded in London. Darn. 

After delightfully turning off my alarm clock I went back to sleep and woke up whenever my little heart desired. This day turned out to be quite terrible weather wise, but who cares. I was in London. It could rain all day for I care. I ventured out in the rain to a restaurant where I had the best chicken and hummus I have ever eaten, my cashier's name was even Harry Potter. True Story. What's the best thing to do besides sleep on a rainy day? Shop! And that's exactly what I did. I shopped until I had true London-er style complete with a cute little jacket and Britney Spears hat that I'm still not sure if I can pull off back in the states. Ended the day with a trip to the London Museum of National History and drinking pitchers of Pimm's at another pub. If you ever have the chance to drink a Pimm do not turn it down. Delicious. 

London is a beautiful city with a beautiful history and so much to see. It is definitely on my top 5 list of best places I have ever been. My advice when going to London:

1. Pack good shoes

2. Pack a warm jacket, a light cardigan will not suffice with their rain. 

3. Don't waste your time on British TV. It's awful. Unless of course you're feeling daring and frisky and want to flip through and night and see the free porn. Don't worry it's right between BBC News and their version of MTV complete with the "Geordie Shore." I will still have nightmares. 

4. Drink a Pimm. Drink a Cider. 

5. Visit the Queen and fall in love with the city!!

 

My First International Trip

When was the last time you got paid to go to a foreign country!? Well I just got back from my paid vacation aka my 24 hour layover in Ireland!! This time last year was the first time I went to Europe for my Italy study abroad, now I am getting to go all over the world whenever a trip is available, and I couldn't be more happy. 

So what, it may have only been a short day there... but seriously, when was the last time you got to go to Ireland for the day? No big deal. 

We flew into the Shannon airport and stayed in Limerick. Despite my serious jet lag from lack of sleep the day before (Note to self: sleep the entire day before a trip across the big pond. Serious time change). Once we landed I snoozed for a quick hour, just to get enough energy to go exploring. One thing I have acquired while being a flight attendant is  the capability to sleep at a drop of a hat, even 15 minutes helps when you're always on your feet. The rest of my crew had either been to Shannon a million times before, or had no desire to go exploring (the bitchy new hire deserves a new blog post all herself, but that's another day). So I got up and got dressed for the chilly Irish air, grabbed a map from the front lobby and head out on my way. 

I absolutely loved wondering out on my own and getting lost in a strange city. I had no cell phone service, no one to talk to, and no where to be. Just me and the entire town of Limerick, Ireland. I know you're probably thinking wondering around in Europe with no way to contact someone in case of an emergency sounds crazy dangerous, but it was so perfect. It was my own period of relaxation. I had no one to answer to and I didn't have to worry about doing what anyone else wanted to do. I had free reign to walk wherever I wanted, take as many pictures and I wanted, and visit any place I wanted to go. I actually felt very safe on my own. No one looked at me like the crazy American tourist, I actually fit in... except for maybe the times I set up the timer on my camera and sat it down on random structures, like a park bench or trash can, to get pictures by myself. Oops. Guilty. 

The city was beautiful. It was a cute little town nested right in the Irish countryside. I could walk through next to the River Shannon and watch all the gorgeous swans swimming while I admired the rolling hills in the background and the wild flowers growing on the riverbanks and stone walls. I headed across the bridge to the bank to get some euro's then went for a nice walk by the River Shannon riverside toward's King John's Castle.

The castle was completed in about 1200 and parts underneath the visitor center are even older where they have found Viking remains from 922. It's amazing to walk around and know that people hundreds and hundreds of years ago used to live there and go about their day to day lives. Now I'm here exploring this medieval castle that they used to call home. If only those walls could talk, there is no telling how much they have seen. 

After my trip to the castle I walked through the city to the oldest building in Limerick which is still in daily use, St. Mary's Cathedral built in 1168. My favorite part of the cathedral was the outside. It had a iron and stone fence that went all away around it and a cemetery that had gorgeous old tombstones that date back as old as the church. 

Next I walked to I guess what you would consider the downtown part of Limerick where they had all the shops, restaurants, and bars. I ended up eating at the Burger King. I love seeing fast food chains around the world and seeing the different variations of the menu. They had a sign up advertising the Texan burgers they  had. I thought that was funny. After my Irish chicken sandwich with caesar dressing instead of mayo I walked to the little park next to the tourist center and searched for a 4-leaf clover. No luck, but I had to try. I walked back across the bridge back to hotel, where I bought a outlet converter out of a vending machine (cool, huh?)

and got ready to meet my crew for dinner. Last but not least, of course I had to I had to end my night eating fish and chips at a pub drinking Irish beer.

Overall a pretty successful first International trip. I fall more in love with Europe every time I visit. I love the beautiful scenery, the history, and the lifestyle. I can't wait for my next trip... which will be next week when I visit London!! Did I mention I love my job!? This is the glamorous part of the job I love and most people envy. I'll definitely take living in a crash pad a few nights a month if I get to visit Europe every chance I get.