Saturday in Sacramento

We had an early morning flight back to Denver, and as usual, we had lots and lots of passengers stopping on their way off the plane telling us how much they LOVE Frontier! It's a great feeling!

As I was walking off the plane, I called crew scheduling to see what was on the schedule, and I was told that I was going to Sacramento in an hour! It turns out that the original crew assigned to the flight were stuck somewhere on a broken airplane...so there were two of us who were assigned to the flight right after we landed, and one who was pulled off the couch. I didn't mind, though...when I saw we would be in town at around 1:30pm, I was thrilled!

Why? I decided then and there that I was going to make every effort to see the Sex and the City movie!!! It turns out that our hotel was across the street from a big mall, and guess what the mall had?!?! A movie theater! One of my co-workers went with me, but the other two female flight crew (the male Captain wasn't invited) had promised to see it with friends.

It was SO WONDERFUL! But...that is ONLY if you have watched the series. If you haven't, you just won't "get it" and won't fully appreciate it. I will see it again next week when Jen is home from NYC - she thinks that she is in one of the opening scenes!

Crystal City

It's been a fun afternoon! I met up with the crew - Julie, Julie and me! When I made the announcements for the safety demonstration, I said "Your flight attendants today are Julie, Julie, and let's just say that my name is Julie, too!"

We have a female First Officer, Erin, who I've flown with before...I just looked it up in my travel log, and the last time I flew with her was on Christmas Eve to Chicago. The two Julies are nuts - a lot of fun to fly with. The CPT is honored to be flying with all these females!

We have an early van tomorrow, so I best be getting to bed...

Sleep?!? What's that???

Just when I thought it was safe to go to sleep...

I got a call this morning at 5:08AM from crew scheduling telling me that I had a 7:45AM show time for a turn to Los Angeles and an overnight in Washington, DC. It's a good thing that I didn't go to one of the two midnight showings of the "Sex and the City" movie!

I just got back from the LAX turn...on the flight to LAX I asked a young male passenger how he was doing, and he replied that he wasn't feeling so hot - he said he'd been "totally drunk" only 4 hours before! That set the wheels in motion. I contacted the CPT and the C flight attendant (I was the A attendant at the front of the plane), and she went and chatted with the passenger. He told her that he hadn't had a drink since the night before, and that he was only kidding when he told me he was still drunk. She told him that's not anything you kid about on an airplane!

Then coming back to DEN, I was attempting to help a passenger put a roller bag into the overhead, and I moved a man's bag out of the way. You would have thought that I had stepped on his toes and kneed him in the groin! When I told him that smaller bags needed to be moved to make room for larger bags, his wife replied that "we were here early." I don't know what that has to do with the price of beans in Bermuda, but she felt it was relevant. I left that hot bed of unhappiness and went back to my front door...The CPT witnessed the event, and we decided that maybe we should go back and offer that couple our "Gone with the Wind" seats on the wings...

I am now in the crewroom - I have about 45 minutes until my showtime for my flight to DCA. Unfortunately, I arrive in DC close to 10PM, so I will not be getting together with any of my family - I'll have to be back at the airport at 7:40AM. But that's okay - I plan on visiting in a week or so while I'm on my COLA.

More later...

COLA

I just got "unofficial" word that I have been awarded a COLA for the month of June!

The bad news is that I will not receive a paycheck.

The good news is that I will be able to travel and spend money that I don't have! Also, I'll be able (hopefully) to get on top of some of those at home projects that I set aside when I started working.

I'm happy about my decision - it'll help the airline in a small way to weather this storm we're going through. And I'll be able to get out and about a bit and not have to worry about "show times" and other such stuff! For the month of June, this blog will become more of a personal "travelogue" but will return to my Frontier flight adventures on July 1st.

Vegas, anyone? How about Hawaii? The possibilities are limitless...

Duty (Doesn't) Call

Today is the first of six days of duty, and as expected, crew scheduling did not give me an assignment. I have learned that these six-day stretches are not the best, unless you want to sit at home waiting for the phone to ring! The best are three- or four-day stretches, but I couldn't rework my schedule this month to do that because I had already used too many days to go to NYC. So now it's time to face the consequences.

