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Galley Gossip: Sandvich Girl

by Heather Poole (RSS feed) on Jun 5th 2008 at 8:30AM

I've been called many things in my life - good and bad (mostly good) - but the other day I was called something that made me stop dead in my scuffed up Mary Janes on the nappy blue carpet, something that made me, for a split second, take a step back and wonder, what the heck have I done with my life? And then I quickly shook myself out of it, because my life, to put it quite simply, is pretty darn great, and so I continued down the aisle.

What was it that actually made me examine my life at 35,000 feet? It wasn't much. Just two little words. That's it. But they were two oh so innocent, yet very shocking, little words.

I mean there I was, rolling down the aisle behind the snack cart. It was a nice day. My crew was good and the passengers were great. What more could a flight attendant ask for? I think we were probably somewhere over Illinois when I asked, over and over and over, "Would you care to purchase a snack?" That's when I heard a scratchy voice located somewhere not too far behind me say something I could not believe.

"Sandvich girl! Oh sandvich girl!"

At first I laughed, and then I turned around. That's when I realized it was me that the petite frail one wearing black wrap around glasses had called sandvich girl. ME! I was sandvich girl. Dear god, I remember thinking, how did this happen? As I handed the woman a turkey and cheese sandwich and collected a five dollar bill.

"Thanks," I mumbled, and quickly moved the cart.

Like most flight attendants, I have a college degree. I've done the whole nine to five thing. Guess what, I really did not enjoy waking up every morning at the same time and going to the same job where I worked with the same people every single day. Oh no, that was just not for me. Even though I had the kind of job many people would kill for: I designed clothes. (Okay, so they were western clothes, so what! They were clothes nonetheless, and I designed them.) Then I designed watches for a well known watch company. I probably designed a watch you even wore. (Thirteen years ago.) The jobs were great, but I had this strange feeling that something was missing in my life, and that something wasn't a new car or a new outfit or whatever the money I made could purchase. It was something more. What, I did not know. Not at the time. So I got up at eight in the morning each and every day, jumped into the Ford Probe, drove fifteen minutes to the building where I sat at the same cubicle and worked on, basically, the same thing, until I ate lunch at the same places with the same people, and so on, until it was time to go home. I did this until one fateful day, and that was the day I did not receive the raise I thought I deserved. Of course at the time it felt like the worst thing in the world. Little did I know that not getting that raise turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. What did I do? I quit. And then a few days later I answered an ad in the newspaper. A no frills airline was looking for flight attendants. Why not, I remember thinking.

"I'll do it for a few months, just for fun, until I find another job," I remember telling my friends .

At the time I was determined not to jump into just any job. I wanted to take my time and find a good job. One that paid well. And while I went on several interviews looking for that perfect job, I served blueberry muffins and chocolate chip cookies back and forth between Ft Lauderdale, Newark, Long Beach, and Dallas for just $99 a flight at night. Life was good.

Well one month turned into two, and two turned into three, and after I realized I wasn't going anywhere, that this was it, I applied to another airline, a major carrier, where before I knew it one year had somehow turned into thirteen. And I still love the job. Actually, what I love, is the lifestyle. The flexibility. The freedom. The excitement of not knowing what the day will bring. And leaving that day behind when I step off the airplane. I love knowing I can go anywhere anytime as long as there's an airport nearby. Believe it or not, I even like wearing the flammable polyester navy blue uniform. (Please don't tell anyone.) Oh sure, I wish things were different in the airline industry. Who doesn't? I mean who doesn't wish things were just better in the world in general? Hey, that's life. And my life, I have to say, is good, real good. Even if I am sandvich girl.

Filed under: Food and Drink, Airlines, Transportation, Galley Gossip

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Kent Wien Jun 5th 2008 9:20AM

I'm loving the Galley Gossip feature, Heather!

Thanks for cracking me up over these past two posts. My sister (also a flight attendant for an airline that has an eskimo on the rudder) is now hooked on your blog as well!

