Do you remember the day the Atlanta Airport had a severe power outage? I do. I was stuck on the runway for seven hours. Yep, this is another Skytress story I couldn’t make up if I tried.

So, we had just landed in Atlanta. It was the last leg of a three-day trip. The Washington D.C passengers were actually pleasant on this flight. Everyone was excited because we landed early. At least I know I was. I had backed up my trips and I was ready to get some rest before my next trip the following morning.

I was sitting next to the 3-left door on the Airbus-321. I had a great view of the runway and of the airport out of my Skytress window. I noticed we landed on the “good” runway. Yes, it’s much quicker to get to the gates when we land on the “good” runway. I knew we were going to park at a “good” gate, too. We were coming in near the middle of the concourse. I was on a Skytress high from all our good fortune. Then we slowed down on our taxi-in. The Captain powered down the engines. Uh-oh. The Captain called our Skyter In-Charge. Double Uh-Oh. The Skyter In-Charge called the rest of us. He informed us there was a power outage in the airport. The Captain wasn’t sure how long we would be parked. I wasn’t too concerned at this point. I’ve survived power outages before. The Captain informed the passengers about the power outage. He told them they could turn on their electronic devices. As soon as he made the announcements, I walked through the cabin with headsets for the passengers. I’ve learned in a situation like this, if people can watch something or listen to something…they are less likely to complain to the crew. My preemptive measure definitely helped. You can bet, I was very relieved we were on an aircraft that had in-seat monitors. I felt for my fellow Skytresses and Skyters that were on aircrafts that didn’t have any.

Information came in slowly about the power outage in the airport. We were told there was a fire on the C-Concourse that caused the power outage. Jetways couldn’t be moved to allow passengers to deplane or board aircrafts. Everything was at a stand still. My crew and I had limited supplies on board the aircraft. However, we conducted another beverage and snack service. Passengers were understanding if we didn’t have their preferred beverage or snack. They could see airplanes weren’t moving outside. So, they settled in their seats. After all, the Captain informed us we were the first aircraft in line to taxi to a gate once we were released to do so.

The Captain made an announcement about two hours into our ground stop that we were going to move the aircraft. No, we weren’t going to a gate like we had hoped. The aircraft behind us had a medical situation. Our aircraft needed to move so the emergency personnel could get to them. Unfortunately, now we would be the last aircraft in line. I confess. I wished we could have said we had an emergency, too. Jumping back to the front of the line sounded pretty good to me.

Our Skyter In-Charge and I were the senior people on the crew. We had our fair share of experiencing long hours stuck on a plane filled with passengers. We could tell the younger Skytress and Skyter were on the edge of snapping. They were tired from working a three-day trip. The ground stop was dragging on too long. Little things were getting on their nerves. The Skyter-In Charge and I made a plan to kill everyone with kindness. Especially, our fellow crew members. It started to work. The junior crew members told us they knew we were holding it together. So, they would too. Thankfully, that was one less thing we needed to worry about.

I did text Ron to let him know what was happening. He turned on the TV to see if he could find out any information. He texted me back with bad news. The airport was a mess. Passengers had been evacuated from the C-Concourse and we standing outside in the cold rain. The roads into the airport were jammed. He looked on the computer to see how much time I had before I went illegal for my trip the next day. He told me he would continue to check on me. I told him I would keep him updated on things at my end, too. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to update him on for a very long time.

Five and a half hours into the ground stop, the Captain called to inform us our lavatory tanks were filling up. Unfortunately, the lavatory trucks wouldn’t be able to get to us for awhile to dump the lavs. He told us he would make an announcement to the passengers. Awful news always sound better when it comes from the Captain. The Captain told the passengers about our lav dilemma. He told them not to flush the toilets until they were completely filled. Everyone chuckled. My crew and I became the official fluid monitors. It was a hysterically humbling job. Eventually, we couldn’t hold any more fluid in the tanks. The lav truck came….to dump the lavs on the tarmac. Yep, you heard that right.

We did see some airplanes taxing while we were parked on the runway. We learned, however, taxing aircraft was a logistical nightmare. It was an extremely cumbersome process. Planes weren’t taking off. Passengers needed to be deplaned from airplanes parked at gates with unusable jetways. There were numerous planes that didn’t have gates that needed to be deplaned. Passengers that were evacuated outside from the concourses needed to renter the airport securely, too. Six and a half hours after we landed, we got the clearance to moved to the gate area to deplane.

We didn’t taxi to an actual gate. No, an area was corrine off so aircraft could pull up outside a stairwell that lead up to the concourse. Air stairs were brought up to the aircrafts for passengers to deplane. Ramp agents assisted passenger with their luggage down the stairs. Another group of Ramp Agents had flashlights to direct passengers towards the stairs in the dimly lit airport. Seven hours after landing, I made my way down the stairs with all my luggage. It took me a second to get my bearings. We were outside A-Concourse at gate 27. My crew and I climbed the stairs up into the concourse. My crew headed to the crew lounge to catch the employee shuttles to the parking lot. I was the only commuter on my trip. I headed down the concourse to make my way outside to the hotel shuttle area.

Of course the escalators and elevators were not operating. So, I trudged down the escalator stairs to the train level. Several Skytresses were descending in front of me. The trains between the concourses weren’t operating. So, we followed the flow of passengers down the hallway to the next concourse. I couldn’t believe what I saw when we arrived at the escalators passengers normally rode down from airport security to the trains. The escalators on one side were being used by the wheelchair attendants to carry passengers up in wheelchairs. Once the attendants got to the top, they would slide down the small metal area next to the escalator with the empty chair to repeat the process. The able-body people climbed the escalator steps on the opposite side.