The company recently asked the flight attendants, especially the reserves (that's me), to consider taking June and/or July and/or August off as a COLA (company-ordered leave of absence) to help with our overstaffing situation. It would be at no pay, but we'd still get all our benefits except for vacation and sick day accrual. I thought and thought and thought about it, discussed it with Greg (he likes the additional bit of $), and thought and thought and thought about it some more.

The little extra bit of $ is nice, but it would also be nice to have the freedom to travel for a month, and to maybe spend some uninterrupted time at home getting all the files, finances, etc. organized! Which is something I did not do before I took the job. Also, with the cost of gasoline driving to/from Denver, it may be time to take a break and let the gas credit card cool off a bit.

The deadline for our requests is today at 9AM...so I went ahead and requested June off. If the June COLAs are filled, I then requested August, and then July (everything is done by seniority). The June schedules have already been distributed - I got a few days off for when Jen comes to Colorado, and a few days off to attend a wedding in Chicago. But I couldn't get a group of days long enough to make it worthwhile to fly to Virginia to go see my family. So that's what I hope to do.

We'll see what happens. Remember...it's all about Flexibility and Spontaneity!

Celebrity Lookalike

Yesterday was fun, but tiring. We returned from Dayton with a full load, and then headed to Albuquerque with a bunch of bowlers! Our return from Albuquerque was a full flight, and all of us were glad to finally be home and off for a few days!

But before I parted company with the people I spent the last four days with, I had to get the First Officer's Picture...


I know it's hard to tell in a picture, but in person he resembled Greg Kinnear!


When we were on our layover in Los Angeles, I told him that he should go to an agency and register himself as a double for Greg Kinnear. He wasn't too thrilled with the idea, but trust me, I think he'd make a killing!

Our team worked so well together - David, the CPT, lives out by Meadowlake Airport, only a mile or so from the flying field that Greg flies his R/C planes at. Carol, the forward flight attendant, amazes me with her life experiences and background - snowboarding, hiking, thrashing (well...at least her familiarity with those who are thrashers - her car is dented and scratched from letting her thrasher friends skateboard all over it!), etc, and Cathy, who's been a flight attendant for 20 years and still loves it - she has many stories to tell!

It's these kind of experiences that keep me going!

Day in Dayton

We continued our four-day trip by flying from LAX to DEN...these early morning flights are a riot! We are so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and the passengers are dragging their tails! Service is easy - most everyone is sleeping...

On our flight from DEN to DAY we enjoyed interacting with the passengers. We had FIVE infants on board...I'd say that lots of kids were going to see their grandparents!

When we got to our hotel in Dayton, all of us (minus one flight attendant) went to the Holiday Inn next door for an early dinner. We talked about our pasts, about the future of our company (a happy and long one, we hope!), etc. etc. Just a few days ago we were total strangers, but now we've learned a bit about everyone. It's a nice feeling enjoying those that you work with...

ReLAXing...(get it?)

Here I am at a gorgeous Westin Hotel in Los Angeles. We got here around 11AM and I, for some strange and unusual reason, was beat! So I took a short nap, watched some TV, and then went out for a walk and grabbed dinner at a local Subway shop.

Today's flights were a lot less bumpier than yesterday's flights. Thank goodness! Though coming to LAX we did have a guy spend most of the flight in the lavatory - at his request! He was fairly tall and had a window seat - he wasn't getting enough air and felt like he had food poisoning. So we moved him to the lav, gave him an ice bag for the back of his neck, and a can of ginger ale. By the time we were getting ready to land, he felt much better.

I attempted to contact a friend here in LA, but didn't hear back - the last time I was in town, it turns out that she was out of town! I guess the same must be true! That's okay - between being so tired from getting up before dawn, and the weather being overcast, it's just better that I hang out in the room - we have to catch the van back to the airport at 4:45AM. (At least that's 5:45AM Denver time!).

Our First Officer could be a double for the actor of Greg Kinnear. I hope to take a picture of him tomorrow so you can see what I mean. The entire crew has been so friendly and relaxed. It's been a real treat to be with them. We're planning on having a "crew dinner" tomorrow night in Dayton - at the same hotel where I attended a crew karaoke performance the last time that I was in Dayton! Should be memorable!

Colorado Tornado?!?!

We started the day very early today and did a turn to Indianapolis...and boy, was it a bumpy day! When we landed in Denver, we found out why...

A tornado had formed over DIA and then moved on to Greeley, CO where it touched down. We evidently, were flying over/around it. Yikes!

