Australian Airlines

Hearing: Tinie Tempah Ft. Eric Turner - Written In The Stars

Australian Airlines!! Its long overdue but finally a post to introduce the airlines of my home country. Here is the unofficial list (for a complete list please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airlines_of_Australia) which looks at the main players in the Aussie skies.

For all you Aussie wannabe cabin crew - good luck!

For non-Australian citizens or residents, please note that the majority of Australian airlines do not hire internationally and then base you in an Australian city as some airlines of the Middle East do.

Qantas - The Spirit of Australia

• Qantas Careers
• Qantas Flight Attendants
• QantasLink

Virgin Blue - V Australia - Pacific Blue

• Virgin Careers
• Career opportunities listing

Jetstar

• Jetstar Careers 
• Jetstar Cabin Crew

Tiger Airways

• Careers 

PPrune appears to be quite busy at the moment with Aussie airline threads. Check out some i have included below.

Virgin Atlantic (II)

Virgin Atlantic (I)

Virgin Blue

Qantas domestic

VP

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Oman Air

Hearing: Broken Strings - James Morrison

http://www.omanairblog.com/omanair/2009/10/oman-air-goes-for-the-balenciaga-look.html

Oman Air - This airline doesnt offer much by way of cabin crew information - strike that - it doesnt offer any information at all! Flicking over to their website today i noticed that if a job is posted in the vacancy section it will provide some decent details but there were no jobs advertised for Cabin Crew. Everything else on their website is general info.

The PPrune thread i found is not great but its better than nothing. Also in an effort to give you guys some kind of information i contacted one Oman Air cabin crew with some questions in the hopes that i'll be able to share this information. If i get an answer i'll be sure to post an update so keep your fingers crossed!

Oman Air Global Website

Oman Air Career page

Oman Air Job Vacancy

VP

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Additonal Emirates Blogs and Cabin Crew Links

Hearing:

Here are some additional Cabin Crew wannabe resources and forums i came across recently and some more Emirates Cabin Crew Blogs.

http://www.thirtythousandfeet.com/flightat.htm
http://wwww.cabincrew.com/ccnetwork/forum_topics.asp?FID=3
http://www.airlinecrew.net/


Emirates cabin crew blogs:

http://danielleindubai.blogspot.com/

http://getreadyfortakeofflis.blogspot.com/
http://twentysomethingflightattendant.blogspot.com/

VP

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Royal Jordanian

Hearing: Cars driving by, Merlin (my cat) purring next to me, leaves rustling in the wind.

Happy New Year Everyone!!

I hope everyone has had a safe and enjoyable holiday season. I wish you all a wonderful & exciting 2011. For all you cabin crew wannabes...i hope that 2011 is the year you land your dream job in the skies.

With that in mind...Welcome to the first post of 2011 - Royal Jordanian!

http://www.rj.com/en/tabid/130/Default.aspx

Based in Amman, Jordan and launched in 1963 as "Alia" it was later renamed Royal Jordanian, its network spans 53 detinations world-wide and it is a member of the OneWorld Airline Alliance. For aviation uniform lovers check out their uniform gallery.

Royal Jordanian Global Website

Royal Jordanian Career Website 

Royal Jordanian Cabin Crew Info - Non-Jordanian (Female Only)

On to the basics...

Location: You will be based in  Amman

Age: 18-30 years

Height:158cm

Salary:

     - 1356 USD monthly base salary

     - 850 USD per month flying allowance (though the website doesnt say if this is an average or how it is calculated)

Healthcare: Medical care + life insurance provided by company

Travel Discounts:Annual airline tickets for you and your family (though they do no specify the terms and conditions)

To apply, all you need to do is send your CV/Resume and a full body photo to Cabincrew@rj.com

Unfortunately that is all the information i could find on their official website.

Some other links that may be useful include:

• PPrune Royal Jordanian thread
• CabinCrew.com Royal Jordanian thread

It has been very difficult finding any cabin crew blogs, i dont know if the crew are just too busy flying to keep a blog or if Royal Jordanian has a problem with it or if my searching skills are just that bad....please let me know if you have come across any!

VP

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Gulf Air

Hearing: I cant be tamed - Miley Cyrus (oh and my not so small kitten purring away...)

