How to get through airport security quickly!

With Thanksgiving fast approaching and Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s following right behind it, more people than ever will be flying in the upcoming weeks. That means only one thing. Holiday travelers will soon be taking over the airports. It won’t be pretty. Long lines will form at security, the kind made even longer by passengers who have yet to master the techniques needed to pass through airport security swiftly and smoothly. That’s why it’s so important to get to the airport early.

As a working flight attendant I’m able to flash my crew ID and bypass the line – one of the few remaining perks of working for an airline. Hey, don’t get mad at me. Because the last time a passenger threw a fit, pushing me out of the way while screaming about his flight that was about to depart in five minutes, he not only wound up on my flight, forty five mintues later, but on my side of the business class cabin. It was an awkward flight for both of us.

When I’m not traveling in uniform, I always pick the line that has the most business travelers in it, regardless of how long it may be. Frequent fliers know the drill. They’re quick, they’re fast, and they’re always ready to go. As the mother of a three year-old, I know what’s it’s like traveling with kids. It ain’t easy. But by the time the family of four realizes that the stroller needs to be placed on the belt along with the car seat, and that little Johnny’s shoes must come off – even if he is only six months old – I’ll be long gone, on my way to the gate. I’m not just a flight attendant, I’m a commuting flight attendant, so if there’s one thing I know besides uncomfortable seats and bad food, it’s how to pass through airport security quickly.

 Here are five tips to get you through security faster…

Continue reading GALLEY GOSSIP: 5 TIPS TO GET THROUGH AIRPORT SECURITY QUICKLY

I Never Wanted to be a Flight Attendant

An excerpt from the first draft of my book, a work in progress…

 2.

 FLIGHT ATTENDANT RECRUITER:  Besides meeting new people and traveling, why do you want to become a flight attendant?

ME:  I find the flexible lifestyle appealing.

FLIGHT ATTENDANT RECRUITER:  How did you prepare for this interview?

ME:  I bought a navy blue suit and a pair of navy blue heels.     

FLIGHT ATTENDANT RECRUITER:  Answer the one question you thought we would ask but didn’t. 

ME:  When can you start training?  The answer is today.  But I’m flexible with whatever training date you have available.  

With answers like that, it’s no wonder the airline hired me! 

But there is one thing I should probably mention.  This was not my first airline interview.  Try my third.  Okay so I’d had a little practice perfecting my airline interviewing techniques, so what!  I’m not alone.  Shirley speaks three languages and once worked for a prestigious charter airline that flew her around the world – twice!  She wore white gloves and served only the best Champagne to celebrities and royalty alike, laying over in some of the most exotic locations.   When Shirley became tired of being away from home for weeks on end, she applied to one particular commercial carrier eighteen times – eighteen different times, people! Before finally giving up and moving on to the airline we both work for now, a not too shabby airline that hired her on the spot.  It happens.     

Back when it wasn’t quite happening and only a freshman in college, I went to my first airline interview in order to get away from a roommate who had issues with drugs and abusive boyfriends she’d frequently bring back to our dorm room and leave behind.  Try studying when your roomie is throwing up all over your clothes, the ones you’d specifically forbidden her to wear – several times!  So when my mother, a woman who had always dreamt of becoming a flight attendant, mailed a newspaper clipping with an ad circled four times in red for an open house with a major US carrier, I decided to apply for the position.  Not because I wanted to become a flight attendant, per se, but because the airline provided a free ticket to a city out-of-state where the interview was being conducted.  Broke, tired, and at my wit’s end with a laundry hamper full of vomit and a disheveled man using my Q-tips and tying up the toilet for over an hour, I just wanted to get away.  I also wanted to fly on an airplane, something I’d only done twice before in my life.   

My beige pumps stepped off the aircraft and sashayed down the jet bridge, a little black bag rolling behind me.   I walked into a giant room filled with hundreds of happy, smiling, applicants conservatively dressed head to toe in blue and black and abruptly stopped in my tracks.  Side by side they sat in neat little rows, knees held tightly together, ankles crossed delicately off to the side.  My canary yellow suit and “suntan” Legg’s control top hose in a shade too dark for my skin screamed LOOK AT ME!  And not in a good way.  Right then and there I wanted to die.  With hair pulled tightly back, the women eyed me up and down, quickly making an assessment before turning their attention back to the front of the room.  Zero competition, that’s what I was, with loose blonde locks falling halfway down my back.  Nonchalantly I wiped the frosted pink stain off my lips with the back of my hand, twirled my unruly hair into a loose bun, and took a seat in the back of the room.  I wanted to hide, but hiding at an airline interview is not an option.  Not if you want to get hired….   

Photo courtesy of Kudumomo

Flight Attendant Shoes: Life Stride – Sindy Tailored Mary Jane

$39.95 – DSW – Life Stride: Sindy Tailored Mary Jane

Enforcing rules in flight!