It was a very slow process ascending the stairs. People had to stop with their luggage to catch their breath before they proceeded up. My three crew bags were packed for six days of flying. My winter coat was making me sweat. My arms were becoming tired from carrying my bags up and down the previous flights of airport stairs. The Skytresses in front of me were as tired as I was. The constant stopping and picking up the luggage was becoming arduous. I wished I had taken the escalator that went to the T-Concourse. There were fewer steps. There was, also, a landing area in between the escalators. I was positive there was less people using that escalator, too. That escalator would have allowed me to exit the airport. I tried not to look up at all the steps I still had to climb. Somehow, this made the climb less daunting. My two small crew bags kept sliding off my shoulder. A woman behind me asked me if she could help me with my suitcase. I told her I could manage. My suitcase was reinforced with steel. It was heavy without clothes in it. It was now packed with six days of clothing. I didn’t want her to lift my heavy suitcase. She explained she didn’t have any luggage. She really wanted to help me. Before I knew it, she swept my suitcase up. She ran up the stairs zigzagging around slower people. She placed my suitcase at the top of the escalator and waved to me. She then disappeared before I could thank her. She was an angel. At least she was to me.

I started to walk towards the hotel shuttle area. A young soldier stopped me for assistance. He had missed his flight to Germany. He hadn’t flown much and wasn’t sure what to do. I tried to help him by pulling up information on my phone. Unfortunately, he needed an actual agent to help him with his flight. Sadly, it was now very late in the evening. I couldn’t find an agent to help the young man. I directed him to the USO area. I hoped he could at least find a place to rest until the morning ticket agents arrived for work.

One good thing did go in my favor. The hotel shuttle driver pulled up as soon as I went outside. He told me I missed the mass exodus of passengers from the airport. He said parking lot shuttles and hotel shuttles were having difficulty getting to and from the airport. He explained people were walking down the middle of the streets surrounding the airport to get to their cars or to be picked up. He said he had never seen the likes of it before. I was grateful I missed that fiasco.

I called Ron when I arrived at the airport hotel. I updated Ron on my adventure out of the airport. He and I laughed about the whole ordeal. My first two flights on my trip the next day had cancelled. Thus, I was legal to fly my trip. We agreed the next day would be much better. My Heavenly bed truly felt heavenly when I finally climbed into it.

The next day I rode to the airport with a hotel shuttle filled with pilots. We swapped stories about the previous day. Everyone had a bizarre experience with the power outage. The one consensus, though, was the walk up the escalator to exit the airport was excruciating. Yes, each pilot was traveling with the heavy-reinforced steel crew bag. They didn’t have an angel whisk their bags up the escalator steps for them. Yes, I was truly blessed by my angel.

I flew out of the C-Concourse on my first flight. We were flying to Gainesville. I sat in the gatehouse and talked with one of my Gainesville passengers. She had been in the C-Concourse the day before when the concourse was evacuated. Her story was fascinating. We both agreed we were looking forward to a much better flying experience that day. I’m not sure how her day turned out once we got to Gainesville. Unfortunately, my quick turn to Gainesville and back to Atlanta wasn’t quick at all. Nope, it took us twelve hours. We had a mechanical when we landed in Gainesville. I told Ron all about it after we landed back in Atlanta for our unscheduled layover. One day I will tell you all about that Gainesville trip, too.

The other day I was carefully wrapping up my Christmas ornaments to put them away. I collect Christmas ornaments from cities I’ve traveled to. Each city ornament holds special memories for me. I smiled as I wrapped the ornaments from cities that held unforgettable memories of Ron and me. There are still a few cities I need to collect ornaments from to celebrate our time together. Ron liked to collected magnets from cities he traveled to that held special memories for him. Ron was smart. Magnets are readily available all year long. Unfortunately, Christmas ornaments are another story. The perfect city ornament can be tough to find. Especially during the spring and summer months. As I put the ornaments away, I came to the realization that another year had ended without Ron. Harder yet, another year was beginning without him. This wave of reality hit me hard. It literally took my breath away. I knew I needed to regain control from the wave of grief that was pulling me under. So, I decided to think about the beautiful times Ron and I flew together. Immediately I thought about our Omaha trip. It was a marvelous trip. We flew with two delightful young Skytresses. The Omaha passengers, who are known for being extremely nice, were just that. Oh, and we, also, had a medical emergency on our flight, to boot. Yes, all these things contributed to making it an extraordinary trip. Especially, the medical emergency.

It was a very cold December morning the day we left Omaha. We had an extremely early pick-up time that day, too. Surprisingly, the cold weather and early show time didn’t have a negative effect on any of us. That morning there were crews from several airlines in the hotel shuttle. Everyone was happily chatting away. Typically, Ron would be quiet on the early morning shuttle rides. He usually liked to close his eyes and quietly sip his coffee on the way to the airport. That morning though, Ron was laughing and talking with everyone within earshot of him. I sat back smiling and took it all in. I even thanked God for the happy blessings unfolding before me. Normally, I was the early morning talker. I could tell Ron was aware of the change in our early morning routine. He kept turning towards me to say something funny to get me to talk. Mostly I just shook my head and laughed. I was his captivated audience. He knew it, too. This only encouraged him to entertain me even more.

