http://thesewingstalk.comQuick Blogcasthttp://thesewingstalk.com/2011/01/13/another-day-in-the-life.aspx?ref=rssA Day In The Life...(Editor's Note: "A Day In The Life" will be a series of occasional posts about about the daily schedule of a flight attendant. The post won't necessarily be about anything other than how tough the schedules or trips can be at times. Hope you enjoy.) Sometimes trips for flight attendant crews don’t always go the way they are scheduled. Because our industry is at the hands of Mother Nature and a stopwatch, trips often change. Sometimes they end up working out for flight attendants, other times not so much. ...Rodman2011-01-14T01:24:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2011/01/13/dwf.aspx?ref=rssDrunk While Flying As before on this website, I’ve rattled on about the unusual characters we call passengers who we come across in the friendly skies. Every now and then, we get one that I can’t keep from writing about. And this is a short tale about one. We’ll call him “Mr. Malt.” More about that in a minute. What was typically an uneventful flight from Orlando to Washington DC aboard a Boeing 757, ended up being good fodder for here. I was working the first flight attendant position on this ...Rodman2011-01-14T01:12:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/11/22/some-people-are-just-plane-stupid.aspx?ref=rssJust "Plane" Stupid People It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that organizers who are planning a "National Opt-Out Day" at our nation's airports are really just creating a problem for themselves! I have to laugh as I read these articles encouraging airline passengers to take part in this stupid event. While organizers believe it will send a clear message to the Transportation Security Administration, it in fact really backlashes on the consumer. More on that, in a minute. So here's how organizers theorize it will work. If passengers opt out ...airlineairplanepassengerRodman2010-11-22T19:57:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/09/26/the-unkept-crew-member.aspx?ref=rssThe Blemished Crew Member Every now and then we get stuck flying around with a crew member whose a real whack job. Mine turn was recently. Just like every job, the flight attendant profession has its fair share of them. Whether they are on medication to control their bipolar disorder, are schizophrenic, negative "nellies," or just plain miserable with their life, we seem to have them. What I thought was going to be nice two-day trip, ended up being a little too much for ...Rodman2010-09-26T16:25:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/08/10/the-flight-that-never-left-the-gate.aspx?ref=rssCanceled Flight I constantly read in the news about poor passengers who sit around and wait at the airport for flights that never leave the gate. Today was one of those for me. It was supposed to be an easy two day trip for my crew and I. I was supposed to end up and layover in Pittsburgh for the night. When I got the airport and saw my flight was already delayed, I should have known I was in for ...Rodman2010-08-11T03:32:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/08/10/flight-attend-with-the-jetblues.aspx?ref=rssFlight Attendant With "The Jet Blues" The news about how a JetBlue flight attendant handled a combative, rude and obnoxious passenger on his flight has become water cooler fodder for crew members. It's giving us in the industry a boost! Something we've all talked about doing, but never really had the courage to do it. Enter, flight attendant Steven Slater. If you haven't heard the famous story by now, it goes something like this: Flight attendant Slater, a ...Rodman2010-08-11T01:35:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/07/24/medical-emergency.aspx?ref=rssMedical Emergency Other than dealing with some pretty good turbulence because of thunderstorms we flew through, our flight was relatively unremarkable. We landed in Texas and our passengers began deplaning out the front door. As I thanked each customer and wished them a "goodbye," that's when trouble struck. I noticed an elderly man -- who I would guess to be in his 70s -- fall to the floor just inches from me in first class. Thinking he just tripped, I rushed over to him and ...Rodman2010-07-24T16:00:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/07/23/inoperable-toilets.aspx?ref=rssInoperable Toilets So my crew and I were on Day II of a trip that seemed to be plagued with bad luck, and the horrors continued. The first day we saw one of our passengers suffer a stroke before our very eyes and had to be rushed off our plane. (More on that in another blog). Then the second day we went back to work hoping for no drama. But we were wrong. Sometime between boarding the plane, doing our safety ...Rodman2010-07-24T01:09:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/07/13/early-morning-wake-up-call-3.aspx?ref=rssEarly Morning Wake Up Call So my 15 hour layover ended with an early-morning wake-up call from my airline's crew desk. The scheduler wanted to catch me before I started getting ready for my morning flight out of New Orleans. It ends up that my first flight for the day was canceled because of a flat tire, so she was trying to figure out what do do with my crew and I. "Reassignments", as we call them in the ...Rodman2010-07-14T04:46:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/07/11/oneeyed-cyclops-passenger-from-hell.aspx?ref=rssOne-Eyed Cyclops Passenger For the most part, the type of passengers we fly around the world are very nice, thoughtful and are great to be around. But every now and then we come across one that is just a royal pain in the ass! I had one recently flying into the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. I will start by saying that people flying in and out of this airport are generally very nice and polite. So I don't know where this one ...Rodman2010-07-12T00:11:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/06/11/our-passengers.aspx?ref=rssOne