Gulf Air - "Guaranteed to make you smile"

image from http://www.link2portal.com/energy/company/64283/gulf_air

Gulf Air used to be a very large airline and very popular, it was almost as big as Emirates. With the launch and expansion of Etihad Airways however some of Gulf Airs  destinations were taken away and as a result the airline has shrunk significantly. Gulf Air is based in Bahrain a small island East of Saudi and North-west of Qatar. At present it appears that they are only hiring Bahraini nationals though in the past they have hired crew world-wide.

Gulf Air Website

Gulf Air Career Website
Gulf Air Flight Attendant Information

Gulf Air on Facebook

The information on this website is more scattered than other airline career sites but if you head to the FAQ page you'll be able to find the details. Also don't forget that they have the "Sky Nanny" positions available which other airlines we have covered so far do not.

Location: You will be based in Bahrain

Age: 20-30years

Accommodation: Company provided shared accommodation with 1-2 people.

Salary: Tax free salary, allowances and end-of-service benefits depending on length of employment (Unspecified)

Annual Leave: One free annual leave ticket per year

Healthcare: Company provided including dental

Travel Discounts: Available to you and certain family members travelling on Gulf Air and partner airlines
Training period: 8 weeks

I have also found the below details taken from the Gulf Airs Bahrani Nationals - Flight Attendant vacancy page (so please be aware that these may only apply to Bahraini Nationals applying)

Height: Min 5 feet 3 inches (1.58m) tall

Leave: 36 days

Status: Single with no children

Qualifications: University/College

I have had some difficulty finding cabin crew blogs or many forum sites but here is a list of sites/articles that i could find:

PPrune
Gulf Air Crew & Ground Staff (ex & current) Facebook page 

All-female Bahraini crew for Gulf Air (article)

Skytrax passenger reviews

If your a Gulf Air flight attendant and would like to share your blog, please contact me via email (see the about me page) or include your site by posting a comment.


VP

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Qatar Airways

Hearing: Unbroken - Stan Walker

Next up is a post on Qatar Airways Cabin Crew. Qatar Airways is the national airline of Qatar, a small country located on a small penninsula west of the UAE.

Qatar Airways Global Website

Qatar Airways Career Website 

Qatar Airways Cabin Crew Jobsite

Image from: http://www.qatarairways.com/global/en/homepage.html

This airline has a reputation for being strict and even assigning cabin crew curfew! However, as always, hearesay should be taken with a pinch of salt. The Cabin Crew jobsite is quite comprehensive. The information below has been taken direct from their cabin crew information pages.

Location: You will be based in Doha, the capital

Age: Minimum 20 years

Height: You need to be able to reach 212cm

Contract: 3 year open ended contract

Accommodation: company provided, furnished shared with own bedroom

Salary: Tax Free - 1579 USD inclusive flying pay and location specific layover meal allowance + you get an unspecified welcome bonus + end of service benifits

Healthcare: Medical care + life insurance provided by company

Travel Discounts: with Qatar and its partner airlines
Education: At minimum you must have completed High School

At the time of writing this post there were a number of scheduled open days (no invitation letter required), it is best to check here for an updated schedule

For those of you interested in Private Flying, Qatar Airways have their own version called Executive Crew which you can apply for on their website if they have a job advertised. You do need 5 years experience though.

Qatar forum threads (bear in mind some information here might be outdated):

PPrune 1st thread
PPrune 2nd thread

Some Qatar Cabin Crew Blogs:

http://starvillanueva.multiply.com/journal

http://cabincrewwall.com/qatar/doha/ (only 4 posts about the open days intervies and first impressions of Qatar)

http://devilboy69.multiply.com/journal (last post was October 2009)

Unfortunately those are the only blogs from Qatar crew i could find. I did hear from a friend that they are very strict with people who blog about their airline so its highly possible there are more out there they are just not saying who they work for. If you do come across any please let me know! Better yet, if your a Qatar Airways FA and wish to help others achieve their dream to fly but want to stay anonymous flick me an email!

VP

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Etihad Airways

Hearing: Airplanes  - B.O.B ft Haley Williams

Next up - Etihad Airways! Similar to Emirates, this post is on everything Etihad Cabin Crew i could pull together. Just like Mel from Tampax Towers did in the Emirates post, feel free to add anything by posting a comment or contacting me!

image from http://careers.etihadairways.com/ehire/English/FAQs.aspx

Etihad Airways - It is the national carrier of the UAE (United Arab Emirates) - not Emirates as most people beleive. It is based in Abu Dhabi one of the other Emirates in the UAE.

