ON BOARD WITH REEBS!

Swimming with Snakes!

2010-06-29T19:51:00.000+10:00

When I started this blog I promised myself I would only write if I had something to write about. This blog was not to end up another chore on my list but rather something to enjoy. After months and months I finally have something to share, in fact this is just one interesting story of many I have to share.

Down route in Phuket, four other crew members and myself decided to go for a late night swim. Two crew were sitting on the edge of the pool and two were standing in the water chatting to them. I had decided to lie on my back and float around the centre of the pool.

Just to set the scene, earlier in the evening at dinner one of the crew members who was now sitting on the edge of the pool had a cicada fly directly into his face. It spooked him as it was quite large and no-one saw it coming.

Lying on my back floating in the pool, I saw from the corner of my eye my four friends; arms flailing and screaming. My first thought was that another insect had spooked them but when I saw them get up and run and continuing to run, I realise the situation must be worse.

I stood up to be able to hear them and through the screams I heard, “Get out of the pool! Get out of the pool!”. My imagination ran away with me. I thought of lizards, then goannas (are there Goannas in Thailand?) then crocodiles ?!?! I swam in the direction they were running and once out of the pool I continued to run towards the others. The whole time I was yelling; “Why am I running?”

I couldn’t get much information from them as they were still jumping around screaming and laughing. Once they had settled I learned what had happened. One of the crew members in the water had felt something on her leg, assuming it was a leaf she attempted to wipe it off. When she felt the ‘leaf’ still stuck to her hand, she looked down to discover it wasn’t actually a leaf but a metre long black snake!!!

It must of got a fright as much as we did as is slithered to the edge of the pool, jumped out onto land (where the others were sitting) and slithered into the garden.

After the crew members explained to me what had happened I realised my imagination wasn’t far off. Well, except maybe the crocodile (?). And if you can imagine, they described my reaction to that of turrets! Ha!

By this time we were well and truly finished with the idea of a late night swim and headed straight back to our rooms. As we hopped into the lift we looked at ourselves and laughed. We looked like a pack of drowned rats. No-one had a chance to dry themselves, and everyone got dressed in a hurry! It was a sorry sight, but certainly a funny one!

Are you an ass?

2010-03-10T15:02:00.000+11:00

" Imagine living your whole life not knowing you're an ass!?"

This is what a fellow crew member said to me on our way to L.A last week. What we were discussing was the likes of some passengers.

My parents always taught me to be polite and use manners; Please and Thankyou, that type of thing. Also, that first impressions last. So no matter who I am speaking to, I always make a conscious effort to be friendly and polite.

My first assumption of a business class passenger, was that they would be very snooty and self-obsessed. However, my first few visits to this cabin proved me wrong. Most of these passengers are the nicest, most care-free , warm and genuine people. They are also less demanding than I thought they would be. A private joke among crew is that the 'upgrades' are easy to spot as they can be the most demanding of the lot.

However every now and then you come across a guest that doesn't use their please an thankyou's, never returns a smile and is simply the definition of rude. And its this person my friend was referring to; Imagine spending your whole life not knowing you're an ass!?

I laughed when she said this, but then I thought about it a little longer. And yes, IMAGINE!? If you don't know you're a ass then maybe you are, or maybe I am? I am confident in saying most people would not think I'm an ass, but I'm sure they're has been instances when people have thought that of me. I'm sure some employees of certain phone companies could make this statement of me, maybe even the check out chick at the supermarket that day I was in a bad mood?

It's certainly something I need to remember when dealing with our guests. Maybe I did get lumped with having to serve an ass or maybe they're just having a bad day? I'll try not to be so quick to judge in the future. However if I'm the one having a bad day, I can't make any promises!

Not For The Feint Of Heart

2010-02-23T13:18:00.000+11:00

I have been asked several times to write about this incident and today feels like a good day to do so (read: I finally have time!).

Our company flies to and from LA via Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. On this occasion we were flying to Brisbane and then onto Sydney as a passenger via Virgin Blue. There was about 10 of us taking the trip. As I was seated in ‘rows 13 and beyond’, my tired little self had to take the stairs to the tarmac and up the rear of the aircraft. On my journey my ankle did the dreaded wobble and I fell onto my hands and knees. Embarrassed, I did what anyone would do, laugh it off, get up, keep going,and don’t look back!

