Saturday, April 19th, 2025

My first “official” day of work was Saturday, April 19th, 2025. I am now a Probationary Flight Attendant on reserve. During the first 6 months of your career, you are a Probationary Flight Attendant. The day before, I preferenced that I wanted to do an afternoon Airport Standby shift. I heard that Airport Standby is typically how you can get the best trips as a reserve. If a Flight Attendant is unable to work a trip at the last minute or based on operational needs, I could get called by Crew Scheduling to work that trip. I received the 6PM–10PM standby shift. This is typically when most of the international trips depart, so the chances of me getting assigned an international trip would be greater.

I waited in the crew room and never received a call from Crew Scheduling. I assumed that there was something wrong with my cell service, so I called them and asked them if there was anything that I was assigned to but did not receive any notifications. They informed me that there were no trips to give me at the moment, and they would call me if they needed to use me. Eventually, 10PM came and I went home without any calls from Crew Scheduling. I was so sad because all of my classmates were going on their first trips—some classmates were working with each other while some were working international trips.

Sunday, April 20th, 2025

I woke up early the next morning at 6:44AM on Sunday, April 20th, 2025. I checked my schedule and saw that I had a pairing on my line:

• 3-day trip to Boston with a report time of 1:55PM

  • Day 1: Houston to Boston

  • Day 2: Boston to Chicago, Chicago to Dulles, Dulles to Boston

  • Day 3: Boston to Houston.

• Purser (Lead) position

I was so excited and got ready. So many different emotions began to hit me all at once.

As a probationary flight attendant, you need to make sure that you are putting your best foot forward. You are evaluated on a different system than a tenured Flight Attendant. Essentially, while on probation, you can receive up to 4 points before termination. The number one cause of Flight Attendants not making it past their probationary period is Missed Trips and Late Reports.

I was genuinely terrified of being late, so I showed up to the airport 4 hours early. I know, I know. It was incredibly early and overly extreme. In my defense, I had no idea how long it would take for me to drive to the airport, find parking, and get through TSA. I was also scared because I heard that Houston traffic can be insane, so I had no idea if traffic would be an issue for me. Better safe than sorry, right? I then relaxed in the crew room until it was time for me to be at the gate.

Once I got to the gate, I met my crew. Three of them were Boston-based and two of us were Houston-based. I told them that I was brand new, and that this was my first ever trip. They were excited for me. Additionally, I was so nervous because this was the real deal. After 7 weeks of training, my skills are now being put to the test. Was I going to remember everything that they taught me in training? Am I even cut out for this job? Am I going to do well?

For this segment of the trip, the Boston crew was finishing up their trip. I was added as the extra for this flight, so I would be in the economy cabin. My work position was on the top of the beverage cart. I did my best to serve drinks, but my timing was an issue for me because I was new and really slow. The other Houston-based Flight Attendant was on the bottom of the beverage cart. He had 25 years of service. He was so quick with the beverage service. After finishing the service, he gave me some tips on how to make the service move faster and smoother. He also shared some stories of his past flights along with other advice to help prepare me for the future in my career.

When we landed, the other Houston-based Flight Attendant was staying at the same hotel as me. I followed him to the Hotel shuttle since I had no idea what I was even doing. When we got to the hotel, he helped me figure out a good van time to go to the airport since arriving 4 hours early is extreme. Additionally, the Boston Marathon was scheduled for the next morning, so I wanted to make sure that I would not get caught up in any of that potential traffic.

Monday, April 21st, 2025

I woke up and got ready for the 2nd day of my trip. I wished that I was able to spend more time in Boston because I wanted to explore a bit of the city. It was also incredibly special being able to have my first ever trip to Massachusetts because my grandma grew up in New Bedford.

I arrived at the airport then found my way to the gate. I then met one of the Flight Attendants I would be working with on this pairing. She was Boston-based. She told me that this trip is what they call a “triangle” because it is a 1 day trip where you start in city A and go to 2 other cities then end back in city A. She mentioned that she picked this trip up on her off days. She also said that she only wants to work turns because she did her fair share of internationals, layovers, etc. and wants to be home every night. Turns are where you work a flight to a city then turn right back around the same day and do not lay over.

Soon, the rest of the crew arrived and we were ready to begin day 2. One was Denver-based while 2 were Chicago-based. We boarded the aircraft and got everything ready for passengers to board. Now, I was going to be the Purser for the rest of the pairing. I took a deep breath, then put my best foot forward. We were now on our way to Chicago

We arrived in Chicago with a scheduled 3 hour sit. My crew and I decided to sit by the gate to wait for the aircraft. During our sit, I walked around the airport for a bit to see if I could find any special souvenirs to remember my first trip. I walked into a Hudson store and saw a variety of keychains. I then bought a keychain then headed back to the gate to rest my eyes for a bit. Then, we got the dreaded notification that our flight to Dulles was delayed.

Every 30 min, we kept getting a notification informing us that our flight to Dulles is delayed by another 30 minutes. Eventually, our 3 hour sit turned into an almost 6 hour sit. When the aircraft finally arrived at the gate, we quickly boarded and got everything ready for the few remaining passengers that stayed with the delays. Additionally, the trip fell apart due to the delay in Chicago, so now we will lay over in Dulles and go to Boston tomorrow.

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025

Now, it is day 3 of 3. We are scheduled to fly from Dulles to Boston, then Boston to Houston. We get to the airport and meet the rest of the crew. They are all Dulles-based Flight Attendants. We made our way onto the aircraft then began the flight to Boston.

It was a very smooth and easy flight. The crew in the aft of the aircraft also gave me some advice that I might need for the future. After we arrived in Boston, we had a 2 hour sit. During the sit, I ate some ramen for a quick snack. Once the plane arrived at the gate, I was ready to finish up my very first trip and go home.

This final flight went very smooth as well. The crew wanted me to help with the First Class service in the front so I could get a feel for all the various positions throughout this pairing. When the service was wrapped up, I noticed that the sun was also starting to set. Seeing the sunset from 35,000ft was such a different experience than it is on the ground. It was such a beautiful and fitting way to end the trip as well.