Another Flight Attendant is moving to HeatherPoole.com

I'm moving. It's official. I'm saying goodbye to blogger and for whatever reason I'm having a really hard time saying goodbye to blogger. What can I say, I'm sentimental like that. I'm just not good with change. But it's time, time to embrace wordpress, and all you have to do is type HEATHERPOOLE.COM into the search engine and you, too, can embrace the change as well. Please embrace it. PLEASE!

So why the move, you may be asking yourself....well it's because of these little things known as widgets. Yeah, I know, even I can't believe I just used the word WIDGET. I mean it kind of sounds as if I know what I'm talking about, doesn't it? Which is weird because up until last week I had no idea what a widget was. For real. I mean up until last week all I knew was I needed a few clickable tabs to clean things up and make my web site look more professional - ya know, just in case I get a book deal or something. Anyway, those "clickable tabs" that take you to another page are known as widgets. I think. I could be wrong. I'm probably wrong. All I know is somehow I've created the tabs for you to click, so do me a favor and start clicking. And I'll get to work on something for you to click. It's all about the clicks, people.

Ron, Johnny Jet, & The Savvy Nav in the Lav

Ron

Johnny Jet

The Savvy Navigator

Laviators Unite! Click here to see the official club

Flight attendant photos wanted!

Whenever I write a post, I have to go to flickr.com to find a photograph to go along with it, and because my posts are usually about flight attendants, I'm always on the lookout for cool flight attendant photographs. Which is why I'm now asking you to send me your shots. Please! I'll post the photo here and I may even use it in an upcoming Galley Gossip post. Of course I'll link back to you!

The following two came from Airboy, my favorite Emirates flight attendant...

FlyingSig sent this one, which was titled Bucharest, Romania

www.HeatherPoole.com

I'm not exactly sure what I was thinking when I picked shouldbewriting as my blogspot name, but I did, and now I regret it. Sure, I should be writing, but do you really need to know that? As far as you're concerned, or should be concerned, I AM, in fact, writing. I mean you should see the glassy look I get whenever I tell someone about my blog and they ask HOW CAN I GET THERE and I say JUST TYPE IN WWW DOT SHOULD BE WRITING - ALL ONE WORD - DOT BLOGSPOT - ALL ONE WORD - DOT COM. As soon as I get to the shouldbewriting part I can tell they've already checked out, which means they won't be visiting my blog anytime soon, which pretty much sucks since it totally defeats the purpose of having a blog in the first place, which is why I've decided to take matters into my own hands and make a few changes. Now, thanks to my computer savvy brother-in-law, you can get to this page by just typing in my name, plus the dot com part - oh and don't forget the three W's, which looks like http://www.heatherpoole.com/. That's it! Isn't that so much better than the shouldbewriting.blahblahblahI'm-no-longer-listening thing? Now if I can just get my brother-in-law to move HeatherPoole.com over to wordpress and attach it to the blog I'm working on over there, not that I even have a clue what I'm doing, but it's a blog I'll be sharing with you soon, very soon...like...maybeee...now. CLICK HERE to see what I've been working on and let me know if you like the way it looks! Please.

10 passengers we love to, umm...not like as much as the others: Day 4 - The passenger who tries to score a free first class seat

In Grant Martin's post, The top 5 myth's about getting an upgrade, he wrote...

Flight attendants have no control over who gets upgraded when there always might be one last business class passenger coming down the jet bridge right before departure, so they can't give away a seat. After the boarding door is closed? Maybe if you're discreet, but with everyone watching, the flight attendant will most definitely say no.

Now I don't know if Grant was ever a flight attendant, dated a flight attendant, or spends a lot of time in the galley talking to flight attendants, but he's absolutely right! Flight attendants do not have upgrading powers. But agents do, so make sure to talk to one before you board. That said, the only passengers I've ever seen upgraded for free after the door has been shut were uniformed military personel...and...well...they kind of deserve it, don't ya think?

Below is a list of 10 types of passengers who don't deserve an upgrade, but give it a shot anyway....

1. I-think-I'm-a-frequent-flier passenger - "I'm a frequent flier and..." That's how it starts. First of all, I can spot a frequent flier a mile away, so please don't tell me how many miles you've flown because that's my first clue you haven't flown as often as you think, not compared to our frequent fliers today. See those passengers sitting in the exit row, as well as the first three rows of coach? Those passengers are at the top of the upgrade list. The best seats on the airplane are held and/or blocked for passengers who fly tens of thousands of miles each year. Anyway, real frequent fliers know the drill, they know what to expect, and they know where, exactly, their name is on the upgrade list, which means I don't have to tell them they won't be getting an upgrade, the way I'm telling you, because they know, that I know, that they know exactly what's going on.

Continue reading 10 passengers we love to, umm...not like as much as the others: Day 4 - The passenger who tries to score a free first class seat

Flight attendants reveal their worst passengers

I was not interviewed for this News.com.au article, by Kate Schneider, but the quotes from me were taken from my GALLEY GOSSIP flight attendant pet peeve posts....