Once seated I looked down to find blood pouring out my knee, through my pantyhose and down my leg. Not a good look! I asked the cabin crew for some tissues and mopped myself up. It stung a little but I couldn’t care less. I was so tired, all I could think about was having a sleep and getting home. While my fellow crew laughed at me, I nodded off…

I woke to a light spray of a liquid on my face, thinking the drink cart had reached me and that someone had just opened a can of soft drink, I opened my eyes. Surprisingly no drink cart. I turned around to see if the drink cart was behind me, and what I saw felt like it happened in slow motion. The 10 of us were seated on aisle seats over the last 5 or 6 rows. When I looked at the crew and passengers all I saw was looks of shock and disgust, and in the middle of it all was a man attempting to get into the lavatory in a hurry. Eventually putting the pieces together I realised that this man had decided that his sick bag in the pocket in the seat in front of him would not suffice and that he would attempt to make it to the rear lav. He put his hand to his mouth while he projectile vomited down the cabin, managing to reach the window, floor, about 15 guests and believe it or not; the roof!!!

In our hypoxic state, we somehow found this funny, and lucky for us, we were not on the 8am departure with a bunch of guests on their way to work, so, amazingly the other guests managed to see the lighter side too.

Out of instinct we got up and grabbed some gloves and ISO wipes and started cleaning the aircraft and each other. It was on our clothes, on our seats, on our faces and as we scrambled around playing spot the vomit we heard, “Oh excuse me, you’ve ah, you’ve got a chunk in your hair!”. The poor lady had chunks of vomit in her hair, and one guy had to replace his shirt as his whole top was covered in spew! It was almost funny, but absolutely not at the same time. Still we found ourselves laughing in dis-belief.

Once we were all clean (as much as we could be, without stripping off and disinfecting ourselves), we sat down and got ready for landing. The next thing I see is ‘Mr Projectile down the aisle’ being escorted to a premium seat. I was in complete shock that 1) in response to him vomiting all over the passengers he got upgraded and that 2) he did not even apologise. I realise that when your sick, you do some strange things and its the perfect out for any behaviour, but a simple “I’m so sorry” goes along way. We would all understand!

Take Care, Safe Travels and Happy Flying!

2010-02-22T15:50:00.003+11:00

This post is necessary as it is one of the biggest events that have happened during my time with V Australia. However it is probably the hardest thing I have ever had to write about.

During a layover in Phuket one of our crew members was in a serious accident. He died from this serious accident. He was 25 years old and had had too much to drink.

Let's set the scene. You're young, single and living the dream job. You chaperone 366 guests across the pacific and for your efforts you are paid a salary and paid to stay overnight in an overseas destination. Here you are in a lush hotel with at least 13 other like minded people. All armed with money, plenty of free time and absolutely no responsibility.

Being young, most want to have a few drinks, go out for dinner and just have a good time. It's your time to relax, unwind and completely let go. There is no reason to get up in the morning; no alarms need to be set, no animals to feed, and no bins to take out. You are free to completely let go.

Unfortunately we do have responsibilities wherever we are in the world. And that is the responsibility to ourselves. We need to take care of ourselves and realise that we are not indestructible. We need to stay healthy, well rested and safe. Our friends and family can't always keep up with us. They don't always know where we are in the world. We may be young and free but as this sad passing teaches us, we are not indestructible and our lives can be cut short at the drop of a hat.

This unfortunate death of a flight attendant comes as a wake-up call for most of us. It's time to take a step back and take responsibility for our actions. Life is short and can be even shorter if we are not careful!

Grief is also an interesting subject here. Our company is a small one for an airline with only four hundred and something employee's. Almost everyone knows everyone. So this comes as a big shock for such a close knit group. Grief is so diverse, everyone seems to deal differently. Therefore Grieving as a group is very difficult. It's also a reason as to why this is hard to write about. My opinion on grief and death could be very different to another. It could also be taken the wrong way and cause friction which is the last thing anyone needs at such a sad time. For me, Its easier if I deal with my feelings within and privately.

This is a sad time for V Australia and the family involved. Its a very difficult time but it's important we learn from this. It's imperative we focus on the good that comes of it, the fun memories we had together, and the lessons we should take from this experience.

With more meaning than ever I say to my fellow crew; Take Care, Safe Travels and Happy Flying!

Clear skies never make good pilots!

