Being on Call...

This last week has been interesting. I've told you about the murderer, Colonel Sanders, Ricky Schroeder, and the alcohol testing. All that happened in 2 days. I'm on day 7 away from home. I was expecting to only be gone for 5 days. So I have 5 days of food and clothes packed with me. I'm trying so hard to eat healthy and on a budget and working out of an airport makes that very difficult. After I got back from Panama I had a trip that I thought would be SO easy. I thought I'd just take one flight to Detroit, layover for 17 hours, One flight back to Atlanta, sit, one flight to San Diego sleep for 13 hours and boom back to Atlanta where I would then hop on a flight to San Antonio, do my laundry, kiss my boyfriend, grab more food and head back to work. Of course in my life nothing ever goes as planned.

Here's what really went down. I got back from Panama and headed to the training center where when available there are rooms for free for flight attendants. It's first come first serve and you get a bed and a shower for FREE. Score. So I got a room and didn't even have to check out early since it was the weekend. So I slept in until about 11 am which was just what my body needed. Little did I know I should have stayed in bed a few more hours. That morning there was tornado warnings for Georgia and some snow alerts for the next day. When I get to work they had already started canceling flights before the first snowflake was even formed.

Our schedule was showing our flight back from Detroit the next day was cancelled. So we didn't know if we were going to get stuck in Detroit or not go at all. As we go into briefing we get our re-route. It says that INSTEAD of our nice long 17 hour layover in a very nice hotel you get to sit in the airport for 5 hours and 50 minutes and deadhead on the first and only plane leaving Detroit that day. We don't have a lounge in Detroit and 5 hours and 50 minutes happened to be overnight which happens to be really annoying. So our Flight Leader called scheduling and begged for a hotel for us. Luckily they gave us one. It was going to be a very short stay but better to be warm and out of the airport than cold in the airport. So we were grateful at least for that. Well the night was already going to be long or short depending on your perspective. Immigration decides to put a 2 hour hold on the line so no one can leave and we unfortunately have 60 passengers that are supposed to be on our flight coming in from Aruba and St. Thomas. If they don't get on this plane then they don't fly home for a couple of days. So we wait for awhile. Slowly but surely they trickled on the airplane. It was finally decided that we couldn't wait anymore and we took off. This delayed us enough that now we only get 3 hours at our hotel room in Detroit. I know that I cannot sleep for such little time when I am exhausted already so I planned to stay awake until we got back to Atlanta where I would then sleep like a baby during the day at our domicile layover before our San Diego turn. I felt like death.

I made it to the Atlanta hotel at 9am and finally went to sleep around 10am. This was 23 hours that I had not slept. Maybe if I had the stamina of a 16 year old I could do this... but this old lady requires sleep. You'd think that I slept like a baby... no. I slept about 5 hours and my body just wouldn't let me stay down. I opened the curtains and it was snowing like crazy outside. So pretty. Pretty from far away. :) I hate snow... it hurts my body... I told you I was old. So I worked online and watched old movies and watched my podcasts and headed to the airport for my next flight to San Diego. It was delayed about an hour and a half. We were crossing out fingers for it to be cancelled. No such luck.

When we got to San Diego we were all tired and grouchy. We got in around midnight California time which would be 3am Atlanta time. Yuck! We got our rooms and I popped 2 melatonins so I could have a nice uninterrupted sleep...
As soon as I had finally nodded off the ice machine that neighbored my room started rumbling and it scared me so I sat straight up and I swear I saw a shadow of a person in my room. (I learned later that melatonin can give you horrible vivd nightmares.) I finally convinced myself no one was in the room with me and passed out.

8am I hear housekeeping banging on the door. Before I could even figure out where I was or what my name was they came busting in and broke the chain off the door. I guess they realized someone was in there by then and closed the door. I could NOT fall asleep after that. Around 11 I am getting dressed to go to work and they bang on the door again. I was so annoyed so I complained to the front desk so that would never happen again to a flight attendant and also they wouldn't charge me for the broken lock on the door. I head to work and we are delayed again. It takes a few days to get back on schedule after snow.

On the flight I got put to sit up front with the flight leader to work first class. Little did I know that he would make this the longest 4 hour flight. Before we even take off he starts looking at me weird. He tells me in Spanish, "Si supieras cuanto te amo." (If only you knew how much I love you). I said, "Umm... You don't know me." He said, "Oh you speak Spanish!" "yea." So then he starts talking to me in French. I told him that I didn't understand french but if what he was saying had anything to do with his previous statement that he was crazy because he didn't know me. So he's already a creeper. I mentioned later on that I was cold and he rushed over to try and warm me up. I get up and move. I try not to make this situation even more awkward because I know he is a co-worker and I know that I will have to see him again later. I tried to keep busy and moving around him at all times so that he couldn't try to touch me. He kept trying to rub my back and shoulders. As I was standing in front of the cockpit door blocking for the pilots to come out to use the bathrooms he grabs my hand to hold it. I was in such shock. Luckily the cockpit door opened and I quickly got inside. The rest of the flight I stayed in the back of the plane. I mentioned to the other flight attendant what had happened and how I just kept talking about my boyfriend and tried not to make things awkward. She said he had done the same thing last night on the way down to her. She said he had done the same as me and talked about her boyfriend and kept moving around so he couldn't catch her. haha So I was nervous to be up there alone with him. When we landed he kept trying to hug me. All the first class passengers had exited and so had the pilots so I just had a feeling that this guy was bold enough to try and kiss me or something in there so I quickly moved to the middle of the plane and said goodbye to all the passengers... (more witnesses, right?) I turned around and he was right there and he tried to grab my hand again in front of everyone. I just pretended it didn't happen and told him I needed to get my bags. He told me that he would wait for me to see if I got on my flight. I told him no thank you. He said he wanted to take me to dinner and that he would pay for my hotel. Yea, right. No thanks! So I made it off the plane before him and hid behind some passengers and waited for him to pass. whew!

