Welcome to Easy Air

“Could I have a look at the menu please?” asked the middle-aged British woman, barely looking at the flight attendant while sorting things in her purse.

“Certainly, the menu is in the flap in front of you…just right here” Bridget politely replied, indicating where the menu could be found.

Bridget’s pearly-white smile, naturally light blonde hair and slim build made her seem young and innocent, therefore the British woman naturally assumed she wasn’t too bright.

“Oh yes, of course. Just checking to see you’re doing your job!” the woman laughed with contempt. She then went back to fiddling with the papers in her purse, grumbling to herself.

After a brief pause, Bridget asked nervously, “Would you like to order anything?”

The woman suddenly realized she forgot to look at the menu, and quickly pulled out the menu card in front of her. After scanning it over, she said, “Let’s see…I don’t see anything here that I like. Do you have a low calorie menu? All these items are far too fattening for my diet.”

“I’m sorry, we only have what’s on this menu. Would you like to…”

“No, not interested! This airline clearly needs to re-consider its menu options. Perhaps you could pass that on to your supervisor” the woman said sternly, not bothering to look at Bridget.

Bridget was warned about these kinds of customers in her training, especially for the flights into Sydney. She appeared to brush off the comments, but deep down the resentment was building. She continued down the aisle and thought, do I really want to have a career as a Flight Attendant? She only got into this career because her friend was applying, who said that it would be a glamourous job. Now thinking back, Bridget questions whether her friend was even serious about being a Flight Attendant.

It’s almost 4:00pm, and the flight would be landing soon into Sydney airport. Bridget knew it was time to gather the garbage from all the refreshments passengers consumed during the trip. The head Flight Attendant gave her a nod to get the necessary supplies and start down the right aisle. Bridget couldn’t help thinking that this job was more like being a waitress and janitor in the sky. It certainly wasn’t what they promoted in the Easy Air classified ads and course manual.

Bridget started down the aisle, carrying a large garbage bag and politely asking passengers to deposit their cups, lunch trays, and other rubbish into the bag. Most passengers deposited their items with a smile, but there were a few who threw their cups and almost missed the bag. It seemed like they thought the garbage bag was a basketball hoop, and they were scoring the last point in the game.

She finally reached the end of the aisle, the bag almost bursting at the sides. Quickly depositing the garbage into the bin, it was now time to get ready for landing. The other Flight Attendants would be finished shortly, as they were on seatbelt duty. Only another 20 minutes and she could get ready to go home to her peaceful apartment. She buckled up her belt and watched the other Attendants do the same, all with such great ease and a smile. How can they do this job, day after day? Why do they enjoy being a Flight Attendant? She couldn’t figure it out, although her first day seemed overwhelming. Maybe it would get easier over time.

The plane landed smoothly and according to schedule. Shortly after, the passengers began to gather their belongings from the overhead compartments and trotted out like cattle. They left behind pillows and blankets laying across the seats, empty water bottles stuffed into seat flaps, and a few odd pieces of plastic tossed on the floor leftover from lunch. Bridget figured that cleanup would take at least an hour, given the mess these passengers made. But before she picked up the first piece of garbage, the Head Flight Attendant signaled the crew with a snap of his fingers. Everyone else seemed to know what this meant, and Bridget didn’t remember this procedure in the course manual.

In a blink the garbage was gone, supplies tucked away, and everyone’s outfits turned into party wear. Bridget wondered if she blacked out for a second and was dreaming this. She blinked a few more times, but the scenery still looked the same.

“What’s going on?” she asked Charlene, the Flight Attendant next to her.

“Didn’t you hear about this? After every flight the plane turns into a nightclub! Here, let me show you around!” Charlene shouted enthusiastically while taking Bridget by the arm.

The interior of the plane didn’t even look like a plane – the windows were neon lights, most of the seats were gone except for a few lounge chairs, the television monitors aired videos, and music was streaming from every part of the plane. Soon a disco light spiraled down from the ceiling and made the interior sparkle. The head Flight Attendant handed out drinks and appetizers for everyone, and even the pilots joined in the fun. Bridget couldn’t believe what was happening, but it sure was a great way to end the workday!

Just to be sure, Bridget asked Charlene, “Does this really happen after every flight?”

“Yeah baby! Sure makes the pain-in-the-butt passengers a lot easier to deal with, knowing there’s a party after!” Charlene shouted, while trying to get Bridget onto the dance floor.

Bridget couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She quickly shouted back, “Yeah, this is unbelievable! I think I like being a Flight Attendant now, yeah? Let’s dance!” 

Bridget started dancing with her arms up in the air, waving side to side. The other crew members were also keeping the beat while gyrating their hips in synchronized motion. It was at that moment Bridget knew she made the right career decision. If passengers only knew the real story about being a Flight Attendant. Welcome to Easy Air!