2010-01-25T23:24:00.008+11:00

According to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority in Australia, severe turbulence is defined as; Large, abrupt changes in altitude and attitude, a large variation in indicated airspeed and the aircraft temporarily out of control. This is what we experienced landing into Sydney after a picking up a load of guests from Fiji.

Just before take-off from Fiji we were notified by our Flight Manager that if we didn't complete all our cabin securing checks in five minutes we would be stuck in Fiji, due to the weather in Sydney. I've never seen a cabin secured so quickly! We were on the runway as soon as the flight manager gave the all clear to the flight deck! The flight to Sydney was quite normal in terms of turbulence, and the skies were clear.

However, as we were preparing the cabin for landing, we were told to expect a "very rough landing" and to help keep the guests as calm as possible. I'd never had these instructions before and so I assumed our Flight Manager was exaggerating. Boy, was I in for a surprise!? Having only been flying for about a year I can safely say I have never ever experienced turbulence to that degree.

Out of nowhere the plane dropped and a few squeals of surprise were exerted. As I knew it was coming, I smiled and continued to hold my brace position and my review of the emergency procedures, as we are trained to do for every take-off and landing. The guests continued reading their books and hosting conversations. Then the turbulence continued and the plane dropped fast and far, and just as quickly as it fell, it rose, causing our guests to gag and literally turn pale!

The fear was in their eyes, as I watched most looked straight at me for an answer to their concern. I felt sorry for them, and so I swallowed my stomach that had just been forced into my throat and continued to smile, making eye contact with those that seemed most frightened. As a frequent traveler on planes you become immune to the pot holes and the sudden jerks in the air, but you would have to have had the best of stomachs to not react to what we experienced this day.

The plane continued to climb suddenly and fall rapidly like a roller coaster for a good five minutes. Guests had their heads in their partners laps, their eyes closed, their hands tight on the arm rests. Some laughed, some vomited, some screamed, and some cried. Our baby B777-300ER, less than 10 months old groaned as it was thrown about. Seat belts were pulled tighter and mumbles of concern were spreading throughout the cabin.

As there were two spare seats in the flight deck due to the short flight, two of our crew were buckled up with the Captain and First Officer to experience the landing through the Pilot's eyes. I thought of them as we weaved through pockets of air, jealous of what they would learn. I would love to see what would be involved when trying to control the plane during such turbulence and to watch how the pilots cope with their workload under that pressure. I was told by these lucky crew members later that the captain swore and that the atmosphere was intense.

The swinging motions continued until we had almost reached the runway, then the plane rocked from left to right threatening to smack its 30 metre long wings onto the ground. The captain sped up and landed relatively smooth and I watched everyone let out a sigh of relief as they fishtailed down the runway.

As the guests were disembarking I was handing out sick bags and bottles of water to those in need. One guests asked me if it was actually 'bad' turbulence, as he wanted to be sure his fears were warranted. I assured him that yes, that was unusual for turbulence.

Upon reflection, it certainly was a learning curve as well as an adrenalin rush for the crew. I personally, learnt two things;

1. I don't vomit as easily as I thought I did/would.

and

2. A smile goes a long way.

:-)

Please be careful when entering the terminal; as manners and brains do fall out!

2010-01-03T15:57:00.006+11:00

I always hear fellow colleagues moan about how passengers loose their minds as they walk in the airport terminal, but hadn't really experienced the brunt of it until today. We flew Melbourne to Los Angeles departing at 1pm instead of 11:45am. There were huge delays due to the recent terror attack in America on Christmas Day. I'd also heard that MEL-LAX was as bad as a Brisbane to LA flight but on steroids; meaning passengers are trigger happy with the call bell and eat like they are waiting for us to fall out of the sky and be stranded in a slide raft for weeks- times ten. I didn't believe it though, being a ex-melbournite, I thought we had more class. But, they were right!

Just after the lunch service, we experienced some turbulence. The Captain put the fasten seat belt sign on. At this point we had queue's at the toilets. My job was then to tell everyone that they would have to sit back down, fasten their seat belt and hold it a little while longer. This is always such a horrible thing to say to people but seeing that 99% of people waiting for the loo's are adults you would think that this would be not an impossible task however horrible.