If you've left the door open while peeing, if you listen to music while they try to talk to you or if you've tried to grab a seat in the crew rest area – then flight attendants hate you.

Flight attendants from around the world have broken their silence to reveal the things that passengers do that really gets under their skin.
While Kevin Rudd's alleged angry outburst at a flight attendant and Naomi Campbell's infamous cabin catfight have hit the headlines, it's these everyday annoyances that really get their goat.

You leave the door wide open when you pee.

“One of the most annoying things passengers do is not closing the lavatory door,” celebrity flight attendant David Holmes from Southwest Airlines said.

You double order your drinks.“Asking one flight attendant for a drink and before they get back with it, asking another flight attendant for the same drink, is bad news,” Bethany Burke, a flight attendant from Florida, US, said.

You tap flight attendants on the shoulder to get their attention.

“Passengers tap me to get my attention but then don’t give me eye contact when talking to me,” Mr Holmes said.

“Passengers wouldn’t take off their headsets when I asked them if they wanted food or drink,” ex-hostie Susan, who worked for Qantas for over 20 years, said.

“When I ask passengers if they’d like something to drink, three times out of five the response will be ‘Wha?’ And that's a ‘wha’ without the ‘T’,” Heather Poole, flight attendant for a major US carrier, said.

“‘Something to drink?’ I'll ask again, and while I ask this question I find myself wondering why you haven't taken off the iPod or those giant Bose noise cancellation headsets covering your ears when you see me standing at your row.”

You stuff your bag to breaking point and then ask for help to stow it away.

“The worst is when people bring a heavy bag onboard, then tell me that they can't lift it overhead because of a bad back,” Mrs Burke said.

“Lifting your bag into the overhead bin is not, nor has it ever been, part of my job description. Honestly, I don't know what bothers me more, the fact that a passenger will come on-board and expect me to lift their bag, or the fact that they actually get upset when I won't lift the bag,” Mrs Poole said.

Continue reading FLIGHT ATTENDANTS REVEAL THEIR WORST PASSENGERS

Airline uniforms (plus a chance to win free tickets on Olympia Airlines)

Just like Cliff Muskiet, the uniform freak, I have a thing for airline uniforms. I think most flight attendants do. In fact, inside my guestroom closet hangs three different uniform styles from two different airlines. I've saved it all - the pants, the skirts, the dresses, the jackets, the vests, the blouses, the wings, and even the blue tie I snapped around my neck and the epaulets I wore on both shoulders with the pleated Bermuda shorts and high heels at Sun Jet International Airlines. Talk about embarrassing. I still own everything except for the silky red and blue scarf I wore thirteen years ago when I first got hired to fly for the airline I currently work for. Oh how I wish I still had that scarf. I wore it off to the side, tied in a knot around my neck. That simple scarf made the conservative navy blue polyester uniform appear sexy and feminine.

"I loved that navy blue coat dress we wore years ago," said Cady, an ex flight attendant who is also my very best friend.

Personally, I prefer the look of the white starched blouse paired with the navy blue knee length skirt and fitted blazer, even though I always end up wearing the uniform dress. As a commuter, I have to pack what's easy.

Now my all time favorite airline uniform is worn by the flight attendants of Air France. Though they look great, I'm not quite sure how I would actually feel about serving drinks while wearing the big red bow at 35,000 feet. Delta looks fantastic in navy blue with just a hint of red. However the white bell sleeves, while stylish, seem like they could easily get dirty. That could be a problem for me. I'm a bit of a mess when I get stuck working in the galley, and a dirty uniform is an ugly uniform. Emirates' uniform is pretty nice - that is if you look good in Khaki and don't mind wearing a head scarf. The worst airline uniform has to be First Choice Airways. I mean seriously, pink?

As I began writing this post, I wondered what others thought about all the different airline uniforms, so I posed the question, which airlines have the best uniforms, on twitter.com and here's what a few people had to say...

Continue reading GALLEY GOSSIP: AIRLINE UNIFORMS (PLUS A CHANCE TO WIN FREE TICKETS ON OLYMPIA AIRLINES)

I'm not really sure what this post is about, but it does revolve around an adults preferred hotel...

My friend Cady gave birth to a baby boy recently - okay fine, so it wasn't really all that recently, considering the kid is like two months old and seventeen pounds already! Which is why I need to go see her - NOW!

Because Cady lives in Florida and I live in Los Angeles, we don't get to see each other very often. Actually, we get together about once every two years, which is pretty much never, but we do leave each other these phone messages that are so long they drive my husband crazy, so crazy, in fact, he feels the need to ask WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO when he knows exactly who I'm talking to due to the fact that she's practically the only person I talk to - on the phone. I'm not a phone person.

Whenever I tell him IT'S CADY, even though it's not really Cady, as in Cady-Cady, he starts shaking his head side to side and asks CADY OR HER ANSWERING MACHINE, putting this really long pause between the words CADY and OR which is his way of letting me know I'm crazy. I'm not crazy. Which is why I just squint my eyes and tell him to GO AWAY so I can finish doing what I'm doing, which is leaving a really long and detailed message on her answering machine about my husband who is asking me who I'm talking to when he knows exactly who I'm talking to.