Etihad Global Website

Etihad Career Website

Etihad Cabin Crew Website

Their Cabin Crew jobsite has been updated since i first started writing this post. It still has lots of information cabin crew wannabes want to know. Make sure you check out the FAQ section for Cabin Crew as there is valuable stuff there and also do a job search for "cabin crew" for some additional information. Be sure to refer to information on the Etihad website before listening to what anyone else says/what you hear elsewhere. I have summarised some of the information here to act as a quick reference but make sure visit the website too!

Location: You will be based in Abu Dhabi

Age: Minimum 21 years

Height: 162cm. You need to be able to reach 214cm without shoes

Salary: unspecified - tax free

Experience Required: 2 years customer service (part time for 2 years is accepted)

Other: Ability to swim at least 25m unaided in open water, without a flotation devic

Assessment Day Schedule (taken from the cabin crew job advert on their crew website - please note that you do need an invite to attend):

August 2010

Abu Dhabi, UAE
Milan, Italy- Cabin Crew Open Day on 5th August at Radisson Blu Milan, 0830 am- 1030 am*

Athens, Greece-  Cabin Crew Open Day on 3rd August at Crowne Plaza Hotel Athens City, 0830 am- 1030 am*

Barcelona, Spain

Dusseldorf, Germany

Dublin, Republic of Ireland

London, United Kingdom

September 2010

Abu Dhabi, UAE
Copenhagen, Denmark

Oslo, Norway

Warsaw, Poland

Helsinki, Finland

Paris, France

Brussels, Belgium

Budapest, Hungary

Bratislava, Slovakia

 * Please bring a copy of your updated CV, one passport sized photograph and copy of your passport details page.

Etihad forum threads (bear in mind some information here might be outdated):

PPrune

Cabin Crew

Some Etihad Cabin Crew Blogs:

Nikita - Once Upon A Dream

Around the Globe 

A lot of these blogs talk about the travel side of the job but there are some nuggets of information for the hungry wannabe (like i used to be) which gives a personal insight in to what it is really like to live in Abu Dhabi and work for Etihad.

If anyone comes across any other website that may be useful please let me know. In the meantime good luck to all those interested in applying for Etihad, i wish you well and email me if you want to share your experience!

VP

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Emirates

Hearing: Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition

As promised here is a post on everything Emirates Cabin Crew i could pull together. Feel free to add anything by posting a comment or contacting me!

image from http://www.emiratesgroupcareers.com/english/Careers_Overview/cabin_crew/default.aspx

Emirates Airlines - for those who dont know - is the most popular airline in the Middle-East and the one that most people want to join. Emirates is an airline based in Dubai, UAE (United Arab Emirates).

Emirates Global Website

Emirates Career Website 

Emirates Cabin Crew Jobsite

The Cabin Crew jobsite has a lot of information most applicants want to know, eg, minimum age, height 'restrictions', pay etc. I recommend you rely on that information first before any other source. I have summarised some of the information here to act as a quick reference but do have a look at the information provided on the website, even the FAQ page has additional info!

Location: You will be based in Dubai

Age: Minimum 21 years

Height: You need to be able to reach 212cm (standing with ur arms stretched above ur head)

Contract: 3 years non-binding with 6 months probationary period. It can be renewed for another 3 years

Accommodation: Company provided (which means free with no electricity/water/phone bills!!)

Salary: (in 3 parts)

     -  3915 dirhams (approx 1065 USD) tax free per month

     -  53.50 dirhams per hour paid between chocks off and chocks on

     -  meal allowance in the currency of the country of layover

Annual Leave: 30 days + one free annual leave ticket per year

Healthcare: Medical care + life insurance provided by company

Travel Discounts: Some available on joining, others after probationary period.

Emirates run a number of Global Open Days throughout the year in various locations, for details check out this page. There are currently several scheduled for April and May 2010. Global Open Days are usually very busy. Bring your resume and photos and most importantly you need a lot of patience. The day serves mainly as an introduction to the company and there is time later to submit your resume and say a quick hello to the recruiters.

Global Assessment Days on the other hand are by appointment only and you need to submit your resume beforehand. For that schedule click here.