During boarding I was approached by a gentleman in my area;

Passenger: "Excuse me? Do the headsets work?"
Me: "Yes, they do." (slightly puzzled)
Passenger: "Then can we turn this off now!!!" (pointing to the speaker above him playing our boarding music)
Me: "Unfortunately Sir, Our boarding music doesn't get switched off until after take-off." (Smile)

OK, so not all of us are excited about travel, being on a plane, the atmosphere of liberty and its endless possibilities, some people travel for work, some travel for funerals, not all people are going on holidays. This is something this gentleman subtly reminded me. Note to self, this passenger is not in a good mood today.

So my next encounter with this pleasant passenger is having to tell him that he has to be seated no matter how 'busting' he is. He steps right into my personal space, nice and close to my face and says " Take me to 1st class for the toilet then, otherwise I will piss in my seat!". Having already spoken to him earlier and noted he was not in a good mood, I chose not to rile him up and warned him that he had been advised of the danger of entering the toilet when the captain has put the fasten seat belt sign on and that anything he should do now is at his own risk. My Cabin Leader overheard and put his head around the corner and told him kindly that unfortunately he would have to sit in his seat.

A lady overheard and decided to play the same desperado routine and insist she must go as she "could feel her period coming on". Please people, grow up! I understand you need to go to the toilet and that you were in a queue waiting patiently for your turn, but unfortunately I care more about your safety than that of your bladder and do not particularly like being threatened with leakages of menstruation blood and urine!!!

What happens to people when they walk in an airport?! It really is another world! I have just finished reading "Up in The Air" by Water Kirn. Its a story about a man reaching his one-millionth frequent flyer mile and his experiences in 'airworld' as he calls it. Its left me wondering, considering I travel for a profession, am I a key player in airworld or just a spectator???

A Sooky Sicky Moment

2009-12-15T16:42:00.004+11:00

It's alwasy the way, isn't it?! When you look forward to something and count down to something exciting in your life, murphy's law comes and bites you in the ass. I remember when I was young, always getting sick the day before a fun school excursion, or school holidays, etc. It's so not fair! I'm supposed to be doing my first trip to Phuket on Thursday but Doc has told me I'm not going anywhere! :( I was really looking forward to Phuket as I've never been to Thailand before! Doc was kind enough to allow me to go to training on Wednesday though- just no flying! Which also means I had to cancel my hair appointment on Saturday too as driving to Melbourne is not an option.

I know, I know! One day I will be sick of Phuket but just let me have my winge!

Meanwhile it's dvd's on the couch and Senega and Ammonia for me! How does that song go again? "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down". Hmmm, that depends, how big is the spoon?

Sick in LA with Flying Disease

2009-12-12T22:08:00.003+11:00

You may be wondering what is Flying Disease? Well, that's what I am calling the cold you get from being run down and working 36,000 ft in the sky. In my case it is Strep Throat and blocked sinuses. I arrived in la at 7am after 12.5 hrs of flying, feeling perfectly fine. I went for a short walk and got some breakfast and then went back to my hotel room to sleep for 6hrs. Its now cold in LA so I slept with the heater on. When I woke up, I had a sore throat, but it was nothing major. I thought it was just from sleeping with the heater on.

I went down hill very fast in the next few hours from walking to and from the restaurant. My head started feeling heavy and all my enthusiasm was gone. At about 10pm I rang my Cabin Leader to let her know I had a sore throat and that I would keep her informed of my condition. When she rang me back in the morning, I had hit rock bottom. My ears were blocked, my nose and eyes felt like they were about to explode, I could barely speak and I had a terrible fever. She advised me to go to the doctor. We both decided, as much as all I wanted to do is get home and get better, flying back with blocked ears and not having doctor's clearance was not worth the risk. So at 1130am I head off to the doctors.

The doctors in LA were fantastic! Highly organised, technologically advanced, efficient and very clean. The only thing that worried me was having to sign a "I will not sue" form before being seen?!

Once the nurse called me she took my blood pressure, weight and temperature. Then she escorted me to the treatment room. The Doctor entered a few moments later with my paperwork in hand and had a look in my ears and throat. He then got another nurse to come in and swab my throat for strep throat. They tested the swab and got back to me in 5 minutes confirming I had strep throat!

The Doctor came back with a prescription and my 'fit to fly but not operate' certificate. He gave me a script for Amoxicillin and Prednisone. He also recommended I take Affrin nasal spray and Sudaphed. Brilliant! Only 48 hrs later and I'm already feeling human again. And on top of that my prescription came in 2 round, orange containers; just like in the movies!

