Well...the flight from Indianapolis to Cancun FINALLY took off, almost three hours late due to a "I'm just kidding around" passenger who accused a flight attendant of being inebriated. Not good. It turns out that the entire flight crew was drug tested, all were cleared, and the flight went on it's merry way. I am waiting to hear if the passenger who thought he was being funny got to fly today.
As a result, the flight will be delayed when it returns to IND. That means that we'll be delayed taking that plane back to DEN. Crew scheduling has already re-crewed the flight from Denver to San Antonio so that it will stay on time. Bummer. The rest of the crew will still do their turn to Orange County, CA tomorrow, but it was taken off of my schedule. It shows that I'll be back in DEN around 9PM and then there's nothing on it for the rest of today and tomorrow.
I went to the local CVS to pick up some shampoo and buy a few Easter basket things - it was cold outside! I walked around a little bit, but decided to go back to the room and watch one of my Netflix movies - "Milk Money." It was improbable, but cute. I've also been trying to watch the last episode of "The Bachelor," but my connection or the site or something is so slow...they'll say a few words and then stop, then say a few words and then stop. I guess I'll have to watch it when I get home.
Before I go and start getting ready to go back to Denver, I wanted to relay an experience I had in the flight deck during my recent flight from DEN to MCO. During a potty break, as I was sitting in the flight deck in the CPT's chair, ATC contacted us to let us know that another aircraft was ahead of us, traveling towards us, and was 1000 feet below. I watched that plane get closer and closer, and in a matter of minutes, we were flying over it. WOW. It sure didn't seem like 1000 feet! Awesome, just awesome.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Attitude is Everything
What an interesting trip this has already been. Our PHX turn was not the best - everything was rushed, crazy, mixed-up...just nuts! One of my problems was that the other FAs aren't as "particular" about food/beverage inventories as I am. Things were being taken off carts, run up on the other cart's machines - no controls whatsoever. I expressed my frustration to the C, and then he in turn talked with the A. On our next leg to IND, things were much, much better. Whenever anyone wanted items off my cart, they used my machine, and my ending inventory was actually correct this time! Halleluiah!
When I met the C flight attendant, I found out very quickly that his glass was "half empty." He seemed like a really nice guy, but was really, really negative. So I made it my goal to turn him around a bit and to stay on the positive side of life...at least during this trip!
In a recent letter from our new CEO, he mentioned something he had heard in a sermon on Lent. The thing he should focus on is LENT - Let's Eliminate Negative Thinking. Boy...has that struck a chord with me. It sums up what I've been doing for the past 2 1/2 years. Why focus on the negative? I've found that when you do, negative stuff keeps on happening! When I focus on the positive, good things happen and my attitude changes for the best. Who wants to be around negative thinkers? It's not always easy...but it's definitely worth the effort.
I've been wasting time this morning catching up on my online newspaper - as I left my neighborhood yesterday, there were police cars, an ambulance, and fire trucks at a townhome down the street. As I drove by, people were outside the townhome with medical masks on their faces...I read this morning's local paper to see if there was an article about what happened, but nothing was mentioned. Was the home's occupant sick? Or maybe dead? Or maybe filled with cats and dogs that were never let outside? I guess I'll never know.
While reading the paper, my cellphone rang - it was Crew Scheduling. They asked me how long it'd take me to get ready to go to the airport and fly to Cancun and back. Huh? It turns out that we have a crew that left the hotel this morning to fly to Cancun. Before the flight took off, one of the passengers questioned the sobriety of one of the flight attendants. So that FA was taken to the clinic to be tested, and CS thought that maybe I could get out there and help the flight stay on schedule.
As I was getting ready to jump in the shower, CS called again to tell me "never mind." That the entire crew was being drug tested. Bummer. That means that Cancun flight is gonna be delayed. And from what they told me, the passenger is now saying that they were "just kidding" about it! Not a good answer. Our bad news is that that is our plane tonight that we are supposed to take back to Denver...CS told me I might want to call my CPT and give him a heads-up.
So that's what I did. It was around 11AM local time, and I woke him up! Ooops. But I felt he needed to know - if we're gonna be delayed, I'd rather hang out here in the hotel longer instead of having to sit at the airport waiting for a plane! Also, our shuttle service needed to be contacted, etc. What a mess. Unfortunately, you just can't kid around about stuff like that any longer.
I guess it was a good thing that I got ready to jump in the shower - I realized that I left my little shampoo bottle in my hotel room in MCO. Bummer. But at least now I can throw on some warm clothes and brave the freezing IND weather to find my shampoo at the local drugstore or mall. So I guess that's what I'm going to do now!!!
