Heather Poole

  • Who’s to Blame for the Reclining Seat Fights?

    Who’s to Blame for the Reclining Seat Fights?

    Recently, a reporter contacted me to find out if flight attendants were purposefully not getting involved in the war against reclined seats. It’s no surprise that the media is focusing on the crew’s role in the recent passenger spats over reclining seats: Is the crew doing enough to keep passengers calm?…

  • To Recline, Or Not To Recline: That is the Question

    “He’s in my lap!” cried the passenger in the window seat. I looked at the woman, and then at the man who was clearly not in her lap. He was close though, about a foot away, maybe? Sorry, I mouthed. I handed her a can of Diet Coke and a…

  • British Airways introduces a mood blanket

    British Airways introduces a mood blanket

    When I read about British Airways’ new high-tech blanket, called “the “happiness blanket,” my first thought was that it had to be a joke. A blanket that analyzes the “meditative state” of premium cabin fliers? What a waste of money. But it’s not a joke. According to Businessweek, “The wool ‘happiness blanket’…

  • Don’t Touch The Flight Attendant!

    It Sounds So Last Century, but Cabin Crew Are Still Hassled by Sex Pests originally appeared on Time.com June 26, 2014 Of course, it is not really about what recruits wear, or how they look, but about power. Flight attendants could wear potato sacks and still get hassled. Stopping would-be…

  • How to sleep in coach

    Surprising Tricks: How to Sleep on a Plane  appeared on Entrepreneur.com May 30, 2014 Before the flight   Choose your side. Now, the last time you bought a mattress, you thought about what kind of a sleeper you are, right? Side sleeper, stomach, toss and turner? Now unless you afford…

  • 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.…