Up in the air.
Airports are the most exciting place in the world to her. Are they still her home away from home?
“All the things you probably hate about traveling (the recycled air, the artificial lighting, the digital juice dispensers, the cheap sushi) are warm reminders that I'm home.”
— George Clooney, Up In The Air
Name: Olivia*
Hometown: Eastern Washington State and Switzerland
Current Residence: San Francisco, California
Living Situation: A group house
Age: 26
Occupation: Flight attendant at a major U.S. airline
*Olivia asked that we leave out her last name so that she could speak freely about the airline industry. Otherwise, she would have had to receive clearance from her employer to be interviewed.
Photo caption: Here is my failed attempt at gardening; I tried to start seedlings in an egg carton (they made it look so easy on the Internet).
How did you decide to get into the airline industry?
When I was in fourth grade we had to write an essay about our favorite place in the world, and I wrote about the airport. It seems silly because it’s such a stressful place for most people, but I always thought it was the most exciting place ever. You have a chance to go somewhere, there are so many different people from all over the world, and I loved watching the planes take off. I always thought flight attendants must have the most fantastic job, but I still went to college because I thought I might change my mind. By the time I graduated I still wanted to do it, so I went for it.
Most of our readers haven’t been on an airplane since the pandemic hit. Help us understand how things have changed for passengers.
It’s so different! When you think of an airport you think about it being busy and full of people, but there’s hardly anyone there. The airports are so dead. Most restaurants are closed. Security is usually empty. On the last flight I worked there were thirteen passengers, and usually there are 200-250 on a flight like that, so the gate agent was able to make sure people were super spread out before they even got on board. I have seen some full flights on the news where people were all right on top of each other like normal, and that’s really terrifying to me.
I’ve worked hundreds of domestic and international flights. As of today (we spoke to Olivia in July), I’ve flown on just three flights, whereas I normally would have been on 12-20 flights.
We’re not really serving any drinks or food, only sealed snacks and bottled water. No sodas, no pouring, nothing like that. Some customers are unhappy about that, but we have to limit the contact between people.
Now there is a little table before you go through security with hand sanitizer and masks in case people don’t have them, and if someone isn’t wearing a mask once they board they’re taken off the plane. I remember in February when we started to realize that COVID was going to be a big deal that I wanted to wear a mask but I got an email that said that the airline really didn’t want us wearing masks because they didn’t want us to freak out the customers. It took a long time for them to be like “Ok, you can wear masks.” Then it was “crew members have to wear masks.” And then in June everyone was mandated to wear them.
What are passengers’ demeanor like? What’s the mood on the plane?
A lot of people are fearful, but a lot of people are really sweet too. They’re grateful; taking a flight is some semblance of normalcy for them. Most of the customers we have are on essential travel, like nurses and doctors, so we’re all kind of in the same boat as far as essential workers go. It’s not as grim as I expected it to be.
It is kind of sad to be interacting with the passengers though. We’re all wearing masks. It’s assumed that we’re all smiling at each other, but you don’t really know. I’m just trying to send them positive vibes in other ways.
What have your colleagues’ reactions been to this situation?
I’ve been concerned about furlough and all of that. A lot of my colleagues have said that the last time they were furloughed was 9/11, which of course was really bad for the airlines. They are all saying not to worry, that we always bounce back, this is just how it goes.
How does all of this uncertainty make you feel about your chosen profession?
It was a little scary for me, to be honest. I feel like I kind of pigeon-holed myself right after college, and now if I get furloughed I’ll have to find something else to do for a while. And that was exciting, kind of, because it might be fun to get a taste of what most people do for a regular job. But it is a little terrifying. I love my job, and I don’t really want to do anything else.
What has been hard for you during COVID?
Being at home all of the time is super weird. I used to be gone half the week, so being here all the time is super strange. It’s hard not to be around people; my favorite thing is being around as many people as possible. I’ve been doing the dumbest things to fill the time! I tried gardening, and that was a huge failure. But I have been reading more; I recently read The Silent Patient. I also have finally begun to see my sister a bit, and I have a close friend that was recently laid-off that I’ve been spending some time with.
Photo caption: While I may not have a green thumb, my roommate certainly does, therefore the living room, a.k.a. jungle, is my favorite room to spend time in.
What do you want to take to the other side of this?
With all of this uncertainty about whether my job is stable, I want to remember that I have the ability to do other things, that I have other options. I’m not a flight attendant because that was my only choice, I’m a flight attendant because I’ve always wanted to be one. I live in San Francisco, so everyone is very money-hungry and wants to have powerful jobs, so sometimes I feel very small in a group setting. But then I have to remind myself that I’m a flight attendant because I want to be and because I love it.