Emirates forum threads (bear in mind some information here might be outdated):

PPrune

Vogue

Some Emirates Cabin Crew Blogs:

Airboy

Melisa - The Emirates Chapter

Lisa's Cabin Crew Blog

Tampax Towers
Life as i know it
Going for it
TobyTime
Pink Poodle
Dstar Duubai
Carine in the Sandpit
The Flying Kiwi
Aerobatics Ash
Shaun Wykes
Flying High
Flying at 35,00 feet
Danielles cabin crew blog

Maicon Soares An Emirates wannabe blog!

A lot of these blogs talk about the travel side of the job but there are some nuggets of information for the hungry wannabe (like i used to be) which gives a personal insight in to what it is really like to live in Dubai and work for Emirates.

If anyone comes across any other website that may be useful please let me know. In the meantime good luck to all those interested in applying for Emirates, i wish you well and email me if you want to share your experience!

VP

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Flight Attendant Wannabes

Hearing: Muse - Undisclosed Desires

I have been recently inspired to try and post some useful information for all those looking to get their wings. Being a flight attendant for me was a dream come true, to get paid to travel around the world, sleep in gorgeous hotels, have the uniform that makes people look and wish they were you or wonder about the exciting life you lead. I have mentioned in previous posts that the reality is not really like that but it never stopped me for going for my dream job, and after leaving i have no regrets. I strongly recommend for anyone interested in getting a flight attendant job to go for it! No matter what anyone says, everyone will agree that it is worth the experience and the lifelong friends you make.

So in that spirit here are a few sites to get the flight attendant job seeker - aka flight attendant wannabe - a start in their research.

One of my favourites is PPrune. It was where i met Tray and got in touch with someone who helped me get to the open day of the airline i ended up working for. It is a web forum filled with people helping each other out with info on airlines and some interview advice. Do use your common sense though as some things need to be taken with a grain of salt. The best page is the aptly named Cabin Crew Wannabes.

While the PPrune forum is good for personal info and networking you should always check what the airline has to say on their job pages. As i worked for a Middle-East airline I've got some links below direct to the Cabin Crew pages for a bunch of Middle-East airlines which are very good at hiring expats - ie, you don't have to be a citizen of that country to be hired.

Emirates Cabin Crew
Qatar Airways Cabin Crew
Etihad Airways - Main Careers Page (cabin crew recruitment schedule)
Gulf Air - Flight attendants (scroll to the bottom for links to interview dates/recruitment process/career development pages)
Royal Jordanian - Flight Attendant Careers page
Oman Air - Cabin Crew Recruitment (This was a tricky one to find. Sorry guys, only female expats accepted)
Air Arabia - Careers page (note: Air Arabia is a low cost "no frills" carrier)
Bahrain Air Cabin Crew Careers (Relatively new airline - started in 2007. Appears to be a low cost "no frills" carrier)
Middle East Airlines - They only recruit nationals (Lebanese Citizens) but I've included them here just in case anyone was wondering about them.
Kuwait Airways - The site has a link to the Careers page but it doesn't work. They do have a contact form where you can select Job opportunities from the drop down list.
Saudi Airlines - They have a career page where you need to login, but i couldn't find where to sign up! There are contacts for Human Resources though that might be handy if you are interested.

Airlines without careers pages but might be worth a look at the contact us page if your really interested:
Egypt Air
Iran Air
Palestinian Airlines
El AL (Israel Airline)
Arkia (Israel)

If any links are broken please let me know.

I will do my best at adding any more i come across and if there are any missing you would like me to add then just shoot me an email. I'll even try to post airline specific posts with as much information as i can find to help provide all future flight attendants with a good resource for their research. If you already are a flight attendant with any of the above airlines and want to share your knowledge and experience to help others achieve their dream please contact me.

I'll also try to be comprehensive and add other airlines from different continents but given the number of airlines it might take a while!!!

From one ex-FA to all FA wannabes,
VP

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Why i resigned

Hearing: Windchimes.

Since Ms Tigerfeet has been so patient with me, its high time i had a good gripe about my ex-company. Before i get started though i'll just say that this will be a long post so get comfy and know that what i say is my opinion and my views - i'll try to stick to my experiences but just to show that im not exaggerating or maybe it wasn't "just me" i'll throw in a few experiences that happened to my close friends or that i was witness to.