Unlike other airlines, at our airline the Skytresses and Skyters rotate the jumpseat positions each day. This day I was sitting on the forward jumpseat with our Skytress In-Charge. We were flying on the MD-90. On this particular aircraft the galley is up front. Thus, it was our responsibility to start pulling out the carts to set them up for the service when we reached 10,000 feet. Our immediate setting up of the carts would allow Ron and the other Skytress to get out in the aisle faster. It also meant I would follow behind them with my beverage cart for the in-flight service. That morning I was eager to get out in the aisle to serve our passengers. As I mentioned earlier, Omaha passengers are some of my favorite passengers. They are typically extremely nice and considerate people. I cheerfully pushed my beverage cart into the main cabin. One of my first passengers I was to serve was a little girl. She was sitting next to her Mom. She proudly had her tray table down in anticipation of my arrival. I could tell she was very excited to order her drink and snack. I smiled and said hello to her. I asked her how she was doing. She responded by simply saying, “You’re so pretty”. I was stunned. Ron told me this everyday. However, except for Ron telling me this, I am never on the receiving end of this type of compliment. I was extremely touched by this sweet girl’s comment. I, of course, told her she was my favorite passenger on the airplane. This made the little girl beam. Needless to say, I beamed, too, as I pushed my beverage cart down the aisle to served the rest of my Omaha passengers.

A short time later, the four of us were back in the forward galley breaking down our beverage carts. That is when we heard the ding of a passenger call button. We looked in the cabin and could see the orange call button lit in the back of the aircraft. We all collectively thought we either missed someone when we serving or else someone had just awakened and wanted something to drink. Ron, the Skytress In-Charge and I were all blocked in the galley by the beverage carts. So, the other Skytress said she would go see what the passenger needed. Moments later the other Skytress rang the call button to get our attention. We could tell she needed help. The Skytress In-Charge went to help her. I commented to Ron I thought maybe the passenger was getting sick. He turned in the galley to get me some trash bags and paper towels. I took the items and walked quickly to the back of the airplane. As I got closer to the passenger, I could tell the young lady was having a seizure. The Skytress In-Charge picked up the PA to make a request for medical assistance. A passenger call button dinged towards the front of the aircraft. I turned on my heels and headed back to the front of the plane. When I got closer to the lit call button, I could tell it was located in the row with my favorite little girl passenger. The little girl’s mother told me her husband was a paramedic. He was sitting across from them on the aisle. He had his earbuds in his ears and was listening to music on his phone. I placed my arm on the gentleman. He immediately took his earbuds out. I asked him if he was willing to help us. Since he hadn’t heard the announcement he wasn’t sure why I needed his help. Despite this, he agreed instantly. I told him his wife told me he was a paramedic. I quickly explained to him we had a passenger that was having a seizure. I cannot explain to you the feeling of confidence and calmness that shot through my body as he arose out of his seat. He had an overwhelming aura about him. I knew instantly this man was a kindhearted and compassionate man. More importantly, I knew he had everything under control……and we hadn’t yet made it to the back of the airplane.

The two Skytresses were assisting the young passenger. I walked past them to retrieve the medical equipment from the overhead bin. As I turned to go back to give the paramedic the medical equipment, I could see Ron standing in the first-class aisle. He was observing what was happening in the back of the airplane. Our protocol after 9-11, is to always have a crewmember remain in first-class if there is a medical situation in the back of the airplane. This is for security reasons. The paramedic had been briefed on the passenger. He was examining the young lady when I arrived with the medical equipment. I described the contents in all the pouches and medical kits I had brought back with me. He immediately placed the blood pressure cuff around the young lady and started to get her vital signs. She was slowly coming back to consciousness. The gentleman that was sitting next to the young lady had moved out of the row and was now standing next to me. He told me he and the young lady had been talking prior to her seizure. He said the young lady had looked towards the ceiling as if she was starring at a bug. That is when she started to have the seizure. He was also very concerned for the young lady because she was traveling by herself. He mentioned the young lady’s Mom was picking her up in Atlanta and they were going to drive to Birmingham for Christmas. When the young lady was coherent enough to answer questions, she told us she was 18 -years old. She mentioned her father had started to have seizures when he turned 18. She informed us she wasn’t on any medication. She, also, revealed she hadn’t eaten or drank anything that morning. The paramedic decided to start an IV to help stabilize her based on her condition and vital signs. The paramedic always spoke with a calming voice. His voice was soothing for the young lady and for all of us. Eventually, I decided to go back to the paramedic’s wife and explain the medical situation her husband was helping us with. More importantly, I wanted to thank her for ringing her call button and to tell her….her husband was a phenomenal person.

Ron watched me walk up the aisle. I could see he had medical forms in his hand. After I spoke with the paramedic’s wife and young daughter, I turned towards Ron. He said he was listening in on the phone calls between the pilots and the Skytress In-Charge. He was aware of the developments taking place with the passenger. Since his manual was in the back of the aircraft he had retrieved the medical forms out of my manual. I smiled. He, also, mentioned he filled out the forms so our medical equipment could be swapped out when we got to Atlanta. Ron felt terrible we were dealing with the medical situation and he had to stay up front. He made me smile when he said the first-class passengers were so nice they declined everything he had offered them. He said their only concern was for the well-being of the young passenger. I gave Ron a more detailed briefing on the passenger’s condition. Then I headed back down the aisle with the medical forms.

The Skytress In-Charge revealed to me this was her first in-flight medical emergency. She had never filled out the medical forms before. I was astonished. She had impressed me from the moment she went back to help the other Skytress with the medical situation. I told her this, too. I discerned her adrenaline was now wearing off and she was starting to worry about things. I tried to calm her nerves. I said I would help her with the forms. I reminded her she was not alone. We were a crew. She sighed a deep sigh of relief. The other Skytress told us she was going to go back to the galley to get the young lady some water and some snacks. Minutes later the paramedic was calling the young woman’s name. She was starting to have another seizure. My heart sank. The paramedic looked straight at me and asked me if I could find out how far we were from the nearest airport. I could tell he was extremely concerned. Fortunately, I was standing next to the phone. I called the pilots. I told the Captain I was with the paramedic. I explained the young lady was having another seizure and the paramedic wanted to know how far we were from the closest airport. The Captain informed me we had been given a straight routing to Atlanta. Atlanta was our closest airport. He said we were 15 minutes from landing. I relayed the information to the paramedic. In a very calm, but authoritative voice, he told me, “The sooner. The better.” I quoted the paramedic’s statement to the Captain. The Captain said, “Okay. I copy that. Call me if you need to. Forget sterile cockpit.” Sterile cockpit is when the aircraft is below 10,000 feet. It is the busiest part of the flight for the pilots. We only call if there is an emergency. The Captain wanted to confirm he or the first-officer would be on the phone immediately if we needed them. I looked towards the front of the plane as I was hanging up the phone. Ron had been on the phone listening to the call. One thing I loved about the MD-90 was the audible phone ding in the cockpit. The people in the galley always knew when someone in the back of the plane was calling the pilots. Many times when Skyters and Skytresses heard the chime in the cockpit they would pick up the phone and listen. Thus, if there was an incident on the aircraft they would be aware of the situation. Ron looked back at me. His look confirmed he heard the conversation. He turned to tell the other Skytress about the phone call.

