What it's like to be freelance cabin crew (on the side)
I’m often asked about one of my favorite passtimes: flying as cabin crew for Transavia Airlines. Why on earth would I spend my free time working! Well, why in the sky wouldn’t I? The truth is... it just doesn’t feel like work, but more like a hobby gotten out of hand.
A mini vacation up in the sky, far from the troubles down on earth. After all, doesn’t king Willem Alexander do the same? In case you didn’t know, he is a fully certified KLM Boeing 737 co-pilot who every now and then, his busy job permitting, takes to the sky. Well if he can, so can I! Only I never wanted to be a pilot. From early childhood it was obvious to me: in the air was where I wanted to be. But not in that cramped cockpit, staring at clouds for hours on end. However pretty they might be, I needed to roam the cabin aisle, share the wonder of flying with the public and ensure everyone the best time possible. I had to become a flight attendant. And that’s just what I did, right at age 18, straight out of high school. My first years in the air, flying for Air Aruba were unforgettable. From Newark to Sao Paulo and in between on those slender MD88 jets, from the plush leather seats in business class to the noisy jet stairs in the tail. I was in love with every aspect of it. And not only I, Air Aruba, sadly defunct in 1999, still lives on vividly in the hearts of anyone who was ever a part of it. Me, I was lucky to join Transavia in 2000 and switch to freelancing in 2002.
Flashforward to now. (Freelance) cabin crew at Transavia are a diverse bunch. Many interesting people from all different walks of life. I’ve listened in awe to flying colleagues’ stories about jobs they held before joning Transavia, or even while combining flying with other duties, as I do. I’ve flown with colleagues who were or had been teachers at all academic levels, a former ballet school director, a freshly graduated medical doctor, an actor, a policewoman, an ambulance driver, a theologician, a PhD candidate, and the list goes on. What unites us all is that passion for flying. Sure, anyone can do what we do, and yes, it’s a great career switch because of the limited entry skills. But once you’re in, it’s hard to quit. And among this diverse bunch I find myself the one uniquely tech savvy corporate manager.
So what’s it like. Freelancers get paid by the hour, have no flying obligations except for a yearly minimum, and conversely have no income security. We do however enjoy travel benefits including reduced fares for stand-by travel for friends and family. Unlike most freelance cabin crew I prefer not to register availability to fly and be assigned in advance on days on which the airline foresees crew shortage. Instead, I respond to last minute requests if they happen to fit my own busy yet flexible schedule. This ensures that when I show up, I do so because the timing works and I’m fully charged and motivated, ready to go the extra mile. To sense that two travel companions might want to sit together and make it happen even though they were shy to ask for help. Perform breathing exercises with nervous travelers. Enlist the help of kids with cabin service, even if that means just letting them push the cart. Organize post-flight cockpit visits. Carry elderly ladies’ bags down the aircraft stairs. Hold a toddler while mom has her hands full (picture it!). Regale fellow crew with stories about ‘back when’ or about my non-flying career. Never a dull moment, you see. So there you have what unites cabin crew from all walks of life!
And if it just so happens, a few hours later I’ll switch back to the office, a whole different world, working a whole other kind of magic.