Ellen Simonetti was a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines for 8 years until she was fired in 2004 for posting alluring pictures of herself in her uniform on her blog, Diary of a Flight Attendant (later renamed Diary of a Human Being). Ellen's blog anonymously described her exploits as a FA, including dates from hell. But her identity was exposed once she posted her pictures. After her dismissal, Ellen fought back with a sexual discrimination suit, championed blogger's rights, and wrote a book, Diary of a Dysfunctional Flight Attendant: The Queen of Sky Blog.
So what's Ellen's latest adventure? Hiltz Squared Media Group has optioned the rights to Ellen's book and commissioned her to write the screenplay for a movie. Ellen, who is studying Radio/TV/Film at the University of Texas at Austin, recently started another blog, The Queen of Screen Blog, where she solicits reader participation in the screenwriting project. 10/08
Reporters As Flight Attendants
New York Times columnist Michelle Higgins wrote about her two day stint as an American Airline FA (Flying the Unfriendly Skies). Michelle quickly gained an appreciation for what FAs have to deal with, particularly in regards to difficult passengers. Concern about passenger behavior is well justified as evidenced by this article: Man jailed for kicking cabin crew.
Michelle's article includes quotes from veteran FAs bemoaning changes that have occurred in the profession since the more glamorous and freewheeling Coffee, Tea or Me? days. It also includes a video and a slideshow. Michelle also wrote an accompanying article (The Curriculum Is Emergencies) about her American Airlines FA school training, much of which involved learning safety procedures.
Joel Stein of Time Magazine wrote an article about his experiences as a FA with Delta Airlines (Scared of Flight Attendants? Become One). Joel's goal was to become a FA in order to overcome his fear of FAs. In his article, written in a humorous vein, Joel describes some of his methods as being "unorthodox", which is putting it mildly considering that he imbibed cocktails while moving the beverage cart down the aisle! A video about Joel's training at Delta's FA school can be seen here: What I Learned At Flight Attendant School. 9/08
Millions of men have fantasized about flight attendants. Much of it probably has to do with the sexy appeal that the airlines portrayed about FAs during less politically correct times. The instructional video below is designed to give guys a better chance of making their dreams come true. Whether or not following the advice would significantly increase the odds of landing a FA (maybe some FAs could comment on that), the lessons about general courtesy are good for everyone regardless of their intentions. 9/08
The Glamorous Days
With all of the problems associated with today's flying hell experience, it's difficult not to reminisce about what it was like when people actually enjoyed flying. Check out the links below to see vintage stewardess photos taken during more carefree times. 9/08