I was crossing my fingers that I could get on a flight back to San Antonio that night but there was only one very small plane left to go home and it was so full. So I got stuck in Atlanta and again headed over to the Training Center. Tuesday was my day off (the next day) so I wasn't too happy about being stuck in Atlanta. Luckily I can do my laundry at the Training Center. I had to wait to see what was put on my schedule for Wednesday since I was on-call. If I got a late sign in there was still a chance I could go home for the day and even the night.... no such luck. Posted on my schedule was a 5:30 am standby. Oh Joy. So check out at the training Center is 9AM and check in time is at 4PM. So for those few hours I was lost on what to do. I found a little lobby in the training center with comfy couches and a tv with cable but no internet connection. boo. It was so cold in there and I didn't bring my jacket since I figured I'd just be in Panama and San Diego anyways... So I had my hoodie on over my head and my hands tucked in the sleeves, it was so cold. I fell asleep on the couch and was awakened by a maintenance man who handed me a blanket. I was so grateful! I wondered if they even thought I belonged there or if I was just some homeless girl. When I woke up again there was another flight attendant waiting for a room too. Finally it was 4pm and we got our rooms again. Oh Joy. By 4:30 pm I took my chances again with the melatonin, put in my earplugs and put on my eye mask and set my alarm for 3am.

At 5PM, my phone rang and I shouldn't have answered but I did. It was a sneaky, rude, arrogant bill collector who was bullying me and telling me that he was going to wage garnish my paychecks and how I had to pay him all this money up front. I offered him what I had and he told me no. I got so nervous that they were really going to start taking 25% out of my paychecks to pay this bill from so many years ago. So, being the tired, emotional girl that I am I started crying. Luckily I have he best support system. I texted my boyfriend and he assured me that the guy was just trying to scare me. I called my sister and she knows all the rules and told me that he cannot do that and that it is illegal for him not to take the money that I offered to him to pay my debt. So she called him as my representation and let him have it. He totally lied to her and to me and she cornered him and told him to never contact me again. Awesome! I'm glad I know someone who knows the law and knows how to fight.

At 6PM I had calmed down enough to realize that I hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours and that sick feeling in my stomach was more than just an uneasy feeling about an unpaid bill. So I ate yet another peanut butter and honey sandwich. I'm not quite sure how many more of those I can eat. I attempted sleep again and passed out until about 10:30PM. I couldn't fall back asleep again. So I watched old shows and just relaxed until the alarm went off at 3AM. I think I dozed off again around 2AM which made 3AM even worse. I called a cab and bared the cold and headed to work.

This is where I am right now. On standby. I'm stuck here until 9:30 I think. If I don't get called then I have to wait again until 4pm to get yet ANOTHER training Center room and hope that they don't call me out early. I have 11 hours from the time I get released until the time that they can call me again. I HATE being on call. HATE it. So I'm watching the flight attendants slowly trickle in and listening to my nemesis snore on the couch. I swear I've contemplated punching her to get her to shut up, putting food in her mouth, putting an alarm by her head... anything. It's so annoying. All the flight attendants are just looking around for who it is. I don't even have to look. I already know who it is ... I've named her the orgasmic farter. She's crazy.

Anyways... I have 3 more on call days, then I am going to head down to Nashville for my friend Jess' wedding and then restock on food and head BACK to atlanta for SIX more on call days... I miss my boyfriend so much. I'm so over being on call.

And oh dang, the creeper flight leader just showed up. Well wish me luck. I'm grumpy enough today for some confrontation. Should be interesting

T.G.L.F.A.B.