The pilots are in constant communication with the ground personnel when there is a medical incident. That day air traffic control was working hard to get us on the ground as quickly and safely as possible. Moments after hanging up the phone with the Captain, the bells chimed to inform us we were now minutes from landing. Ron immediately picked up the phone and made our final descent PA. I could tell we were descending more quickly than normal. The Skytress In-Charge and I began to quickly secure the back cabin. We verified the paramedic and young lady were securely seated with their seat belts on. Ron and the other Skytress secured first-class and conducted a final walk through of the cabin. The Skytress In-Charge looked at the young lady. She was once again coming out of another seizure. The Skytress In-Charge was conflicted. She knew she was supposed to sit up front for landing. However, she was concerned for the young passenger. She didn’t know what to do. I picked up the phone and called Ron. I told him I was going to sit on his jumpseat for landing. The Skytress In-Charge was going to sit on the “Princess” jumpseat next to the young lady’s row. The “Princess” jumpseat is a single -person jumpseat. Skytresses and Skyters sit alone on it like a princess sitting on a throne. Ron said “No problem. We’ll see you on the ground.” I sat on Ron’s jumpseat and prayed for the young lady. And I thanked God for blessing us with a remarkable paramedic on our flight.

Ron made our landing PA. He asked the passengers to remain seated when we got to the gate. Before we turned into the gate the Captain made another PA to remind the passengers to remain seated. It’s always an odd sensation when the seatbelt sign is turned off and everyone remains quietly seated. Ron’s PA for the crew to prepare the doors for arrival, cross-check and answer all-call echoed throughout the plane. I could easily hear the Captain open the cockpit door. Then I heard the aircraft door open. I was relieved when the firemen-paramedics started to walk down the aisle. The passengers sitting around the young lady were relieved, too. Everyone had become friendly with each other during our flight. The young woman’s seat mates knew she didn’t have family on our flight. Unselfishly, they became her family.

After everyone deplaned, Ron told me the young lady’s Mom was in the gatehouse waiting for her. During the flight when I went to talk to the paramedic’s family, the young lady told our Skytress In-Charge that her Mom was going to meet her outside the airport and they were going to drive to Birmingham. Our Skytress In-Charge asked the young lady if she had her Mom’s cell phone number. The Skytress In-Charge gave the number to the Captain. The ground personnel then called the young lady’s Mom. An agent supervisor met the young lady’s Mom at the ticket counter and escorted her to the gate to be there for her daughter when we arrived. I was so relieved the young lady’s Mom was now with her. I could only imagine how scared and lonely she must have felt at times during our flight.

Ron congratulated us ladies for handling the medical situation. Our Skytress In-Charge thanked us all for helping her get through her first medical emergency. Ron then asked me how I was doing. I smiled. I told him my legs felt like rubber and my insides were doing cartwheels now that my adrenaline was wearing off. Our Skytress In-Charge had a startled expression. She thought she was the only one feeling this way. We all laughed. We told her this is usually how the crew feels after we land and everything is over. Yep, we feel all jelly-like. I told her talking about it would help. She forewarned me I was going to be exhausted from all her talking on our next flight. Ron said it wasn’t going to be a problem for me. He told her I loved to talk on the jumpseat. Yep, Ron knew me too well.

Ron and I walked to our next gate. He told me he was proud of me. Ron said he had it easy on the flight compared to everyone else. I told him he had the most important job on the airplane. He was confused. I explained I felt extremely safe on the flight knowing he was there with me. Whenever I started to get scared or stressed I would just look at him and a sense of calm come over me. I constantly told Ron he made me feel safe. He always said he appreciated it when I told him this. That day Ron didn’t say anything. He stopped walking and just stared silently at me. Then he smiled. He smiled a great big smile and gently placed his hand on my back. I smiled back at him. We happily continued walking to our next gate in silence.

One day when we were flying out of Omaha Ron bought a magnet from the airport gift shop. It made me chuckle and I looked to see if there was an Omaha Christmas ornament. Unfortunately, the shop didn’t have any. I know one day I will buy an ornament on one of my Omaha layovers. I know my family and friends will think it’s just an ornament from Omaha hanging on my Christmas tree. But, for me, it will be an ornament filled with lovely memories of the Omaha passengers, the young lady who had the seizure, the kindhearted paramedic, his family, my crew and especially beautiful memories of Ron.

When I became a Skytress rarely did I ever see a dog on a plane. The only time I would see a dog is if we had a visually impaired passenger or a passenger in a wheelchair using a service dog for assistance. The past few years we have seen an influx of dogs on our airplanes. Some passengers travel with pets in the cabin in a carrier underneath their seat. We have passengers traveling with emotional support dogs. We have passengers traveling with service dogs. Rarely do we have an issue with dogs on our airplanes. However, just like passengers, dogs have their distinct personalities. And just like passengers, a few stand out more than others. For better or worse.

