I Love My New ‘Crew:’ Why Working With Good Crewmembers Makes Any Job Amazing

“Yes!” “Absolutely!” “Please— What can I do to help you?” “Thank you for all your hard-work.” “What do you need?” “How are you doing?” These are the questions and statements that I have been hearing on a daily basis from my new inflight management, ground-girl colleagues, and even the cabin servers (the proper name at this company for ‘corporate flight attendant’). To be around this positive and helpful energy is an aspect of the new environment that I am incredibly grateful for. It’s this sense of pride and joy during even the most mundane tasks that make the transition— from international commercial aviation to private business jet life— flow with ease.

When I say, “flow with ease,” I’m not saying the change has been easy. I have been at The Private Aviation Company for just shy of three months, and it has been a huge adjustment for me to make. I have conflicting emotions over the change; sometimes becoming lost in the short-term frustrations of “starting over” instead of focusing on the fact that I am exactly where I need to be in life (and grateful for this time). It is the women who I am “forced” to work with everyday that make going to the office enjoyable. Our group of girls genuinely like each other, and for that to be the case with women, it needs to be noted. When you work in the small confines and world of aviation, you know what a difference good people create.

The women I clock-in and clock-out with; inspire me to work harder, smile brighter, and be authentically willing to do whatever needs to be done. I’ve watched this attitude from these girls and seen it displayed by my direct management. I’ve observed this style of a happy and a hard-working spirit from most of the cabin attendants. I respect this style and value this attitude. It reminds me to check my disappointments and discouragements at the door. Not everyday I am perfect with this, but the people I am around challenge me to be a better person. 

The truth is, that when you respect those above you, around you, and below you— any work you do becomes less of a chore and more of a gift. You think, “How can I make the job more simple for that person.” I believe, as a flight attendant, that question must be naturally ingrained in the job title. As cabin crew, we should always be asking, “How can I make this person’s travel experience meaningful, memorable, and happy?” As an employee, we can play our work environments up to the tone of ‘wonderful’ when we continue to follow the mantra and ethics of, “I want to make that person’s life easier, their job more simple, their tasks less stressful.” I know I can get better at this. I know we all can get better at this.

The four women I have been constantly around for the last two months are gorgeous. Of course, right? They are going to be private flight attendants. But, the thing is about these four— they have the most beautiful souls. It’s funny, because I need to stop being surprised when pretty girls are nice. I never really thought about who I would be working with when I took this new job, and due to the nature of the work, it should have been an important point of consideration. Ground work would be truly horrible after jet-setting everywhere if the girls I worked with were catty, bitchy, or mean. Thankfully, fate shone down on me somehow and landed in a heaven full of angels (none of us are perfect, but at least we work well together).

We have our own strengths and what we are good at doing. We work on tasks together well, and yet, can independently thrive. We help each other. We listen to each other. Each one of us genuinely cares about the success of the others, and to my knowledge, this mindset and attitude is very rare amongst private cabin attendants in business aviation. Business aviation is a competitive industry; and it seems that only the very best, hardest working, and most determined make a career out of it. Sometimes, the competition creates friction, but I haven’t noticed that here. Someone once told me, “There is room for everyone at the top.” I like this.

Working with good crews has the power to create your flight attendant life. When I was working sixteen to twenty-day trips; I basically never wanted to see even my most favorite crew members after the 9th day on the plane. It was almost unbearable when I had a long  trip with a terrible crew. A do believe any job— flight attendant or not— is built or broken by those in your circle. Sometimes you can choose them and sometimes you cannot, but what you can always choose is what type of crewmember will you be in your job.

The job I am doing now is not always the most enjoyable, but the women (and men) I have had to work shoulder-to-shoulder with create a space where smiles shine on even the most rainy of days. This morning, we had to throw an impromptu business meeting “breakfast” together. The pieces fell into place not by one person, but by our team. It made me proud of us and proud to be “one of us.”

Anywhere you travel in life, you will never be able to get there alone— especially if you want to “travel up.” The jet doesn’t fly by just you. We all have our place in this plane’s puzzle. Find it; live it; and make it one where everyone is saying, “I can’t wait to be part of your crew.”