New uniforms for the Northwest flight attendants

by Grant Martin on

Earlier this week, Northwest hosted a fashion show in their Detroit World Gateway to show off the new uniforms they’re unrolling. I asked any Gadlingers passing through to snap a couple of photos and in one way or another (thanks Dan), some came through.

In the interest of self preservation as a member of the media and Northwest Airlines‘ frequent flyer program, I’ll refrain from commenting on the uniforms, but I’m interested to see what Gadlingers and AOL readers think of the change.

If you look at some of the other photos in the set, you’ll see a timeline of flight attendant uniforms through NWA’s history; it’s interesting to look at some of the older uniforms and see how they changed over time.

Do You Have What it Takes to be a Flight Attendant?

by Martha Edwards on

When I was growing up, I had high career aspirations — literally. I wanted nothing more than to be a flight attendant. With my dad being a pilot, flying was always highly exalted around our house and I found that, like him, I was happiest in the air. I don’t know why I never considered being a pilot … something in the child version of myself would rather pour drinks in the air than be at the helm. And all these years later, I still get a hankering for a career change as the excitement of take-off gets the best of me. Not to mention the lure of free flights.

Most people think that being a flight attendant is the cushiest job in the world, but I beg to differ. I have several friends who work for Westjet, and while they like the travel perks and flexibility of the job, their jobs aren’t all sunshine and roses — for one, they have to clean the plane after every flight and I’ll spare you the details but let’s just say it’s not pretty. They also spend countless hours in safety training and are tested every year — with the promise of dismissal if they fail. Sounds harsh, but it sure makes me feel safe. Then there’s the lack of a normal schedule, the chance of working every holiday — it’s definitely a trade-off.

Still interested? Here’s an insider’s look into the job from Fly Away Cafe.

Soap Opera in the Air

by Iva Skoch on

We’ve heard from pilots about life in the sky (Ask the Pilot), but here’s a book from the perspective of ground-staff personnel: Imogen Edwards-Jones’ Air Babylon.

The first thing to know is that this is fictionalized. She writes with the help of several anonymous sources, then piles all their different, but true, stories together in a fanciful “expose” of the airport business.

It’s pretty entertaining, and pretty scary, since it describes a fictional 24-hours-in-the-life of a ground crew at a London airport, working for a make-believe, mid-sized international carrier.

Essentially, she’s packed all these bad events together into a single day of hell. You’ve got passengers dying of heart attacks during long trips (and what do they do with the bodies??), you’ve got snakes on the plane, you’ve got contraband in luggage, drunk flight attendants, unruly passengers, asylum-seekers, boy bands, and, of course, sex.

True or not, exaggerated or not, it’s entertaining.