When I met the C flight attendant, I found out very quickly that his glass was "half empty." He seemed like a really nice guy, but was really, really negative. So I made it my goal to turn him around a bit and to stay on the positive side of life...at least during this trip!
In a recent letter from our new CEO, he mentioned something he had heard in a sermon on Lent. The thing he should focus on is LENT - Let's Eliminate Negative Thinking. Boy...has that struck a chord with me. It sums up what I've been doing for the past 2 1/2 years. Why focus on the negative? I've found that when you do, negative stuff keeps on happening! When I focus on the positive, good things happen and my attitude changes for the best. Who wants to be around negative thinkers? It's not always easy...but it's definitely worth the effort.
I've been wasting time this morning catching up on my online newspaper - as I left my neighborhood yesterday, there were police cars, an ambulance, and fire trucks at a townhome down the street. As I drove by, people were outside the townhome with medical masks on their faces...I read this morning's local paper to see if there was an article about what happened, but nothing was mentioned. Was the home's occupant sick? Or maybe dead? Or maybe filled with cats and dogs that were never let outside? I guess I'll never know.
While reading the paper, my cellphone rang - it was Crew Scheduling. They asked me how long it'd take me to get ready to go to the airport and fly to Cancun and back. Huh? It turns out that we have a crew that left the hotel this morning to fly to Cancun. Before the flight took off, one of the passengers questioned the sobriety of one of the flight attendants. So that FA was taken to the clinic to be tested, and CS thought that maybe I could get out there and help the flight stay on schedule.
As I was getting ready to jump in the shower, CS called again to tell me "never mind." That the entire crew was being drug tested. Bummer. That means that Cancun flight is gonna be delayed. And from what they told me, the passenger is now saying that they were "just kidding" about it! Not a good answer. Our bad news is that that is our plane tonight that we are supposed to take back to Denver...CS told me I might want to call my CPT and give him a heads-up.
So that's what I did. It was around 11AM local time, and I woke him up! Ooops. But I felt he needed to know - if we're gonna be delayed, I'd rather hang out here in the hotel longer instead of having to sit at the airport waiting for a plane! Also, our shuttle service needed to be contacted, etc. What a mess. Unfortunately, you just can't kid around about stuff like that any longer.
I guess it was a good thing that I got ready to jump in the shower - I realized that I left my little shampoo bottle in my hotel room in MCO. Bummer. But at least now I can throw on some warm clothes and brave the freezing IND weather to find my shampoo at the local drugstore or mall. So I guess that's what I'm going to do now!!!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Getting Ready to Fly Again
Yesterday's trip to MCO (Orlando) went very, very well. I had an awesome flight deck crew, and a fellow flight attendant who actually does her job the way that the company wants her to! Wow. Our flight going to MCO was almost full, and this morning's return flight was ab0ut 2/3 full (but had crotchety men). The hotel, a Holiday Inn, was just as nice as usual - and I love the gift shop, because they carry caffeine-free Diet Coke!
When I got back to Denver, I was released to 10 hours rest. Just a little while ago I checked my schedule to see if crew scheduling gave me a trip for tomorrow...and my schedule showed that I had the next three days off!!! What a surprise! But...I knew that was too good to be true. So I checked back a little while later, and *poof* I now had a 3-day trip that starts tomorrow in the early afternoon.
This trip will take me tomorrow on an afternoon turn to Phoenix, and then an evening flight to Indianapolis where I'll have a 17 hour layover. Nice! So...I guess I'll reorganize my lunchbox and get ready for tomorrow's trip.
Bon voyage!
When I got back to Denver, I was released to 10 hours rest. Just a little while ago I checked my schedule to see if crew scheduling gave me a trip for tomorrow...and my schedule showed that I had the next three days off!!! What a surprise! But...I knew that was too good to be true. So I checked back a little while later, and *poof* I now had a 3-day trip that starts tomorrow in the early afternoon.
This trip will take me tomorrow on an afternoon turn to Phoenix, and then an evening flight to Indianapolis where I'll have a 17 hour layover. Nice! So...I guess I'll reorganize my lunchbox and get ready for tomorrow's trip.
Bon voyage!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
I KNEW There Was Something I Forgot to Do...
Oops. It's now 2/24. I kind of forgot all about blogging...that's what five days off will do to you! By the way, I didn't even make a DENT in my taxes - I could sit on a shrink's couch, pay lots of money, and MAYBE figure out WHY that's such an overwhelming debilitating deal to me. But I won't.