I was very lucky to be able to use one of the crew rest beds for 'sleep' and managed to lay flat and rested for 7 hrs. The whole 'head on fire and about to explode' feeling is really not helping me get any sleep. But I have a feeling tonight will be more successful! After a 14 hr flight home of which an hour was during ascending and descending (and so much pain),I'm finally home and in bed. It's funny how when you are sick all you want is what's familiar. The beds at our hotel in LA are much more comfortable than my own bed, but still, all I wanted was my precious, off centred, springy mattress!

Turbulence and a Paparazzi sighting!

2009-12-07T11:09:00.006+11:00

Got a few responses to my previous blog from mothers. Apparently being a Flight Attendant or a Mother, share the same con's; Fatigue. So If I am to one day leave this job to be a mother, does this mean fatigue is a given for the rest of my life?!

I returned home from Los Angeles yesterday via Brisbane. Another tiring flight!Our rest period got cut due to the amount of turbulence we had disrupting our service. But the 2 and a bit hours of sleep that I did get were rock solid!

We had 2 nights in LA this trip and it was amazing the difference this had on the crew compared to my previous flight which we were rostered a 26hr layover. The crew was much more relaxed and upbeat, it even felt like the passengers were just as relaxed and chilled. Could the atmosphere from the crew really wash off onto the passengers?

A few of my friends and I hired a car and drove almost 2 hours to this amazing shopping outlet. On the way we drove past this very flashy looking Mercedes. Being girls, nobody blinked an eye. Then this SUV pulls up along side it. All of a sudden a man with a huge camera climbs out the window and starts filming the car. The man was so far out the window another person was holding him by the hips for safety! (???) We couldn't believe our eyes! Paparazzi sighting in LA!!! I'm not sure who was in the car but do know it was two men, one of which waved at us! It was quite a sight! The Mercedes teased the camera men for a few minutes then took off like a rocket! It was amazing, that car got so fast SO quickly!

Our new roster was published while we were away and with it comes new destinations. Fiji, Thailand and a new LA route via Melbourne. Which means that our rosters are now alot heavier than previous! Should be an interesting roster fatigue wise. I hope I can stay well rested! My previous roster was simply 2 X LA. This roster is the same plus 1 X Phuket, 2 X Fiji, and 2 Full days of training! I'm tired just typing that!

On route to LA from Sydney the Captain did a PA asking crew to be seated and as I sat down a champagne stopper popped off the bottle and nearly hit me in the face! Phew, scared the life out of me!

On route to Brisbane from LA we were travelling behind or close to the Qantas A380 on its way to Sydney or Melbourne. The wake it created was pretty rough. Cabin Crew had to be seated and the First Officer did a PA to the passengers explaining the reason for such bumps. The "Bloody Qantas" remarks from the passengers were hilarious!

On our return flight the captain spoke to the crew in the briefing explaining that he has had one cabin leader hit the roof due to turbulence and does not want that to happen again on his watch. I never thought of the Captain or the pilots as to how they would feel if turbulence was to injure people on their flight.

Years ago when I was working at McDonald's a manager explained to me that managers may have less to do but have more responsibility and the higher you go the more responsibility you obtain. And this true for that of the Captain. When I'm walking around the cabin and it gets bumpy, I don't worry as I know the pilots have it under control. But when I visit the flight deck It hits me...the buck stops here! All that control lies with the 4 pilots in the tiny little nose of the 75m aluminium tube. What a responsibility!!!

It's easy to get so blase faire about flying, but its important to remember that nature is so unpredictable and we should always have our wits about us.

Fatigue

2009-11-27T22:06:00.003+11:00

Well It's Nov 27th and I have just returned from LA today! I spent 24 hrs at the hotel this trip! and at least 26hrs in the air!

MENTAL FATIGUE & CAUSES (according to Wikipedia);

More or less a decreased level of consciousness.

Fatigue is typically a result of working, mental stress, overstimulation and understimulation, jet lag or active recreation, depression, and also boredom, disease and lack of sleep.

Funny but not so funny things that happened on this trip due to fatigue or tiredness; didn't sleep at all on 14 hr return flight, watched a friend spill 500ml of water on floor before reacting, set my alarm for Aussie time whilst in LA, had a conversation with colleage and 12 hrs later realised it wasn't who I thought it was, and micro-sleeps in flight deck.