So anyway, I just booked a flight to Miami - not this weekend but next weekend, which is my wedding anniversary weekend, the perfect excuse to book a hotel way out of our price range. Honestly, truth be told, I don't really need an excuse to score a nice room, not after our last weekend getaway to Palm Springs where we stayed at what I thought to be a charming little place called the Calla Lilly Inn, but I chose to work the reverse psychology anyway.

HUSBAND: Did you book the hotel yet?

ME: I'm still looking, but I think I found something interesting.

HUSBAND: I don't do interesting.

ME: I think you might like it. It's this mom and pop place right on the beach in Fort Lauderdale. It's just...(three second pause)...I can't decide if it's super cute or...well...I don't know...there's wicker furniture in the living room and Hawaiian bed spreads that look to be...oh...really old based on their flatness. Other than that...(three second pause)...it's not too bad. A real deal when you consider the price.

mom and pop hotel

HUSBAND: I don't do interesting. The last time we did interesting I found myself smoking cigars with a bunch of lesbians at an adults only hotel.

ME: Adults preferred. Not adults only.

NOTE: My husband doesn't have a problem with lesbians. Not at all. What he had a problem with was the adult "preferred" hotel in Palm Springs that forgot to tell us they preferred adults and accommodated us, as well as our two year-old son, anyway. Not a fun weekend. Though the kid might say otherwise as he briskly power walked around the pool several times and yelled out HI MAN! HI LADY! to all the adult preferring adults who did not say hi back, over and over. The cigars were a peace offering

ME AGAIN: Well it's a little pricey, but Cady says the Boca Beach Club is very nice.

HUSBAND: Book it.

I already did.

More Than This, by Margo Candela

I've written about my charming, witty, and always stylish friend (and writing partner) Margo Candela before, and I've even featured her book, More Than This, in the Galley Gossip post, Love on the Plane. Well I've got big news, people! Latino Literacy Now announced the winners of their 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards today during BookExpo America taking place in New York this weekend and More Than This came in second in the Best Novel-Romance category.

"I’m feeling quite chuffed!" Margo wrote on her blog.

Wait, don't go anywhere just yet, because I'll be looking that word up in a sec and I'll share what I find with you. As for her book, it was book ended by Anjanette Delgado’s The Heartbreak Pill and Cecilia Samartin’s Tarnished Beauty.

"Good company, all around," Margo wrote.

If you haven't read the book, More Than This, you really should, because I'll be playing the role of the flight attendant when the movie comes out. And for those of you still wondering what that word chuffed means, Urban dictionary describes it as...

Chuffed: To be very pleased, proud or happy with yourself. I just scored free tickets to the gig, I'm well chuffed!

Cell phones on the airplane

Recently on Twitter.com Times Travel asked me who I thought the worst type of passenger was. I wrote, "a business class passenger who does not get an upgrade and ends up in coach."

But not all business class passengers who end up in coach are bad. In fact, business class passengers are actually my favorite passengers. They know the drill. They know exactly what to expect. So there's no "on my last flight..." or "what do you mean there aren't any magazines or pillows?"

The truth is the worst type of passenger is the kind of passenger who thinks he/she travels often, but in reality he/she only travels a few times a year, which isn't really all that often, not compared to frequent fliers today. Yet they have no problem letting me know just how often they fly (which isn't all that often) when they're doing something they shouldn't be doing, something a frequent flier knows not to do, like use a cell phone after the flight attendant has made the announcement that it's time to turn off and stow all electronic devices.

The following scenario actually took place on board one of my flights...

We're on the tarmac in Chicago and the flight attendant is walking down the aisle while the safety video is on and she sees a passenger on his cell phone talking and says, "Sir, you need to turn your cell phone off!"

He tells whomever he's talking to on the phone to hold on a minute, and then he covers the mouthpiece with his hand and asks the flight attendant, "what flight number is this?"

Shaking her head, the flight attendant says, "Sir, you can't be on your phone right now! The safety video is on. You need to turn it off." She points to the video monitor and it's at that part where the guy in the suit reaches up and grabs the oxygen mask and places it over his nose and mouth, looking way too relaxed for a guy who has just placed an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth because he's probably going through a decompression or something and should probably be hyperventilating along with the rest of us.

Continue reading GALLEY GOSSIP: CELL PHONES ON THE AIRPLANE

Laviating

Hi Heather,

Keeping up with the Laviators Club Taken on a flight from AVP to CLT on a Canadair Regional Jet from USAir Express (Gotta love these little planes … in and out in a couple of minutes and on top of that, they take care of your carry on. Almost like a private jet!).

Related pet peeve… fellow passengers who do not bother to close the lavatory’s door after they are done. Pretty annoying if you are sitting in the back of the plane. And I like to be sitting in the back of the plane because your chances of nobody sitting next to you are always better in the back.

Great blogging and happy flying !!