Anyway...let's catch you up on my incredibly wonderful exciting life! I had five glorious days off - sleeping in late, playing on the computer, doing a bit of accounting work, watching a bit of TV...to be honest, I don't think I accomplished much of anything. It just felt good to not have to do anything!
I started a block of six days of duty on Sunday - Valentine's Day, and as expected, I got to sit on that sexy black leather couch at DIA from Noon until 6PM. But this time I was going to make it a bit more exciting. I stopped at Safeway first, picked up a few packages of small KitKat bars and emptied them into a little red vinyl bag that I carried around with me for the rest of the day. When I arrived at the employee parking lot and walked through security, I handed the guard a candy bar and wished him a "Happy Valentine's Day!" He was taken aback. He thanked me, and then a few seconds later, thanked me again, saying how much it meant to him! I did the same for the driver of the shuttle bus that would take me to the terminal. Again, I got a big smile.
For the next six hours, I proceeded to give KitKat bars to anyone who neared the sexy black leather couch that I was adorning. A couple of my friends, not to mention any names, would reach out and grab a KitKat as I tossed one to a newcomer. It happened more than once. But I had a TON of KitKats to share. I also took a walk around the concourse with another couch-sitter and she and I handed out KitKats to all the gate agents, security guards and scouts (people who push the wheelchairs and drive the carts) that we came across. It was a lot of fun!
But after that excitement, it was time to go back home. I sat at home with a quiet phone for two days - very unusual. I did manage to work on the books here and there (when I put this down in writing, I realize how many days I have wasted...shame on me).
On Tuesday evening, I was watching the Open Time board and saw a couple trips pop onto the board. I waited for them to get assigned, but the trips stayed on the board for two hours. I finally called crew scheduling, and asked if they were going to assign those trips...I had a sneaky feeling that I was next in line for a trip. And sure enough, I got one. They told me that they had been really busy, but I told them that when a trip has an early show time (7:15AM), that means I have to be on the road two hours in advance, and that means I needed to get to bed NOW! I'm still waiting to hear what their justification is for letting the trip sit on the board so long.
But...the trip was awesome! I was A in the front of the plane - we did a turn to Salt Lake, and then we had an overnight in Las Vegas, arriving at around 2PM. It was a beautiful day in Vegas, so I changed clothes and walked over to the strip. It was really weird being there alone - the last time I was there was for Jen's 21st BD...but I managed to walk around for an hour or so, then headed back to the room to eat dinner and go to bed early - this trip had some VERY early show times!
The following morning, we headed back to Denver and had a bit of a sit before heading to Chicago. I knew that a couple of my Chicago cousins had just returned from Florida, and my girlfriend Joan and I had been trying to get together and hadn't been successful yet...so I got in touch with Joan to see if we could have an early dinner on Thursday night. Sure enough, she was able to come out and pick me up after work, we had a deliciously unhealthy meal at Grand Duke's, a Lithuanian restaurant a few miles from the hotel, and enjoyed some really good conversation! But it was another early night for me...
There must have been some caffeine in either the meal or the Lithuanian beer that I drank, because I had the HARDEST time sleeping that night. And we had a VERY early show time of 4:40AM (3:40AM Denver time). Ouch. But I managed to drag myself out of bed and appear to be normal to the rest of the crew. It was a long day. Fortunately, our CPT and FO were nuts, and joking around with them and the other FAs helped to keep me awake and alert. We flew back to Denver, and then to Chicago (yes, again) and then back to Denver, before we called it a day!
I then had a few days off - still procrastinating on the taxes - but getting laundry done, errands run, etc. I do have my priorities straight, you know. We had an 80th BD surprise party we attended on Sunday - it was a very nice party held during the Cheyenne Mountain Conference Resort's weekly Sunday brunch - mimosas were flowing, a full buffet full of delicious food, and an awesome dessert table with the most gorgeous dessert I've ever seen - a teacup made of chocolate, filled with delicious chocolate mousse, surrounded by a vanilla creme with chocolate swirls. It was beautiful. And good. Yes...I ate ever ounce. I almost licked the plate.
That pretty much brings me to this new duty block of six days. I started off yesterday by sitting on that sexy black leather couch from Noon to 6PM, but they pulled me off and sent me on a Salt Lake turn at 2PM...it was a good trip - very nice crew, and the time went by very fast. I was back at DIA by 7PM and got to head home for the night.
I just got a call from Crew Scheduling and should be getting dressed and eating lunch instead of typing this...but I'm heading to Orlando for the night. It's only a 10 hour layover, so I won't be able to hang out and relax or anything, but it's a really nice hotel and I'm in position A.
So, until later...