The not so rosy side of things


- a couple of weeks after arriving into the sandpit and starting FA training we were presented with new contracts slightly different to the ones we'd signed before leaving home. The attitude was, if you don't sign well...you can go home. Nice eh? And that wasn't the only time i encountered it. During the annual refresh the class was trying to discuss an issue we faced online but the lady just said, if you don't like it you have tickets and you can go home - she didn't imply it, she outright said it!

- if ever you needed anything from staff travel, HR, housing, or some other department it was the most frustrating experience ever. You couldn't call as no one (aside from the receptionist) would ever pick up. So most likely you had to go in person. Of course this meant forking out cash for the taxis there and back unless you wanted to take the "company transport". They had introduced a bus service there (one way) that they got rid of not long after and just told us to join any crew pick up that only took us halfway and the driver would only let us on if he wasn't full and then you went on a tour of the city before heading towards the office. Oh and you had to see if there was pick up around the time you wanted to go.

when you eventually got to the office, it seemed like no one had ever heard the phrase "can i help you?" and if you didn't know your way around there were no signs to tell you where to go. If you needed a signature, good luck with finding that person, they could be at a different location, out and no one knows where they are or when they'll be back.

- there is a culture of negative reporting among management and no positive feedback. You could get reported for almost anything and get called into office for it (at your own expense of course), if you tried to explain, it just went through one ear and out the other even if it was legitimate. On the other hand if you got good feedback from a passenger or cabin manager, you didn't hear a single thing from management, no note, no nothing.

- there are laws saying that unions or pretty much any organized representation is illegal. You have no voice, no real way of finding a resolution to your problem unless someone in management decides to give you a break. One of my friends found out his dad was seriously ill due to cancer and wanted to fly home. He tried to reach someone in management but had no luck and when he did get a hold of someone they said "no, we're short of crew". My friend was really upset and kept trying to reach someone (higher up) in management who said it would be alright. But it didn't end there, he got told off (by the person who said no) for going over her head!

- in our contract we are allowed 1 fully paid annual leave ticket to your home city. The catch you have to get it signed by the crewing control manager as witness to you actually having annual leave. So lets just say you wanted to use your ticket on a couple of days off you would have to jump through hoops before anyone would understand and realize that its not a big deal. If staff travel can't find a seat (which actually translates to ticket price suitable) they would tell you to travel a different day - HUH? Aside from you making plans - changing leave isnt easy.

- other crew. Before anyone bites my head off for this let me say that the crew by nature tend to be nice but in the company's eagerness to recruit people they are selecting those whose a) spoken English is not good enough, and b) don't stand up for themselves or say anything if somethings wrong. Why on earth does this matter? Well what happens if heaven forbid theres an emergency?

- i guess another thing is the hypocrisy of how it all works and how the majority of people aren't qualified to hold the position they're in.

- they promise so much but hardly deliver on anything.

- they are concentrating on adding destinations but not on making things run smoothly

- in about a week you can get over 20 updates/changes/reminders/notices in regards to service, safety, security etc. Some necessary, most of it is just changed back again next week...

- they recently introduced allowances...which is well and good but it would be better if you had it in cash at the hotel like other airlines instead of your pay at the end of the FOLLOWING month. What good is it to crew who get pulled off standby with no time to change money? At least its good for the company as they don't lose money on exchange rates...

- not getting the full use out of the free tickets and discounts because you hardly get granted more than 3 days off in a row!

- rosterings a bitch. You only get ONE request per month! Just ONE! Most airlines have more or at least some bidding system. So you either request a flight OR 4 days off in a row OR a friend to fly with. Good luck getting that ONE request though. Before resigning all crew got denied requests for 4days off in a row for 3 months.

And in fairness i should put down what is good.

- free shared accommodation. You'll be lucky if you get to pick who you want to live with. Oh and you cant have a person of the opposite sex over past 1am.

- free laundry for your uniform.

- free pick up and drop off for work, just keep in mind there are other people in other buildings too so that does take time.

- discounted tickets and discounts with some hotels and hire car agencies.

- flying to great destinations (though layovers tend to be 24hrs only now)

- staying in some really swish hotels (and some crummy ones and ones too far away from the city)

- CREW!!!! You'll make some fantastic friends and have loads of fun.

