I started 5 days on call yesterday morning, and per my usual, started with a 6 am couch shift. Did I mention that yesterday was Saturday before Memorial Day?
Things in the crew lounge were chaotic with short calls, junior assigning and ready reserves being sent every which way. All of us got sent off the couch. I got called for a Tampa turn with a 9:38 am show time. Crap!! That turned my little easy 6 hour couch shift into a 13 hour duty day with no tax-free per diem, dang it.
When I got back and called in to be released, I was told I was assigned the noon to 6 couch shift for today. OK - cool. I really thought I'd be back on the couch at 6 am, which would have left me exactly 8 hours total at home - including family time, dinner, sleep and a shower. Instead, I got 6 bonus hours, which made me happy.
More of the chaos when I got to the airport today - plus TA-DAH!! A tornado warning at the airport and 2 hour weather delays due to lightning in the area. We (meaning all of us in the relative safety of the terminal) sat and watched a great number of our planes stop 50 feet short of blocking in because rampers couldn't be outside to park them with lightning in the area. That's planes full of passengers. Stopped 50 feet short of being set free. 50 feet short for almost 2 hours. Poor folks - including the FAs who had to keep them company for so long.
I wasn't spared flying in all that weather today, either. I got sent out on a Phoenix overnight, and am now blogging from the lobby of our hotel there. PAX were great, considering their long frustrating delay, and I now have a little per diem! Yay!
One interesting thing on my Tampa flight yesterday: as folks were de-planing a woman handed me a business card naming her as part of an aviation group helping families during aviation disasters. On it she had written "Thanks for a great flight" and "survivor UA 232 July 19, 1989." Wow....for those of you not intimately familiar with airplane disaster details, that's the Sioux City, IA flight that famously cartwheeled down the runway, burst into flames and landed in a corn field. Really touched me, and made me wish I could have talked to her more, but she handed me the card as she exited the plane. By the time I read it she was gone. But what a strong lady she must be. I think I will keep that card close by me when I fly as a very real, vivid and poignant reminder of how critical my role as a safety professional is. There is no more important reason for doing what we do than for all of those "souls on board."
Have a great weekend, all, and happy flying!
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2 comments:
Wow! I cannot believe the number of times you've had a couch sit at the beginning of a long stretch of duty. Times sure have changed...
Meeting that woman from the aviation survivors group was a real good reminder of why we do what we do.
I'll be back in the skies soon - I picked up a 3 day trip on my days off 6/1-3. Maybe I'll see you soon!
How great to have met that woman from the Sioux City crash...what an amazing story that is...did you know after the Captain from that crash retired his daughter got sick with cancer and the survivors of that flight got together and raised money for them! Amazing that so many survived that crash!!
You should contact her and do an interview: )
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