Book View TV: Cruising Attitude Part 1 (flight attendant training, crash pads, flight attendant pay)

A little bit about how my book Cruising Attitude came to be, and what it’s like, really like, to be a flight attendant

9 safety tips for new flight attendants (and solo travelers)

1. “The Gift of Fear,” by Gavin De Becker, should be required reading for all men and women, especially for those of us who travel, particularly for women who travel alone. I’ve recommended this book to more flight attendants and passengers than anything thing else over the years. It’s saved my life more than once.

2. Skip the first floor. They’re easier to break into. That’s why you’ll never find a flight attendant below the second floor in a hotel. There’s a reason for that. It’s in our hotel contract.

3. Leave the lights and television on when you’re not in the room. Put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. It gives the appearance that someone is occupying the room, so no one will break in.

4. Stay Healthy: Never leave home without a small antibacterial spray. A mini bottle of vodka works just as well. Hit up the remote, the light switches, doorknobs and taps. You don’t want to get sick while you’re stuck at a less than desirable layover hotel.

5. Walk with intent. Walk down the street like you have a place to be, like you know where you’re going and need to get there quickly. Do that and people will leave you alone.

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The Paul Harris Show: Flight Attendants, Crashpads, Delays, THE MILE HIGH CLUB

This interview originally appeared on The Paul Harris Show

I predict this will be one of my most-downloaded interviews. It was certainly a lot of fun for me. On my America Weekend show, I talked with Heather Poole, who has been a flight attendant for major airlines for 15 years and has written about her adventures in “Cruising Altitude: Tales Of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet.” We talked about passengers trying to get into the mile high club (without bothering to move to the bathroom!), whether checked-luggage fees are causing havoc during the boarding process, and whether she has had many male passengers hit on her. She also revealed something I didn’t know about when the payday really starts for flight attendants, and what it’s like in the apartments they share in various cities during layovers.

LISTEN

Do airlines hold flights?

Hold that flight: a good-news airline story by Christopher Elliott originally appeared in the Seattle Times. In the fourth to last paragraph I answered the question, do airlines hold flights?

“Passengers ask us to hold the plane all the time,” says Heather Poole, a flight attendant for a major airline. Almost as often, the request is denied, unless a significant number of passengers need to connect with the same flight. “On-time departures are way too important,” Poole adds.

So…does holding a plane say ‘We care about you, late person” or “We don’t care about all you on-timers?’” You tell me.

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Photo Credit: Heather Poole

I’m a Cosmo Girl!

Bust out your magnifying lens and you might see my name on page 129 of the July issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine. Yep, that’s right, I’m a Cosmo Girl now.  Well kind of.  I offered a few travel tips.  1, 2, 4 & 5 are mine.

GIVEAWAY: Swinging Cup

They call it the Swinging Cup, even though it’s really a holder – a cup holder – that swings when you attach it to the handle of your suitcase.  When the makers of this product contacted me about promoting it,  I laughed, and then I listened, and then I decided to take it for a ride.  Honestly, I didn’t think it would work, but it does!  It works.  And it’s kind of nice to be able to run from gate to gate with one hand free.  Which is why I’m giving one away to a lucky reader.  All you have to do is a leave a comment (ONE COMMENT) and I’ll pick one random winner on Monday, June 10, at 10pm.

Check out my Swinging Cup Vine video: https://vine.co/v/bIJYVFgWrJF

Plane Truth About Flying

Plane Truth about Flying originally appeared on the Australian website New.com.au.  It’s one of the best 10-interesting facts-about-flying articles I’ve read in a long time.  Check out #2… 

2. Is it true that diet cola is harder to pour in the skies?
It’s true, the fizz and the high altitude make diet cola the most difficult drink to pour. Flight attendant and author Heather Poole says: “Of all the drinks we serve, Diet Coke takes the most time to pour – the fizz takes forever to settle at 35,000 feet. In the time it takes me to pour a single cup of Diet Coke, I can serve three passengers a different beverage.”

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