Anyway...let's catch you up on my incredibly wonderful exciting life! I had five glorious days off - sleeping in late, playing on the computer, doing a bit of accounting work, watching a bit of TV...to be honest, I don't think I accomplished much of anything. It just felt good to not have to do anything!
I started a block of six days of duty on Sunday - Valentine's Day, and as expected, I got to sit on that sexy black leather couch at DIA from Noon until 6PM. But this time I was going to make it a bit more exciting. I stopped at Safeway first, picked up a few packages of small KitKat bars and emptied them into a little red vinyl bag that I carried around with me for the rest of the day. When I arrived at the employee parking lot and walked through security, I handed the guard a candy bar and wished him a "Happy Valentine's Day!" He was taken aback. He thanked me, and then a few seconds later, thanked me again, saying how much it meant to him! I did the same for the driver of the shuttle bus that would take me to the terminal. Again, I got a big smile.
For the next six hours, I proceeded to give KitKat bars to anyone who neared the sexy black leather couch that I was adorning. A couple of my friends, not to mention any names, would reach out and grab a KitKat as I tossed one to a newcomer. It happened more than once. But I had a TON of KitKats to share. I also took a walk around the concourse with another couch-sitter and she and I handed out KitKats to all the gate agents, security guards and scouts (people who push the wheelchairs and drive the carts) that we came across. It was a lot of fun!
But after that excitement, it was time to go back home. I sat at home with a quiet phone for two days - very unusual. I did manage to work on the books here and there (when I put this down in writing, I realize how many days I have wasted...shame on me).
On Tuesday evening, I was watching the Open Time board and saw a couple trips pop onto the board. I waited for them to get assigned, but the trips stayed on the board for two hours. I finally called crew scheduling, and asked if they were going to assign those trips...I had a sneaky feeling that I was next in line for a trip. And sure enough, I got one. They told me that they had been really busy, but I told them that when a trip has an early show time (7:15AM), that means I have to be on the road two hours in advance, and that means I needed to get to bed NOW! I'm still waiting to hear what their justification is for letting the trip sit on the board so long.
But...the trip was awesome! I was A in the front of the plane - we did a turn to Salt Lake, and then we had an overnight in Las Vegas, arriving at around 2PM. It was a beautiful day in Vegas, so I changed clothes and walked over to the strip. It was really weird being there alone - the last time I was there was for Jen's 21st BD...but I managed to walk around for an hour or so, then headed back to the room to eat dinner and go to bed early - this trip had some VERY early show times!
The following morning, we headed back to Denver and had a bit of a sit before heading to Chicago. I knew that a couple of my Chicago cousins had just returned from Florida, and my girlfriend Joan and I had been trying to get together and hadn't been successful yet...so I got in touch with Joan to see if we could have an early dinner on Thursday night. Sure enough, she was able to come out and pick me up after work, we had a deliciously unhealthy meal at Grand Duke's, a Lithuanian restaurant a few miles from the hotel, and enjoyed some really good conversation! But it was another early night for me...
There must have been some caffeine in either the meal or the Lithuanian beer that I drank, because I had the HARDEST time sleeping that night. And we had a VERY early show time of 4:40AM (3:40AM Denver time). Ouch. But I managed to drag myself out of bed and appear to be normal to the rest of the crew. It was a long day. Fortunately, our CPT and FO were nuts, and joking around with them and the other FAs helped to keep me awake and alert. We flew back to Denver, and then to Chicago (yes, again) and then back to Denver, before we called it a day!
I then had a few days off - still procrastinating on the taxes - but getting laundry done, errands run, etc. I do have my priorities straight, you know. We had an 80th BD surprise party we attended on Sunday - it was a very nice party held during the Cheyenne Mountain Conference Resort's weekly Sunday brunch - mimosas were flowing, a full buffet full of delicious food, and an awesome dessert table with the most gorgeous dessert I've ever seen - a teacup made of chocolate, filled with delicious chocolate mousse, surrounded by a vanilla creme with chocolate swirls. It was beautiful. And good. Yes...I ate ever ounce. I almost licked the plate.
That pretty much brings me to this new duty block of six days. I started off yesterday by sitting on that sexy black leather couch from Noon to 6PM, but they pulled me off and sent me on a Salt Lake turn at 2PM...it was a good trip - very nice crew, and the time went by very fast. I was back at DIA by 7PM and got to head home for the night.
I just got a call from Crew Scheduling and should be getting dressed and eating lunch instead of typing this...but I'm heading to Orlando for the night. It's only a 10 hour layover, so I won't be able to hang out and relax or anything, but it's a really nice hotel and I'm in position A.
So, until later...
