Turbulence

Turbulence is a totally normal phenomena for the flying Crew, in fact there is no flight without a tiny bit of turbulence. The question is only when and how intense is it going to be.

But let's start from the basics. What is turbulence? It is an irregular motion of the air due to currents or even due to the motion produced by a bigger vehicle than yours (let's say you are flying on Airbus319 and you pass by Big Mama A380. It's like being on a highway on a motorcycle and passing by a truck, you get the idea, right?). 

Usually during the pre-flight briefing the flight Crew informs the Cabin Crew about the expected turbulence on route. They know the when and how intense while still on ground. That way Cabin Crew can plan the service accordingly. So most of the times they know already when it is coming, how long it is going to last and how strong it is going to be. Sometimes the route might be adjusted in-flight in order to avoid storms and possible turbulent areas. Pilots will never decide to go through an area of severe turbulence, because that can cause structural damage to the fuselage and take the plane out of control momentarily. So if that happens, it means it was unexpected. In other words it didn't show on the radars, it came out of the blue sky. And that is pretty much the only time you might experience severe turbulence, because pilots will avoid even the medium ones, while a light turbulence happens on a daily basis.

As a matter of fact, light turbulence can even be pleasant. I've heard many Crew say (including myself) that the best time for the turbulence to happen is during the in-flight rest on the long flights. It literally feels like you are cuddled to sleep! But if the bumps become too sharp turning to medium intensity, it might prevent you from sleeping. On the other side the worst timing for turbulence to happen is during the service. Spilling drinks on passengers or yourself is not fun. Neither pushing a 100kg heavy cart down the aisle against the strength of nature.

How will you know what intensity you are experiencing? If there are few bumps and your Cabin Crew continue the service and move around the cabin with nonchalance, it's probably light turbulence. If the bumps are persistent and your Crew discontinue the service and sit down themselves, that is most likely to be medium turbulence. I have never experienced the severe one, but I have colleagues who did. I also saw the effects of it, because they teach your that in the aviation academy. Something as heavy as the 100kg full cart with food, cutlery and drinks will be taken to the ceiling. Any person who is standing will fly to the ceiling. Any loose objects will hit the ceiling (and back). THAT is severe turbulence. If it happens, you'll be fully aware of it.

So why the pilots put the seatbelt sign on and then there is no turbulence?! Well first of all, unless it is unexpected and you're required to comply immediately (and you will, trust me), pilots will give you time to comply. So they will turn the seatbelt sign 5-10 minutes  before it starts, so even the people in the lavatory will have time to go back to their seat and secure themselves. Then Cabin Crew need to stay safe as well, so they first need to check on the passenger compliance and finally seat down themselves and that takes time. And finally sometimes the radars show certain intensity of turbulence which at the end turns out to be less strong than predicted. But better safe than sorry, right?

So the general rule is very simple: observe your Cabin Crew and copy paste. If they are seated with seatbelt fasten, there is a reason for it. You should do the same!

And one more tip. When you are sleeping with the blanket, fasten your seatbelt OVER the blanket, so it will be clearly visible. That way if there is turbulence during your nap, not only you'll stay safe, but Cabin Crew won't need to disturb you by waking you up to fasten your seatbelt. Because they will, it's their job. Simple as that.

Safe flights and clear skies!

Crosswind

Do you know what crosswind is? Quite intuitive, right? A wind blowing across your direction of travel. But have you ever experienced it? You know that time when you were riding your bicycle and the wind was so strong that you had to put all your effort and tend your muscles to the maximum in order to move forward? Or when you were crossing a bridge on a motorcycle and the wind seemed to move your vehicle sideways giving you the impression of being out of control?  Or maybe you felt in in a car on a highway when a truck passed by very fast and the mere size of it moved the air, therefor your car.

FedEx MD10 fighting crosswind

Well it also happens in the airplanes at the most critical stage of the flight which is take off or landing. Pilots are well trained for it, but you do need to be a good pilot to play with the wind (just saying). It is beautiful to see from outside, this elegant romantic dance between the nature and the huge metal tube with wings. Maybe not so fun to be in it during the dance, but for the Cabin Crew: we have all experienced it countless times. You do get used to it, no panic. It's part of the job. But the power of the wind...it is incredible how strong it is. These tones heavy machines seem a mere fly at the mercy of the wind, even the Big Mama (Airbus 380).

So during the landing approach when you see that the airplane is not so straight in the runway direction, but it looks like you are going to land sideways, no worries: it's a technique against the crosswind! Just keep that seatbelt tightly fastened and follow the Crew instructions, it is going to be fine!

photo credit: pdx.rollingthunder FedEx MD10 fighting crosswind via photopin (license)

Flight Attendants Uniforms

The story is old as the uniforms themselves. Just admit it: have you never been mesmerized by a person in uniform? Weather it is a policeman or a firefighter, captain of a boat or a flying pilot. Or maybe you have a thing for nurses and flight attendants. We must have learned it from the films or... uniform just gives that sense of authority and reverence at first glance, but it's up to you to keep it up afterwards.

