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Galley Gossip: Nonrevs, deadheads & commuters in (and out) of uniform
Wanna know the best way to change clothes on an airplane? I bet you do. I'll get to that in a moment. (Or you can just scroll down to the bottom of this post.) Now that I've got your attention...
Nonreving - (non-revenue passenger) flying standby on an airline employee's travel passes. Nonrev's are always at the the bottom of the standby list
Commuting - When an airline employee nonrevs from the city he/she lives to a city he/she is based. Because I commute to New York (where I'm based) from Los Angeles (where I live), I'm an LA commuter.
Deadheading - traveling on company time to cover a trip departing out of a city different from where one is based. This usually happens on a reserve month when a base is short flight attendants. Flight attendant gets paid to deadhead, but aren't officially working the flight. Deadheaders go to the top of the standby list surpassing ticketed standbys.
Most nonrevs travel in uniform in order to bypass the line at security and bring liquids on board. Others wear their uniform because they've just finished a sequence and didn't have time to change clothes because they had to sprint across the terminal to catch a commuter flight home. While some wear their uniforms because they're actually going to work as soon as they step off the airplane.
Once while deadheading back to base in uniform, the agent issued me an aisle seat in the front row of coach. I happened to be the last passenger to board. As soon as I sat down a man two rows back started in with, "Why does she get to sit in that seat! I wanted that seat! She's an airline employee - that's not right!"
Seconds later the agent asked me to switch seats with the complainer. I sighed, grabbed my belongings, and switched seats. As soon as I settled into the second seat I heard it all over again. Another passenger wanted my seat, a seat they deserved, not me. A flight attendant working the flight leaned over and quietly asked me if I'd be willing to switch. I didn't have much. I was in uniform. And so I played musical chairs again.
On a different flight a passenger turned around, glared at me, a lowly uniformed crew member sitting in a passenger seat, and yelled, "This airline sucks!" after the Captain made an announcement that the flight had been canceled.
It was hard not reacting to that.
The first thing nonreving airline employees do the morning of their trip is check the passenger load. This takes place seconds after rolling out of bed while the coffee is still brewing. Airline employees will continue to check the standby list constantly throughout the day right up until departure time. Of course passenger loads determine the outfit.
Here I am doing what I always do before a flight, while trying to nonrev from Chicago to New York last week - #88 on the standby list.
.
My nonreving outfit of choice consists of dark blue jeans and a blouse or dressy shirt when the flights are open and I know there won't be a problem getting a seat in coach. Needless to say, it's been awhile since I've worn jeans on the airplane. What I usually end up sporting is a nice pair of trouser pants with the same kind of shirt mentioned above - just in case the only seat available is located in first class - or a jumpseat.
At my airline jeans, shorts, T-shirts, and flip-flops are not allowed to be worn by nonrevs occupying jumpseats or premium cabins. This explains why nonrevs are some of the best dressed passengers on board the airplane and why I can spot a nonrev a mile away.
Even my husband has an official nonrev outfit; khaki pants, a button down shirt, and brown boots. The funny thing about this is he actually refers to it as his "nonrev outfit" even when he's not traveling on my passes.
Recently on a flight to Dallas, Murphy, a commuting flight attendant based in New York, boarded the airplane dressed in navy blue polyester. I couldn't help but notice a bundle of clothes tucked under her arm and the sneakers peaking out from under her pants. Quickly she threw her crew bag into the overhead bin and made a beeline for the lav. A few minutes later she exited the bathroom wearing a smile and looking a whole lot more comfortable.
"What's the secret to changing clothes in the lav?" I asked Murphy as I served her a beverage during the flight. "Like how do you do it so quickly in such a contaminated confined space?" Murphy shared the following tips...
HOW TO CHANGE CLOTHES ON AN AIRPLANE: 
- Have your clothes ready to go. That means get them out of your bag before you board the flight.
- Change into the shoes you want to wear before you get on the airplane. That way you'll have less to carry and you won't be tripping all over yourself in the lav.
- Wear (uniform) pants instead of a dress. They're easier to change out of when you're in a hurry.
- Take advantage of the baby changing table. Use it to hold your clothes. No changing table? Line the sink with paper towels.
Make sure to check out my next Galley Gossip post about a new website for airline employees (and retirees). Until then, here are a few other posts involving the joys of nonrev travel:
Photo courtesy of travelin librarian
Filed under: United States, Airlines, Video, Galley Gossip
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dean Aug 4th 2009 6:32PM
It never ceases to amaze me that passengers will, without fail, blame a flight attendant for the performance of a flight. Flight attendants have as much control over flight delays, cancellations, and weather, as passengers do. The fact that FA's can serve your drink, sell food, try to make passengers comfortable, render some degree of medical assistance, as well as get your a## off of the plane in case of an emergency is pretty remarkable, passengers still expect more. I'd like to see any passenger do the same job, in fact, I doubt they even could do half as much as their job.
