London Heathrow yesterday, Fumicino Rome today and Paris Orly tomorrow…sounds glamorous, right? Well, not so much to us, flight attendants who experience this week after week. The most frequently asked question I receive after people get to know what I do is: You must have seen so many different places, right? The answer is no. Since it is our job, we are required to stay onboard the aircraft at all times and remain vigilant. Therefore, in this article I will be answering more of your questions and clarifying misconceptions by describing a typical day in the life of a flight attendant.
Wake up call…
Early mornings are never easy, and I don’t mean waking up at 06.30 a.m. for University or for a typical day of work at the office, I mean waking up at 03.00 or 04.00 a.m. to shower, do your make-up and set your hair. Sometimes, on a night standby, you may be woken up by a phone call from crew despatch, only to be told to be at the airport, dressed and ready to operate a flight in a short amount of time. This means that you can forget staying up late or going out for drinks the night before. Having said this, an advantage to flying is that every flight is unique and interesting, another experience altogether, where we get the opportunity of meeting new people from different corners of the world and learn something new. This in mind, I proudly put on my uniform, pull my hair back, wear my makeup and make my way to the airport.
Duty time…
On arriving at the airport, we discuss the flight ahead with the In-flight Manager. This involves discussing flying time, number of passengers, what duties and responsibilities each crew member will be in charge of, any special category passengers, special requests, safety and security procedures as well as emergency procedures including medical, planned and unplanned emergencies. After briefing is complete, we make our way through airport security and board the aircraft. At this point, we complete all the necessary pre-flight checks and wait for the passengers to board. We welcome passengers at the doors and some of the flight attendants assist passengers in the cabin with their seating. Safety always comes first and we are trained to work in an enclosed space, in a team environment and sometimes, even under pressure. We put customer service at the heart of our offer too.
In-flight…
When I used to go abroad with my family as a little girl, turbulence and ear pain were amongst my greatest concerns. Today, my only concern is not managing to finish the in-flight service on time if the plane encounters too much turbulence. Otherwise, flights are usually pleasant and involve seeing to the cockpit, delivering the in-flight service and socializing with the passengers. All this is obviously targeted to enhance the passenger experience. An advantage to this is that some passengers have very interesting things to relate to us, especially when meeting so many people from various countries with different cultures. In the fourteen months of flying experience, I have had the opportunity of meeting with Ministers, doctors, businessmen, politicians, members of parliament as well as a famous actress.
Turnaround…
After landing at our destination, we spend approximately an hour on ground. During this time, passengers disembark, cleaners board the aircraft to clean the cabin, galleys and lavatories and relevant security searches are completed by the operaitng crew. Then we embark passengers and prepare the cabin for take-off and for our flight back to Malta, or to another destination if the flight involves multiple sectors.
Back home…
On our arrival in Malta, we bid farewell to the passengers and wish them a safe journey home, or a pleasant stay. We check the aircraft cabin, to ensure that nothing was left behind, we head our way back to the terminal and thank the crew for a pleasant flight. At this point we all go our separate ways home to rest.
Despite the tiring days and nights working at 35,000 feet above ground, I enjoy flying and I do it with pride, knowing that whilst I am wearing the Air Malta uniform, I am representing my national airline. As an ambassador of Malta, I offer the diverse Maltese product and service and the unique hospitality of the people of Malta. The long flights and odd hours are part of the challenges and experience of working as a flight attendant for one of the world’s leading airline brands.
“The worst day of flying still beats the best day of real work”
