THE SILENT REVIEW_WINTER EDITION 2021_WEB

Passengers are the variable in our day that we can never
predict, and ensure that things are always kept interesting
if we choose to maintain a curiosity about the people we
transport across the world. Often they can be enraging, but
sometimes engaging. If there is one of particular note, like
a certain Chris Hemsworth or the like, you can guarantee it
is going to set crew tongues wagging. One of my favourite
stories was a domestic flight attendant I worked with who
met her husband of several decades in the back galley on a
Perth flight. You just never know who you could meet when
it comes to passengers and sometimes you might wish you
never met them at all!
THEIR PLANS UPLINE
“There’s a really good yum cha restaurant just near
the hotel.”
“Oh I’m not doing anything, not leaving the room
on this trip.”
Great for making conversation is the openended question
“What are you doing in (insert port name)” – this is a
conversation starter for learning about where to go and what
to do. Sure, some of the answers do get repetitive, just like
any of the conversation starters. Also sometimes people
go into too much detail about the step by step of their slip
routine. But it’s a gem of a talking point and often is the
starting point of forming fantastic plans with other crew on
what will end up being a memorable trip.
THEIR PERSONAL LIVES
“I don’t know if it’s going to work out between us;
my kids are at that age where they are really acting out.”
Siting on an atlas box, or on that red camping stool and
having a heart to heart at three in the morning. That’s crew
for you. We form bonds very quickly – and with a lot of
downtime on the overnight flights, there’s opportunity to really
offer advice and seek the counsel of our colleagues. It might
be about our relationships, our love lives, or our mental state
– but it is an absolute privilege to have a listening ear, or to be
one, and to have the opportunity to get things off our chest
with a trusted crew member. That’s our flying family for you.
THEIR ENTITLEMENTS AND WORK CONDITIONS
“Do we get a reduced slip payment now this flight
has been so delayed?”
doubt going to be a lot more discussion regarding entitlements
and work conditions in the future, and as much as crew can
discuss the ins and outs on board, the FAAA team will be the
best to ask for the most accurate information.
THINGS THAT HAVE CHANGED IN THE JOB
“Remember the order is now SLOB. Seatbelt, lifejacket,
oxygen, brace”
“We do a collection separately to hot drinks now.”
The service has changed, the boarding process has changed,
the safety demo order has changed, the crew complement
will be changing, the departure time is changing. There
will be always discussion – and often debate – between crew
interpreting the changes… as often they aren’t black and
white. Crew will also dissect what these changes will mean
for them. Because we work with so many people, and there
are so many changes, there will always someone that needs
to be brought up to speed.
It might be the dawn of a new era in the airline industry, but
what comes out of cabin crew mouths and goes into respective
ears remains broadly the same. We have the same kinds of
fears hopes, questions, opinions as before – just perhaps with
a new twist. There’s great comfort about the fact that each
and every time you go to work there will the chance for
The back
galley – where
the mouth
magic between
crew happens.
a great conversation, someone to listen, someone to ask, and
something that we offer up to each other in this fabulous job.
The beauty of being crew is that you always have someone
to ask when it comes to what trips qualify for transport,
what allowances you should get, and other things related to
the EBA. There’s a whole wealth of knowledge that has been
accumulated. If you’re vegetarian someone will be able to
tell you how to go about ordering a VG crew meal – and
much much more. Given it is soon EBA time, there’s no
WINTER EDITION 2021 25