- tax free salary


So anyways those are the main things. If i've forgotten anything else i'll add it later. I left because after 2 years i couldn't take it anymore, i was tired of being lied to, treated like crap, and have to fight over the smallest thing. The layovers were not worth it and neither was the pay. I don't regret the experience - i learnt a lot about human nature and i'm lucky to fulfill a dream of mine plus i have made wonderful friends who i'll probably have for a very long time. But it was definitely time to move on to better things.

VP

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Last layover and flight

Hearing: CNN news

I was called off standby to do this Paris layover and so my Cochin turnaround was cancelled. The new hotel here is worse than the old one which i didnt think was possible. I mean its nice and clean but theres no tea/coffee facilities in your room (only in the crew lounge where i am now) and no free breakfast like our previous hotel. Also its in the middle of nowhere, the last one was near a village which you could at least take a walk in but this one is just surrounded by airport and if you want to do anything you have to take a shuttle to the airport...drab. Hmmm didnt mean to start out with that.

Ok so anyways, its my last flight and ive been taking photos with a friend of mine who also got pulled from standby onboard. Ive been noting every "last" and each time getting a mix of relief and sadness. I still believe im doing the right thing though. BTW i asked my company for a reference letter and the answer i got was "we dont give reference letters just employment letters" and then when i asked for that they said "you can get it from HR when you leave." Gee how nice, wonder what they would have said if i hadnt resigned yet.

So after i arrive back from this layover i have to return all "company property" and get signatures etc before handing over my ID/license/passport etc to HR. They are meant to give me my final payment for last month, this month and 2mths basic pay for the 2 yrs ive been with them. I expect to be screwed around till the last possible minute before i get my due pay as they did the same to a friend of mine - gave him a cheque at the airport!!! What use is that?? But i'll keep my fingers crossed that i get it sooner as im flat broke at the moment since ive paid off my credit cards. Also i'll probably have to double check that they have processed my repatriation ticket...

Off to try and get some food.
VP

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Resignation Proceedures

I have just returned from a trip to the office. I just went in to find out what i needed to do before leaving and ended up doing my exit interview where, and trust me when i say this, i didnt hold back from saying anything. It was another relief to put one more step behind me. After my final day of flying, i am to return some company stuff, uniform/manuals/etc, get signatures and then hand in my passport, ID etc to finalise any paperwork. I already know the date I'm supposed to leave and that makes me feel great.

The time I've left now means packing and finalising all my stuff here (thankfully i get an extra 40kg to ship stuff home), seeing my friends and enjoying the time i have with them. Anyways, i should go, Oli is dropping by and we have loads to catch up on.

VP

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Eww Gross...

What do you do when the galley drain starts overflowing and builds up such momentum that the liquid runs down the aisle past pax and 11 rows of seats??? Laugh of course!!! Who do you blame it on? The guy who jinxed it. The silver lining? Its top-of-descent.

For no reason at all a drain in my galley got sick and decided to throw up loads of water which thankfully was clear though not clean. Even closing the water shut-off valve didnt help. When it did ease and stop i went to get some used blankets to soak up the water during landing. Unfortunately a few minutes later there was a stream running down the right-hand side of the cabin past weary business class onlookers.

I must have piled loads of blankets into that galley just to stop anymore from going down the aisle. A potential safety hazard but a water logged floor in an emergency isnt better. But we had to laugh, the look of the pax faces and the sheer "what tha?" of the situation not to mention it was just before landing so we didnt have to deal with it very long made the situation more funny than it would have been otherwise. The guys down the back earlier had found that the sinks in the toilets were regurgitating brown liquid and so much so that it too, was leaking out into the cabin.

Who do we blame for this?? The crew who jinxed the whole thing. He was just saying how on a previous flight this had happened and thankfully it hadnt on this flight (yeah right) and moments later - the drains protested.

Other than that, my first and last Johannesburg flight went without a hitch. I had really nice crew and a lovely Aussie CM (who looks a bit like Hilary Duff i think, though others may and probably will disagree) and an easy going flight deck. The layover was nice, we went for a steak dinner the first night (YUM!) and the next day 4 of us went on a tour to the Lion Park (cute cubs galore!) Photos to come later. For now i should get some brekkie.