I have just arrived home from LA after a 24 hr journey involving a bus, plane, train, train, bus and walk and I am absolutely exhausted! Fatigue and tiredness is THE biggest downfall to this job. I left for LA Tuesday evening and returned home Friday morning. I spent one half of the trip complaining I was tired and the other half convincing people I wasn't tired. Learning how to manage your sleep seems to be a constant battle! You can call me tired and emotional on the days I return but whatever you do, don't call me! I'm useless, I can barely string a sentence together. I'm often found slurring my sentences, staring into space, crying over spilt milk or drooling on my luggage, fast asleep on the train! Not a pretty sight!

On one occasion I fell over on the tarmac walking onto my next flight, ripped a hole in my stocking and a hole in my knee! I still have the scar as a reminder! Needless to say, I no longer take the stairs when I'm tired! If I had to complain about something in this job it would be the constant feeling of tiredness. They say that If a plane was to crash and bodies were recovered, the organs they would take first would be the that of the flight crew. Flying constantly, has a similar effect on the body to that of altitude training! Our lung capacity increases and our general fitness level is higher than most passengers.

But I often wonder what all the lack of sleep does to our brains long term?! We all know sleep is vital for our brains to function and watching yourself deteriorate due to fatigue is a visual reminder of that!

Happy 21st!

2009-11-21T15:25:00.001+11:00

I've just come back from my 21st return flight to Los Angeles with VAustralia! Another fun flight that's for sure! Great crew and no hiccoughs! Unlike my very first flight as a Flight Attendant where we had a medical emergency half way back to Sydney. We had to divert to Honolulu which made it not only my first flight but also the longest shift I've ever worked. One of the Cabin Crew happened to also be a registered nurse and we were able to find two medically qualified volunteers so we were in good hands.

On the way over we had a group of strippers in economy called "10 Inch Toys". 'Should come see our show', one of them says! Mmmm, I think not! One handed me a note asking me to 'drop him a line'. Alot different to the notes I'm used to being passed in my previous occupation as a nanny which consisted of mostly "I love you", "Thanks for being my babysitter", or "Do you like my colouring?".

My third trip was a little more exciting! Got to experience my first earthquake on the 9th floor of our hotel. They say it reached 5.1 on the richter scale! Pretty cool! Thankfully there were no injuries, just a bit of excitement!

I've learnt alot so far including but not limited to; how to get red wine out of white shirts. I managed to spill half a bottle of Shiraz all down the right side of my shirt and then managed to clean and dry it while on rest! Good as new!

We have had many delays due to different reasons; freight placed in hold too aggressively causing dent in door, medicals, guests being off-loaded, aircraft been hit by lightning, dust storms, etc.

The dust storm was the most exciting so far! After take off from LAX on route to SYD we were told there may be a delay landing as Sydney is expecting a storm. We accepted this and continued working. Half way during our flight we were updated that we may have to land in BNE as storm is 'quite the storm'. Darn, another few hours added to shift but not to worry.

Just before landing Captain gives PA advising guests that we will attempt to land in Sydney but if unsuccessful we will have to land in Brisbane. Business as usual in the cabin, securing items, tidying and double checking. I've attached a few photos of the clouds from above. As you can see alot of dust! Captain makes PA " Cabin Crew seats for landing". At this stage I am in disbelief! What land?! I can't see a thing out the window!!! Its red/orange and that's about all. We all sit silently waiting to hear the thud of the landing gear hitting the runway but no such thing happens. The Flight Crew decide it is not safe and take off again! Huge adrenalin rush for Cabin Crew!

We land on second attempt and thank pilots for there efforts. Always amazed how unfazed they are!

21 return flights so far and so many stories to tell. Its certainly an eventful job! Arriving to our hotel in LA one day we see a man hanging for dear life on a nearby building after his window washing equipment fell from beneath him. There were fire trucks, police cars and media everywhere! He was rescued after an hour or so- What a day for him hey?!

Wonder what the next 21 flights will bring? Ill leave you with this interesting article I found in The Age;

"The first cabin attendants were men who helped maintain the planes and moved cargo, such as mailbags. Then in the 1930's female attendants were hired to provide sandwiches and drinks and to hand out gum and cotton to help with passengers' ear pressure. These flight attendants were originally registered nurses, but this requirement was dropped in the 1940's. In those days when the stewardesses got married, they were sacked. Both sexes now work as flight attendants and apart from maintaining passenger comfort and serving refreshments, their main role is one of safety." MARK ELLIS