The Age Of #Aquarius ...On The # "Seven Oh Seven" …

@TheAirPro                                        BLOG  (3)                                                         6/3/2012

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The Age Of #Aquarius … On The # "Seven Oh Seven" …

The emotional impact of having graduated in a job which, at the Age Of Aquarius, was considered glamorous and excitingly adventurous by most people, envy for women and lust for men, for me…it was a huge achievement! I felt like a Young Star as I could see the furtive glances of an admiring but unknown crowd of people, each time I entered the futuristic TWA Terminal (T5), at New York City’s JFK Airport.

Yes, my friends, not only had I made it alone, but as a foreigner, a compatriot of Brigitte Bardot and now working as an International Airline Hostess for an American company, one of the two largest airlines in the world, I had great reasons to be proud !

This was the dawn of yet another hot summer for the Northern hemisphere. It would mean hard work but I didn’t know how much, as fresh and naive as I was, new at the job with my gold wings shining for the whole world to see!

I was certified as crew member on the 707 (commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven").

Although my ability to speak several languages (already then) placed me automatically to work the international flights and based in New-York…I still had one final test to take to be “confirmed “100% .

My performance in the cabin to be observed and rated by a supervisor which was the Flight Purser who would in turn report to base.

My very first assignment was on a New-York- Rome flight, full loaded 707 (140 passengers) 8 hours non-stop!  Leaving JFK at 06:00PM (EST), work during the night and land in Rome/FCO as the skies were lighting up to their new day!

Times have thankfully changed.

Both on the ground and up there, in the air.

At the time, we had to make do with the cabin equipment that was available to serve our passengers.

On the 707, there were Two Classes of service. Coach and First Class.

129 passengers in Coach (3 on each side) and 12  (2 on each side) in First Class.

In the cockpit, the Captain and First Officer on his right and the Flight Engineer sitting right behind the First Officer and manoeuvring the technical aspects of the aircraft.

In the cabin, the Purser was responsible for both cabins and on all levels…and report directly to the Captain.

The chain of command was highly respected and flight routines were followed with great care after hard training!

Here were my colleagues:

In First Class, one hostess working the galley, one the cabin.

In coach, one in the galley and two in the cabin.

Two lavatories in the aft and one in the front .

Only  a pre-assigned knock (to be amended for each flight/crew) is to grant access to the cockpit.

But… now … just sit back… close your eyes and envision the prospects of being totally crammed in a middle seat, lacking the basics for human comfort,  on a 8 hours flight in an aircraft where smoking is allowed, the temperature is too high, babies are crying their desperation for sleep and your neighbour is getting drunk…

While… I….. am running a sweaty marathon…above the Atlantic …sitting on a  jump seat for a  well-deserved five minutes break.…and  not thinking or having heard yet about the Mile High Club…until much later…

What did you expect? I was just a rookie so working my butt off is what I was really doing then and pretty good at it as well.

Have An Awesomely “Relaxing “  Flight !