Albert
http://albertphotoadventures.blogspot.com/

Jonathan - Twitter @katzmandu

Where's the freakin coffee packet that should be hanging on the back of the lavatory door? That's what I'm thinking Chris is thinking as he poses for his official laviator shot. Or maybe that's just what I'm thinking as I wonder what you're thinking? If, by chance, LAVIATORS UNITE! is not what you're thinking, you should probably click here . Now. CLICK IT ALREADY.

Travel writer Jessica Spiegel joins the laviators club!

Taken en route from MSP to AMS (which was part of a bigger trip, en route from PDX to MXP). Luckily, it was very dark on the plane & most people were asleep, so no one saw me tucking my camera into the baggie with my toothbrush for this trip to the lav.

Ciao,

Jessica--

Jessica Spiegel - Travel WriterItaly Travel Guide - tp://www.italylogue.com/

BootsnAll Travel Network - http://www.bootsnall.com/

Follow me on Twitter - @italylogue

There's a new laviator in town

Dear Heather,

Another laviator photo for your collection, somewhere over West Virginia on an ATL-PIT routing last week. As temped as I was to leave the 'laviators unite!' post-it on the mirror to spread the laviator message, I did remove it after the photo ;-)

Love your blog and Gadling columns too!

Sincerely,

Jason

Manhattan Beach, CA

Flight attendant or bag lady?

QUICK - flight attendant or bag lady? You decide...

Passengers write

Dear Heather

I had a recent flight where I had another cool experience with a flight attendant. I was flying a USAIR/UNITED flight back from Palm Springs. To back up – a few months before the flight, I decided to purchase a headset so that I could have it with me for future flights since my own headsets don’t have the double-prong feature. On the Palm Springs flight, I was surprised to find out that they weren’t showing movies on the flights anymore. I was doing my normal stretching that I do on coast-to-coast flights and was in the back talking to one of the flight attendants. I was asking him why they weren’t showing movies on flights anymore and that I had just bought a headset a month or 2 earlier. He was upset that I wasn’t informed about the change (apparently, during the time I was flying the last flight where I bought the headset, the airlines knew the change was coming but were still selling headsets that wouldn’t be useful in a few months). The flight attendant I was talking to on the Palm Springs flight pulled out a $5 bill (the cost of the headset I paid for) and handed it to me saying he was sorry that this happened. I was stunned! I eventually took the money after many “I can’t accept this…” rounds. Eventually, I used the money to buy a drink so that the business came back to the airline and would, hopefully, help contribute to his job security. I just thought that was AWESOME! There are wonderful flight attendants and pilots out there and no one is getting paid enough!

Amy Armstrong
www.operamouth.wordpress.com


Dear Amy,

You're awesome! And so is that flight attendant you met on your Palm Springs flight. I do hope you wrote a letter to the company to tell them what happened. It's so much easier these days to complain that it's not often flight attendants get good letters from passengers. They do make a difference. I got one recently and it truly made my day. Thanks for sharing. I'm so glad to hear your flight was a good one.

Heather Poole

Relaxing on the beach

oh just relaxing on the beach and reading Margo Candela's manuscript, Goodbye To All That...

Toy Maker, Mother, Feminist, Frequent Flier

Name: Lorna Brett Howard

Occupation? Toy maker, Penelope Peapod, feminist political activist

I went to the Penelope Peapod website and couldn't help but think a doll that size would fit perfectly inside a travel bag! So where do I get one? Penelope Peapod is a take along toy, a doll in a wicker basket handbag that turns into a bassinet. The "handbag" can hold other things so perfect for travel and then Mom does not have to carry their daughter's toys, as so always happens. You can order a Penelope Peapod at http://www.penelopepeapod.com/Home If someone writes Heather Poole sent me in the "notes/comment" section I will send them a free outfit and blanket set....after all, half the fun is changing her clothes!

That's so nice of you! Thank you. I'll be ordering two. You mentioned on the flight that you travel often with your child. How often is often and what's your secret to making sure everything goes smoothly?I have been in a commuter-marriage for five years and my son is four. We travel every week, Sundays, to and from New York to Chicago. Hauling a baby through security is hard, toddlers worse. At four, it is easier now. The secret is, of course, organization. Having the right snacks (non-sticky, easy to eat) and distractions, books, figures to play with....and I must admit, a portable DVD player. Once an older man lectured me on how bad it was for kids to watch too much TV/movies and asked why I didn't just read to my son on the plane. I gave him a kind smile and said I did and left it at that. I wanted to ask him if he ever had traveled with his children every week but then I thought, of course not. He had no clue. JUNE CLEAVER IS DEAD I wanted to say. And I am sure June did not have to get on a plane ever

Yeah, I remember seeing a kid watching a DVD at a nice restaurant years ago and thinking, I'd never do that. I have since learned never say never. Now when I travel with my son we never leave home without the ipod with the screen for watching Handy Manny, Curious George, Caillou...you get the picture. Number one travel tip for parents? Have a bloody mary, just one, when you get on the plane! Ha, just kidding...sort of. I would say to keep calm even when they fuss as it just makes it worse. Check whatever you can and have lots of distractions. Sometimes a brand new book or little toy goes a long way.