Hi Heather,

I listened to your Frommers podcast recently and found it very funny. I especially liked your comments about people’s attitudes to flying and the bit about control freaks. It made me realize what I’ve suspected for some time which is that I am a control freak, especially when flying!

My last trip a couple of weeks ago I ended up shouting halfway up the plane at another passenger who got up to stroll to the toilets when the seat belt signs were on. They were the latest in a line of many and had also stopped to have a little chat with their mates on the way back. Being British I get a bit huffy about people not following instructions, I think it’s a national quirk, and, normally being British I might just have carried on muttering to the lady next to me along the lines of “Well really, can people not read, what’s the point of putting the signs on, what are the crew doing about it, nothing etc etc”. But it was a miserable flight in economy on Continental across the Atlantic and the fact that I’d unexpectedly just had to pay 5$ for a bottle of white wine vinegar was doing nothing to improve my temper.

I’d like to report that the effect of my outburst was instantaneous, that the guilty party sat down and no one else got up. Sadly she just shouted back “I’ll go to the toilet when I want to, thank you VERY much.” Everyone between her and me on the flight went quiet and I just felt like a right idiot. I bought another bottle of white wine vinegar and fumed quietly for a bit, half wishing we’d hit a bit of turbulence next time someone got up when the signs were on, “to teach them a lesson.” How sad is that! Next time I’ll do as you suggest and try and relax more!

Regards,

Marie B.

Dear Marie,

Your letter cracked me up and now you’ve got me thinking that I may have been British in a past life or something because I, too, am a bit of a rule follower. Nothing drives me crazier than a passenger who thinks they’re exempt from following the rules. Really, how many times do I have to ask someone to turn off the electronic device before takeoff? Hello, Mr. Exit Row, I know what you’re doing all bent over like that with your head crammed between your knees. Do ya really think that I think you’re whispering to the floor? Please, do me a favor and don’t make tap, tap, tap you in front of your seatmates who are now giving you the evil eye. I mean really!

Contine reading GALLEY GOSSIP: ENFORCING RULES IN FLIGHT

Photo courtesy of Carrib (flickr.com)

The New York Post: Twitter, Travel & Me!

As soon as I saw the article online I hopped into the mommy mobile and raced over to Barnes & Nobles, silently praying, Please let them have it, Please let them have it!  Guess what, the had it, The New York Post, right here in Sunny California.  I think I may have purchased the one and only copy.  Back in the car I frantically flipped through the paper until I landed on page 45!  And there it was, the article I’d seen online written by David Landsel. 

Next time David Landsel is on my flight, I’m going to buy him a drink.  Not just a drink,  a drink and a snack!  A drink, a snack and I’ll get him an aisle seat - even if there’s not one available!  Somehow.  Or maybe I’ll just do the  old “Excuse me, Mr. Landsel, your first class upgrade went through.  Follow me!”  routine.  Until then, follow him….

By DAVID LANDSEL

Posted: 6:10 PM, November 9, 2009

FIRST there was the printed word — newspapers, magazines, books. Then radio, then television. Of course, we all know about the Internet, with it’s fancy Web sites, blogs, podcasts, videos. Every new advance has helped us travel better. What now, then? These days, we get our information in tiny, 140-character bursts of text, or tweets. Don’t roll your eyes like an old person. Twitter isn’t just teenage girls and empty-headed, feelings-sharing celebs; it’s also the latest-slash-greatest advance in how travel information gets dished out. It’s interactive, you can connect quickly with reporters, with industry types, with the hotels you love to love and the airlines you love to hate. Sign up today — it’s free, you know — and start off by following these ten feeds…

Read more:

 http://www.nypost.com/p/lifestyle/travel/follow_me_to_travel_know_how_Z832XLZMmLuUwHjeJWtK1I#ixzz0WfSem2hj

Photo courtesy of Michelle

Commuting advice for the employees of US Airways

Heather,US Airways. THREE base closures. Mine included. In all these years, I’ve never commuted. And now, gone early next year: BOS, LGA and LAS. We got the news in the crew room. Some of the senior girls started to tear up. One cried, “I have thirty years, I’ve never commuted.” The base is closing and we didn’t even receive any information on base transfers, voluntary furloughs, whether or not we can keep our parking lot space, bidding packets from the other bases and seniority lists to help make a decision. Any tips? Prayers? An Article to educate us newbies?
Dear in shock,

Yesterday the flight attendants got terrible news at

Sincerely,

In shock

I’m sorry to hear about the unfortunate news. I understand why you and your colleagues are frustrated and upset. Honestly, I’m not sure which is worse, your airline closing three bases or the fact that they did not alert employees until the last minute, only to do so with little to no information. These are your lives we’re talking about, not just base closures! While commuting is not always easy, it is doable, and chances are you might even become a better flight attendant because of it. I know I did. First, here’s the prayer you’re looking for. And now for a few tips…

Continue reading GALLEY GOSSIP: ADVICE FOR THE EMPLOYEES OF US AIRWAYS

CNN follows me – ME! Me? me.

