Lately, I’m noticing the strangest requests coming from people via the button, and some requests that make me want to scream. First off, realize that when you ring the call button, nose goes. No one really wants to go get it. We’re all sitting in the back or the front, we hear the ding.. someone leans over to check the ACP (area call panel) which shows us who hit the button. We then all look at each, figure our if we’ve already had an interaction with you – then, based on whether or not it was a good or bad interaction we try to decide who goes. As the most junior person walks down the aisle (just kidding!) we’re all peeking out to see whats going to happen.

The request that makes me the most upset is when I’m asked a question that I just gave the answer to over the P.A. It becomes obvious to us, even though we already know, that you’re not listening to us. So we answer your question and go on our way. In about 2 minutes, someone else will ring the button, and ask the same question. We become a never-ending broken record of information, which could be avoided if everyone just paid attention the first time.

Then there are those requests that we just can’t do. We can’t ask the person behind you to put their shoes on, or the person in front of you to bring their seat upright because you feel cramped and we especially can’t stop the baby from crying. Nothing is worse than having to talk to the parent of a child that is being too loud especially if you know they’re trying to calm the baby down. I refuse to.

I have a question. When you hit the button, you expect one of us to come by and ask whats going on, right? Becauselately, almost all of the call buttons I’ve been answering either no one knows who rang the button, everyone is watching a movie with their earphones in and pays no attention to me what so ever, or they just say “sorry it was an accident.” For your information, you can turn off the call button by hitting it again. I find so rude though when I go up to a passenger whose wearing earphones and rang the call button. I ask them if everything is okay, and they yell “WHAT?” – so I ask again.. “can I get you anything?” and they say “I can’t hear you.” People take OFF your headphones when you’re having a conversation with someone, especially someone you asked to speak to.

Also, like I mentioned on The Crew Lounge, don’t ring your call button during taxi, takeoff or landing unless its a dire emergency. Ringing it during the critical phases of flight for a fork for the food you brought in the terminal, something to eat or even to question our flight departure/arrival time is unacceptable. During those phases of flight we are there for your safety, positioned by the doors and readily accessible to assist in a medical emergency, and for no other purpose.

I love answering the call buttons for “what lake is that down there?” – my answer is always “Lake Las Vegas.” Even though we might be over Kansas, no one ever questions it.

Oh yeah, and don’t ring your call button to hand me a half eaten apple or a dirty diaper. Get up and throw those out yourself. Ew.

Now, before you become sympathetic, let me tell you a little bit about what happened. Seb has a lot on his plate. He works practically full time, goes to school full time, must complete an internship this summer, and does not wish to remain in Phoenix after school, and is considering a move to Seattle. Maintaing and making a relationship work and exceed requires more time then he has at the current moment. We did not end things because of a dislike for each other, nor because we had an argument, but rather because he needed to focus on things more important in this time in his life.

I was supportive of this decision and fully understand the reasoning. I was a witness to his lack of time, increased stress and need for some downtime. In fact, I am so supportive that he and I still live together, as roommates and best friends, in an upgraded 2 bedroom apartment.

I tell you this because I made him an important role in this blog. When I started the ‘About the Blog’ section didn’t hide the fact that he, in fact, created the name “Up Up and a Gay” and he was the one who told me that I should pursue my dream to write for a living, and propelled me to start and continue with this blog.

Now, he still continues to do so, but in a different role. And, that’s okay.

Life, goes on.

Now, I’m single in the skies… and back in the dating game. A game don’t really enjoy. However, it can be quite comical for all of you, because now it gives me another chapter of my life that I can share with you on here. You won’t be finding the stories that Chelsea Handler shares about her sexcapades, but I’m sure it’ll be interesting nonetheless. Something I vow that you won’t see, if stories of me dating another flight attendant at my airline.

There’s something weird about dating another FA within the same company. I don’t know what it is.. but to me its just weird. What if you break up? what if it doesn’t work? what if after a big breakup you both must work a 4 day trip together? Too many “what if’s” and its not worth the drama and the rumors on the rumor mill that any airline runs on.

I think my breakup came at a good time in my life. Work is thriving (we’re getting pay raises this year..), I am officially based in Los Angeles effective March 2nd (bye bye San Francisco and Ground Delays!), I learned from my last relationship more about what I’m looking for and what is important within a relationship and finally, it’s a new year.. anything can happen.

In closing, thank you to those of you who are close to me and sent me messages after the breakup and offered a shoulder to lean on and thank you for continuing to read this blog! I am sorry I have been slacking this month with updating it, but between the break up and the move, in addition to changing my flying schedule around to accommodate both events, time escaped me. But restassured I’m back in full force, about to work a flight from Las Vegas to New York in about 4 hours, gearing up to capture the stories of the traveling public to share with you.

Free Breakfast! What flight attendant doesn’t like anything FREE?!

There are some small things, for instance in some clips my voice is harder to hear than others – and in others, the editing cuts out something I’m saying, but hey — I can only go UP from here (ha!).

I hope you enjoy the first webisode. I’ve got a lot of good ideas from making this one which will make future clips that much better and more fun! Consider this one the “pilot” of the series.