Virgin American

In any case uniforms are super cool! Especially for those like me who hate to think about how to dress every morning. It's there, it's ready, that's not the reason you're gonna be late. Of course it is a bonus if the uniform is attractive and nicely fitting, then you'll never get bored of it. Also everyone looks kind of the same, so working environment has one less gossip on the plate.

Air France

Air Berlin

Uniforms represent the style and image of the company and even though the saying is "do not judge the monk by his habit", you will surely get one first impression just by the looks of it.

It is important that the uniform is of the best quality because you will be wearing it all the time  and for long hours. Stylish, comfortable, practical and resistant, not necessarily in the same order.

It has to be resistant because on board wear and tear effect happens really fast. After all you're not sitting in a chair or slowly walking around. Most of the time your running around in a rush, bending down, tip toeing, squeezing and sweating around. 

Practical uniform is designed to help in what you need to do. So for example, even though I love the design of the Korean Air uniform, that color must be awfully unpractical for a Cabin Crew job, getting dirty constantly. As it is wearing slippers at all times like in Singapore Airlines (it is already cold enough with ballerinas!).

You will spend countless hours in it, under abnormal conditions for the human body (pressure and altitude), maybe sometimes sleep with parts of it. So it has to be comfortable to wear. It's basically your second skin!

Finally about fashion...Yes, it is relevant, probably for both the Crew and the passengers. But it surely isn't the first thing to take into consideration. For instance in such a narrow aisles that we find ourselves to work in nowadays, passengers eyes cannot even get to see the shoes you are wearing. So why impose ridiculous standards about high heel shoes and brands. If safety is #1 priority, then the shoes should be comfortable and practical, first of all. Or make up and nail shades, hair style standards etc. There should be some general guidelines and a lot of common sense, but that's all. Everything beyond is nonsense. 

Emirates Airlines

On board less accessories the better. I know that once upon a time in some airlines Crew used to be modeling on board, walking long that aisle like on a catwalk. But that was glamorous era when they had plenty of time to do so and the whole concept of flying was different: more elegant, exclusive and luxurious. My generation can only dream about the good old times. What to do!

Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways

Alitalia

Turkish Airways

Speaking of the good old, it is interesting to take a glance into the vintage uniforms! Oh my, oh my!

From the very beginning
there were strict standards about
the Crew uniform

First uniforms were very much 
army like and that is because
Crew used to be primarily
nurses working hand in hand
with soldiers

In the '70s Crew uniforms followed the fashion of freedom in the hippies era

Flight Attendants are the face of the airline indeed. Soooo...
Happy Crew, happy passengers! Old golden rule 

My favorite pose: looks like it's evergreen!

Good bye, au revoir, auf Wiedersehen, arrivederci, hasta luego!

About a tattoo

There are a lot of mixed feelings about tattoos among my acquaintances and especially among the Crew.

Well just to start with Cabin Crew should generally go careful with tattoos, but that doesn't mean it is not allowed having them at all. It is not allowed having them visible in uniform. That means that I have seen colleagues all covered in genuine tattoos at the pool during the layover and couldn't even imagine there were so many, because in uniform you could see none. 

This is the question that every airline will ask you at the recruitment day because their image depend on your appearance, so it is important for them to know how you present yourself. After all you will become the brand ambassador, right? How to answer? Just be honest, they will discover the truth later on during the initial week of training anyway: that is when you will have all the medical checks.

I have declared mine straight away at both airlines I have worked for and got recruited at the first shot in both cases. Because they are not visible in uniform. I know there are some extremely strict airlines that would allow none even in those spots of your body that never see the light of the day, but that is too extreme for me: if rules are so silly for such a secondary matter, how are you gonna be treated on more serous questions, starting from your own freedom of movement?! Thanks, but no thanks.

In my opinion a tattoo is a normal human behavior that is old as the human race and it is found in many different civilizations in history. Having them today doesn't mean we are less civilized (than those who are against it). It's about esthetics (both for the supporters and opposed). There is some kind of sex appeal to it, some primal instinct of attraction. But beware: once you start, you will want to go on and on! 

Bottom line, when you decide to go for a tattoo: 

• think not twice, but multiple times over a long period of time. Before doing my first, I taught about it for 2 years (ok, that's also because I was in high school, my mother didn't want me to have it and I didn't have enough money. So I had to wait to go out of home and earn for it). 

• You want something significant that you will never get bored of. Because it is going to stay with you for the rest of your life. Don't even start talking about the laser, I don't conceive that in my universe. What's the point of deleting (and paying for it, even though you're gonna be left with the scar) something from your body that you put it there yourself in a first place?! If you are not sure DO NOT DO IT. But you do want a story behind the tattoo, something that made you passionate about it and will make the others understand or like it too.

• Then I have a golden rule about the tattoos: NO numbers, NO names, NO zodiac, NO family/pet portraits (you have a photo album for that). And nothing dedicated to someone else. It is your body, you should do it just for yourself. This way you will avoid unpredictable future endless possibilities, but regretting won't be one of them.