By Doug Gross, CNN 

October 30, 2009 11:11 a.m.

 

Editor’s note: In this new weekly feature, CNN.com highlights five recommended Twitter feeds about a hot topic in the news. Let us know who we missed in the comments section.

(CNN) — This week’s news of the Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles because they were reportedly using laptop computers is only the latest aviation story to captivate audiences.

Whether it’s the mysterious June crash of an Air France jet over the Atlantic or January’s heroic landing of a US Airways flight in the Hudson River, we’re all drawn to stories about air travel.

The blogosphere and networking sites like Twitter are chock-full of people, both insiders and outsiders, talking about flying and air travel.  Many members of the aviation community are active on Twitter. Here are five of our favorite aviation commentators you can follow on Twitter.

Continue reading: CNN FOLLOW FRIDAY: TWEETS ABOUT PLANES, ERRANT PILOTS

A memorable flight for a first time flier

I knew something was up when an attractive woman wearing a fur vest walked to the back of the airplane during boarding and pulled my coworker aside on a flight from Dallas to New York. I couldn’t really make out what they were saying as I set up the galley, shoving snacks in a drawer and stacking cups in an insert, but it had something to do with a kid who had spent his entire summer babysitting while his friends went on vacation. The woman, it turned out, was the aunt who wanted to do something special for the boy, something that his friends had never experienced.

“Ya think he can visit the pilot during the flight?” asked the woman smiling brightly. “It’s his first flight.”

“No, I’m sorry, we don’t do that anymore, not during the flight,” said my coworker. “But you can take him up there now while we’re still boarding.”

The exchange reminded me of a conversation I’d had with a guy who recently told me about a memorable flight he’d had as a child. It happened back in 70’s when passengers actually dressed up to travel. He’d fallen asleep next to his mother and awoke to find that a pair of wings had been pinned to the lapel of his jacket. Not only did he keep the gold American Airline wings, he shared a photo of the jr. pilot wings, circa 1977, that the flight attendant had given to him aboard a B707. “It was the strangest thing,” he said, reflecting back on the flight in awe. So strange, in fact, the experience may have been life altering. Bryan is now a pilot who also creates aviation T-shirt art.

Bryan isn’t the only one who has experienced a memorable flight while growing up. I’ve heard several amazing stories over the years that have actually affected me! Now whenever I have kids on board I make it a point to march them up to the cockpit to meet the pilots. If they’re lucky they’ll get to push a few buttons and might even get a copy of the flight plan after we land. You never know whose future you may be shaping with one simple push of a button and a handful of paper.

With that in mind, I stowed the plastic mallet I’d been using to break the ice and made my way up the aisle to the front of the aircraft where I could see a familiar furry vest standing just outside the cockpit door. “Do you have a camera?” I asked the woman.

That’s when my colleague magically appeared with an iphone and said, “I’ve got it,” as she snapped a photo of the boy sitting in the Captain’s seat, a boy I would soon come to know as Cade, which is the adorable boy pictured above wearing the pilot hat. I decided to interview Cade later in flight….

Continue reading:  GALLEY GOSSIP: A MEMORABLE FLIGHT FOR A FIRST TIME FLIER

A fright in flight!

I know this was not taken in the lav…but thought you might like it!  On our flight back from NYC to ATL on sunday.  Enjoy.

 

Chris

Talking travel with NileGuide.com

This week’s NileGuide 5 interview features me!   Check it out… 

Heather’s been working as a flight attendant for a major U.S. carrier for the last 14 years. She translates her experiences at 35,000 feet into some really interesting insights about travel and people – just check out the new trend she’s started, the Laviators club. Check out her personal blog as well as her Gadling column, Galley Gossip. Keep up with Heather on Twitter at @Heather_Poole.

1. What’s the most underrated destination you’ve been to?

The long weekend getaway. Cities like Carmel, Santa Barbara, Seattle, Palm Springs, and Zihautanejo, are wonderful places to visit that won’t take an entire day traveling just to get there. When time is precious, every second counts. Like most people, my husband has a job that makes it difficult to take time off and travel the way we’d like, so we do what we can with the time that we have. There’s nothing more relaxing than just getting away, regardless of how long you stay. Most of my most memorable experiences took place during a last minute getaway. I’ll never forget leaving on a Friday and driving to Monterrey Mexico with a coworker on a whim. We made it back to work Monday morning and had an amazing story to share.

Continue reading NileGuide 5 with Heather Poole