December 4

Today was probably the hardest day I’ve had so far on a flight.  The customers weren’t bad, just really demanding.  I flew Boston to Palm Beach and then back to White Plains, NY.  I think I was running and lifting for 6 hours straight.

I’ve decided I do not like the number 2 position on the A320.  In this position, I’m supposed to stand in the middle of the aircraft during boarding, help people put their bags up and organize the overhead bins so more things fit.  The people on both flights completely filled the overhead bins, it was Packed!  In addition, my area to “serve” during the flight is in the middle of the plane, which means service takes longer.  I swear I hit every single person I walk past each time I walk down the aisle of the aircraft, and I consider myself a pretty small person.

On the flight to Palm Beach, we had 22 wheel chairs.  Boarding took FOREVER!!  For the most part customers are really nice, but I can’t explain how difficult it is to help people with their bags when I can hardly reach the overhead bins.  I kept having to stand on chairs and climb up into the bins.  Next time, I def need to wear pants (not a skirt) when I’m the number 2.

We only had 2 wheelchairs on the way to White Plains, but a lot of the people were pretty irritated that we were delayed and that the terminal was in so much chaos.  One lady started yelling at me because there was no room for her bag in the overhead bin.  However, I’d built such a rapport with my other customers that they were all really supportive of me and gave reassuring looks.  Several commented how the lady was rude.  I think one of the keys to a successful flight is to get all of the customers to like you during boarding – say hello, be friendly, chit chat – so they feel a personal connection and really like you.  One customer liked me so much, he wanted to set me up with his son… however, I let him know I have a wonderful boyfriend, but I found it pretty flattering.  I also tried to win over grouchy customers by bringing 2 of whatever they asked for – want a water?  How about 2??  Bag of chips?  Here’s an extra one >>wink<<.

After these two flights, I am absolutely exhausted.  People asked for like 2-3 drinks each, wanted tons of snacks, needed help with their stuff, wanted to chat, etc… I feel emotionally and physically drained.  I def think I got my workout for the day.  I really enjoy being around so many people all the time though and I LOVE that customers appreciate that I genuinely care and am super nice.  In too many jobs, I feel like kindness and caring are viewed as weakness.  I hate that.  I don’t know that I can do this job for very long, but I need to find a career that meshes my love of people with analytics.  I’m not sure where to start looking.  Sometimes this job still feels like a dream.  Life is crazy sometimes.