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I remember when i started my flying career, i was young and innocent 19 year old and the first male cabin crew to be taken on by the small airline. So naturally all the cabin crew thought be great fun to have fun..so one particular i remember walking up and down the aisle after boarding closing overhead lockers, with the pax smiling at me. I smiled back. Thenn they would start giggling and pointing. By this time i was getting more paranoid - made sure i wasnt 'flying low' which i wasnt. This went on and on after take off until the 2 elderly MAAS called me over, and whispered i had something on my back - and lo behold there was a little yellow sticker saying
' CREW USE ONLY' - the pax just burst out laughing and the senior with them.
Only a week later again during boarding the capt cam on the pa to do his welcome speech. This was the 1st time i would be flying with this certain capt. He went on with all the usual stuff until he came to introduce the senior and myself. Except he forgot he was flying with a male no2 now and introduced us both as the 2 very attractive flight attendants in the back - then he realised his mistake and tried to backtrack...i think it was ..you had to be there to see the funny side, hehehe.
Another time was when i was made upto a senior. It was a busy friday afternoon with 6 sectors. Our a/c was late in and after a quick t/a we had closed up, with a full flight comprimising of hen parties, rugby team, some SAGA 50 - 90 holidaymakers etc on a short hop to DUB.
On a toss of the coin the no2 would read the pa whilst i would perform the demo. After aplogising for the delay etc..we went ahead with the demo. Pax were little grumpy but heyho.
All was going fine until the lifejacket - as i went to pull on the red toggles i noticed at the last minute it wasnt the usual demo jacket[ in such a rush to get away, didnt notice]
And low behold the jacket inflated, i jumped back with surprise, the no2 didnt knw what to say, pax burst out laughing, and clapping and me as red as a tomotoe laughed so much i was crying, took us all 5 minutes to get some regain composure. In the end after disembarkation in DUB the pax congratulated us all for a memorable flight getting off all smiling!
Another incident - which is bound to have happened to other crew is during boarding and checking boarding cards. I usually welcomed pax onboard, by saying afternoon sir/ gents/ madam/ladies etc.
But at times i did get it wrong - usually by welcoming a gentleman onboard only to realise at the last minute it was actually a lady - so many times that has happened - and thankfully none of the ladies heard apart from one, who got offended!
And there is always the chance during the arrival p.a you forget where you are and welcome the pax to the place they have just left or another london airport or even a airport in an entirely different country, for exmaple.......
Ladies & Gentlemen, welcome to Liverpool...i mean, dublin ..i mean manchester...sooo many times - and thats at the start of a duty!