I had one day off, which pretty much turned to two days off when crew scheduling did not call me on my first day of duty. Sweet! Then...of course, the good is followed by the not-so-good, and I got assigned to the "A" couch (6AM until Noon) on Friday morning.
For some reason, I had a real hard time sleeping on Thursday night - the weather wasn't the greatest, and I guess I was freaking myself out about how the roads would be bad...so, when I woke up at 2:30AM I decided to just go ahead and drive to the airport and sleep in the crewroom until it was time to report at 6AM. I got there at 4:30AM, cleaned up the crewroom a bit (flight attendants and pilots are PIGS), set my cell phone alarm, and laid down on one of the sofas and passed out. After awhile, the noise level got a little high so I opened my eyes, looked at my watch and FREAKED OUT. It was 6AM and I had not called yet! Crew scheduling knew I was there because of seeing where I had badged in at the parking lot, the bus depot, and at the terminal. But I still needed to call them...when I did, I must have been just under the wire, cause they did not give me a "late show." Whew! That was close!
Anyway, I served my six hours on the couch. Didn't do much of anything flying-wise, but did get to visit with another reserve, Judy. She was very sweet and a lot of fun to talk to. Well, it turns out that later that evening, Judy and I got assigned to the same 3-day trip which had an 0540 showtime on Saturday...she's at the front of the plane and I'm working the middle. We started yesterday with a turn to Vegas and then a Houston overnight. The Vegas flights were pretty full (there's a rodeo going on), but the Houston flights were less than half full. I was able to have dinner last night in Houston with my former classmate, Janel, who's now an air traffic controller trainee in Houston. It was so good to see her again and visit.
This morning, we left our Houston hotel at 5AM and flew back to Denver, and then we had a flight to Vegas that was delayed by an hour because of de-icing. We had already pulled away from the gate and were in line for de-icing, so it made for a long trip. And then there was a terrible headwind, as well as lots of air traffic in Vegas, and it made us that much later. Fortunately, the passengers were understanding, and no one had connecting flights...except for us!
But, when we left Vegas, we had a plane full of people that we were taking to Milwaukee, and let's just say that some of them were not in the greatest of moods. Unfortunately, I was the person they seemed to "take it out on" since I was working the middle of the plane. So...to help me "let go" of these bad memories, I am going to write a few messages to these people and say what I really wanted to say to them, but held my tongue, instead, since I am a professional.
To the family in Row 1, Seats A, B and C - if you check in closer to 24 hours in advance, you can get a seat assignment somewhere else in the plane that doesn't require all your carry-ons be stowed in an overhead. Plus, if you have something that is very breakable, it's best not to sit in the bulkhead, where that item will be squashed in with all the other bags. Also,to the young adult in seat 1B - your baggy, droopy sweatpants were on inside out.
To the woman in Row 3, Seat C - you were asked to move out of the aisle because your behind was blocking 100 other people trying to get onto the plane. It is just as easy to "move your damn seatbelt" out of the way once you sit down, as it is before you sit down. And giving lip to your flight attendant is not a nice thing to do when your fat butt is causing the flight to take off even later.
To the grumpy old man in Row 18, Seat D - when I tell you that I cannot give you a can of Sierra Mist because we are running low, it means that I don't have any full cans to give you. Saying "Quit arguing with me and just bring me what I want" is not going to get you anywhere. In fact, had I found a full can of Sierra Mist at this point, I would not have given it to you just because you were so rude to me. And stopping me moments after I gave you a cup of Sierra Mist to demand the can didn't help things...I poured the rest of the can into the toilet.
To the couple in Row 19, Seats A and B - yes...I know that you paid for your tickets and paid for your overhead space for your folded up jacket and that you checked your large bags and that you are entitled to that space above your seat. Wah, wah, wah. When I tell you to hold onto your jacket until the larger bags are in the overheads, I'm saying this for your own good, as well as to expedite the already-delayed boarding process. I didn't want your jacket damaged by the dirty wheels of the roller bags. I promised to put your jacket back in the overhead and I did - but you saying "that's all we asked for in the first place" in a snide and demeaning voice was not necessary. Looking back, I should have moved your jacket to another overhead bin so that you could play "Jacket, Jacket, Which Bin's Got the Jacket?" when we arrived in Milwaukee. (Note to Self: remember to do this next time someone is nasty.)
And finally, to all those passengers who applauded when we announced that they were getting free DirectTV, all those who smiled and said hello when we welcomed them aboard, and all those who were polite and kind when we served beverages, picked up their trash, served snacks, served another round of beverages, picked up their trash, served warm chocolate chip cookies, served water and picked up more trash...Thank you! Your smiles and kind words are priceless!
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