VP

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Bring a book and an ipod

Hearing:

Every trip into staff travel sends the most sturdy employee running. It usually involves a long wait where you cant tell which person is processing which type of ticket - ID, duty travel, annual leave, repatriation etc - nor who is in line next, not to mention that when you manage to get to someone they tell you oh no you have to see so and so or they tap away at their computer not really telling you much about what they are doing. If you had the sense to apply online a week, 2 weeks or even a month ago you can safely bet your tickets still wont be ready. So naturally it can be a frustrating and lengthy process which, no joke, can actually take hours out of your day. And that's where i was today. Now over 2 years i have avoided the place if at all possible usually getting my tickets at a company office in the city or directly from the office at the airport but when i need a ticket for someone other than myself it cant be avoided and so my strategy is to take a book and my ipod to help with the long wait. Thats how i managed to get the tickets today with minimal frustration and am now back home with a relaxing cup of coffee contemplating my holiday.

I should probably explain a few things i mentioned 3 posts ago. I am now officially on my annual leave and its to last till the 23rd of this month. Ive been planning on taking my mum to Paris (what mum wouldn't want to go) and to visit Cairo since its one place I've said i wanted to go to a thousand times but nothings worked out. So that at least explains why i was in staff travel today.

The other thing that ties in with my annual leave is that i will be getting another visitor. My uncles wife and her daughter. My uncles wife is very eager to come visit and see where I've been living and (i daresay) just as interested in shopping. As for me I'm more excited to see my cousin who my uncle named after me! I haven't seen her for over 7 years and she has really grown from all the photos I've seen, i cant wait to get to know her.

The other bit of news is that i had a performance check done on me on my JFK. The very same that i did while my brother was here. I had no idea it was being done, in fact, i didn't find out till i was seated in my jumpseat for landing and the CM turns to me and says, i should tell you I've been doing a check on you! Furthermore she said she had nothing negative to say, that i worked very hard and she was impressed and wondered if i was interested in her recommending me for a CM position! I was so surprised but very relieved that at least id gotten a good report.

Anyway mum and i are heading off to Paris tomorrow and we'll be there till the 7th. I cant wait to see the expression on her face when she sees the sites. Better go pack.

VP

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A yearly thing

Hearing: Chatter from classroom next door.

I have just returned from a quick aircraft visit (B777-300). The rest of the class are in the cafeteria getting something cold to drink and I'm up here cooling off in front of the air conditioner. Summer is truly underway with temperatures continuing to climb into the mid 40s in August. The aircraft we visited was undergoing some general maintenance and unfortunately there was no ground supply or APU (Auxilary Power Unit) aircon and everyone melted within seconds of the stifling heat inside. Still theres something about being able to walk upto an aircraft on ground and being inside without the whole customer service perspective that is so wholly raw aviation and i will never get tired of it, same as i will never get tired of watching or being in take-offs and landings.

On the way there i gave A- a quick call to see how he was doing. His latest news is that he has been accepted to fly with VirginBlue back home. He will be based in Melbourne and so has to move there from Perth and i imagine the arrangements are keeping him busy. Congrats A, DJ is lucky to have you.

Well the class is slowly trickling back in and i have 2 hrs of Crew Resource Management to sit through not to mention another 2 days still to come, tomorrow Safety and Emergency and the last day First Aid. Anyways better go,

VP

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Busy, busy, busy.

Hearing:

Ive been so busy since my last post. There is so much to tell. Brothers visit, mums visit, jetskiing, Bar/Club hopping, angry motorists, Amman, annual leave, Cairo and Paris, another visit, training, spot performance assessment....but i have to go study now, got the yearly refresher training tomorrow, will update when i can.

VP

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Jetlagged

Hearing:

Ive been waking up at 8am for the past 2 days now. Its kinda annoying cuz i get sleepy way too early too and kinda good cuz i get a lot of stuff done. The flight home was ok - our CM was a bit skitzo on the way back, he kept on at us for every little detail, i think he was probably just tired as he mellowed out a little after he got some sleep onboard.

Checking out Trays comment in my last entry reminded me of a few more things to add to Flying 101, hers being a big one. The last thing FAs want to do is wake you up to put your seatbelt on. Its really simple, the seatbelts can be extended and you can still sleep comfortably with them on - trust me I've done it. The other thing i hate to mention, especially when it applies to business and sometimes first class pax is this. Don't touch the bread! Allow me to explain. When we do a meal service, very often we provide a variety of bread for pax to choose from and it is usually presented in a bread basket. You point, we use a tong and put it on your bread plate. Simple. But i have lost count of the times pax touch the bread. Its gross guys, even if its the bread your taking, the person next to you will still be grossed out, just don't do it.

