Heather Poole

Reserve Sucks!

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Heather Poole

January 28, 2008

I hoped, I prayed, I even tried to get pregnant, but nothing, not one thing, worked in the attempt to get out of reserve. That’s right, I’m on reserve in February. The WHOLE month of February. That means I’ll be on call twenty four hours a day, six days a week. And when they call, because they will call, they ALWAYS call, I’m sure it will be sometime around 2am during the middle of a snow storm to cover a trip at the crack of dawn. I’ll have to jump out of bed, get dressed, and run out the door and into the snow in my flimsy uniform dress in order to trek all the way from Queens, New York to Newark, New Jersey, first by subway, then by bus, a trip that takes two and a half hours in order to make a 6am flight to god knows where. And it sucks. It really really sucks.

But someone has to do it. Only that someone, this month, is me, dammit!

So I take a deep breath, pack my uniform, along with the wool coat, hat and gloves, zip up my beat up flight bag, grab the kid and the overstuffed diaper bag, as well as the car seat and the DVD player (a must have when traveling with kids), and off to the airport we go. Yes, the kid is coming with me to New York. That’s what happens when you commute to work and you’re married to a man who also travels for a living. The kid will stay with grandma in New York until the fifteenth of the month, and then it’s off to Dallas where he’ll visit his other grandma until the hellish month is over. Thank god for grandmas! (And Grandpas – let us not forget the grandpas!!) Of course I’ll be traveling back and forth by train, as well as airplane, to visit him on my days off. My two days off. Okay, so it’s really ten days off. Even so, that’s not enough days off- not when you break the days up into groups of two and three, and especially not when the flights are full and you don’t even know if you’ll get a seat on the flight in the first place! Did I happen to mention we’ll be gone until March? Yeah, it sucks. It really really sucks.

7 responses to “Reserve Sucks!”

NickyJett

January 29, 2008

Perspective: I’m looking forward to be on reserve. This from someone who hasn’t even started FA training. (smile)

Reply
HP

January 30, 2008

Nickyjett,

You are so right, it’s all about perspective. And all I can say about that is, thank god for you! And all the other new flight attendants soon joining our ranks. BTW, good luck at training. It’s not hard, but it does wear you down. And Congratulations on the new job! You’re going to love it!!!

Reply
Biggie-Z

January 31, 2008

My head is spinning just reading this post. Unbelievable.

fyi, I have a non-dog blog up now too. Just started it.

leftylawyer.blogspot.com

I guess I should’ve called it “lawyerchick” 🙂

Reply
NickyJett

February 1, 2008

HP,
Thank you so much! It will be a welcome change from the last few years. I’m also a writer and I spent one year in total solitude, writing my first novel. So now I’m looking forward to being up, out and about. (smile)

Reply
HP

February 1, 2008

NICKY JET – What airline? You can email me privately at my yahoo account located on my webpage under my pic

BIGGIE Z- Can’t wait to check out the blog. Yes, Lawyerchick would have been a great name, but is probably already taken.

Reply
Cold Feet

November 2, 2011

I’ve been offered a position as a F/A. Training hasn’t started yet, but I’m freaking out a little. Should I back out? It seems like a fun and exciting job, but…

– The pay is $20/hr with only a 79-hour guarantee of work per month.
– The first year, I would have to be on reserve and would need to live within 20 minutes of the airport.
– A one bedroom/studio within 30 minutes of the airport average $1400-$1800 per month!!!

We were told that during our 1.5mo of training, we will be paid $1400–which will be prorated. Huh?

How do F/A’s afford to pay for rent and living expenses? I am trying to calculate it, and there is no way to make ends meet…even with a roommate!

What do you suggest to those of us who have not started? Should we turn around and run for the hills?

Thanks.

Reply
1. Heather Poole
  
  November 2, 2011
  
  Welcome to the crashpad! This is new flight attendants will share an apartment with tons of roommates. I had six roommates in one bedroom in my first crashpad. Bunk beds lined the walls. The living situation and the low salary is the reason newhires will work high time = more money / hotel room for the night.
  
  Reply