Next up, we picked up a new CPT in Denver (who will be with us for the rest of the 4-day trip), and then we headed to Chicago-Midway. This time, I did not call anyone to let them know I was coming into town - I've been up since 4:30AM and will have to get up tomorrow around the same time! So...it was dinner and then to bed.

On the DEN-MDW flight, we had a couple passengers feel ill because of the turbulence, so I made them ice packs to wear on the back of their necks. That did the trick! Towards the end of the flight a male passenger came up to me and the A flight attendant at the front of the plane to tell us that this was his first Frontier flight, and then it was his best flight ever! He thanked us, and he told us our smiles had a lot to do with it. Wasn't that nice?

All of us, except for the First Officer, went to dinner at Giordano's, and we had some great conversation. It turns out that the CPT lives by Meadowlake Airport in Falcon, CO - down the street from where Greg flies his R/C planes - what a small world! He knows several of the same people that Greg knows.

It was a very fun evening, after a very turbulent (2 tablets of Dramamine) day!!!

Duty Calls!

I spent six hours "flying the couch" this afternoon...very uneventful. No pre-boards, no assignments. But I did get to spend time visiting with my friends, reading my book, and just hanging out.

When I got off duty at 6PM, I started to head home. After about 20 minutes, my cell phone rang and it was crew scheduling giving me a 4-day trip starting tomorrow and my show time is 6AM! So I took the next exit off the highway and started heading to the Geyer's house to spend the night!

I have an Indianapolis turn and an overnight in Chicago tomorrow, an overnight the next night in Los Angeles, and an overnight in Dayton on the final night, followed by a turn to Albuquerque on Sunday!

It's a good thing I have such kind friends here in Denver...I still have to get up at around 4:30AM to be ready to fly at 6AM - but it's a lot better than having to get up at 2:30AM and having to drive from home.

Colorado - God's Country

I crept out of Jen's apartment at 6:15AM, leaving 4 sleeping kids. I took a cab to the airport, met the flight's crew (I feel like I'm in a sorority - we're all a family!), and hoped that I'd get on the flight. And I did! As far as I could tell, there were 2 empty seats on the plane - one of them next to me in the 2-seat exit row. Nice, huh?

It was in the 80's here in Colorado Springs, but as I write this it's now a lot chillier...! I have tomorrow off, and then back to work on Tuesday for six days of duty!!!

Packing it Up

This evening was very, very nice. Jen, Tom and I met my Mom and Nancy at Tavern on the Green for dinner - delicious.

But now I need to pack it up and try and catch a flight out tomorrow - the two flights on Frontier have seats, but they also have too many non-revs trying to get on. Ah....tis the life of trying to use flight benefits!

Another New York Update

Thursday - We did all the things we had to do - Jen signed out of the dorm, we spent the last of her "meal card" money on sportswear and toiletries, we opened a NYC bank account for her, and I showed her where my favorite laundromat is (I think she's going to continue using the laundry service only a couple doors down...same price as do it yourself and a lot closer). We won lottery tickets to see "In the Heights" (which just received 13 Tony nominations). It was soooooooo good. Front row center. Wow.

Friday - We took the ferry (8 minute ride) to see Tom - he took us to a mall where we finished up all the last minute kind of stuff that we still needed to get for the apartment - an iron, fabric boxes, ceiling fan chain pulls, etc. Then we went bowling! Man...it was a nice bowling alley, but expensive!!! I know I won one of the games, I know Tom won at least one, and Jen won one when we declared that the lowest score wins...! We headed back to the city, had dinner, played a little bit of Wii and off to bed!

Saturday - Everyone slept in. Mom and Nancy are now in the city - I had hoped to meet them when they arrived at Penn Station, but I had to wait in line for the shower!!! And Jen getting to her job took priority. So...we'll meet them after they see South Pacific, and we'll all have dinner at Tavern on the Green (Tom included). This day is Nancy's gift to Mom for Mother's Day!

New York Update

I have been having a great time here in NYC! Here's a quick update of what we've been up to...

Monday - We slept in, shopped a bit, went to Stephen Sondheim's house, went to Jen's boss's office...wait, you want to know what we were doing at Stephen's house? Visiting, of course! Nah... we had to pick up some autographed books from his assistant and deliver them to Studio 54 - the theatre where Sunday in the Park with George is playing. (By the way...Stephen Sondheim is a famous composer and playwright.) Afterwards, we went and saw the movie Baby Mama. It was cute. 

