Now as the plane lifted and she heard the familiar sound of the wheels being retracted, she wiggled on her shoes and got to her feet. There was a lot to do and not much time. She and Pat had worked together before and they functioned as a smooth team. Actually, their training had been so thorough that even when attendants worked together for the first time, they knew exactly what each should do and how to divide the work. Today there were twenty-eight passengers to be served drinks and a full-course dinner-all within an hour and ten minutes. Flight time was approximately an hour and a half, but ten minutes had to be allowed for both takeoff and landing.
The two attendants opened the doors of the buffet, took out napkins, silverware, and all the other items that had been packed there by the commissary department. Pat set up the beverage cart, Geri removed bottles from their cases, and five minutes later they were moving up the aisle, setting up trays in front of each passenger, and serving drinks, Pat on the left side, Geri on the right.
The attendants pushed their cart back to the galley as soon as the last drink was served and started assembling the dinners. The various courses were packed in specially refrigerated boxes and heated ovens so that it was only necessary to take the fruit cup from one box, the complete dinner from a warming oven, and the salad, butter, and dessert from another box. Napkins, utensils, salt and pepper, and a coffee cup completed the setting for each tray. Once the last tray was out, Geri appeared with a silver coffee pot while Pat began to pack away the used beverage glasses. Suddenly the captain buzzed. Pat went immediately to the cockpit door and looked in.
"How about a cup of coffee for the workers on this flight?" the captain asked. "Be some time before we get dinner."
"Same with me," Pat said as she smiled, "but I can get some for you." Nothing was too much trouble when the crew asked for something.
"Time to clean up," Geri said as she glanced at her watch and once more they were in the aisle, this time removing the trays and then stacking them in the galley. Geri could sense the airplane start its descent and feel the speed decrease as the crew cut back the power.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the captain said on the intercom, "we have started our descent into the O'Hare Airport area and will be landing in fifteen minutes. We hope you have had a pleasant flight. Thank you for flying with us, and we look forward to serving you again."
Now the attendants worked rapidly to get everything put away. Pat concentrated on cleaning up the galley while Geri checked the cabin to make certain all trays were folded and stored and that all briefcases were under the seats. There was a gentle chime and the seat belt sign flashed on, which meant a second check to make certain everyone had their belts secured. Then the airplane took a wide swing and the wheels could be heard lowering and locking into place. A final quick walk up and down the aisle to make sure there were no offenders. Then as the plane rushed toward the ground, Geri took her seat in time to fasten her seat belt before the wheels touched the ground. A moment later when the plane was taxiing slowly to its gate, the two attendants were up again to get coats out of the closet and hand them back to their owners before the plane pulled up to the gate at the terminal and passengers could disembark.
Just as people say goodnight to departing guests, the attendants say good-bye to passengers who have been their guests on the flight.
"Good night, good night, thank you, nice to have had you aboard, good night, good night" and at last the passengers are gone.
Now to write up the flight report that records any irregularities or problems the maintenance crew should fix, and a few minutes later the flight attendants were hurrying through the terminal toward the platform where the bus left for Chicago's Loop. Geri and Pat would room in one of the hotels and at noon the next day each would leave Chicago on different planes.
This Boston-Chicago flight was not typical because there is no such thing as a typical flight. While Geri and Pat served the twenty-eight first class passengers, three other flight attendants were equally pressed for time to feed a hundred and forty passengers in the coach section. On the other hand, if an attendant is working a five-hour transcontinental flight, there may be time to sit down and relax, plus there are many shorter flights on which no meals are served, but only beverages and snacks. On the whole, however, an attendant can count on being busy unless there are few passengers on board.*
Speaking of changed working conditions for flight attendants, Bev Nelson, a retired attendant who had twenty-five years of service, recalled:
"A lot of things have changed. The training's far better of course. When I got out of McDonnell training school, you didn't need any more training-you just rode with another attendant on each type of airplane our airline was operating, and you learned on the jot-usually by trial and error, fun but not very efficient. Passengers have changed, too. Years ago they got a little white cake box with bologna sandwiches and bread that curled up at the ends-plus a carton of milk. Everyone thought that was really living. Now they're all gourmets. They ask what kind of red wine it is, or what brand of scotch you are offering, or if it is a filet mignon or New York cut steak.
"Flight crews used to be a lot closer. About the time I retired, I'd see captains I'd never met. And the new attendants were different-men and minorities were being hired. When I began flying, you had to fight for your job-the airlines were hiring one attendant at a time. You had to wait until somebody resigned or was terminated before you could get on. In some ways, the job was tougher. I remember bidding a trip that had thirteen stops between Los Angeles and Minneapolis.
"Galleys are better, although I suppose there will never be a galley that's completely satisfactory to an attendant."
Airlines stress the proper training of their flight attendants and go to great lengths and expense to provide the best instruction. This is because of all employees on the payroll; flight attendants spend the most time with passengers and are directly responsible for the comfort of every person on board, as well as for their safety in the event of an emergency.
Many of the airlines that charge cut-rate fares do not serve meals and may offer only coffee or cold drinks, snacks, or just peanuts!
If you are accepted as a flight attendant trainee you will find that many airlines have their own training schools where you might stay for several weeks of intensive instruction in specific subjects such as routes, schedules, flight regulations, first aid, emergency procedures and evacuation, good grooming, and etiquette.
Just before completing your training you will take practice flights as an observer and possibly be permitted to assist experienced attendants with some of their work. After graduation you will be assigned to a main crew base and at first may fill in on extra flights or take the place of attendants who are sick or on vacation. Assignments are made on the basis of seniority, so that experienced attendants can have their choice of flights and times.
Advancement is limited. You might later transfer to a position as flight service instructor in the training school, as customer service representative, or possibly as recruiting representative in the personnel department.