When my son was between the age of 3 months and two years, I couldn't live without my Sit-N-Stroll. What's your favorite travel item when traveling with your son? I had a Sit-N-Stroll and it was great. It was difficult to get down the aisle sometimes, depending on the type of aircraft we were on and how wide the aisles there were, they have become more narrow as the seats have become wider and more comfortable. Other than that, a good organized bag with everything easy to find – that fits under the seat in front is essential.

The Sit-N-Stroll only fits down the aisle on a widebody aircraft. I hear you on the organized bag. I bought an expensive diaper bag and ended up never using it because the Diaper Dude was much easier to travel with due to all the pockets and the messenger style, allowing hands to be free. How many miles have you flown this year? I don't know! Every Sunday back and forth, haven't added up. In addition, we travel a lot for vacations. So my son is a platinum member already and he knows all the clues – buckle up for safety, no portable electronic devices until the captain says so!

Much respect! Last flight? May 10th

Check it or Carry on? I try not to check anything because then you have to wait, and at O'Hare and LaGuardia it can take a while. But sometimes it is better to check when you have too much to haul from Gate One Million, which is always where we seem to land in O'Hare...I don't think I have ever been at Gate 1!

Window or Aisle? Window for my son for sure.

Something to Drink? He always has a Sprite, a flying treat.

Beef or Chicken? We are both vegetarians so we rarely eat the food offered.

What exactly is in your carry on bag? A "milky", a juice, cheddar bunnies, raisins, fruit roll ups (a bit sticky), two books, a few airplanes, my son's "lamby" which he can't fly without, wipes, DVD player and few DVDs, magazine or book for me

Any packing tips/tricks? Light!

Continue reading GALLEY GOSSIP: PASSENGER OF THE MONTH - LORNA BRETT HOWARD

Manhattan Beach, CA

The view outside my window...

Dating passengers

An excerpt from my book (a work in progress)...

Thanks to those enormous noise cancellation headphones every frequent flier now owns, I spend a lot of time standing in the aisle asking passengers what they’d like to drink. Yeah, it’s my job, but keep in mind I’ve asked the question, “Would care for something to drink?” which has been shortened to, “Something to drink?” which has been shortened again to just “Drink!” at least 960 times in the last three days.

“Wha,” is the usual response, and that’s a wha without the T.

Now don’t even get me started on the number of times I’ve been ignored, causing me to ask the same person the same freakin question three times in a row. And it doesn’t stop there. Oh no! After I’ve waved a beverage napkin in the air and played a game of charades with a plastic cup until I’m finally able to get my point across, I spend even more time waiting on passengers to decide what, exactly, it is they might like – Coke, diet Coke, Pepsi, diet Pepsi, Sprite, diet Sprite…you get the picture.

Considering I’ve spent the last twenty minutes inching my way towards these people behind a rolling beverage cart, you’d think they’d have some idea of what they’d like to drink. I mean shouldn’t they just…I don’t know…know what they want? If they’re not quite sure what they want, maybe it’s safe to assume they probably don’t really want it. Or even need it? The same
thing can be said for men.

Intelligence, humor, and loyalty – that’s what I’m looking for in a man. That’s not much to ask for and oh, and he definitely has to be a phenomenal kisser. Of course good looks don’t hurt either. But what’s important is that he can cook because I can’t. And that he lives somewhere amazing since I don’t. Not that any of this matters, really, since I’m still single and looking. I’m waiting for Mister Right, but I keep meeting Mister-Never-In-A-Million-Years thanks to another popular men’s magazine publishing an article on the top ten hot jobs to date. Flight attendant ranks number two under nurse. Swear to god. Go look it up if you don’t believe me.

I believe that life is about the choices we make. It may have been my mother’s dream to become a flight attendant, but I ultimately made the decision to snap the blue tie around my neck and venture out in the world from one of three Sunjet International Airline gates in the Delta terminal at the DFW airport. Life is also about taking responsibility for those choices. Even the bad ones. Because what we do, think, and say impacts us in ways we can not even imagine in the future. This is the kind of crap I’ve been telling my friends whenever they ask for my advice on love, life, men, whatever. It’s also the same crap I’ve chosen to live my own life by. Which is why, and I can say this with the utmost certainty, I’ve made all the right choices in my twenty-six years.

Until now.

Enter passenger 22B. I’m on a flight from Los Angeles to New York and somehow, I don’t know how, I missed him during the boarding process, which is totally insane considering just how beautiful he is. Tall and tan, dressed in a dark suit with black wing tip shoes, he’s the kind of guy who makes heads spin like Linda Blair in the Exorcist when he walks through the terminal. So when my coworker and I move the one-hundred-and-fifty pound cart six rows back and I place a napkin on the tray table in front of him, I have no clue I’m just about to look into a pair of the most gorgeous brown eyes with lashes so long they give J-Lo a run for her money. I have no idea how much my life is just about to completely change. But we’ll get to that in a moment. First I have to ask him the question of the day.