Years ago at my airline, only service dogs were allowed in the cabin. However, one day on my flight to Bangor, Maine, that policy changed. I was the Skytress In-Charge. The Captain briefed me that we would have a dog in the cabin. He explained the passenger received special permission from our CEO to fly with her dog inside the plane. However, he explained, she had to keep her dog in the carrier the entire flight. Minutes later, the woman, her family and dog pre-boarded the airplane. I briefed my crew to inform them that the woman had special permission from our CEO to have her dog on board. I reiterated to them the dog was to remain in the carrier until she got off the airplane. When I am the Skytress In-Charge, I always walk through the main cabin to pick up trash after the service. I like to do this so I can check on the passengers and see if they need anything. When I walked through the cabin on this particular day, I spied a gray Poodle sitting on her owner’s chest. The woman was having a wonderful time entertaining her dog. Sadly, I noticed, her family was blatantly ignoring her and the dog. Of course, I had to remind the woman she had agreed she would keep her dog in the carrier until she got off the plane. She said okay and put her dog back in the carrier. After we landed, the Captain and I stood at the cockpit door to thank our passengers for flying with us. The family of the woman traveling with the dog deplaned. A few minutes later the woman walked up the aisle. Her dog was out of the carrier. She was holding it. The dog was wearing a scarf, a sun visor and sunglasses. The Captain turned to me. He asked me if I had explained to the woman the dog needed to be in the carrier until she deplaned. I told the Captain I had reminded the woman of this several times during our flight. Since we had an unaccompanied minor on our flight, I walked him up to the gatehouse after the woman deplaned. I could see the woman was happily greeting her friends with her overly-accessorized dog. I could, also see, the friends and the woman’s family weren’t amused in the least. Amazingly, she didn’t notice this at all. I have no idea how this woman got permission from the CEO to bring her dog on board our flight that day. I like to think our CEO had a very weak spot in his heart for dogs that wear sun visors.

I’ve had my fair share of Houdini dogs on my flights. By this I mean, their owners had no idea how their dogs escaped from their carriers. Of course, it only takes a Skytress or Skyter to point out the carrier wasn’t completely latched or zipped. Not surprisingly, we, also, ultimately find out the owner intentionally unlatched or unzipped the carrier. Once on an evening flight I was putting away items in the back galley. The cabin lights were turned down. However, there was enough light in the cabin to see something scurry past the galley down the aisle. When I poked my head out of the galley I saw a small dog sitting in front of the lavatory. This caused me to pause for two reasons. First, the dog was so darn cute just sitting there. Second, I wondered how it got out of it’s carrier. Then the dog started to bark. The lavatory door opened. The gentleman inside the lavatory looked down and picked up the dog. He looked at me apologetically. As he walked towards me, he sheepishly tried to explain his dog had separation anxiety. I, of course, asked him how the dog got out of the carrier. He told me he didn’t know. I gave him my Skytress disbelief look. Then he admitted he had unzipped the carrier after we took off. He said he forgot to zip it back up before he went to the lavatory. I chuckled. I couldn’t help it. I could tell he truly loved his dog. Plus, his dog had the cutest puppy eyes. The dog was innocently looking right at me begging me for forgiveness. Ah puppy dog eyes……They get me every time.

On another flight, I was in the galley setting up my first-class meals. The gentleman at 3C rang his call button. I quickly went back to inquire what he needed. I barely had the words, “Yes, sir” out of my mouth before he spoke. He informed me a dog had just peed on his leg. I gasped. As I was apologizing to him, I could see the passengers in the bulkhead row in the main cabin squirming around in their seats. Then I saw the dog shoot out from the bulkhead row and dart into another row. I quickly went to make a PA. We had several dogs on our flight and I didn’t know which dog was the Houdini dog. I asked the passenger that had lost their dog to please ring their call button. After a short pause, a gentleman rang his call button. Fortunately other passengers caught the Houdini dog as he scurried about in the cabin. The dog owner and I met in the aisle. He didn’t seem too concerned his dog had escaped. I informed the gentleman his dog had peed on a first-class passenger. The gentleman timidly said he wasn’t sure how his dog got out of the carrier. He said he was sorry and took his dog back to his seat with him. I went back to the gentleman in 3C and apologized again. I told him I was going to give him a cleaning voucher to get his pants cleaned. He said it wasn’t necessary. He laughed and told me he had passengers throw up on him before, but, never had a dog pee on him. I insisted I was going to give him the cleaning voucher. It was the least I could do. I headed to the galley to get the voucher. I had just started to fill out the voucher when the gentleman in 3C rang his call button again. I hurried back to his seat. Before I could say anything, he told me the dog was back. I couldn’t believe it! The dog’s owner was beside me in a flash grabbing for his dog and apologizing. I walked back to the dog owner’s seat with him. I asked the gentleman if their was something wrong with the dog carrier that was allowing the dog to get out. The gentleman then confessed he had unzipped the top of the carrier. He didn’t think the dog was getting enough air. I looked at the carrier. It was a mesh-dog carrier. I told the gentleman the dog would have sufficient air because his dog carrier was a mesh carrier. I told him he would have to keep the dog carrier completely zipped the rest of the flight. I couldn’t fault the Houdini dog for escaping. Some humans just need to be trained better.