Enjoy!

So at 5:45am I call crew scheduling and say that I have food poisoning, not to worry though, I will work to base but I’m supposed to do a SNA turn once I got there, and there is no way I’d be able to do that. What was I told?

“Well, we’ll see what we can do. We have a lot of open trips this morning that need to be covered. Call us when you land.”

I wanted to say, WAIT a minute. I’m not asking permission, I’m calling in sick. And, how DARE you say that to me. What do you want me to do, puke in first class? In a sick fury I hung up on her.

So I called the Duty Supervisors office and he was SHOCKED I was even volunteering to work to base. He was none-to-happy with what I was told from Scheduling either. I flat out was doing them a favor and he knew I was as well and thanked me for it. It was easier for them to replace me in base with a ready reserve than in an outstation. He told me he would call scheduling back and take of it. Within 10 minutes of speaking to the Sup, I was off the rest of my trip.

Who knew it was so hard to be sick?

Anyway, this is my first time getting sick in an outstation and it sucks! Not being in your own bed, no access to medication (I travel with some, but no way to get additional easily), no one there to comfort you, it sucks! Not to mention, I’m a commuter. When I got to base, I had a 2 hour sit before flying SWA back home. The flight was close to full and I figured if I didn’t make it on that flight I was just going to get a hotel room in base until I was feeling a bit better.

Right now, I’m laying in bed. My stomach is still cramping a little, I’m not hungry and my head doesn’t hurt. The second I stand up though, I get head rush and instant headache and I just feel 50% worse. Ugh! So I’m staying in bed.. forever.

Being sick, sucks.

Anyway, my last trip was with a friend of mine, we buddy bid the trip, and the 3rd was another senior FA – coupled with a Captain who has the same mentality on how things are going at the company and is SO easy going  – means it was time for a debriefing. You know, the kind where the whole crew gets together to talk shit about the day… not the kind where you remove the Captains briefs.

It’s kind of funny when you’re with a crew you know you can hang out with and have fun with how much you can’t wait to get to the layover city just to bitch about what happened during the day.  I also think it benefits the pilots because it gives them a true idea of what we put up with on a daily basis, I like watching their facial reactions to our stories. A lot of our layover hotels have crewrooms that only airline crew can enter. They usually have couches, a tv, fridge, microwave and a computer. It makes for a perfect meeting place to relax. It gets to be more fun when more crewmembers show up as they arrive at the hotel. It’s a good way to de-stress.

We we sitting in the Los Angeles crewroom drinking beer (that the captain bought! I love that!) and laughing SO MUCH while telling stupid passenger stories and 2 junior crew that I haven’t met yet walk in. They knew one of my other FAs so I knew they were with our company. They have a seat and one of them, drinking out of a coffee cup–something that wasn’t coffee–proclaims that she’s getting divorced. Out of the blue. She wasn’t even in our conversation but just spit it out. Like lost puppys, we all look at her and tilt our heads. She goes on. “Yeah, we’re getting divorced.” My first officer, pretending to be interested, which was hard since he had alcohol in him says: “well obviously it just didnt happen out of no where, you had to know it was coming.” — Now he did it. He provoked more information on this story no one cares about. But then, out of no where, Debbie Downer came one of the funniest things of the night:

Well, of course. It all happened on our 1st wedding anniversary,I’m the type of girl that tells it like it is and tells my guy exactly what I want. I showed him a photo of this Tiffany’s necklace I wanted for our anniversary, and guess what? I didn’t get it. Not only did I not get the necklace, I got nothing. Not a thing. So I filed for divorce. Can you believe that?

Okay, now, we have an issue. She thinks we’re on her side. Are you KIDDING ME!? You’re upset because you didnt get a necklace which probably cost a minimum of $1000. If I was your man, and you told me what gift to get you, without my asking, I wouldn’t have gotten you anything either. She was so serious in thinking that she was in the right  and failed to realize that all of us thought she was crazy. She was looking for sympathy but got none. She filed for divorce over not receiving jewelery. Amazing. No wonder why the divorce rate is 50%. I wonder though if she really filed for it, or if that was her 1 year anniversary present from her husband, and she’s too embarrassed to say it.

After they left, I needed another beer. The conversation continues on and we’re talking about a TV Show I’ll be on thats coming up soon. It was filmed while I was working onboard one of my flights. I was telling this story about how it came about and what happened but for some reason I couldn’t remember the name of the first officer who was on the TV Show crew. Then, my current first officer says “thats because I was in the flight deck the whole time setting up the avionics for the flight while everyone else including the captain was infront of the camera” — I think, I turned white. I’m flying with the same guy who I flew with then and hadn’t a clue who he was, nor did I remember ever flying with him. The next thing out of my mouth was: “OH YEA! I remember now… yeah, yeah..you were on reserve.”

Lie. Total lie. But it worked for the moment. Once he turned his head I mouthed to the Captain “I don’t remember him at all.” He just laughed and handed me yet another beer and said “I think you’ll need this.” Now THAT my friends is good CRM.

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