“Would you care for something to -” As soon as we lock eyes I can no longer speak. I gulp. For just a split second I forget where I am. Who I am. How I am. Why I am. I just…am…I don’t know, but I am, and I manage to swallow and I think I blink. Twice. Not a word is said between us.

“Hello,” he says and the accent just about kills me. KILLS ME! The two twinkling dimples only make it worse.

“I’m sorry. Let me try that again.” Nervously I laugh and I’m sure I even blush. “Would you care for something to drink?”

He flashes a movie star smile. “Please, Coke Light,” he says, only it sounds more like Co-kah Light, which I find absolutely adorable.

That’s when I do what any other normal single girl in her mid twenties would do, I freeze. Honest to God I just stand there in the aisle wearing navy blue polyester staring down at him like an idiot. Then I do what my mother would do, I nonchalantly check for a ring. Thank god, no wedding band, not even a tan line. It feels like a gift from God. Did I happen to mention he’s the most beautiful specimen of a man I’ve ever seen? Did I also happen to mention he’s so far out of my league it’s not even funny? Trust me, I know my man equivalent and he’s not it.

Quickly I shake myself out of it and smile my first and business class smile. I try to think of something to say, something witty and smart, but with an edge, something that can lead to an interesting conversation, like one about dating. “Co-kah light?” I say and immediately cringe.

He nods, which is my cue to shove the plastic scoop into a drawer of ice. I glance across the cart at my overly Botoxed coworker whose dropped jaw and enormous eyes scream, Gurrrrl…Oh…My…God! Yeah, I already know, and oh my God is right, because my gay competition is now drooling all over his pin striped apron. I shoot him the evil eye and under my breath tell him to step off!

Traveling with jewelry

Dear Heather,

I meant to ask you before my vacation -- what's your secret for packing jewelry? In what do you pack it and how? Some outfits I have look better with gold, and some look better with silver. Then there's a myriad of "fun" jewelry that include bracelets, necklaces with different charms, earrings to match, etc. The thing about the "fun" jewelry is that it causes the security alarms to go off in some places, so I try not to wear it on days of travel, wearing either gold, silver or nothing at all, which means I'm forced to pack it. Just curious as to how you did it so it wouldn't get broken, tangled or lost.

Angela

Dear Angela,

My secret to packing jewelry is simple. I don't pack it. Ever. When I'm working a trip I wear my wedding band, a necklace and a nice watch. When I'm traveling for pleasure I might pack a cheap bracelet and a few pairs of earrings that wouldn't cause me distress if they were to become lost, stolen, or broken. But I always leave the good stuff at home. When it comes to traveling, I firmly believe that less is more and that includes the jewelry. I mean do you really need all that silver and gold to go with all those outfits? And where will you hide it all after you've checked into your room? I ask because I'm not so sure I'd trust the hotel safe with something really valuable. I've used the safe on several occassions, and while I've never had any problems, I can't help but wonder who many people out there have access to the code.

I decided to contact an expert who deals with security and high net worth. When I told him your question about traveling with jewelry, he had this to say...

I assume this is more than one piece and would be considered valuable. Couriers are told the same as I will tell you. You never pack your jewelry. Hand carry only. If you put it in your suitcase TSA will screen it and G-d knows who else. If its stolen from your suitcase you will get a few hundred dollars based upon their limit of liability which should be on the back of your ticket. No evidence, no suspects, no police investigation, no crime scene, no responsibility and if you by chance ever proved it, you will be in court with the Dept of Homeland Security until you grow old.

Continue reading GALLEY GOSSIP: A QUESTION ABOUT TRAVELING WITH JEWELRY

Say hello to the newest laviators!

Stork123 - you can follow him on twitter! (I do.)

Everyone, say hello to Paul. Paul, say hello to everyone. Laviators Unite!

Notorious Meg joins the laviators club!

So...when are you going to join? Don't know what I'm talking about? READ THIS before your next flight

Nut allergies on the airplane

Recently Patricia Aspinall, of Travel Savvy Mom, wrote an interesting article about her experience on board a flight to the Caribbean with a passenger who had a nut allergy, while traveling with her husband and daughter, a two and a half year-old. Like my own two year-old, Patricia's daughter is a picky eater, so Patricia did what any smart mom would do and packed snacks - peanut butter granola bars.

When the flight attendants on Patricia's flight asked passengers to refrain from eating nuts, Patricia had no idea what to do about her hungry child, so she asked a flight attendant. "The flight attendant didn't have any solutions," wrote Patricia. "It seemed this was a first for them as well."

Solutions? Unfortunately, there's just one solution - no nuts! Regardless of picky eaters on board. Not to sound harsh, but I'd rather have a hungry child on my plane than a plane that has to divert because someone has a serious allergy attack.

Daniel More, MD, from About.com, wrote...