I once had a first-class passenger ring her call button and ask if I had any tape she could use. She explained she was taking her dog home to have unscheduled surgery later that day. Her dog was anxious and in pain. It had bit a hole in the dog carrier. The dog was feverishly working at the hole to get out. Now, I’ve told you in the past…the one thing you should always take with you on a deserted island is a Skytress……because Skytresses always have whatever you need. Interestingly, I had duct tape in my bag. Yes, I laughed when my Skyter friend David showed me his roll of duct tape once. Then on my next trip I could have used duct tape. So, I too, threw one in my bag. I gave the woman my roll of duct tape. She started taping away. I could hear her poor scared dog scraping away inside the carrier. My heart broke for him. A little later in the flight the woman stopped me and asked me if she could use my tape again. The dog had worked at making another hole in the carrier. I could tell the woman was embarrassed. More than that, I could tell she was extremely concerned for her injured dog. I, also, knew she had another flight to catch to get home. I had such compassion for her and her injured dog. I went back into my flight bag to retrieve the tape. I handed the woman my roll of duct tape and told her to keep it. She was extremely grateful. I’m sure her dog was more grateful when they landed back home and could get out of his duct tape carrier.

I am always in awe of the service dogs that come fly on our planes. They are smart, hard working dogs. They are usually the sweetest dogs, too. One day I had a gentleman that came on board with his service dog. The gentleman was visually impaired. He was, also, one of our preferred passengers. He flew our airline a lot. I had a wonderful conversation with him as we walked to his seat. I asked him about his dog. His dog was a beautiful Golden Retriever. The gentleman told me this was his dog’s last working flight. His dog had been his service dog and family dog for years. Now he was just going to be his family dog. He had another dog that would travel with him in the future. I knew this flight home would be special for both of them. It was special for me, too. I was honored I was working the flight and was able to meet them both. I often think about this gentleman and his dog. I wonder if his dog is like my dog Finley. She always looks towards the sky when an airplane flies overhead. Unlike like the Golden Retriever, Finley has never actually flown on a plane. So, she doesn’t know what she is missing. I like to think the Golden Retriever misses some things about flying. Especially, the kind Skytresses and Skyters that thought he was absolutely adorable.

I have a lifelong love of German Shepherds. Our friends in Montana had a German Shepherd named Shep. Shep was the best dog. He took great care of us kids. He would bark if we got too close to the road. Then he would herd us back into the yard. So, when we have a German Shepherd on our flights, it is always a treat for me. One particular flight we had a Military Police Officer traveling with his service dog. I would spy at the dog every time I walked by him. I started to notice the dog would turn his head away from me whenever I walked by. It started to humor me. I told my crew the dog was shunning me. I walked by the dog several times so my crew could witness it. We all laughed. We laughed even harder when the dog would constantly stare at all of them as they walked through the aisle. When we arrived in Atlanta our crew had to change airplanes. On the way to the next plane I was telling the Captain about the German Shepherd and how he shunned me the entire flight. When we got to the next gate we had to wait for our aircraft to deplane. The Captain and I continued our conversation. I noticed the MP and the German Shepherd from our previous flight walking up the concourse. I pointed them out to the Captain. Sure enough, as they walked by us, the dog gave me a half-glance then he abruptly turned his head away. The Captain chuckled. He agreed. The dog definitely shunned me. This dog had a lot of character. It made me love him even more. I think he recognized this, too. I suspect he was just playing hard to get.

Talk about character. One day I was standing at the boarding door. A Goldendoodle entered the aircraft. You know I smiled…..because I have a Goldendoodle, too. My Finley is a cool dog. But, this Goldendoodle’s cool factor was off the charts. He had a blue Mohawk and was wearing blue-mirrored sunglasses. If the Fronz was a dog, this would be him. Of course, after the dog and his owner got settled in their seats, I had to go back and talk with them. The gentleman told me his dog’s name was Derby. Derby is a surfing dog. I smiled and told the gentleman Ron would love to have a dog just like Derby. Ron was a surfer, too. Finley loves the water. But, getting her to sit on a surfboard to ride a wave would be almost impossible. The gentleman proudly told me Derby has won several surfing competitions. He then handed me a business card. Not his business card. No, Derby had his own business card. It even had his blue Mohawk fur picture on it. It cracked me up. I just read recently Derby and his owner are featured on Amazon Prime’s, “The Pack”. A business card AND a TV show. Please don’t tell my dog Finley!

I know there have been some awful…awful…awful….stories about dogs on airplanes. Airlines have implemented more procedures when traveling with dogs to help prevent these incidences. Still, I can’t help but smile when our furry passengers board our planes. They all have their own personalities. Yes, there are even times they behave better than their owners. If we Skytresses and Skyters could put the owners in a carrier and place them under the seat on these days, …..life would be much better for both the crew and the dog. Yikes! I know. I know. That last comment was a wee bit….ruff!

Skytresses and Skyters get asked all the time how many hours we work a week. It’s a simple question. Unfortunately, in the airline business, it isn’t an easy answer. We base our work time on monthly hours. Our trips are created following both our airline guidelines and Federal Regulations. At times it can be a very confusing mess. Especially when weather issues, minimum rest requirements, and mechanicals are thrown into the mix. Our manuals are filled with pages of rules and regulations. Skytresses, Skyters, schedulers, and crew tracking reference these pages ad nauseum. Especially, when the proverbial poop is hitting the fan. On the rarest of occasions the rules and regulations fall through the cracks. This happened to my crew and me once. It was a horrible duty day that wouldn’t end. Fortunately, this horrible duty day is a fabulous Skytress story. And who doesn’t love a fabulous….horrible…. Skytress story?

My crew and I had a layover in West Palm Beach. Early the next morning we were scheduled to fly from West Palm Beach to JKF. From there we were to fly to Boston then to Montreal. We knew our flight to JKF was going to be trying. It usually is. The agents were eager to pre-board our passengers needing special assistance. We weren’t as eager. Boarding can be the toughest part of our day. It’s also the part of our day we don’t get paid flight time. No, we get paid once the airplane door is closed. This particular day, we had one passenger that was a carry-on passenger. She needed the aisle chair to get to her seat. The woman was quite cantankerous from the moment she got on the airplane. We tried to win her over with our super-delux Skytress kindness. She was having none of that. Unfortunately for us, she became even more cantankerous when our flight was delayed leaving because of snow issues in JFK.