Last Trip to Hawaii I was very fortunate to fly the other day with a remarkable passenger and her family. And it's probably one of those stories I will probably always remember till the end my flying career. I wanted to share it with you. It was an early morning flight from New Orleans to Los Angeles. I noticed the woman sitting in a row with her son and an older gentleman. I could tell they didn't fly much, if at all. Their looks on their faces ...Rodman2010-06-11T20:56:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/05/28/trip-riddled-with-chaos.aspx?ref=rssTrip Riddled With Chaos I should have known when I saw this trip on paper, that it would be far from easy. The entire three-day trip was jinxed from the beginning! From weather delays, to delays created by President Obama, to the multiple medical emergencies we had on board on just one flight, this trip was anything but simple. By the time I got home, I was completely wiped out. Both mentally and physically. The trip was supposed ...Rodman2010-05-28T20:16:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/04/14/the-traveling-omelette.aspx?ref=rssThere Is The Denver Omelette... Then There Is The "Traveling Omelette" We've all heard of the popular Denver omelette... Well, at my airline we have the "Traveling Omelette." I kid you not. And after reading this post, you may want to think twice about eating that first class meal. It's a story that will make anyone at the US Department of Health and Human Services cringe. Because so many airlines now are trying to cut costs and find a cheap way to do things, they have ...Rodman2010-04-14T22:44:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/04/11/charge-em-for-carry-on-chaos.aspx?ref=rssCharge 'Em For Carry On Chaos!!! Finally!!!! An airline that is doing something right for a change!!! The recent news of Spirit Air charging passengers for carry on luggage, I'm sure, is being welcomed with open arms from flight attendants across America! Ask any cabin crew member what is the worst part of their job, and they will tell you it is boarding and finding space for passengers' carry on chaos. The problem only continues growing in size, just like suitcases passengers ...Rodman2010-04-11T17:39:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/04/06/orlando-flights-during-spring-breakugh.aspx?ref=rssOrlando Flights During Spring Break....Ugh!!!! I recently worked a flight to and from Orlando at one of the worst times of the year -- Spring Break! It's that time of year when the country bumpkins, who have saved up their life savings for a trip to Walt Disney World, cram our airplanes and expect the world. Ma, Pa, Jethro, Sally Mae, Grandpa, Grandma. You name it! They were on my flight to Micky Mouse's East Coast home in Florida. ...Rodman2010-04-07T05:47:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/03/22/readers-speak-a-savvy-traveling-parents-tale.aspx?ref=rssA Savvy Traveling Parent's Tale[Editor's Note] Just so that readers don't think that myself, and many other flight attendants are crab apples when it comes to passengers with kids, below I've published a letter from a savvy parent who knows how to travel with his children. While not all parents can afford to fly in first class, kudos to Kenny for coming aboard prepared. More parents need to read his letter and learn how to travel better with their kids. Thanks Kenny for the email! "I never realized y'all knew who pays for the first class seat. ...Rodman2010-03-23T06:33:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/03/03/kids-controlling-the-skies.aspx?ref=rssKids Controlling The Skies Ok...Now tell me if I'm being too critical. But kids controlling our skies? Yes, that's the latest uproar in our now juvenile skies. Word from the Federal Aviation Administration that it is investigating children giving all-important air traffic information to veteran pilots, putting in jeopardy the lives of passengers, crew members and people on the ground. What has the aviation industry come to? Kids controlling our skies? As unbelievable as it seems, word leaked out this week that an air traffic ...Rodman2010-03-04T02:40:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/02/25/free-first-class-upgrades.aspx?ref=rssFree First Class Upgrades And the Rift-Raft That Comes With It Just when you think you've heard it all! Now there are free first class upgrades!!!! Yes....You heard me right! Free first class upgrades now at my airline. But just like everything, there is a catch. At my airline, you have to be one of our more frequent fliers to be so lucky to be bumped up to the first class cabin for free. It goes the same at some other airlines, I hear. ...Rodman2010-02-25T18:11:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/02/17/tsa-screeners-from-hell.aspx?ref=rssTSA Screeners From Hell I rarely blast Transportation Security Administration airport screeners. After-all, they are the ones who keep away the bad guys, weapons and everything else dangerous from making their way onto the aircraft I fly. And for the most part, they treat airline employees and crew members very well. And I respect the job the are forced to do. But there is that occasional TSA employee who crosses the line with pilots, flight attendants and passengers, and unfortunately gives the rest a bad rap. Such was the case at ...Rodman2010-02-17T22:10:00Zhttp://thesewingstalk.com/2010/02/16/just-you-wait.aspx?ref=rssAirlines Get The Last WordWhen It Comes To Tarmac Delays I have to say that I loved the article in USA Today recently about airlines' backlash when it comes to fines for stranding passengers on the runway because of bad weather. You know it was coming to this. And I'm glad it has. After several incidents in which airlines were accused of holding passengers hostage on a plane that was stuck on snowy or rainy tarmacs, and who couldn't take off because it wasn't safe, the US government stepped ...Rodman2010-02-16T22:11:00Z