Heather Poole

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  • Crew Life, Mile-High Selfies and Our Lasting Obsession With Flight Attendants

    Crew Life, Mile-High Selfies and Our Lasting Obsession With Flight Attendants

    Airlines take their reputation seriously. There are strict rules about what flight attendants like myself can and can’t do while in uniform. When I first started flying 18 years ago, I was told I couldn’t eat, drink or chew gum while walking through the airport terminal. (I have no idea…

  • Things Frequent Fliers Fear Most

    I wrote Things Frequent Fliers Fear Most for Conde Nast Traveler (April 16, 2014) It’s not hard to spot a fearful flier when they’re making the sign of the cross right before takeoff. That or they’ll ask about turbulence instead of what’s for breakfast as soon as they step on…

  • Confessions of a nervous flier

    Confessions of a nervous flier originally appeared on CNN March 19, 2014 Tell the crew you’re scared, suggests flight attendant Heather Poole, author of “Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpad, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet.” “If we know you’re scared, we’ll go out of our way to be…

  • Bag Check Rules

    Following Up on Bag Check Rules by Joe Sharkey originally appeared in the New York Times on March 17, 2014. Here’s an excerpt… And Barbara Quinn is skeptical about the “strangely misshapen” sizer boxes that are used to measure bags, which some other readers said don’t readily accommodate odd-size bags…

  • Talking travel with Peter Greenberg

    Miracle airports, bathroom selfies, flight attendant pet peeves, the mile high club – fine Purell and hazmat suits!  I sat down with Peter Greenberg to dish about multitasking passengers, beverage cart charades and why I hate the 757.  Ya know, travel.  This is a show you don’t want to miss.…

  • How to Pick Up a Flight Attendant

    How to Pick Up a Flight Attendant originally appeared on Conde Nast Traveler February 12, 2014 I’ve been a flight attendant for a major U.S. carrier for more than 15 years, so if there’s one thing I know besides uncomfortable seats and bad food, it’s men. Really it’s people. That…

  • Horrible Passengers

      From little kids to belligerent drunks, flying on an airplane can be a high pressure situation.  In case you missed it, here’s a link to my interview with ABC’s 20/20.  Imperfect Getaways.

  • A few of my favorite travel apps

    This piece, written by Contributing Editor Margaret Loftus, appeared as part of the “Perfect Layover” package that appeared in the November 2013 issue of National Geographic’s Traveler magazine. Flight attendant Heather Poole–aka blogger and best-selling author of Cruising Altitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet–shares smartphone tools that will…

  • Flying with kids (what not to do)

      5 Tips for Flying with kids from flight attendant and bestselling author Heather Poole originally appeared in Parade Magazine November 17, 2013 Despite my years of travel, I am lucky enough to know an even more frequent flyer—flight attendant extraordinaire, author of New York Times bestseller Cruising Attitude: Tales of…

  • Is there a doctor on the plane?

    Is there a doctor on the plane? originally appeared in The Guardian on November 1, 2013.   “Unfortunately, most flights are full,” says Heather Poole, a flight attendant for a major US carrier and author of Cruising Attitude, an account of her experiences in the air. “So it’s not always possible to move…