Heather Poole

  • I get texts, funny texts, about overhead bins and luggage and stuff…

  • Executive Travel: In flight service

    This article was originally published in Executive Travel Magazine By Christopher Schmicker Mar/Apr-2013 This flight attendant and author shares her perspectives about change up in the air, and ways savvy passengers can make the best of it. “Flying today is like being on an episode of Survivor,” says Heather Poole.…

  • Bad passengers, best pick up lines, my last flight…

    This interview originally appeared on Societe Perrier What led to your foray as a flight attendant? Was it always the plan or was there a moment that led to the leap? My mother always wanted to be a flight attendant. Whenever anything went wrong in my life, she’d suggest I…

  • 5 ways delays are worse for flight attendants than passengers

    This past weekend flights across the northeast United States and eastern Canada were cancelled en masse as a winter storm descended on the region. For the tens of thousands of travelers stranded or delayed, it’s a lousy experience that seems to have no end. But we know it isn’t any…

  • Why flight attendants have to be careful using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter

    The following article, Aeroflot to rehire flight attendant fired over obscene gesture, by A. Pawlowski, originally appeared on NBCNews.com  Veteran flight attendant Heather Poole said 99 percent of flight attendants know better than to post such a photograph on their social media accounts. It damages the reputation of the airline,…

  • Skymall introduces self-imposed restraint hoodies for kids – on the airplane.

    Have fun AND restrain little ones from banging on the tray table with this King Cobra Hoodie from Skymall! ($39.95-$41.95)  It’s a little pricey, I know, but kids will love it.  Mine does!  Just ignore that hissing sound coming from the row behind you.  Sorry I can’t tell you where to…

  • 50 Shades of Plane

    How flight attendants deal with unruly passengers, by A Pawlowski, originally appeared on NBC News.  Note the third paragraph. The part about using men’s ties, shoe laces, and seat belts as a restraint.  That’s where I made a joke about it being kind of like 50 Shades of…Plane?  Gee wonder why they…

  • How to spot human trafficking on the airplane

    Super Bowl weekend is one of the biggest human trafficking events of the year in the U.S.  Because flight attendants are often the first line of defense, we’ve been trained to spot traffickers on the airplane.  It all started when Sandra Fiorini, an American Airlines flight attendant based in Chicago, tried…

  • Here’s one way to avoid getting sick on an airplane

    This quote originally appeared on Businessweek.com in the article How to Avoid Getting the Flu at work, by Claire Suddath, January 31, 2013.  Sixth paragraph, right after the word “screwed”… Heather Poole, a flight attendant and author of Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet,…

  • Can passengers read pornography in flight?

    From time to time I get questions from readers who want to know what the rules are regarding viewing pornography in flight now that Wi-Fi is available on board most airplanes. Thankfully, it hasn’t been much of an issue (knock on wood). But planes are crowded, personal space barely exits, and when…