Calling All Flight Crew Members - Past and Present

Hello again, and thank you for your friendly comments.

Yes Lindsey, my friend flies 120 h block to block. She was on stand by in October when she last came to Paris and in one month they had managed to put her on 7 (international) flights. Their only 48 h layover is Toronto, all else are 24 h tops. Apparently the cabin crew doesn't stay in Dubai for more than 5,6 years. When I last saw her I saw how tired she was, but always kept smiling of course. My situation made her think though, and now finally she has decided to move back to Sweden, near her parents. It's not easy to give up that kind of life she leads in Dubai, but I guess she understood that for her own health it's a must. We'll see. 

About doing rads and flying, Harplu13, you are just diagnosed right? I'm sorry to say, but I was exhausted on rads. I couldn't have flown, even if I had wanted to; it's not compatible at all. i really hope you won't have to do axillary node dissection, I had a lower ALND and must wear a special sock on my arm for the rest of my flying days. Flying is not natural, and the air and pressure in a cabin certainly aren't either, so for you to be at your maximum regarding immune system and such, don't fly, please. Another way to see it is from a safety point of view, if something happens FA's must be at their best, and personally on rads (after 5 months of chemo & two surgeries too of course) I wasn't. Human ressources didn't even offer me a temporary job on the ground, they said stay at home. They have been really nice to me this last year, and my husband said 'Well, maybe it's in their best interest to be nice to employees who develop cancers...Yours may have come sooner because of your job". He has a point, although we all know this is a multifactorial disease. 

I started out as a waitress about 12 years ago, and everyone (including me) smoked like crazy. I guess it didn't help to have cigarette smoke blown in your face at 7 in the morning while making coffee and pressing oranges at the bar! Yuk! Even for a smoker like me it was too much. I was so happy when the smoking ban came in restaurants, I remember wanting to throw up when my shift was over! 

I imagine the Pan Am show isn't 100% accurate :-) Although all the boys at work are apparently screaming for the reintroduction of the hat for us girls, hihihi.

I agree Smithy, it should be mandatory to inform newbies about the dangers, myself I try to spread the word, without creating masshysteria of course. Personally, I will refuse to fly polar routes, which aren't so easy to pin out as it depends on the flight plan for the day. If my airline makes it possible to phone on flights (i.e putting in special receivers or whatever they might be called in the bagage space) I sincerely hope everyone will go on strike. If they do put them in so as to lure passengers I'll quit. It won't be worth it anymore. Besides, could you imagine serving a passenger while he's on the phone? 

Happy New Year to everyone once again, I'm off shopping for oysters :-)

Kate,

It's true it's a physical job, a couple of months ago I had a hard time realizing I would go back to work, having had node removal. I'm going to be the girly hostess now and ask the boys for help if a baggage has to get up in the rack or just tell the passengers in a cute manner 'One shouldn't bring more luggage than one can carry!', or if I have to lift heavy steelboxes (you know what I'm talking about) with bottles of water. My first flight will hopefully be funny and good but I'm a little scared! Imagine everyone's mean to me ;-)

Anyway, the PT at my clinic explained that due to the pressure (I'm on longhaul, so the ups & downs of domestic don't concern me, although I heard it's not so good either for LE) FA's with ALND absolutely must wear a sleeve; For me that's ok, I don't notice it when I wear it on airplanes when I fly visit my family in Sweden. It would be trickier to wear a gauntlet, first of all the rules about how we must be dressed wouldn't allow it (maybe it's more relaxed in the U.S?), and it would get dirty immediately :-) I would def like to hear from other FA's too. There was a suggestion a couple of years ago that First Class attendants should wear white golves, but how many times per flight wouldn't we change them and get annoyed? From a hygienic point of view it isn't that great.

Smithy, the world is toxic indeed. I remember my husband telling me it was a waste of time to get into organic stuff a couple of years ago (I was only thinking about it then), but boy has he changed his mind now! I'm happy that we eat organic now, my 'mission' when on duty will be to find organic shops and places to eat from now on :-) Don't get me wrong, I love those Texas steaks, but with all the hormones and antibiotics pumped into them it's just not worth it. 

