Confessions of a Hostie 3 by Danielle Hugh

about
crew. They constantly surprise me.
     
    Like most, I love music. I've met many crew
with musical backgrounds, from a concert pianist to a guitarist in
a former well-known rock band. One of the guys in my training class
was a keyboard player in a moderately successful eighties band. He
said nothing throughout training, but in later years revealed his
love of music - and his past. We flew recently and I divulged that
I saw one of the band's video-clips on You Tube.
    'Love the hair' I teased him, 'and what was
going on with the pants?'
    'It was the eighties' he justified with a
smile.
    One of my good friends was a lead singer in a
cover-band for many years before flying. She continues to sing in
various theatrical productions when time permits. I have even been
known to belt out a tune or two (in the shower). I am not tone-deaf , however I could be
accused of being tone-hard-of-hearing . I can tell you that as a
singer I make a wonderful flight attendant.
    Cabin crew come from eclectic backgrounds.
I've flown with an Olympic medalist, another a top fashion model, a
guy who was once a world-ranked tennis pro, a former professional
footballer, a radio D.J, and even a former acclaimed ballet dancer.
These are just those I know about. Everyone has a story to
tell.
    On a recent flight we had a male passenger
who drank far too much; loudly demanding more. The manager, who
just so happened to be a big burly man, told the man there would be
no more alcohol served for the rest of the flight. The man became
irate, irrational, and aggressive; looking up at the manager,
seeing he was a broad-shouldered and apparently heterosexual, to
comment something along the lines of: 'I thought all flight
attendants were gay'.
    The manager was actually a former police
Sargent. Standing beside him was the flight attendant who was the
former professional footballer, being even beefier than the
manager. This passenger picked the wrong crew to mess with on that
day. I was within earshot, hearing the manager lay down the law in
no uncertain terms. The passenger looked scared - and rightfully
so.
    The man passed out to later wakeup yelling
for more alcohol. I might add that we suspected he'd been drinking
his own booze at some stage and although he had slept, he was still
slurring his words.
    The manager again read him the riot act. When
we landed, in Denpasar, Bali, he was very unsteady on his feet.
Leaving the aircraft we saw the man taken away from the immigration
queue to be questioned by the local officials. He remonstrated with
airport customs officials. We went through customs and immigration,
not learning of his final fate, but we knew it wouldn't be good for
the man. We presumed he would be placed in a room to sober up and
then put on the next flight back to his country of origin (at his
expense). It is a hefty price to pay for getting drunk and not
following instructions.
    Having two physically intimidating flight
attendants onboard was a real bonus. Often the petite hosties need
to deal with situations onboard. Sure we are trained, and most of
us willing to put our bodies on the line should we have to, but
having a former police Sargent and pro footballer amongst our ranks
would be my preference every time.
     
    There is no such thing as a typical flight
attendant. Several trips back I worked with the most amazing
fellow; part Gypsy, part Jewish, and a whole lot of fun. I saw him
in 'civilian' clothes. He was covered in tattoos, dressing like a
European backpacker (now I am making generalizations as well -
please forgive me), however you wouldn't meet a nicer guy - and he
was wonderful onboard. The passengers loved him.
    I had some incredible conversations with him
- and I cannot recall talking about anything to do with airplanes.
What an interesting life he had led, holding equally
thought-provoking opinions. I like talking to people who sees
things a little differently to most. I could tell he was highly
intelligent and one instance onboard