Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Galley Gossip: 10 things a flight attendant does on reserve
1. Complain about being on reserve to any flight attendant who will listen. There's nothing worse for a flight attendant than being on reserve. Don't believe me? Ask a flight attendant on reserve. Go ahead, ask, I dare you. Just don't tell me I didn't warn you.
2. Sit in PJ's half the day waiting for crew schedule to call. Some days it's half a day and other days it's all day. When my number is low, meaning there's a good chance crew schedule is going to call me out to cover a trip, I've been known to change out of my PJ's and into a fresh pair of PJ's at the end of the day.
3. Calls in sick. While I don't call in sick on reserve, however tempting it may be (I'm too scared), I can't say the same for most other flight attendants. A few flight attendants I know actually save medical and dental procedures during reserve months.
4. Sock and underwear drawer get a complete makeover. This month I actually did clean out my sock and underwear drawer, as well as the closet. I found clothing I never even knew I had, clothing I wondered why, exactly, I had, like an animal print sundress I bought on the streets of Costa Rica nine years ago. And to think I actually wore it.
5. Work trips I would never fly in a million years. Flight attendants have a tendency to work the same trips over and over. That's what seniority is all about. You better believe I like working in coach from New York to whichever west coast city layover I can hold on the 767. But on reserve you'll most likely find me on the Super80 working a turn in first from New York - Chicago. Nothing against Chicago, but an eight hour day ain't worth five hours pay.
6. Spend time explaining to everyone that I'm not off, that I really am working, I'm just on call. Which is why I'm still in my PJ's and not leaving the house. Just because I'm not actually on the airplane doesn't mean I can have a life.
7. Watch the Weather Channel. When there's bad weather, crews go illegal, and when crews go illegal, reserve flight attendants get called out to cover their trips. I watch the Weather Channel in order to figure out what crew schedule is going to do, so I know whether or not I'll get a good night sleep and whether or not I dare get dressed and leave the apartment in the morning.
8. Sit on the sofa with the laptop and drinking coffee while bouncing between Gadling, Facebook and the flight service website to check open time and relative position for hours on end. What else am I going to do? I'm stuck.
9. Gets a trip and then goes into flight operations and asks every flight attendant how many hours they have on reserve. The last time I checked Grace had 40 hours. My mom had 42. Flo had 45. I had 47. I won - er, lost!
10. Look forward to days off. Thank goodness they're finally here and reserve is officially over! It's back to the 767 for me.
Photos courtesy of (pj's) Jamelch, (weather channel) Dave Malkoff - flickr.com
Filed under: Galley Gossip
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
john Feb 6th 2009 11:22AM
Where do you hang out on reserve? Do you spend most of the month in some crash pad in New York?
Heather Poole Feb 7th 2009 6:46PM
On reserve I stay at my crashpad in New York. I'll write more about this in a future GALLEY GOSSIP post!
JW Feb 6th 2009 11:32AM
Spending the day with Weather Channel's Jim Cantore is always a good thing!
Traytable Feb 6th 2009 11:38AM
Just some of the things I do:
Catch up on TiVo'd shows
Mending/ironing & washing of uniforms
Cleaning out the cabin bag
Boring errands I don't want to do on my days off
Eating
Sleeping
Eating then sleeping then watching cable
Manual amendments & work paperwork (might as well do it when I'm being paid)
Alexis Feb 6th 2009 11:43AM
i just wanted to say...I so enjoy reading your stories...I have been in all those situations..I have worked for a major airline for 31 years and I have seen it all..Especially that passenger that knows it all..I have so many stories...that I now just can't believe that there are people in this world that are so shallow..and its all about them..
My favorite is when they say I want to see your Supervisor..I will see to it that you are removed from your job...OMG give me a break...
Anyhow..thanks the storeis are great.......
tyflyguy Feb 6th 2009 2:08PM
OMG. #7 made me laugh out loud. At least when I talk to my dad on the phone, we have something to talk about. Who knew that flight attendants and farmers had something in common?
Heather Poole Feb 7th 2009 6:46PM
That is funny!
Whitney Feb 24th 2009 1:34PM
Heather,
I love your blog. :-) I read it frequently and it never fails to make me smile. lol
My boyfriend is a fo and it's kind of fun to see that pilots and flight attendants do some of the same things while sitting on reserve. Except for my boyfriend you'd have to modify number 6 to "call me and complain about being on reserve."
I was lucky enough to go on one overnight from LGA to Albany with him one time and it was so interesting to get to hang out with the crew. Most people don't understand the amount of work that has to be done by all parties in order for things to go smoothly and that when a plane is delayed, it's definitely NOT the flight crew's fault. lol The world of commercial aviation is definitely an interesting one.
Keep it up! I'll keep reading. lol
Brock Feb 27th 2009 2:27PM
Hey Ms Poole.. Very nice blog. I'm always excited to hear about someone routing for the reserve cause. I'm a straight-reserve, and I have no life. I sit around drinking coffee and watching streaming netflix documentaries half the time. Reading your stories, i've been thinking "Hey, its pretty important that the pax see/hear what being a flight attendant is truly about.." Then i thought.. "Wouldn't it be cool if the senior mamas new what being a reserve was like?" I can't figure out which is more important.