I'm not an FA, but I do appreciate what they do, which is more often than not, the reason I'm the passenger that is barely noticed.
JB Aug 5th 2009 2:33AM
Sure, they are paid to do all the things you mention, but doing it with a smile (not just at the male passengers, but female passengers, as well) would go a long way. As for passengers doing the same job, many of those passengers do much worse and don't get to stay in cushy hotels at the end of their work day. No sympathy here for F/A's who are paid to do a job. It was their decision to work the aisles, after all! As for those F/A's sitting in the back who may not be working crew on that flight,,,do you think we are morons? Most of us can recognize who is and who isn't pushing the cart when we see them flipping through magazines.
Dean Aug 6th 2009 4:38PM
JD - just like you may have a bad day at work when you're washing lettuce, wiping tables, or refilling napkin dispensers, Flight Attendants will also occasionally have a bad day, and like you, it may show through every once in a while. We're human, it happens to all of us. The majority of Flight Attendants are quite helpful, and friendly, and do the best they can with what little they're given. Give them a break, sit back, be quiet, and keep that special needs tag on your shirt visible so they know you need assistance.
Ted Aug 5th 2009 12:56PM
Well, that's how it looks in the US. However, back in Europe, I'd go nonrev if I could every day. Except weekends and really hectic times like Christmas and Easter, I don't remember being on a single plane booked full, be it a low-cost or a legacy carrier, so there is some room left for that kind of travel... if only I could... :)
Happy Aug 5th 2009 9:46PM
It's unfortunate these days that ALL the F/A's (working or deadheading) are sitting in empty psgr. seats (the last row, if the agent blocks the row for them) or their jumpseats reading magazines, etc. If you go to the galley and request a beverage, they point to a tray of warm water to help yourself! Back in the "good old days" we were reprimanded for sitting more than 10 minutes and reading anything (other than our manuals) was a huge NO-NO! Our passengers were very important to us, not anymore. It's a shame..
redhookrican13 Aug 6th 2009 3:33AM
Correction on the meaning of Deadhead: A flight attendant or pilot who is actually a confirmed passenger, not standby.
Carrie Aug 6th 2009 11:00AM
Ohhh Heather... yet another reason I could NEVER be an F/A, and respect the hell out of people who ARE. My very first international flight, I sat in the VERY back of coach (where I prefer because of my own neuroses :)) and there were two free seats behind me. I asked the very nice F/A if I might have one of those, since sitting way in the back tends to calm my fear of flying. She said they were reserved for two F/As (four all total, two on either of the last row of windows in the cabin) who had to fly out pretty much as soon as we hit the ground.As with your incident, some folks started causing a spoiled-child fuss whenever the two F/As arrived on my side of the plane. The F/A I had spoken to (a very kindly, almost grandmotherly woman in her midfifties) explained, as if to a very small child, what the seats were reserved for. She didn't take this tone with me, and I can only assume it's because I asked politely instead of standing up DURING taxiing to start problems.
Personally, I'd have given the offender(s) on your flight a lecture-lesson in basic damn courtesy- and how to use the online seat choice function that's available on pretty much every airline out there today! I never fail to get ta seat I enjoy when I fly (which is as far back as possible, never in the middle on a large flight) because I ALWAYS choose my seats immediately after the purchase of the ticket, and then go one step further to call and confirm with the airlines that those seats ARE under my name. It's a little trouble that goes a long way, and prevents me from looking like an ass on a flight when my "preferred" seating arrangement (what a joke for someone like me who flies maybe once or twice a year) isn't available.
Mary Jo Aug 6th 2009 11:50AM
On my airline, we are not allowed to non-rev (for pleasure) in uniform, which means we must be in compliance with standard passenger security issues. So if you see us onboard, we're either positioning (when we'll have a passenger seat) or commuting (where we're happy to have any seat at all).
I'm amazed at how many people are quick to judge the work rules of another profession.
bernard Aug 8th 2009 10:06PM
i was on an air china flight from beijing to xian in business class with my friend. We were delayed 5 hours, 4 hours of it was sitting on the plane waiting to take off. My friend was pissed and wanted to yell at the FAs. I told my friend to lay off of the FAs since I was pretty sure the FAs wanted to depart much more than we did. Air China doesn't pay their FAs for ground delays, they are paid only for the published flight time, nothing more and they have to be standing the whole time on the ground with NO pay. And for that particular evening, the FAs would also be working the return xian-beijing flight that would then go back out to singapore later that night. For my friend and me, well, the one time I paid for business class, at least I got to relax in that cabin (which had just 4 pax) rather than be stuck in a middle Y seat. The FAs had to spend an extra 5 hours at work on duty with no extra pay, now that sucks.