A recent study showed that nearly one in 10 people with peanut, tree nut or seed allergies experienced an allergic reaction while traveling on an airplane. Surprisingly, most of these reactions occurred as a result on inhaling airborne particles from peanuts. This occurred after multiple bags of peanuts were opened near a person with peanut allergy. Airborne peanut particles seem to be common on airplanes, since peanut proteins have been found in the ventilation filters of commercial airplanes.

Since commercial airlines may not have emergency medical equipment on board, and because there may not be a medical professional traveling as a fellow passenger, people with peanut allergy need to be prepared. Calling various airline companies to see if peanuts are served on the planned flight is a good idea, but never a guarantee that peanuts won't be present on the airplane. Carrying an Epi-Pen, as well as an antihistamine, is the best way to be prepared for an allergic emergency. For a long flight, a person with food allergies should consider bringing their own food on the airplane, since airplane food could contain hidden ingredients and may not be labeled as containing common food allergens

Because we no longer serve free food on board the airplanes, nuts are always a popular snack with passengers and crew alike. They're healthy and filling and fit easily inside a tote bag. My favorite, almonds and pistachios. My coworker last week shared a bag of cashews. People bring nuts and products containing nuts on board all the time. So what happened when a child with a nut allergy walked on board my mother's flight two years ago?

Continue reading GALLEY GOSSIP: NUT ALLERGIES ON THE AIRPLANE

Doing twitter well!

I am honored to be mentioned by Mark Hodson of TimesOnline.Co.UK as an interesting travel tweeter. Here's what he wrote...

Which travel firms do Twitter well (and badly)?

Mark Hodson discovers which companies are using Twitter in a useful way - and those you needn't bother with getting hold of easyJet’s customer services team has always been a bit of a challenge. Firstly, it’s notoriously difficult to find the phone number on the company’s website. Then, when you do eventually track down the number, you are charged up to £1 a minute to speak to a real human being.

But now there’s an easier way. You can log onto easyJet on Twitter, the micro-blogging website, and chat with a friendly member of easyJet’s customer relations team called Paul Hopkins. Paul answers questions from passengers, chases down complaints and even gives out his personal email address.

EasyJet is one of the latest travel companies to appear on Twitter, using the site to deal with complaints, get feedback from customers and generally present itself as a friendly caring airline. Last time we looked, Paul had posted 474 updates and collected 189 followers.

Times Online asked me to look into which travel companies are using Twitter well and those that are not worth a second look. You can follow the team's tweeting at www.twitter.com/timestravel.

In recent weeks, dozens of airlines, airports, tour operators and tourist boards have flocked onto Twitter. Not all are using it effectively. Here’s our pick of the winners – and the losers

- Mark Hodson, writer for The Sunday Times and co-editor of 101holidays.co.uk

TRAVEL COMPANIES TO FOLLOW

Lonely Planet has come up with a smart and novel use of Twitter: it promises to forward your travel-related Tweets to its 2,561 followers providing it finds them interesting – and you include the hashtag, #lp. The result is an impressive stream of useful information, inspiring links and travel trivia.

The boutique hotel specialist, Mr & Mrs Smith, offers ideas of where to stay in the UK and abroad. Its Twitter team enthusiastically responds to individual queries, whether you’re looking for hotels in Brighton or Bangkok. Followers: 1,110.

Brittany Ferries promotes last-minute deals and seasonal offers, plus offers to deal with individual enquiries and complaints. Followers: 107.

The trendy upmarket tour operator, Black Tomato, has a typically chatty approach, inviting its 320 followers to attend photography evenings and chat to the company’s founders in webcasts. Its clear aim is to drive visitors to its website, but it doesn’t feel like a heavy sell.

Visit Britain provides a stream of ideas and links – new attractions, price discounts, local events and even a few jokes. The Twitter team will also answer individual queries. Handy if you’ve got a free weekend and looking for inspiration. Followers: 1,620.

Lastminute.com offers a lively mix of deals, news and chat, plus it deals with customer complaints – cheaper than calling the 0871 number on its website. Followers: 2,168.

Thomson Holidays recently used Twitter to keep its passengers updated on the fallout of the Swine Flu panic. It has also started to use Twitter to deal with customer complaints. Followers: 122.

OTHER INTERESTING TRAVEL TWEETERS

Travel Rants is a one-man crusade to highlight the worst aspects of travel and take those responsible to task. Its founder, Darren Cronian, responds to individual questions and Tweets a constant stream of personal comments. Followers: 2,512.

Murray Harrold gives an insight into the working life of a travel agent, whether he is highlighting quirks in airline pricing or moaning at customers’ requests for exit seats. Followers: 96.

Heather Poole is a flight attendant – “Yeah, that's me, the one wearing flammable polyester?” She provides a colourful glimpse into life at 35,000ft, with jokes, gossip and even the occasional restaurant recommendation. Followers: 1,304.

Continue reading Which Travel Firms do Twitter well (and badly)

Interview with the rapping flight attendant

Name: David Holmes (AKA The rapping flight attendant)

Hometown: Bay Area and Chicago...I claim them both.

