Jump forward to today, when I find myself sitting in the first class cabin of an Airbus A320 aircraft. Personally, unless you plan on drinking a lot, I would rather have three seats to myself in the coach cabin where I could lay down. The seats are a lot wider and nice soft leather with plenty of room for two beverages and my bag in the center section between the two seats allowing me to have my bag and legroom too.

That wide center counsil is not very comfortable for laying down though, despite my attempts. With my head laid against the wall, I wake up half way through the flight in need to go to the airplane “ladies room”. I notice right away that the legroom that I had when I first sat down is now suddenly gone. So much so that I have to practically squeeze my way out and try not to grab the seats in front of me with sleeping passengers.

I decide to go ahead and pull out my computer to write about something completely different only to discover that I cannot even pull out my tray table! Really? You can always pull out your tray table (or put it down) in any seat on the CRJ200! So, here I sit turned slightly to the side with an aching back and my laptop sitting on that arm rest that I mentioned. Good thing that there’s no drink there or passenger next to me.

Are we there yet?

As I look around, I am completely and utterly amazed at what I see.

One woman struggles with her things as she barely makes it down the narrow aisle past others already seated. It is as if she has packed her entire closet to being with her, leaving no occasion to chance. I already know where she is going, however, I wonder for how long. A month?

Another man, while not sharing her exctement for more is better still struggles in his own way. It’s as if he wasn’t taught the alphabet or perhaps cannot count. with all due respect folks, the airlines do not skip 13 and they don’t count by two’s. Take a quick second to see what number the coach rows start with (either 1, 5 or 10 and sometimes even 20 but don’t ask me why) and count from there. 1, 2, 3, 4, you get the picture. Even the little ones can do it, so I have faith you can too. 

One of my favorites are the aisle seat passengers that get on first, strap in the seat belts and whip out the office as if no one will come to sit in the one or two other seats. This man just in front of me, with visible discord, slaps his computer shut and gathers his paperwork as if the woman soon sitting in the window seat has just interrupted an important meeting. It gets even better yet. After she manages to get her closet put away, Mr. 12C  sits down and once again secures his seatbelt and reopens for business. Until…. 

I truly believe that unless you are traveling together, the window seat should be boarded first, from back to front, then the middle seat and finally the aisle. Airlines should charge for any large carry on’s and give one free checked bag for everyone’s closet up to a certain weight (with additional allowance for each child in tow). Seriously, wouldn’t it save a lot of trouble. The flight attendant is going to have to check someones bag anyway once the overheads are full and that takes even more time where a delay could happen causing a missed flight and even more money to be given out. Just a thought.

The flight attendant walks down the aisle with a smile on her face as she verifies the paperwork, a child is still laughing and squealing a few rows ahead and the middle seat next to me is open. Life is good. 

When the airline then employed by picked up a two flight attendant aircraft, I avoided it like it was the plague. Why? I was afraid to work with anyone else after both the office situation that I left behind and the constant bickering on the aircraft ride to my possible new career. I can barely handle my own hormones sometimes. Why add someone else’s if you can help it?

I will admit that the day I was forced to fly with someone else, I loved it! There was someone else to talk to, share stories with and learn from. Is it always easy? No! Is it possible? Yes.

Of course, that’s easy to say because I have never flown with one of “those” flight attendants. You know the one’s. The man or woman that thinks they own the plane or is never in a good mood or, whatever. In theory, I know what I would do, however, do you ever really know until it’s that time?

Have you ever faced a difficult co-worker? How did you handle it? Me?

Well…

I was working in the back of the cabin offering my beverage service, while the lead flight attendant offered the same to First Class. She seemed nice enough when we first met so I never would have imagined that she would have approached me in the cabin, in front of the passengers to question “Why I would tell her that a passenger gave me a coupon for his liquor when he said he gave me cash?” “Which passenger, I asked?” At this point, I was almost through a full flight of passengers and had gone back and forth so many times allowing passengers to use the one lavatory on the aircraft that I could barely tell you what was what, no less remember exactly which one gave me a coupon and which one didn’t and that very second. 

Aside from the fact that it was an honest mistake and easily corrected, interrupting my service to discuss a problem in front of the passengers was not at all appropriate. So, I just told my co-worker that I would discuss it with her when I finished and we could figure it out in the galley. 