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Seeing the Future
I just finished another block of six duty days...this time I got to sit on that sexy black leather couch twice, got to sit at home waiting for that phone to ring twice, and then got sent out to Seattle for an 11 hour layover, followed by a Dallas turn.
The biggest challenge through all of this was staying positive. No one knows what the future is for our "branding" (i.e. Frontier Airlines) and all our animals! I've heard a rumor that we'll have an official announcement by March 1, but I've seen nothing in writing from management. There are tons of rumors floating around that the our planes will no longer have DirecTV, that we'll have DirecTV and WiFi, that the Airbus aircraft will be phased out, that we'll be furloughed, that we'll be cross-trained on the Republic planes...the list goes on and on. I heard that there were 11,000 applicants for the flight attendant positions in Frontier's Milwaukee base, and that they'll be hiring 60-80 at this time. I heard that the opening of our base in Milwaukee has been postponed to May 1, instead of the announced April 1. I've heard that a decision by the National Mediation Board could come as early as last week, and that we'll all be Teamsters soon...or maybe AFA Workers soon. NO ONE seems to know ANYTHING.
So, in the meantime, all I can do is to do my best. I will smile at the passengers, welcome them aboard our aircraft, I will serve them their beverages with a flair (trying not to spill on them as I do so), I will address their concerns about delays, assuring them that if we're delayed due to weather that most likely ALL the other flights will also be delayed due to weather, and I will keep a smile on my face...even when I want to strangle that woman in 15D who has rung her call button one too many times! Not to mention the ladies who brought on board what appeared to be a 5 foot long African Fertility stick, complete with feathers and intricate paintings. I was summoned to the front of the plane to give my opinion on whether or not I could fit it into the already filled overhead bins...but I am a miracle worker when it comes to arranging and rearranging those bins. I got it in. But I wanted to scratch some eyes out when one of the ladies commented how she didn't want her stick to be scratched or damaged being in an overhead bin with other items...I have just one word for her - UPS.
I still love this job. But all the uncertainties, innuendos, rumors, changes in procedures, attitudes of co-workers, and pompousness of passengers can get pretty tiresome. But I've now got FIVE DAYS OFF in a row - instead of jumping on a plane and travelling somewhere where there is a sandy beach, palm trees, and a Mai Tai with my name on it, I'll be settling in to do my taxes. Yech. A necessary evil, I admit. These days off will also re-energize my spirit. And maybe someone in management will see fit to answer a few of my questions...
The biggest challenge through all of this was staying positive. No one knows what the future is for our "branding" (i.e. Frontier Airlines) and all our animals! I've heard a rumor that we'll have an official announcement by March 1, but I've seen nothing in writing from management. There are tons of rumors floating around that the our planes will no longer have DirecTV, that we'll have DirecTV and WiFi, that the Airbus aircraft will be phased out, that we'll be furloughed, that we'll be cross-trained on the Republic planes...the list goes on and on. I heard that there were 11,000 applicants for the flight attendant positions in Frontier's Milwaukee base, and that they'll be hiring 60-80 at this time. I heard that the opening of our base in Milwaukee has been postponed to May 1, instead of the announced April 1. I've heard that a decision by the National Mediation Board could come as early as last week, and that we'll all be Teamsters soon...or maybe AFA Workers soon. NO ONE seems to know ANYTHING.
So, in the meantime, all I can do is to do my best. I will smile at the passengers, welcome them aboard our aircraft, I will serve them their beverages with a flair (trying not to spill on them as I do so), I will address their concerns about delays, assuring them that if we're delayed due to weather that most likely ALL the other flights will also be delayed due to weather, and I will keep a smile on my face...even when I want to strangle that woman in 15D who has rung her call button one too many times! Not to mention the ladies who brought on board what appeared to be a 5 foot long African Fertility stick, complete with feathers and intricate paintings. I was summoned to the front of the plane to give my opinion on whether or not I could fit it into the already filled overhead bins...but I am a miracle worker when it comes to arranging and rearranging those bins. I got it in. But I wanted to scratch some eyes out when one of the ladies commented how she didn't want her stick to be scratched or damaged being in an overhead bin with other items...I have just one word for her - UPS.
I still love this job. But all the uncertainties, innuendos, rumors, changes in procedures, attitudes of co-workers, and pompousness of passengers can get pretty tiresome. But I've now got FIVE DAYS OFF in a row - instead of jumping on a plane and travelling somewhere where there is a sandy beach, palm trees, and a Mai Tai with my name on it, I'll be settling in to do my taxes. Yech. A necessary evil, I admit. These days off will also re-energize my spirit. And maybe someone in management will see fit to answer a few of my questions...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)