I was caught in a traffic jam on my way to the airport to work a flight from Kennedy airport in N.Y. to Miami, Florida. The last thing I needed was to be stuck on the Van Wyck Expressway en route to the airport. "Conus Airlines" frowned upon it's flight attendants being tardy and my time limit was quickly running out. Traffic finally started to move and I soon found myself driving around Federal Circle just shy of the airport and my hangar at Conus.
I arrived with ten minutes to spare and just in time to board the 727-100 I was scheduled to fly and prepare the aircraft for passengers. I was informed that we had a full flight, meaning 130 passengers. The crew included 2 more flight attendants besides myself, the Captain, First Officer, and the Flight Engineer. The cockpit crew was already aboard when I arrived, and as the senior attendant, I approached the flight deck door to see who indeed would honor us as our fearless leader during this flight. I knocked twice and pushed the door opened. I was amazed to see Captain "Rich" sitting at the helm.
Captain Rich and I were involved in a torrid love relationship the previous summer in Miami. He was handsome and he knew it. Problem was, all the other female flight attendants knew it too. Rich had a wondering eye for a pretty face and shapely figure and indulged himself in occasional trysts with various female Conus flight attendants, and that was the cause of his divorce a few years earlier and the reason for our breakup the previous summer. I had not seen him for quite sometime and requested a different schedule when we broke up to avoid seeing him in the exact work situation that I was facing this day. He had apparently been on call because the pilot scheduled for this flight, was down for the count with the flu.
He turned to look at me and our eyes met. It was obvious we still had feelings for one another but both of us knew we had to maintain decorum and professional ethics while working. With this in mind I said "good afternoon captain". He said "hello Barbara. It's nice to see you again." I said "thank you, it's nice to see you too. May I get you some coffee?" He stared at me for a brief moment then told me that "yes he would like some coffee" and I responded by saying "cream no sugar, right?" He smiled back and said "yes, you remembered." I responded by saying "yes, I remember". I looked at Don the First Officer and Brad the Flight Engineer and asked if they would also like some coffee as they worked through their pre flight check.
Rich knew ahead of time that I was scheduled for this flight. He liked surprises and boy oh boy, this definitely surprised me.
I stepped from the flight deck and into the galley. I closed my eyes and thought "Oh my God, how am I going to get through this flight with this man that I still loved, flying this plane?" Somehow I had to keep my professionalism in tact and do my job with a clear head. I can do this. I have to do this. After all it was only a 3 hour non-stop flight.
I poured the coffee and returned to the cockpit. Rich was busy with his pre flight check, so I handed Don and Brad their coffee first. Rich turned to me and extended his hand to take his coffee. As he did so, he touched my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I looked into his blue eyes and saw once again the man I was so deeply in love with, am in love with, and will be in love with for the rest of my life, and the same man that professed to be deeply in love with me the previous summer. I smiled, looked down, and softly pulled my hand from his.
I returned to the galley and took a deep breath and prepared to greet boarding passengers.
I was to handle the first class section and Linda and Nancy in coach. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to safely board passengers and stow carry-on baggage, that is if all goes well, and all did go well. The overhead bins were checked to insure all baggage was properly stowed, the bins were locked and all passengers seated. Once that was done I prepared for the start of the FAA in-flight briefing over the intercom. Of course with every flight 90% of the passengers never pay attention and then God forbid there were an emergency, the flight crew's job intensifies because of hysterical passengers that insist they do not know what to do.
The 727-100 we would fly is a medium range narrow body airliner with a capacity of holding 28 passengers in premium class and about 103 max for coach. This breaks down to 3 seats on either side of the craft in coach, and 7 rows in premium class with 2 passengers sitting abreast on either side with a max capacity of about 131.
Seat belts were checked, the doors were locked, and as we disembarked from the gate area, I started my safety briefing. "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome aboard Conus Airlines. Please feel free to follow along with me in your safety manual located in the pocket of the seat in front of you, as I introduce you to the Boeing 727-100 airliner and it's features, designed for your safety and comfort."
As I glanced around I can see and hear people talking and having conversations. People even trying to talk louder than I, and not respecting the fact that not only do I have to do my job, but not thinking at all that this could mean life or death in a given situation.