Completely humiliated, I kept my composure, finished the service and resolved the problem professionally. I have no further problems with this person and she knows how I will handle any other issues in the future. No major drama necessary and now I can face her with a smile. 

How would I react to another crew member cursing at me or telling me that I wasn’t allowed in “their” galley, which are some of the stories that I have heard? Honestly, I don’t know. In case you are one of those, I can tell you that I certainly won’t tolerate it. Not sure how exactly I will handle it until it happens, however, not going to happen so don’t even bother.

I do remember the days when I used to ask if anyone knew the flight attendant that I was about to fly with. That all ended the day that a very dear woman I flew with was called a name undeserved and titled a lazy person, neither of which were who she was. Before the first day was over, we had planned a trip to her homeland of Jamaica. On the second day, she did most of the work while I suffered with a migraine. I have a very good feeling after a nice talk before her death that this beautiful person rests in peace. We miss you dearly. 

With all of that said, how do you handle a co-worker that’s a challenge to work with?

This does not mean that ANY piece regardless of size will be allowed on board though. The size requirements are still in place and each piece of passenger luggage must be able to fit securely beneath the seat in front of them or in an overhead bid. The 50 seat CRJ200 will remain the same with all rolling bags being plane side valeted. 

As a flight attendant and fellow traveler, I ask that you please place the smaller items at your feet so that as many passengers as possible will be able to use the overhead bins. In fact, if you are either not in a hurry or have a longer layover at the next city, perhaps you can still valet your bag so that anyone in a hurry can simply get off and run. This is only a suggestion that I ask you take in consideration as if you were the one in a hurry. *wink*

Do you have any suggestions on how to improve the baggage policy?

1. Fear. If it’s a short flight then grabbing a nap could be easier if  you weren’t afraid that you would miss your destination. We will wake you, however, I’m pretty sure that the landing gear will do that for us. So, sit back and let yourself relax.

2.  Window Seat. Sit by the window. That way you can lean against the wall. Just make sure that you go to the bathroom before you settle in if that’s a concern. If you are not at a window or the window is set too far forward or back and there’s no one next to you, grab a blanket and ball it up against the armrest forward just enough to lean against. Trust me, it works!

3. Clothing Choice. Make sure that you wear comfortable clothing. Sure, we want to look good and as a flight attendant, I appreciate it if you come to my “office” in decent attire. Some of the things we see however….um, no! No pajamas and no club wear necessary. You can wear or bring a comfy t-shirt and lose fitting pants or shorts. Personally, I like a good flowing, at least knee level, dress for travel and SOCKS for the plane. I cannot tell you how many ladies (and men) cry that their feet are cold and they are wearing sandals!

4. Overseas. Are you traveling overseas or eastbound? When I travel to Europe, I have dinner and possibly ONE glass of wine, watch a movie and try to go to sleep! Then, when you wake up, voila, you are there and ready to go. Wake up, have some breakfast and freshen up. Be careful with the alcohol because it may make you fell sleepy but it’s not a true sleep and you  don’t want to wake up to your vacation with a hangover! The altitude makes each drink like at least two!

5. Relax. Finally, if you absolutely cannot sleep on the plane, here’s a trick that I use when I have an early morning report. If you absolutely make yourself relax, close your eyes and do nothing. If your mind wanders to all of the things that you need to do, stop! Daydream of something great and don’t let yourself open your eyes if you can help it. I was pleasantly surprised the first time that I tried to this to find that I felt rested the next day.

  Smart gal getting some sleep on the way to a conference!

<a href=”http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&npa=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=wiflfofobl-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B003UAZTI0 “>   This thing to the left is actually quite nice I have been told. It bends to fit your needs so you can use it however you are trying to rest your head. I have seen some other crazy things in the the Delta Sky Mall Magazine that I wouldn’t be caught dead with, and another option is the blow up kind that fit nicely in your bag.

I have also brought a good old fashioned pillow! Especially overseas! Trust me when I say any funny looks you get are pure jealousy because they didn’t think of it and you will be oh so comfy mid way through that flight when the others are having trouble sleeping!

Happy flying!