• Choose the spot by imagining yourself in a business attire. Whatever is covered can be your playground. This way your personal passion will never close any doors for your professional future. In your current job tattoos might be allowed, but you never know where you will end up in life and you don't want to miss some fantastic opportunities just because you have a tattoo! Why business attire? Because 90% of the office jobs will require you to dress in the similar way (that includes Cabin Crew job) and for girls, please take into consideration skirt rather then pants (its easy to cover more, but tattoos on legs mean no skirt and that is a closed door).

Luckily enough I subconsciously followed all these rules from the very beginning, but now that I have observed over the years some mistakes from friends and colleagues, it is like set in stone for me. I might get curious to see what ridiculous tattoos can people invent by watching an episode of "How far is tattoo far", but that is pretty much against all my rules about tattoos. What on earth do that people think about?! Is it for a moment of glory on TV? I will never understand. Anyways... Even though BLINDSPOT is one of my favorite shows and I do think that Jaimie Alexander aka Jane Doe is extremely sexy with all those tattoos, well...that's fiction. And a very fantastic one!

I have asked myself often how will it all look when I get old (insha'Allah)?! And then I remembered...at least 50% of my generation have tattoos as well, so when WE get old, it will be normal for grannies to have tattoos. Simple as that! 😅

Do you like tattoos? Tell me about the meaning behind yours!

VOLARE ✈️

 Oggi quando sentiamo il verbo "volare", si pensa subito agli aerei, ai viaggi di piacere. 

Alle vacanze ad agosto in una spiaggia desolata con i piedi adaggiati su quella sabbia morbidissima che scotta un pò, ma va bene così. Tanto basta una corsetta fino all'acqua e un bel tuffo nel mare cristallino e poi nuove avventure: ma quanti pesci!!! E il colore dei coralli che si muovono con le correnti? Qualcuno mi porti un bel cocktail e sto da Dio.

Oppure sei un tipo invernale, preferisci il freddo e allora montagne, alte altissime con le vette innevate, anche d'estate! C'è tanto da camminare, ma lo scenario che si presenta sotto gli occhi increduli ne vale la pena mille volte. Lo sa bene l'alpinista sudtirolese Reinhold Messner che la montagna ce l'aveva nel cuore, sopratutto la Nanga Parbat.

Oppure sei un businessman che prende l'aereo tanto spesso quanto le assistenti di volo stesse? Allora forse VOLARE non ti fa sognare tanto. Sei più con i piedi per terra, in fondo concentrato sul tuo lavoro. Almeno viaggi in business, dai. Avrai tutta l'attenzione delle hostess e il cibo un pochino meglio di quelli dell'economica. Ma il punto più importante è la sedia che si abbassa a 180° fino a diventare un  vero e proprio letto. E ci dormi come un bambino!

Ma gli aerei? Ci piacciono poi? Si, ti fanno arrivare ovunque in un battibaleno, ma ci piace viaggiare in aereo? Personalmente non ne sono una fan e viaggiare in confortevole business è l'unica ragione che giustifica il mezzo, oltre al panorama diurno che mi piace osservare dall'oblò. 

L'azzuro dei mari che dai 40.000 piedi sembrano sembre piatti e tranquilli. Le isolette di più svariate forme che io so puntualmente identificare (infatti mi piace il cloud watching perchè identifico sempre un qualcosa in quelle strane forme, io vedo!). Un pò di agitazione quando si vola tra le montagne altissime, come se ci fosse il rischio di grattarle. Ma pur sempre affascinanti quelle forme storiche millenarie. Oppure le città: quanto è bello capire la pianta di un paesino guardandolo dall'alto? E riconoscerne le bellezze architettoniche o magari anche la nostra casa!

Ma il momento è importante, certo. L'alba o il tramonto. I momenti cruciali quando le stelle si salutano e si danno cambio. Quell'arcobaleno di sfumature meravigliose che si riflettono nei nostri occhi e baciano il nostro viso. Quello lì è l'amore puro. Ho sentito una frase in un  telefilm molto popolare che mi è piaciuta tanto: l'amore è quello che ti fa vedere il mondo con colori diversi. Embè ecco che la natura, due volte al giorno, ci regala quella bellezza di colori diversi. Se impariamo a vederla, ad apprezzarla, a dedicargli tempo ogni volta che è possibile, ecco che quel tempo prezioso della nostra vita acquisirà senso e guardando indietro avremo negli occhi quelle immagini di profonda pace e gioia. I nostri occhi saranno come quell'emoticon di occhi stellati 🤩

Vi ho fatto volare un pò? Esatto, stavolta non intendo con l'aereo, ma con la fantasia! Perchè il volo ce lo devi avere dentro. Il vero viaggio è nella mente. Uno spirito libero. Con la fantasia (e la parola in bocca) arrivi in capo al mondo. A volte ti puoi sentire solo in mezzo a migliaia di persone a Shanghai, annoiato nel biancore delle Maldive oppure triste al Disneyland di Parigi. Perchè è tutto nella tua testa. Il tuo mindset come si suol dire in inglese. Allora impara a volare! E' un lavoro arduo, specialmente per chi non ha avuto nell'infanzia degli esempi e stimoli in direzione giusta. Ma niente è scolpito nella pietra. Sei il padrone di te stesso e del tuo presente. Impara a volare. VOLA!