Tuesday - We slept in, Jen worked on a project, she went to her last digital imaging class, and I did a little shopping for a few things I felt they needed in the apartment...a timer, spoon rest, dish drainer...you get the picture. I actually had my purchases delivered to the apartment!

Wednesday - We did not sleep in today. Jen had her last Photography class...they took a field trip to the Met (she almost ran over Diane Keaton on the way there) and then I met her in Union Square at her job at the play Jump. While the show was on, we grabbed some lunch and then headed back to the theatre. Jen sold two Ninja swords. We then walked to Magnolia Bakery and enjoyed cupcakes while watching a bunch of kids playing at a playground. Next up, we met Jen's friend Kelly, and my cousin Joe, at Vnyl - a fun restaurant that Jen frequents. We all had dinner together and then Jen & Kelly went off to see Xanadu. Joe and I then went in search of dessert...

Life is good.

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

I had a great day yesterday, coming home from St. Louis and then doing a turn to San Jose, CA.



Here's a picture of the tail of the plane that I was on most of the day...that's Sheldon, the Sea Turtle! I think he's the one that I swam with a few years back at Waikiki Beach...

Since I've been the "B" flight attendant in the back of the aircraft I don't get as much passenger interaction...I'm the one who makes the announcements, as well as the one who sets up the main beverage cart. So I'm actually pretty busy!

The good news is that I'm getting used to turbulence! Sometimes it can get pretty bad, especially in the back of the plane, and especially when I'm sitting backwards!!! But I guess I've finally gotten my sea legs!

And now...ladies and gentlemen...I am preparing for my vacation! I am going to fly to NYC today to visit my daughter, Jen, for a week! I am so excited to see her new apartment and meet her roommate. If I get the opportunity, I will post a picture or two of my travels. If not...you'll hear from me next week when I return!

St. Louis

I realized why things didn't feel "right" on last night's flight...the flight attendant that I work with while serving has been a flight attendant for 20 years! Well, duh! No wonder I felt so slow!

Today's flights went well...once we arrived in St. Louis I was faced with a dilemma - stay in or go out?!? I decided to go out and face the elements. It was overcast and cloudy, and had recently rained, but I got lucky and didn't have any additional rain!

I took the hotel shuttle back to the airport where I got on the Metrolink train to the Delmar Loop stop. Then I got off and "walked the Loop." Here are some pictures of what I saw:

Creative "totem poles"

A Lion in the Loop

and A Naked Woman.

There were some great shops around...lots of modern furniture, clothes for college kids, and little restaurants. I grabbed a quick bite and then took the MetroLink back to the airport. (The hotel shuttle would swing on by and take me back to the hotel.)

You think people would be happier since it was FRIDAY!!!

Kansas City

Before I start today's blog, here's a picture of "the couch" in the crewroom. THIS is where the action takes place...magazines get read, conversations are held, naps are taken.

That was yesterday. And now for today...I came back on duty at 4AM, and thank goodness no one called! But crew scheduling did call at 10AM and gave me a 3 day trip that left Denver this evening! Yipppeee!

The crew I joined "in progress" had been in Chicago last night, and the B flight attendant didn't feel well enough to continue. So that's where I come in! But let's just say that things were "not clicking" for me tonight...I just didn't feel like I was on the top of my game. But you know what? It doesn't matter! Tomorrow is another day!

Our van leaves the hotel at 7:45AM - we get to sleep in! Yippee! We'll be going back to Denver, be on the ground for about an hour, and then we'll go to St. Louis for the rest of the day. What I'll do there depends on the weather...if it's nice I'll be out and about. If it's rainy, I'll nestle in my room.

Well...it's late here, so I had better get ready for bed.

Ready Reserve

I drove to Denver this morning in the worst weather conditions yet...snow? No. Rain. Lots and lots of rain, and lots and lots of drivers who are SCARED of rain. Going 50 mph in the left lane. Sheesh. But I still made it to the airport in record time...go figure!