The snow forecast in New York was not promising. The Captain was keeping us abreast of the numerous cancellations into JFK while we sat at the gate. With each update, my crew and I started to have hope we would cancel and stay in West Palm. As you can imagine, my crew and I were becoming exhausted from answering the passenger’s “what if” and scenario questions. Just when we thought we couldn’t answer one more question, we got the word we were released to fly to JFK. Unfortunately for all of us, the closer we got to JFK….the more air traffic control slowed us down. We were ecstatic when we finally landed. However, our celebration was premature. On a good day it is hard to get to the gate in JFK. When snow is thrown into the mix,… it is excruciating. Unfortunately, when we arrived to the gate, there wasn’t an agent available to move the jetway. I’m not sure who was more happy to get off the plane when the airplane door opened…us or our passengers. Our pre-board passengers were so happy to get off the plane, they didn’t wait for the wheelchair attendants to come get them. Our cantankerous passenger was extremely angry it took us hours to get to JFK. She refused to wait for the the aisle chair and walked up the jetway in disgust. Our pilots wished us luck as we walked up the jetway with them. Fortunately for them, they were laying over in New York. Unfortunately for us, we still had to fly to Boston and to Montreal.

I’m sure you won’t be surprised when I tell you our flight to Boston was delayed. You will be pleasantly surprised to learn I was flying with my dear Skytress friend Jennie Lou. Jennie Lou was our Skytress in-charge. Since we were on a slow rolling weather delay, Jennie Lou, Skytress Shelly and I decided to get something to eat. After all, It was now dinner time.

Our aircraft we were taking to Boston eventually arrived at our gate. The agents were extremely eager to get our flight boarded. We were going to be full with misconnections from earlier flights to Boston. We also had passengers from other airlines that were transferred over to our flight. The foul weather had everyone on edge. We were all happy the flight to Boston was scheduled to be a short flight. But first we had to get off the ground. We slowly taxied towards the de-icing area. There were 34 other airplanes that were to be de-iced before us. Then the proverbial poop hit the fan for the umpteenth time that day. An aircraft from an international airline that was in line to de-ice had a mechanical. It couldn’t move. So every aircraft in the de-icing line couldn’t move, either. Jennie Lou, Shelly and I took turns going into the cockpit to get away from disgruntled passengers. This was before 9-11 and the pilots would taxi with the cockpit door open. The cockpit was our refuge. We needed a few breaks to keep our sanity. Our passengers were thoroughly testing it. Unbeknownst to us, a passenger brought their cat….that we didn’t know we had on board…. into the first-class lavatory and let it go to the bathroom in the sink. That poop didn’t hit the fan. No, it stayed in the sink. Another passenger informed us of this when they tried to use the restroom. Sadly, this is one of the more pleasant stories for me to tell you all.

As you can imagine, the passengers were upset it was taking forever to get de-iced. When we finally became second in line to de-ice, I thought we had won a small victory. Finally, the aircraft in front of us was informed its de-icing was complete. Or so we thought. Our pilots informed the tower the plane still had snow on it’s wings. The plane had to be de-iced again. Ugh! Finally. FINALLY….it was our turn to get de-iced. The first officer came back into the cabin to make sure our wings were cleared of snow before we taxied away. I slightly feared for his life. The upset passengers had a fresh body to hurl unkind comments at. Jennie Lou, Shelly and I no longer felt their insults and anger. We determined the worst offenders came over from the other airlines. We took solace in the knowledge no one at our airline would ever be subjected to them ever again. They continuously barked at us that they would never fly our airline again. Thank goodness for us all.

There is something that is very calming for everyone when you take off and hear the hum of the engines. Except if you are a Skytress and the hum of the engine is going on longer than the flight was scheduled for. We Skytresses could tell we were in a holding pattern. Then the Captain turned the proverbial poop fan back on. The Captain called to inform us the Boston airport was now closed due to the snow. We were heading back to JFK.

I won’t write what the passenger’s said at this point. Boston and JKF passengers have salty language on a good day. This, as you know, was not a good day. The one belligerent passenger from the other airline tried to rally her troops again in hurling insults at our airline. Instead, her troops turned on her. This only made her more mad. When we got to the gate in JFK I thought she was going to slug the Captain as she deplaned. Instead, she furiously went up the jetway to find a fresh body that had to deal with her wrath.

We Skytresses took our time heading up to the gatehouse. We knew there would be utter chaos in the gate area. And there was. The agent supervisor had his hands full. Passengers were demanding answers, hotel accommodations and to be booked on the next flight to Boston. The agent was on the phone. He turned to us. He wanted to know where our unaccompanied minor was. We had no idea what he was talking about. We didn’t have an unaccompanied minor on our flight. We showed him our paperwork. He could see there wasn’t an unaccompanied minor listed. Jennie Lou, Shelly and I knew we had timed out on our duty day, so we stood back to let the agent deal with the person on the phone. When we did, we overheard a group of disgruntled passengers talking about taking care of a young boy traveling by himself. You guessed it. He was our unaccompanied minor from the other airline that we didn’t know was on our flight.

Everything in the airport was closed at this time. Jennie Lou, Shelly and I were tired and famished. Our Skyter friend David had put a loaf of banana bread in my employee mailbox prior to our trip. At the time, I debated whether I should take it with me or leave it in my mailbox until we arrived back in Cincinnati. Fortunately, I took it with me. It was now the only food we had available to eat in the JFK airport. We were grateful. We thanked David for baking it. The three of us sat in a quiet gatehouse away from our passengers eating it. We eventually decided it was in our best interest to head to the crew lounge. It was undoubtedly much safer for us.

