Yeah, that's me, the one standing in the aisle wearing flammable polyester...
On Friday nights in Dallas, when I was in high school, I liked to go to free concerts in the West End. My friends and I would dress up, walk around and basically goof off. On one of those nights a good-looking man handed me a rose. He’d bought it on the street from a…
Read more My Uniform Made Me Sick. Could The Same Thing Happen To a Hockey Star?
A couple of weeks ago the New York Times published a story about cats that have hypothyroidism. A few people tweeted the link to me. One person wrote that it reminded him of me and what’s going on with the new uniforms at American Airlines. According to the article, feline hypothyroidism didn’t exist when Dr. Mark…
Dear Ms. Surdek, My name is Heather Poole, but you probably know me better as employee 447110. I’ve been a flight attendant with American for 21 years. I love my job and I’ve always been proud to work for American, so much so that five years ago I wrote about it in my book. It…
Read more Open Letter: Why I won’t wear the American Airlines uniform
After President Bill Clinton stated, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” the world focused on two words, “sexual relations” and what those words meant, exactly, in determining whether Bill Clinton had committed perjury. Paula Jones’ legal team asked Judge Susan Webber Wright to approve a very precise, three-part definition of sexual…
Read more American’s uniform crisis: Airline shirks responsibility as people keep getting sick
Dear Kerry Philipovitch: I’ve been a flight attendant for over 21 years. I’ve loved my job so much that I wrote a bestselling book about it, but that all changed in September when American Airlines rolled out new uniforms for flight attendants and pilots. Now I dread going to work. I don’t know how much longer…
Read more An Open Letter About American Airlines’ Uniform Crisis
Before Sept. 20, 2016, I would have never dreamed of scratching my a — , er, butt cheek in public. Now that’s all I want to do when I’m at work. Usually I’ll start to feel the pin pricks when I’m standing behind the beverage cart in the aisle. They make me want to scratch my boob…
Read more My Uniform Makes Me Sick: (Part 3) Interview with Dr. William J. Rea about toxic clothing
Flight attendants never forget the first time they see themselves in uniform. It’s one of the most exciting moments of their career, even when the uniform is hideous. The first airline I worked for was a low-cost carrier: Sun Jet International Airlines. I was 24, which might explain why I thought I looked great in my…