Catering is a big issue onboard. Cabin crew are not responsible for how many chicken, beef, or fish meals we get so when we say sorry is Veg or some other meal ok, don't throw a tantrum, really there is nothing we can do. Catering give us a certain number of each choice depending on how many pax we have and its not always possible to give you your option - this applies to all classes. I can only suggest you check in early and get the seats at the front of the cabin as usually the service starts there.

One thing that makes me love some pax is when they get out of their seat and come to the galley either to throw something out, return a coffee cup, or ask for something. Its really nice especially on long flights. It gives them a chance to stretch their legs and gives us a chance to sit down and not trip over feet in the dark. Sometimes if we're busy we might just ask what seat your in and say we'll bring whatever it is you want to you, but either way you've saved us half the trip and made our job that little bit easier.

Right so I'm off to make lunch, its a bit early but i can watch The O.C. while its simmering on the stove and it should be nice and hot by the time I'm hungry. Ciao.

VP

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Flying rules and flying home

Hearing: traffic

After doing two long turnarounds i realised i hadn't been adding to my Flying 101 rules. What brought this lovely post back to mind? Well, i yet again saw a pax go into the lav without shoes. I have been a FA in all classes, First, Business and Economy and it continues to baffle me why people don't wear shoes into the lavs.

On one flight a colleague of mine couldn't resist asking a business class pax why they were going barefoot, his reply, it keeps his feet cool...well that's all well and good but seriously...gross!!! Dude its filthy in there! Yes the cleaners clean it, we clean it too but its not going to be like home and you cant trust the pax who used it before you. Ive seen how gross they can get and trust me i will never even go in there with socks let alone barefoot.

The other thing i have to mention is for people with aisle seats to be careful of their heads, elbows, knees and feet. I know the seats are cramped and its so easy to stretch out into the aisle but just so you have been warned, you will end up with a bruise somewhere. We try very had to maneuver our carts so we don't hit anyone but the carts are heavy and sometimes we do have accidents. When the cabin is dark its even worse, we can barely see where we're going and tripping over your feet isn't fun for us nor you.

Right so those two rules off my mind now i can say this....I'm flying home tomorrow!!!! I'm operating my first flight into Sydney and I'm so excited. I cant wait to be paid to go home LOL!!! I was also just thinking about how weird it will be to be arriving at Sydney Airport as crew and going through immigration, customs and walking out those doors in arrivals as crew and in uniform...Bizarre. Ive only ever gone through as a pax and only ever watched other airline crew come through. Before i was crew i used to wonder what it would be like and i guess now will be my opportunity to walk in their footsteps and experience the whole thing myself. Should be interesting.

VP

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New York! New York!

Hearing: Hum of PC

Guido i know you'll want to kill me over this.

In a very flaky move by me, i stupidly (i cant say that word often enough), forgot to pack pants.......yeah i know, how on earth can i forget that right? Ive been asking myself the same question since i got into the hotel and opened my suitcase...and i still don't have an answer. I packed everything else - beanie, scarf, gloves, coat, jumper, 2 woolly tops expecting it to be cold (which it is - it snowed a little last night) and determined to go out with my 2 friends and batch mates. Oh in case your wondering i've already asked 4 girls on the flight if they have a spare pair and if they did well i wouldn't be here would i? Ugh, very stupid.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry, i swear. I was really looking forward to going out to Manhattan and taking in the sights even if it is a short layover but now...

I do have another trip at the end of next month but i dont know anyone on that flight and going out alone isnt the same as going out with friends. Did i mention what a stupid move this was?

A very frustrated and annoyed,
VP

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Where can i let my salt water out?

Hearing: Micheal Buble

I just got back from a DAM flight and though I'm very sleepy i just had to hop onto blogger and share this little tidbit. Even though i was working down the front, for take off and landing my jump seat was down the back which was cool cuz i got to chat with some of the other girls. As we landed back home one of the girls told me of a new way one of the pax had asked to use the toilet...one guess how. LOL!!! I couldn't stop laughing! She thought he might be asking for the loo but when she asked do want the toilet he said no i want to let my salt water out! Now that's what i call original!!!

VP

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