Kent
(a.k.a. temperature boy)

DJ Jun 5th 2008 11:04AM

I know a lot of flight attendants, and none of them have a college degree. Who wants to pass out peanuts if they have a college degree? The benefits aren't that great considering all the layoffs.
Now I am living in Europe and the flight attendants definitely DON'T have degrees, but are really easy on the eyes, and are definite party animals on those layovers! Befriend the cabin crew and you won't lack for a great night! Gotta love those long haul gals....

Bob Jun 6th 2008 5:56PM

Dj,
You will be surprised to know,The majority of flight attendants have a college education.It takes some smarts to get thru the training process that airlines put you thru and in the past most airlines required a education,maybe not so much recently.Alot of people who have a college education try the normal job thing and are dissapointed with it so they go do the flying gig.Most say I'll do it for a short time,but a short time becomes years because of the flexibility of schedule.

JESSEE Jun 6th 2008 6:31PM

DJ. TOTALLY CLUELESS, ...MOST F/A DO HAVE COLLEGE DEGREES, SOME OWN THEIR OWN BUSSINES, AND A GOOD NUMBER ARE FLUENT IN MORE THEN ONE LANGUAGE!! TRAINING STANDARDS IS NOT ABOUT SERVING PEANUTS, BUT SAFETY, MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, AND MUCH MORE AFTER 9/11......BY THE WAY DO A RESEARCH ON THE CREWS OF 9/11 FLTS... 77/93 175 AND 11 ....AMONG OTHERS 2 OF MY FLYING MATES LOST ON 9/11 WERE EX-POLICE OFFICERS......EDUCATE YOURSELF AND MAYBE YOU COULD BECOME A SANDWICH BOY YOURSELF!!

MB Jun 8th 2008 5:00PM

As for your comment about most Flight Attendants not having degrees, sorry but I must correct you myself. I have been flying for 22 years, and before the flagship carriers went under, you could count on the fact that often times, the person serving you your chicken or beef inflight, was moonlighting from their real job as an author, accountant, business owner, realtor, teacher, registered nurse, librarian, ballet dancer, dental hygienist, medical technologist, professional chef, and even attorneys! And most were multi-lingual which was a requirement with international carriers until 1992. I am a registered nurse who left that profession after 5 years of 9-5, M-F humdrum, and I haven't missed it one bit. I love my job, my co-workers, and the idea of taking my family all over the globe for nothing!!!!! I have my degree and that's plan B if I need it, but right now, I'm content to "pass out peanuts" as it has so been called.

Bob the semi-talented singing pilot Jun 5th 2008 3:32PM

Oh sandvich girl, I vant peekil wiz my sandvich. Your airplane sandvich is so vonderfull! In my country, such a great sandvich is not posseeble. We get sandvich like dees and vee dance in street for week!

http://www.myspace.com/maddoggydog777

sandwichgirl Jun 6th 2008 1:12AM

that's funny. my name is sandwichgirl. and i used to work in a galley : www.sandwichgirl.com

Justin Glow Jun 10th 2008 3:54PM

Hey, Sandwich girl! We've written about you before!

http://www.gadling.com/2007/01/26/the-worlds-coldest-cartwheel/

SkyHag Jun 6th 2008 4:37AM

Heather,

You are hilarious! I was chuckling WITH you so loudly (I'm stealing your ID drink sign) that I woke the husband!

As a fellow Sandvich Girl, you reminded me what I love about my job after 24 years. Flexibility and lack of stress. Thanks for the reminder.

And DJ...I work with former (and some still practicing) lawyers, CPAs, teachers, psychologists, nutritionists, nurses, loan officers, business managers, etc.

You are right. They pay isn't the best and passing out peanuts can get mundane after 24 years, but sipping a latte and having a slice of ricotta cheese pie in Little Italy NYC on Tuesday, and hiking up Mt. Roberts in Juneau, Alaska on Wednesday makes it all worth it!

PLUS, one of the best thing about being a flight attendant...it's always a sunny day at work! (I only have a 2 year degree, then got hired with the airline and haven't looked back.)

