The secret life of an flight attendant
THEY get to travel the world, meet interesting people, stay in fantastic hotels and get paid for it, but is life as a flight attendant really as glamorous as it sounds?
To find out, we accompanied a Qantas flight attendant to Singapore to see what it’s like to work on a plane, and what she gets up to on a stopover.
Tashoni De Waard wanted to be a flight attendant ever since she was a child so much so she used to make her mum take her to the airport.
“It was the glamour days for hosties, when they were all size 6 and really dolled up,” De Waard says.
Her dream came true when she was 18 the minimum age to become a flight attendant.
A well-groomed, vivacious and down-to-earth blonde, De Waard has a passion for customer service and meeting inspiring people.
“No day is the same,” she says.
She spent a year working in economy class before successfully applying for a position to work in the business and first-class cabins, where she has stayed for the past three years.
She flies on the Airbus A380, with regular trips to Singapore and Los Angeles and, occasionally, London.
This is her day.
1.30pm
Starts work at Qantas corporate building C at Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney, where she stops by the product service centre where she can pick up hairpins, hairspray, shoe polish and nail polish remover to ensure she is what she calls “runway ready”. She can also taste-test new products, such as coffee.
She then heads to the sign-on room and signs on via computer, where pop-up feeds update her on such things as volcanic eruptions disrupting flights, civil unrest at destinations and procedural changes at airports.
She will also get a reminder when her US visa is approaching its expiry date and when her six-monthly emergency training is due.
2.30pm
The crew gather in a meeting room for a 10 to 12-minute briefing, where they are given their work positions by the flight’s customer service manager, Jodie Bartlem, who also checks their grooming.
The crew, which consists of nine male and seven female flight attendants, greet each other and kiss hello.
They rotate often, so it may be months before they work with the same colleagues again.
At the same time, pilots attend a briefing on a different floor.
Positions are pre-allocated but attendants often ask if they can swap.
“Everyone has a different preference,” Bartlem says.
“Some like the galley because they’re passionate about food and cooking. Others love being in the cabin because they love the interaction with customers.”
Bartlem draws their attention to a VIP guest who needs to be looked after in seat 3B, before offering a final motivational message.
“People always remember the beginning and the end,” she says.
“You only get one chance to make a first impression and one chance to make a last impression.”
2.45pm
The crew board a bus and go through security checks before boarding.
3pm
The crew board the plane and set up headsets, get menus ready and make sure the bathrooms are clean.
4.10pm
The flight departs. De Waard says crew make sure every passenger in first class has a beverage in their hand within 20 minutes of departure, then start the meal service, which takes about four hours.
10pm
About six hours into the flight, De Waard takes a one-hour break.
She will eat a meal out of sight in a crew rest area with the curtains closed often standing up.
On the Sydney-to-LA route, she gets a 2 1/2 hour break and usually has a sleep.
As she is also studying for her private pilot’s licence, with the aim of joining the Royal Flying Doctor Service, she uses the time to study in a crew work station or read a magazine in a rest area.11pm
De Waard likes to “touch up before touching down”, so she refreshes her make-up and brushes her teeth in the bathroom a couple of hours before landing, just before sleeping passengers start to wake up.
12.15am
The flight arrives in Singapore and crew board a bus to their hotel.
Some grab a meal from Hungry Jack’s at the airport. Bartlem stands at the front of the bus and thanks the crew, giving feedback from passengers, including one satisfied customer who usually flies another airline.
The mood is upbeat and jovial and the crew sing a rowdy happy birthday to two flight attendants.
They debrief and share funny stories from the flight, pass lollies around and discuss who is going out that night before many put their iPod headphones in.
“It’s like therapy to have that 10 minutes to yourself on the bus and put some cool music on to pump yourself up,” De Waard says.
12.40am
Arrive at the hotel and check in before quickly getting changed to go out.
“We’re really lucky we get to stay in such nice, central hotels,” De Waard says. “In London, we get to stay in a hotel which has a view from the window to Big Ben.”
1am
Most of the crew meet in the lobby to go to Chimes, a complex of bars opposite Raffles Hotel.
They choose a courtyard table at La Cave wine bar, which sells $10 Singapore Sling or Long Island Ice Tea cocktails to crew.
Some British Airways crew are at the bar.
Crew don’t go out as often as they did when the A380 first started flying the route, but tonight there is a good crowd of flight attendants and pilots because there is a birthday celebration.
“Sometimes you are so knackered you just go to bed,” De Waard says.
2.30am
They leave the bar and head back to the hotel after a quick boogie at dance club Insomnia, where the “tech crew members”, or pilots, usually hang out.
9.45am
After a much-needed sleep, De Waard likes to hit the gym for an hour.
“When you are eating different rich foods on the run, it’s important to keep fit,” she says. “It’s good to get your heart rate up.”
11am
Meets her friend Roz Traill in the lobby and heads to Din Tai Fung in Raffles Marketplace, which she believes has the best dumplings.
Both girls are engaged to pilots, who understand their lifestyle, and over brunch they discuss the pros and cons of their job.
“Your other friends don’t understand how much you miss, like intimate evenings with your family and weddings,” De Waard says.
12.15pm
De Waard drops off a pair of shoes to be reheeled at her favourite repairer on North Bridge Rd. It costs just $4.
She then heads to her favourite alterations shop, Julia Dresses and Clothing on 3 Coleman Street, #B1-32 Peninsula Shopping Centre (+65 8237 9644), to pick up three garments she has had altered for just $12.
“I go there all the time every single trip,” she says.
“You can pay $30 at other places and sometimes it’s not right.
“I get all my dry-cleaning done in LA because it’s so cheap around $7 to $10 for an evening gown. LA is also cheap for shoes and clothes.”
12.45pm
Jumps in a cab to the markets for an afternoon exploring the shops.
2.30pm
De Waard has a booking for a pedicure, which costs about $30, at a beauty salon near the hotel.
4pm
Crew have access to the hotel spa, so De Waard uses the steam room, sauna, cold plunge pool and hot spa.
5pm
Some of the crew meet by the pool at their hotel, where they get cheap cocktails, for a relaxed “happy hour”. They usually fly out at 6am and there is an eight-hour “bottle to throttle” rule, so they have a quiet night.
De Waard often grabs takeaway sushi, which she eats in her room and has an early night, before doing it all again in the other direction.
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