Reporters As Flight Attendants
New York Times columnist Michelle Higgins wrote about her two day stint as an American Airline FA (Flying the Unfriendly Skies). Michelle quickly gained an appreciation for what FAs have to deal with, particularly in regards to difficult passengers. Concern about passenger behavior is well justified as evidenced by this article: Man jailed for kicking cabin crew.
Michelle’s article includes quotes from veteran FAs bemoaning changes that have occurred in the profession since the more glamorous and freewheeling Coffee, Tea or Me? days. It also includes a video and a slideshow. Michelle also wrote an accompanying article (The Curriculum Is Emergencies) about her American Airlines FA school training, much of which involved learning safety procedures.
Joel Stein of Time Magazine wrote an article about his experiences as a FA with Delta Airlines (Scared of Flight Attendants? Become One). Joel’s goal was to become a FA in order to overcome his fear of FAs. In his article, written in a humorous vein, Joel describes some of his methods as being “unorthodox”, which is putting it mildly considering that he imbibed cocktails while moving the beverage cart down the aisle! A video about Joel’s training at Delta’s FA school can be seen here: What I Learned At Flight Attendant School.
Flight Attendant As A Reporter
James Wysong, a long-time flight attendant, also writes travel columns for Tripso.com and MSNBC.com. In his articles, he often recounts personal experiences and offers advice about traveling that is particularly helpful because of his insider’s perspective. James (aka A. Frank Steward) is also the author of several books: Air Travel Tales from the Flight Crew, Flying High With A Frank Steward: More Air Travel Tales From the Flight Crew, The Plane Truth: Shift Happens at 35,000 Feet, and The Air Traveler’s Survival Guide.
Want To Become A Flight Attendant?
If you’re interested in becoming a FA in spite of the profession’s myriad challenges (you might change your mind after reading these articles: “A flight attendant sounds off about “rude” passengers” and “Inside a flight attendant’s not-so-glam life”), check out this webpage with its helpful resources: Flight Attendant & Cabin Crew Websites (ThirtyThousandFeet.com)
[Note: One or more links in the story were updated since the original publicaton date.]
210
