Book Description
Flying the not-so-friendly skies...
In her more than fifteen years as an airline flight attendant, Heather Poole has seen it all. She's witnessed all manner of bad behavior at 35,000 feet and knows what it takes for a traveler to become the most hated passenger onboard. She's slept in flight attendant crashpads in "Crew Gardens," Queens—sharing small bedrooms crammed with bunk beds with a parade of attractive women who come and go at all hours, prompting suspicious neighbors to jump to the very worst conclusions. She's watched passengers and coworkers alike escorted off the planes by police. She can tell you why it's a bad idea to fall for a pilot but can be a very good one (in her case) to date a business-class passenger. Heather knows everything about flying in a post-9/11 world—and she knows what goes on behind the scenes, things the passengers would never dream.
Heather's true stories in Cruising Attitude are surprising, hilarious, sometimes outrageously incredible—the very juiciest of "galley gossip" delightfully intermingled with the eye-opening, unforgettable chronicle of her fascinating life in the sky.
In her more than fifteen years as an airline flight attendant, Heather Poole has seen it all. She's witnessed all manner of bad behavior at 35,000 feet and knows what it takes for a traveler to become the most hated passenger onboard. She's slept in flight attendant crashpads in "Crew Gardens," Queens—sharing small bedrooms crammed with bunk beds with a parade of attractive women who come and go at all hours, prompting suspicious neighbors to jump to the very worst conclusions. She's watched passengers and coworkers alike escorted off the planes by police. She can tell you why it's a bad idea to fall for a pilot but can be a very good one (in her case) to date a business-class passenger. Heather knows everything about flying in a post-9/11 world—and she knows what goes on behind the scenes, things the passengers would never dream.
Heather's true stories in Cruising Attitude are surprising, hilarious, sometimes outrageously incredible—the very juiciest of "galley gossip" delightfully intermingled with the eye-opening, unforgettable chronicle of her fascinating life in the sky.
AAbout the Author
Heather Poole has been published in The Best Women's Travel Writing 2010. Her regular online column, "Galley Gossip: Confessions from the Jumpseat with Heather Poole," has received more than two million views and is featured on AOL's award-winning travel website, Gadling.com.
Details
- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (March 6, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0061986461
- ISBN-13: 978-0061986468
MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT
I have always thought that being a flight attendant would be extremely glamorous, with decent pay, but Heather Poole points out that the starting pay is not great, the hours are weird, you never know where you will end up and you pretty much learn to sleep anywhere. I adored the chatty style of the book and the stories are pretty hilarious. She recounts her training which is pretty impressive. The first job she gets is for a discount airline that has since vanished and I couldn't believe some of the details about unsafe the airplanes were for that carrier. Well, that was until my brother showed me a picture taken back in the 70's where there is a piece of plywood blocking the cockpit and the beverage service was an ice chest pushed though the aisle. She recounts how every flight attendant wanted to get that golden ticket for free airfare and just how difficult it was to achieve.
I was really impressed that in all the times she has flown, there never was an major disasters except for the passengers. You will never take your seat belt off again after reading about turbulence and how many attended get hurt on the job this way. And then, there is the abuse by the airlines themselves towards their employees. That part was just dreadful. My favorite tale of hers when when the lead singer for her favorite rock band was on board. She didn't recognize him at all and triple checked the passenger list since the guy sitting in the seat was past his prime and looked nothing like her hero. I adore these inside tales so much. If you have read any of the Babylon books, you will truly love this one, even though Poole doesn't name names. Be sure to always be polite to your flight attendants, they have a rough job.
I was really impressed that in all the times she has flown, there never was an major disasters except for the passengers. You will never take your seat belt off again after reading about turbulence and how many attended get hurt on the job this way. And then, there is the abuse by the airlines themselves towards their employees. That part was just dreadful. My favorite tale of hers when when the lead singer for her favorite rock band was on board. She didn't recognize him at all and triple checked the passenger list since the guy sitting in the seat was past his prime and looked nothing like her hero. I adore these inside tales so much. If you have read any of the Babylon books, you will truly love this one, even though Poole doesn't name names. Be sure to always be polite to your flight attendants, they have a rough job.
This sounds like a book we all should read.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great read!
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