Confessions of a Hostie 3 (6 page)

Kathy tells me the man who ended up smashing
the flight deck door had recently split with his wife, was drinking
for days prior, and then jumped on the aircraft to wash down a
whole lot of pills with yet more alcohol. He was taken into custody
when the flight landed, however Kathy said that almost a month
after the incident she received a letter from the company saying
the man had no recollection of the incident and was receiving
physiological treatment.

Kathy is a compassionate person, yet I can
see the anger in her eyes when recalling the episode. Even though
it was long ago, she still bares emotional scars. Apparently she
only received a few bumps and bruises on the day, yet the trauma of
the event left a lasting impression. The man who caused so much
grief to the crew was getting psychological treatment and the crew
got nothing. Kathy is a strong woman; very little would phase her,
nevertheless she was affected by the episode.

I think these days the airlines offer a
little more assistance to traumatized crew than what they once did.
A phrase like
duty of care
has
become an integral part of the workplace. I can tell you though,
from my 20 years' experience and all the dramas I have seen
onboard, not once have I been offered any counseling or assistance
- nor have I asked for any help.

After telling the story, Kathy changes the
subject. I have the impression it is a story rarely told, however I
am pleased she shared it with me.

We stay at the zoo until lunchtime. Eating
zoo-café-food is not really my idea of gourmet indulgence, so I
suggest we head back into Singapore proper to grab a bite to eat.
After discussion, Kathy and I discover we share a love of Indian
food. We catch a cab to a little Indian restaurant I've dined many
times. Funnily, Kathy has not heard of it, yet keen to try. It is
cheap, fresh, and very good. While mopping-up the last of the
butter chicken sauce with her naan bread, Kathy declares she will
be back.

With content stomachs there is only one
relaxing thing left for two girls to do: shop. We go to Orchard
Road. The name came from fruit orchards, and spices like nutmeg and
pepper plantations, which the road led to in the mid-1800s.
Commercial development began in the twentieth century and took off
in the 1970s. Now it is wall-to-wall shopping centers, mostly
high-end. As international travelers we are spoilt with shopping
choices. Asia, overall, is very cheap, yet I find the major
expensive brands so much cheaper when on-sale in places like The
U.S. Kathy and I are too savvy to pay full retail.

Some of the centers in Orchard Road have
really good sales, with one such store on our bargain-radar being a
Japanese department store, Isetan. Kathy and I spend an hour at
Isetan, scoring some terrific bargains before continuing our
shopping quest.

Carrying shopping bags aplenty we make our
way back to the hotel. What a great day. I really enjoyed Kathy's
company - and am sure she was appreciative of mine. We have a
ridiculously early start in the morning, so a late night is not an
option. We are both still full from lunch, so we grab some supplies
from the local supermarket, in case we get hungry later in the
evening or when we wake up at that ridiculously early time.

I continually say the hardest thing about my
job is getting adequate sleep. Even disregarding time changes,
there is no routine in the times I go to work. Sometimes it is late
at night, sometimes in the middle of the day, and, like tomorrow,
sometimes it is in the wee hours of the morning. It is what it is,
so we try to adjust the best way we can. In my case (like many
others who fly), to sleep, it is popping a sleeping pill.

I use a natural product as I don't like drugs
of any description. If I could sleep naturally I would. The product
I buy is available over the counter in most countries and on the
shelves in The U.S. I take the recommended amount; one tablet. It
helps me sleep for exactly four hours. I once took one and a half
tablets, working on the theory I might get six hours sleep, however
what sounds good in theory rarely works in real life. I still only
had the mandatory four hours sleep.

I have tried stronger prescription sleeping
tablets, but I tended to get headaches or dizzy spells after.
Everyone is different and what works for me may not work for
someone else.

The one real problem with any sleeping tablet
is when I am woken inside the mandatory four hours of sleep I
usually have. This has happened a few times.

I'll tell you about one memorable instance:
It was in Paris during the middle of winter when the hotel's
evacuation alarms went off. Everybody had to get out. I had a
sleeping tablet only an hour before the alarm bells rang. I was out
for the count. I woke up disoriented with the sounds of evacuation
bells ringing at deafening levels in my room and throughout the
hotel. Dressed only in pajamas, I clumsily threw a jacket over the
top, grabbed a hairbrush from the bathroom, and hot-trotted out of
the room. For all I knew the building may have been on fire.

Why did I grab a hairbrush?

I later asked myself the same question.

I guess I saw my hair in the hallway mirror
as I was about to leave the room. It must not have been a pretty
sight. Realistically, my computer has all my contacts, my writings,
my life, and what I should have taken, however vanity is a funny
thing. Although I was dazed, to be seen in the street with messed
up hair, to me, at the time was unacceptable.

The first rule of being in a high-rise
building with a possible fire is: don't use the lifts. I found the
nearest stairway exit and joined the dozens of other guests leaving
the building - all 21 floors down.

As an international flight attendant my
sleep-time is often in the middle of the day as was the case this
day. People in Paris typically dress beautifully. I stood outside
on that cold Parisian day wearing pajamas and a coat (but at least
my hair looked good). By the way, the evacuation turned out to be a
false alarm - they usually are, but you never know.

In my hundreds, if not thousands, of hotel
stays, I have yet to be involved in a major incident nor fire. I
have had a number of instances where I've been stuck in the hotel,
although never where I've had to permanently leave. Events where I
have had to stay in the hotel were a result of either security
issues in the country at the time, or natural disasters. I accept
that natural disasters occur throughout the world, however it's
security issues which scare me the most. When the crew are told to
not leave the hotel because of riots or political unrest, I take
note - no matter how enticing the local shopping may be.

Fortunately Singapore is politically stable,
and apart from severe electrical storms, I've yet to be disrupted
by nature's fury - in Singapore, at least. In other countries I've
been through typhoons, hurricanes, a cyclone, severe snow storms,
earthquakes and tremors, and even a tornado. I am sure every
international flight attendant or global traveler would have a
story or two about being stuck in a place because of circumstances
beyond their control. It happens frequently; some places more than
others. I've had the most disruptions in Asia. In Mumbai, India we
were flooded-in for three days and on two occasions we were
confined to the hotel because of terrorist activities. Similarly,
in Bangkok we were stuck at the hotel because of flooding and on at
least three occasions political unrest and demonstrations saw us
not venture outside the hotel. A typhoon in Manila was harrowing,
as too earth tremors in Japan and Chile. I've seen the devastation
Mother Nature can bring. It is an unpredictable world.

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.