I’m in my 6th year as an American Airlines flight attendant. I love my job. Really, I’m not just saying that. I’ve been provided with so many new and exciting opportunities. Been able to travel to places I never dreamed I would ever have the chance to visit. This past month things at my job have changed drastically. It’s been a little surreal to wrap my brain around the last two weeks. Only a few weeks ago, my crew and I were discussing which routes we thought would be affected chalking most of it up to media hysteria and people over reacting. If we can learn to wash our hands properly, and not be disgusting, we thought everything would be fine. Everything’s going to be fine.
Hi!!
In January I remember first seeing people wearing masks on the airplane, but not thinking too much about it. February, I went on vacation to Spain and Portugal with my parents and husband. For the first time we all wiped down out seats and tray table (I’m clearly not a germaphobe.) The only thing out of the ordinary was that all flights to China had been suspended along with cancelations to Milan. The first week of March other seasonal flying to Italy had been pushed back…
On vacation in Sevilla
My first work trip back from my vacation was March 9th and wow had things changed. All of Europe was basically in quarantine. We went from people having no consideration of cleanliness on the plane to being hyper aware of hygiene. People were thanking me for coming to work and giving me travel sized bottles of hand sanitizer. Planes were 70% full and life seemed to be moving in a safer more hygienic direction. We suspended the hot towel service and using glassware in the premium cabins; now, we’re using plastic cups. We’re also no longer refilling personal bottles or plastic cups in all cabins.
It was also my first trip in the new uniform, hence the impromptu photoshoot.
There’s a running joke at work that people love to use the bathroom without shoes. I don’t know why this is a thing, but people are constantly going to the bathroom without shoes on. PSA that’s not water on the floor. Now people are not only wearing their shoes, they’re wearing gloves and face masks!
Bathroom selfie showing off the new uniform #AAnewblue
That weekend was St Patrick’s day and all of the festivities in Chicago were cancelled. My husband and I had about 10 close friends over to our apartment for a St. Patrick’s brunch. My next trip at work was March 17th and things had taken a drastic turn! I had a feeling that things were taking a turn for the worst, so my best friend at work traded trips so that we could work together. Thank god we had each other because this is when it really started to hit the fan. My first flight was from ORD-DCA. With a total of 11 passengers, yes ELEVEN! Flights went from 70% to 50% to essentially no one on the aircraft in ONE week.
In flight attendant training American Airlines told us that we are supposed to be palm tree- no matter where the wind blows, no matter what hurricane we end up in, we are supposed to be flexible and go with the flow. But to be honest, this situation is something that hasn’t occurred in the aviation industry since 9/11 and this is much worse financially.
My graduation photo. LOL
The mood on the aircraft is so eerie. People are afraid of everything. They don’t want a glass of water. They don’t want cookies or pretzels. They don’t want anything during the food or beverage service. The real shocker is that there hasn’t been a line for the bathroom in weeks. People are just trying to get from point A to point B as safely as possible.
@elliotlondon
I picked up a trip on March 20th an easy two-day trip and that’s when panic of furloughs started to set in with my coworkers. There were thousands of layoffs after 9/11 and since this is supposedly much worse than that, we can only assume that furloughs are coming.
@elliotlondon
A furlough is when a company says you’re getting laid off, but whenever we rebound, you will have a job again. You don’t know when you’re going to be called back to work. It could be two months, if could be one year, it could possibly be 10 years. You could get furloughed multiple times. Furloughs are done in reverse seniority order. The shorter you’ve been working for AA the more likely you are to be furloughed. The longer you been working (the more senior) the less likely.
@elliotlondon
I’m trying not to worry about something that hasn’t happened yet. I’m still mentally preparing myself and had important financial conversations with my husband just in case. If I get furloughed, I’ll go from having job security to not having a career overnight, which is why all of my coworkers, especially the junior ones are panicking.
@elliotlondon
March 24 I was supposed to work a three-day trip with 3-1-1 legs per day. With cancellations it became a 1-1-1. This week I haven’t had a single flight over 20 passengers. The most we had was 18, mostly because of deadheading crew members trying to catch the rest of their trips due to cancelations. At this point I’ve been washing my hands so much that they are starting to crack. Using hand sanitizer makes hands burn because of all of the tiny cracks and cuts, a small price to pay.
@elliotlondon
I used to love long layovers in cities and explore new coffee shops and local spots. Now I’m avoiding them because there’s nothing to do and nowhere to eat. Airports have shut down almost all food options except for maybe a McDonalds (no way am I eating that). I’m food prepping like crazy at home so I don’t have to worry the lack of food options. In certain cities hotels have shut down so the company is frantically calling other hotels trying to find lodging for flight crews. Not only are the planes eerie and empty, but the airports and hotels are as well.
@elliotlondon
During my trip American announced that we would be temporarily suspending all food and beverage service on board through April 30th on flights under 2200 miles. Full service will resume once the COVID-19 situation has stabilized. On March 27th the first AA flight attendant death from COVID-19 was reported. The severity of being on the aircraft has sunk in at this point.
@elliotlondon
Being a flight attendant isn’t just a job, it’s a career. It’s not easy to become a flight attendant. Not only did I have an application process and multiple interviews, I had 8 weeks of safety and service training. I’m not just there to pour your Coke; I’m there in case anything happens. It’s not like we’re pulled off the streets. We are trained and educated. I put so much hard work into this career. That’s why it’s so surreal for all of us to wrap our brains around this situation. It could all be gone in the blink of an eye.