I am on duty from Noon until 6PM. So far I've preboarded a flight to Chicago - the crew got there within 10 minutes of departure and were so happy that we were all ready to take off. During the short time I was on the plane, I encounted a "trouble passenger" - a woman in menopause (so what else is new?) and she was hot. She wanted to get off the plane, but we wouldn't let her (Federal regulations). Then she started questioning who made such rules, George W. Bush? Well...that set me off. I told her that she can thank those people that took away our freedom a few years ago, and made airplane travel a chore instead of a joy...etc. etc. etc. Then she asked me why I had such a crappy job! I wanted to say that it's only crappy when I have to deal with people like her, but instead I smiled and told her that when I feel it's a crappy job, I will be quitting. Life is too short. Fortunately, the assigned crew came onboard and I could wish the trouble passenger adios!

Back in the crewroom, I took a mini-test of the infant life vest - how to put it on a baby and what it's features are. Another thing I can put on my resume.

Well, back to the couch I go...I've got lots of magazines to catch up on as well of lots of friends with whom I can chitchat.

Not Picked

Unfortunately, I did not get selected for the 4 day Jacksonville, FL trip or the two positions for the 4 day Hartford, CT trip - even if I had had only 4 days left on duty (I've got 5 days), I don't think I would have been selected...each of those jobs went to people with more seniority than me. Nor did I get selected for the couch. But that's okay.

I'll enjoy myself at my Church potluck dinner tonight, I'll sleep in again tomorrow, but there won't be any 4 day jobs for me to bid on during the aggressive bidding tomorrow. So it's time to plant those bulbs in my front planter!

Here We Go Again!

Tomorrow is my first of six days on duty...and guess what? There were no six day jobs available on the aggressive reserve job board (but then again, I don't think I've ever even heard of a six day job). So I applied for the "A" shift on the couch - 6AM until Noon (because I have a Church potluck dinner on Monday night), but I didn't get picked for the couch, either (that's a good thing - I'd have to leave here at 4AM).

Hmmmm. If it is like last week was, I'll have a few more days off!

Mall of Americanos!

I left the house on Thursday morning at 6:30AM because I knew there were some new updates to our Flight Attendant Manual that had to be inserted before flying...it's a good thing that I came early! It turns out that a snowstorm was following me up the highway and to the airport! Isn't it supposed to be May?!?

I joined a "crew in progress" for the Minneapolis overnight (they had just completed a 4-day trip in Ft. Myers, FL and were all "beached out") - all really nice people to work with, and nice people on the flight.

In Minneapolis, we were taken to a brand spanking new hotel - a Hilton - about 8 miles away from the Mall of America. We were the first Frontier crew to stay there...and boy, am I getting spoiled. No more Motel 6 for me!

The bellman arranged to take me and the First Officer to the Mall, and each of us did our own wandering around. I had dinner at a Thai "fast food" place, and walked in circles (literally) looking at the hundreds of shops available. But all I bought was a box of "doggy" animal crackers for Kikko! The hotel shuttle had a 7:15PM pickup at the Mall, and then it was back to the room. I actually went to bed around 9PM because the van was leaving at 5:35AM to take us back to the airport.

The next morning as we were walking to the gate, crew scheduling called me and told me that when I got back to Denver I was assigned to a Puerto Vallerta turn! Oh...how I wish I could have stayed there! I was working with a couple "senior mamas" who were great - had great attitudes, etc. While on the ground for 50 minutes in Puerto Vallerta, I couldn't see much except for mountains in the distance and sunshine. Lots and lots of sunshine.

We had an interesting return flight - I had a passenger who wasn't feeling well, but did not speak much English so she couldn't tell me what was wrong. So we found a translator on the plane, and the guy in the row in front of the patient was an EMT, so he pretty much took over with me taking notes. She was hot, disoriented, and said that her hands were tingling and cramping. She also had not had anything to eat or drink all day...so he diagnosed dehydration. We gave her fluids, snacks, and TLC, and she did much much better.

I reported all this to the CPT, and he made the decision to contact STAT-MD, our inflight medical consultants, and they agreed with the diagnosis, but decided to have paramedics meet the flight. So I moved the patient and her family to the front row and ushered them off the plane before everyone else. Thankfully, she was looking great by the end of the flight.

Boy...having that kind of thing going on sure makes a 3 hour flight go fast! Also, towards the end, one of my fellow flight attendants started feeling poorly, so she swapped for the back of the plane and stayed out of sight. Never a dull moment, huh?