Base: LAS

How long have you been rapping? Was in a group about 1000 years ago, hadn't rapped after that until flight attendant training

The first time you rapped on a flight were your coworkers stunned? Yes, they thought I was the shy, quiet type.

Offers must be pouring in! Sign a deal yet? No, though there have been a few discussions

I bet! One thing I couldn't help but notice was how supportive SWA has been towards you throughout all this. Of course SWA is known for it's fun atmosphere, but were you surprised at all by how your company reacted? No, I felt very comfortable that this was a good reflection of the culture that SWA promotes.

You're all the talk right now. Your mom must be thrilled! What does she have to say? Unfortunately, Mom passed away in 2006.

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that. You know she must be smiling down on you from heaven. How many years have you been a flight attendant? 8 months (August 2008)

That's it! Wow, and look how much your life has changed in 8 short months - just last week you were on Leno! What did you do before you became a flight attendant? Was a ramp agent for 3 years, personal trainer before that.

Besides flying, what else do you do? Trying to start a non profit organization in honor of my late mother.

Tell me more about that. It's called aid4mom (www.aid4mom.org). It's purpose is to provide small amounts of financial aid to single mothers for things such as utilities, gas, groceries, and rent/mortgage assistance. My mother was the inspiration behind this. She worked as many as three jobs to make sure our needs were met, yet was always there for birthdays and school plays. I feel that everyone should feel like they had the world's greatest Mom, and I would like to help someone else's mother be amazing to her children the way mine was to me. I recently was granted 501(c)(3) status, which is huge, but have been at a standstill ever since. I cannot do this alone, and am a bit overwhelmed with decided the best way to proceed.

Wow, that's an amazing thing to do. I'm really impressed. Have you contacted Oprah? If not, I will! So...any advice for flight attendants?A small amount of effort can really brighten someones day.

Continue reading: GALLEY GOSSIP: FLIGHT ATTENDANT OF THE MONTH - DAVID HOLMES (SOUTHWEST AIRLINES RAPPING FLIGHT ATTENDANT)

Meet the Gadling team! (next weekend in Chicago)

by Grant Martin on May 6th 2009 at 1:00PM

We're a ragtag group of bloggers here at Gadling, always on the road covering the newest, greatest travel stories, making friends all over the world, sleeping in airports and often with a drink and a camera in hand. It's hard to track any of us down, whether you're looking for Heather at 30,000ft, Jamie in the cornfields of Ohio or Jeremy in the sewers of New York writing Undiscovered New York posts.But for the first time in Gadling history, we'll all be in the same place at the same time. That place is Chicago, Illinois.

Madness you say, Madness! I know, it's exciting. Fact of the matter is, we're all getting together for a technical meeting over the weekend of the 16th, and we thought that we'd take the chance to reach out to some of our dear readers and colleagues to share pint or nine. So here it is: your chance to smack Tom for writing too many stories about cigars, marvel at the Skymall godliness of Mike Barish and walk in the footsteps of the legendary Willy Volk. Your life will never be the same.

WHERE: The Goose Island Clybourn Brewpub, 1800 N ClybournWHEN: Saturday, May 16th, around 10:30 or 11PM

HOW YOU WILL FIND US: We'll be the loud ones.

Rock out --- ed

Southwest Airlines, AirTran Airways, and other airlines who may be hiring

Dear Heather,

I was hired with Southwest Airlines earlier in the year, but I was informed today that Southwest will no longer be having any training classes in 2009. Now I'm going to try for AirTran Airways. I had an interview and told them I successfully interviewed with Southwest Airlines last August however they aren't having any training in 2009 and I'm ready to move forward with my flight attendant career. I hope it doesn't hurt me that I told them that. What do you think?

Leesa

Dear Leesa,

Southwest is an amazing airline. People absolutely love them, passengers and crew alike. I mean what's not to love about an airline that treats their employees like family, an airline that knows how to have fun, and more importantly, an airline that can lay claim to employing the rapping flight attendant (whom I'll be interviewing soon!) Many years ago I wanted to work for Southwest Airlines, and always thought that I would work for Southwest, and even got a letter inviting me to interview for them, but then the airline I currently work for hired me first. Obviously I'm a huge fan of Southwest, even when I wind up in group C. The fact that you got hired to be apart of their family says a lot about you!

I'm sure you're extremely disappointed about the training class being cancelled. I know I would be. So I logged onto twitter.com (click here to follow me on twitter) and sent a quick tweet to Southwest Airlines. I asked them if you'd be called back when classes resume or if you'd have to go through the interview process again. Five seconds later Southwest responded, "Yes, unfortunately she will have to go back through the interview process again."

Honestly, I'm sure you'll have no problem impressing them twice. That said, I also think that moving forward and interviewing with AirTran Airways was a great idea! Don't worry about telling AirTran about Southwest, I'm sure that'll only make them want you more knowing that an airline with an amazing reputation already showed interest in you.

Continue reading GALLEY GOSSIP: SOUTHWEST AIRLINES, AIRTRAN AIRWAYS, AND OTHER AIRLINES WHO MAY BE HIRING