To say 2019 has been crazy and hectic would be the understatement of my lifetime. I was basically moving nonstop since around Thanksgiving when I went back to work after my foot healed. Time was flying to the point that my mom called me a few days before Christmas to say merry Christmas…and I had a mini heart attack thinking that I forgot to go home.
Then the new year came along and things started spiraling. Richie lost his job around the same time that I found out our base, the one I helped open, is closing down. It was upsetting news and we were left in the dark about anything else for a long time. When we did get news, it was always followed by flip flopping information a day or two later, making it very hard for any of us to know what was happening.
Then March came along, we had minimal information, including not knowing whether we would even be allowed transfers to other bases. And then the MAX was grounded.
My coworker and I were flying back from Dublin with a Dublin crew; the other flight leaving was also being operated by a Dublin crew. We had just made it through security when our captain got the call telling us that we had been grounded and to hang tight while they tried to bring in another aircraft from Norway or London for us to use.
So, we sat and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally we were informed that our flight was cancelled by a passenger. Making our way back to baggage claim, we had almost 400 stranded passengers trying to get information from us that we just didn’t have. Would we be getting new aircrafts? How long until the MAX could fly again? Would they be reimbursed for their tickets? Unfortunately we didn’t know. I didn’t envy the three people working the ticket counter that day.
To get the two of us back home, we ended up being sent to London for the night and then catching a flight to Boston. We ended getting back to Rhode Island about thirty hours after we were scheduled to be back.
Every day brought more and more questions. More countries were closing their airspace to the MAX before the FAA and Boeing recalled them all. Flights were cancelled left and right. We were getting no information on our already unsteady jobs.
Finally, we were told that we would be closing mid-May, as opposed to mid-September as was originally planned and we’d be considered for transfers. With the lack of communication from the company as well as their apparent disinterest in our well-beings, I made the decision to not accept a transfer.
Today marks the first day in about seven years that I don’t have a job. Tomorrow I turn 26. I’m moving in with my boyfriend’s dad at the end of the month to make ends meet quicker. But I’m trying to look up. The flight attendant chapter of my life was fun and hopefully I can get back into the industry soon with another airline. But until then, I’ll be enjoying the epic moment in my life tonight of an Eric Clapton concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Tomorrow I’ll be geeking out to Harry Potter all around London. I may not have a job right now but I think I’m living my best life still.
I’m trying to start up as a travel agent too. Why not plan other people’s trips as well as my own, right? Everyone deserves an adventure. If you want help, check out the “Quest Markers” tab up top.
I hope someone who is feeling down reads this and feels a little better. Things may be bad now but they won’t always be bad. Stories don’t end with unresolved issues, so your story isn’t over. Keep pushing.
My Life as Laur 