Current mood: cooky/wacky
(The Glamorous Life of a Flight Attendant Blog)

So starting on Christmas day...
(first things first... you must know that as an Atlanta flight attendant we have 6 "A days".. which is on call days... they can send you anywhere at any time for 6 days)
... So ok, Christmas Day. I was on my first A day and I got scheduled standby for 4 hours until 11pm. So I got there in the morning from TX and chilled all day... I watched movies on Netflix, crocheted some scarves, finished my Mandela biography, and chatted with friends. I didn't get called out for anything. So day one was over and I checked my schedule for the next day and it said I had standby again for day 2. I was irritated but whatever. So I slept in the lounge in a smelly little room... by little I mean maybe 5 ft x 5 ft with 2 small plastic reclining chairs in them. They smell weird and they are creepy. But I slept in there until about 9 or 10 am... not very comfortably... but better than the couch. I wake up, do my airport beauty routine put on some jeans and check my schedule again. It tells me I have standby on day 2 and day 3. I check open time (which tells us which trips need to be covered for the day) and it shows all these amazing trips. I called scheduling and asked them for one of those good trips. The guy tells me I can't have any of those trips because I am the only flight attendant in the lounge that can be used for more than 4 days... I kinda didn't believe him... and I let him know that I was on to him. I told him I commuted from Texas so I needed a bed and shower at the hotels... he asked me if I had considered moving to Atlanta... I told him I had a family. haha whatever. It is not his business where I live. So then I told him that if I was on standby for one more day then I would start to smell soon because I needed a shower and I cannot afford a hotel every night I have A days. He didn't care about my body odor.

So I'm sitting around in my jeans and t-shirt watching Netflix... and the Hartsfield Jackson International Airport kicks me off the internet. I call them. I pay for that internet... I should be able to use it anyway I want. Here is basically my conversation with the internet tech guy after we established introductions.

Me: "So I have a boingo account and your internet keeps kicking me off, and I pay for it and I need to have it urgently."

Guy: "ok lemme check a couple things... ok here you are, I see your screenname"

Me: "Listen, I really need y'all to stop kicking me off. I'm here all the time and the internet is the only thing that keeps me sane... for the safety of my passengers, I need the internet back."

Guy: "Where are you?"

Me: "Downstairs"

Guy: "um... why? where?"

Me: "A concourse, Flight attendant lounge. I am a flight attendant sitting on stand by and my only contact with the outside world is your internet. I need it. Please give it back."

Guy: "ok, lemme see what I can do"

Me: "Listen, I don't have windows down here, I don't even know if the suns out... I need the weather bug back, I need my netflix back. I am going crazy."

Guy: "hahaha ok, your back on, reboot and your good to go"

Me: "Thank you so much sir, my future passengers thank you too."

So then around 1pm (3 hours before sign in) I hear over the loud speaker that scheduling has already used all of their standbys and are asking for volunteers. I walk to the front desk to see what I can do. They tell me that I might need to put on my uniform cause things are a little crazy... understatement of the day.

3 hours before sign in scheduling started to call me to help them board airplanes because some flight attendants hadnt come in yet. So I walk in 3 inch heals with al my bags to the other side of the airport. Do you think anyone called me to let me know that the Flight attendant had shown up already before I had gotten there? No. So I trekked across the airport just to go straight back down to the lounge. Then they call me to send me a on a crappy domestic rotation for 3 days. I told the guy (with a little bit of attitude) that I was told earlier that I was the ONLY person in atlanta that could fly for more than 4 days, and I was sure that they could find someone for a 3 day trip. :) They said they couldnt and I fought some more but he told me I was definitely going to Indianapolis... sigh... so I go to find my crew... then I hear my name on the loud speaker... scheduling wants me to call them... they say that they changed their minds and want me back on standby. I snort out a laugh and try not to say 'I told you so'.... but I go back to my couch to not loose my place in the lounge.

Now to save you the reading and exhaustion I will tell you that over the next 8 house I was sent out on over 5 different assignments and taken off these assignments. I was being put through phsycological testing and I lost. I was so tired and fought for my rights. I probably spend one solid hour on the phone just with scheduling alone off and on. Ridiculous! To make a long story short, I ended up with a long layover in San Diego that night. I slept for about 15 out of 22 hours. I needed it after that day.

This is a VERY long story... so I'm trying to cut it short...
We had a medical emergency on the red eye from san diego to atlanta... got in at 5:30 am and then slept for about 2 hours in the lounge then got sent out on a 3 day domestic trip.... with a short layover in new orleans and a short layover in raleigh, nc... unfortunately i'd never been to any of those places and I didn't have enough time there to go explore... so I will have to go back. Finally after all my 6 days were up and scheduling couldn't physically use me any more I got to go to TX.

On the plane back to TX, I was sitting in the back of the airplane on the jumpseat... just tired as anything.... and a passenger in the last row looks at me and tells me... "I dunno who's bag this is, but its in my spot." I told her it was my bag. She said oh. Then muttered something about supposing she'd just put her bag under her chair. Note to YOU as future flyers... the compartment over your head does not have your name on it... You can put your bag anywhere past first class if your flying coach... just as long as the bins close... but really someone should be enforcing the bag size... it used to be only the size of a briefcase... people are bringing on body bags... and 2 or 3 of them. So that spot in front of your legs... yea that is yours for luggage... you can fight for that spot... but the overhead... its supposed to only be for overflowing luggage... in a perfect world. :)

I was so happy to be over with it all and to have new years off! I got to spend New years with my man in san antonio and with some good friends. Definitely a good way to start off the year... and with rockband 2. :)

So my next set of A days started on the 3rd... and my birthday is the 4th. I had International standby on the 3rd but didn't get called anywhere... They already assigned me a trip on the 4th... which is now... to Managua, Nicaragua... so we shall see what is to come... I still have 3 more days after that to come... who knows what will happen.