I just read an article about a Swedish study, based only on statistics from 1971-1989, that nightshifters are not prone to get cancer more often than non nightshifters. It states that FA's are exposed to other cancerous dangers like solar and spatial radiation. The article is published by Schwartzbaum in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. It's hilarious in the Icelandic study mentioned above it is discussed whether melanoma and other cancers with FA's are maybe not due to cosmic radiation and such, but to sunbathing by the pool..I guess all possibilities must be explored :-)

Sunbathing by the pool with caipirinhas in Rio! Those were the days.

Caryn

Hello Again Ladies - Welcome to 2012! 

Smithy, you asked about my schedule when I was flying: I flew a little bit of everything.  My last base was LAX, which is super-senior, so I flew whatever I had to!  My preference though, was transcons, and I flew a lot of allnighters.  I'd take those over a 5A sign-in anyday... ((sheesh!))  I preferred to fly first or business galley, or coach aisle on widebodies, so my jumpseat could be anywhere.  

It would be interesting, albeit surprising, to see if the airlines or FAA ever issue a health warning about cosmic radiation and increased cancer risk for flight crew.  I believe a change might take place perhaps at the urging of the ACS, to better inform the public.  The risk actually is significant for frequent flyers as well, now that I think about it.  In any case, I'm just glad to be on the ground, like I said.  I had some great layovers, but I don't miss it at all.

 Take care fellow survivor chicks!  <><

Just to chime in here...

Lindsey, I am ex-TWA. Started in res in Chicago then 3 years inflight (1996-1999) before hopping over to Delta in 1999. I evaded  the AA debacle (as I call it). It's all just so sad....

I truly enjoy the Pan Am program on tv even tho it's not 100% accurate.

And I so remember flying to Paris and Rome on the 747 and the smoking section in E zone. Not a clear breath is sight!

Kate33, I had lymph nodes taken out (SN & aux) but no LE (thankfully) I don't wear a sleeve but then I don't have LE.

My BC was genetic (or so assumed since I am BRCA2+). I don't think flying contributed to my BC. I started flying at a relatively late age, at age 36. My sister had it also at the same age as myself (44/45) and she rarely flyies, she hates being in an airplane.

I do worry some about cosmic radiation since I do frequently go to Moscow (thus flying way north) but I don't really 'worry' as it is what it is.

I do SO miss the good old days days..... (and I didn't even see most of them! lol)

Kate, we are not currenlty hiring at Delta (as far as I know unless you speak another language fluently?) but I would be happy to recommend you!

Kate33,

Ugh, that is frustrating! Wish I could offer some good counsel but, given that I flew for Pan Am, I'm quite out of touch with the industry. The language idea is not bad. Pan Am was pretty strict about our second language abilities. We had a language lab which we were encouraged to use and I knew a few people who crammed for their tests if they were shaky. Don't give up if that's what you really want.

Caryn

Yes! I couldn't believe it. Poor woman, she must have been beyond stressed. Hope she gets the help she needs.

Caryn

Smithy- Job hunt is on hold right now.  I'm dealing with some possible LE issues.  I have an appointment next week with a therapist at a breast cancer rehab place.  I'm hoping they can help me with some pain issues I'm having, too.  I'm waiting to see how often I'm going to need to come in for PT.  How are you doing?

Smithy and Kate, I am laughing right now about you saying you are disorganized! Today at work I had all these piles, but couldn't remember what was in each one. The third time through, I got out a huge shopping bag and piled in the papers and then dumped my inbox in on top of that. I will sort it all over the weekend sitting in my Jammie's! I was crying most of the night over MBJ. My eyes were so puffy today I cut out of work at noon.



I haven't seen the AA FA on YouTube. I will have to watch it. But I am sure we all have stories. I remember one pax asking me if I was on my period when I served his meal. I understand the religious context, but geez bring your own food then!

I was a flight attendant for 6 months in the fifties, flying out of Las  Vegas. Probably did not hurt me in any way, but just north of Las Vegas was a small town of Mercury which did atomic bomb testing at that time.  I bet the wind carried all kinds of toxic things south. My first cancer occurred in 1982 and they do say some cancers take 30 years to show up. Who knows?