The three of us had not spent much time in the JFK crew lounge in our Skytress careers. Oh, how this was going to change for us. First we had to find a phone to call scheduling. Cell phones were not prevalent at this time. We, eventually, found a landline phone in one of the briefing rooms. Jennie Lou dialed away. An overwhelmed scheduler eventually answered. Jennie Lou explained our predicament. She informed the scheduler we were past our legal time on duty and needed hotel accommodations. The scheduler gave Jennie Lou a number to call for accommodations. The scheduler was too busy to take care of our situation. Jennie Lou dialed the number numerous times. No one was answering. Jennie Lou was determined to get someone to answer. So, she kept dialing. Eventually, some one did answer the phone. The gentleman was very pleasant. He explained to Jennie Lou that he couldn’t help get hotel rooms for us because he was in the air traffic control tower. Jennie Lou called crew scheduling again. The same scheduler answered. Jennie Lou informed the scheduler she gave us the number for the control tower. The scheduler succumbed and told Jennie Lou she would call her back with hotel accommodations. We waited….and waited. We left the briefing room and headed out to the computer area. We were now slap-happy and frustrated. Jennie Lou climbed over the supervisor duty desk counter to use the phone to call scheduling back. She informed the scheduler we had been waiting for her to call us back, but, she hadn’t. Thus, Jennie Lou was calling HER back. The scheduler told Jennie Lou there were no hotel rooms available for us because of the snow storm. Jennie Lou asked if we could be put on the first flight out of JFK in the morning. The scheduler told Jennie Lou we were not legal to deadhead on a flight. We were going to have to have a legal rest in the crew lounge. The absurdity of this was not lost on us. Jennie Lou insisted on another plan. The scheduler told her she would work on it and get back with us. Silence. More silence. We pulled up our trip on the computer. The scheduler had us now deadheading on a flight out of Newark to Cincinnati. Our flight was leaving in an hour. Jennie Lou called the scheduler back. Jennie Lou informed the scheduler that on the best of days a person cannot get from JFK to Newark in less than an hour and a half. There was absolutely no way we could do it in a snow storm. In utter frustration, Jennie Lou asked to speak with the lead supervisor. Shelly and I looked at each other stunned. It was an unspoken rule at the time that Skytresses and Skyters never asked for a lead supervisor. A few minutes later Jennie Lou was speaking with the lead supervisor. The supervisor immediately put us on a flight from JFK to Atlanta to get us back to Cincinnati. We learned a valuable lesson right there. Eliminate the middleman. Always ask for the lead supervisor.

Ever so tired of the lounge, we headed up to the gates. As we were walking towards the departure gate area for Atlanta, we ran into our pilots from our West Palm to JFK flight. The Captain asked us if we eventually layed over in New York. We informed him we were still on duty. We explained the whole awful…awful….awful story to the pilots. The pilots were flying us to Atlanta. The Captain walked over to the gate agent and told him were were deadheading on his flight. The agent said he wasn’t sure he would be able to get us on the flight. The flight was full. The Captain said we had positive space on the flight. The agent explained to us, “There is POSITIVE space. And there is positive space.” If we weren’t needed to get to Atlanta to work another flight, he didn’t have to put us on the flights if it was full. The Captain told the agent we had been on duty over 24 hours. He told the agent we would be on his flight. The agent weakened his stance. He said the flight would probably fall apart since people wouldn’t be able to get to the airport. Thankfully, this happened and three of us got on the flight.

If you assume that was the end of the story, well,……you didn’t see the proverbial poop hit the fan again. Just like we didn’t. Our flight was delayed taking off because of de-icing and air traffic flow control. The three of us could only laugh at this point. We knew we were going to have to run through the Atlanta airport to make our flight to Cincinnati.

The Atlanta airport no longer has carpet in the concourses. However, the day we had to run to catch our flight to Cincinnati, there was carpet. Brand-spanking -new carpet to be more exact. Our Skytress luggage wheels gripped that carpet and refused to roll easily. We got to the gate for our flight to Cincinnati just in time to see the airplane was pushing back. At one point, flying to Cincinnati was going to get Shelly and I home quicker, since we both commuted. Now that our Cincinnati plane was on its way to Cincinnati without us, it wasn’t going to be quicker. Jennie Lou called scheduling to be placed on the next flight to Cincinnati. She got Shelly and I deviations from deadheading to Cincinnati. Shelly flew home to Norfolk from Atlanta. I flew home to St. Louis from Atlanta. To this day, I am not sure how my crew working my flight to St. Louis knew I had been on duty over 26 hours. I never told them. And I was too tired to ask them. They were kind and compassionate beyond words. When I declined their offers for a beverage and meal, they completely understood. They gave me a pillow and blanket to help me sleep. However, I was too tired to sleep. I closed my eyes and relived the trip over and over again. I was able to sleep when I got home. Later that day, my friend Mary called me. Yes! Mary from my other stories. Mary was now in payroll. She wanted to hear what happened on my trip. She said she was going to make sure Jennie Lou, Shelly and I got paid for everything we were eligible for.

I’ve heard many stories from fellow Skytresses and Skyters about long duty days. A few of them even fell through the legality crack like Jennie Lou, Shelly and I did. None of them have been on duty as long as we were though. I used to have a copy of the trip rotation. Sadly, I lost it somewhere along the way. Jennie Lou still has her copy, though. We’ve laughed about this trip for years. I’m so fortunate I was flying with Jennie Lou and Shelly. We all might have cried if we were flying with other Skytresses or Skyters. Instead we laughed for hours….after hours….after hours. Yes, our duty day story is a long story. Hopefully, for you all though….it was a fabulous-horrible Skytress story, that will keep you all laughing for a long time, too.