Melissa Nelson Jun 6th 2008 8:56AM

I too love your blogs. My daughter is a frequent flier and since she was five and took her first flight (she was on first texas bound plane out of RDU after 9-11) and I cried like a baby and who was it who held me close, the FA and she let me know Holland was in good hands. She was taught respect at home so she carries it with her on the plane (I consider it a positive carry on) and she will use Ma'am or Miss or if the FA tells her to call her "Heather" she will do so. I asked Holland if she has ever used a term like sandwich girl and she said "Momma, (she flies SWA) so I would have to call out hey peanut girl and that would be rude" I had to laugh. I am sure the sandvich woman was neevr taught respect at home so we are grabbing at clouds to thinik she would have it on the plane. Look at it this way Heather, money may be able to buy a plane ticket but it cannot buy class!!!!
Thanks for your humor and there are those of us out there who know y'all are more than a person in a blue polyester pantsuit at our beck and call.

Gaby Jun 6th 2008 9:40AM

You sure know how to make one laugh. :)

I work for an express carrier and even though we don't sell things on it, yet, I understand it all. The glamour job isn't all that it's cracked up to be but it's fun and we do it anyway, because we're not stuck in the same old same old.

This should all be posted somewhere, where the passengers can read it and understand us. Most of them are really nice, but once in a while... Well, you know what I mean. People forgot what our real purpose is on the plane.

Still, you can't beat the excitement of going to lunch at a completely different place whenever you're on the road.

Memphisbelle70 Jun 6th 2008 9:47AM

I just went on a flight where the FA had a professional name tag on a major carrier that read "um, ma'am" i looked at her and asked "um, mam, how do you say your name, are you hawaiian? And she just laughted and said everyone just calls her um mam on the flights so she had her a name tag made. Thought that was hilarious!

Sherry Kaczay Jun 6th 2008 5:29PM

Hey Heather,
I've been a flight attendant for 29 years, and I still can't hold international flying in Denver, but I love living here. I think you could make some extra money as a writer. I have an idea for another sign around our necks. How about "tips welcomes." Or a jar on top of the cart that says retirement fund (mine went from $1600 to $386) The airline that I work for has scaled us back to 1991 wages. Hey, I'm on a roll. How about if the airline asks each passenger to give us $1.00 as they board. What's a $1.00 right? But for a 757 that is $180, divided by 4 flight attendants = $45.00. Multiplied by 2 or 3 flights a day and we have made up the pay cuts. Ok, passengers, what do you think? I guarantee we would be smiling more and if you ask for two beverages we would say "certainly, anything else, would you like a pillow?" Then I'd say "Isn't it wonderful that it is cheaper to fly somewhere instead of drive, and isn't it amazing that the price of the ticket is half as much as it was when I started flying 29 years ago." "Welcome aboard!" Thanks for your blog.

Bob Jun 6th 2008 5:58PM

Sherry,
I love your idea about the cup on top of the cart for tips for our retirement fund. What I don't understand is,why is it a rule that passengers don't tip flight attendants when we serve them.Any other service job gets tipped.Do passengers think we make all this money?

Jessica Jun 6th 2008 10:31AM

Heather,
LOVE your blog!!!! I was a flight attendant for 10 years, and quit 4 years ago after I had my daughter. I still miss it! I still talk about it (not too often anymore), like it was yesterday. I was wondering who is your major carrier? I worked for United, and I loved my job, just as you described.

Keep on writing....this will be my new guilty pleasure :)

deborah Jun 6th 2008 12:01PM

Sorry that I'm not too sympathetic with you, but if you dislike your job so much why don't you find another one, you do have a college education so it wouldn't be too hard. When we are flying after paying an arm and a leg to purchase a ticket, wait in line for hours, take off our shoes the last thing we are thinking about is that this is day 3 of your only 12 days a month job. Especially since this is only day 3 of our 20 plus days a month job. We pay half a months salary to fly cross country and you and your family fly free. Your job is asking us with a smile if we would like a drink. If you don't like it then get another. Again, sorry I don't feel bad for you having to do your job.