In Conversation With Flight Attendant Heather Poole

Heather Poole
Flight Attendant
Heather Poole

Heather is a flight attendant for a major US carrier. She’s the author of The New York Times bestseller Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet, and also writes for Mashable.

FAST FACTS
Location: LAX
Now reading: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami
The future of flight will be: Packed
Favorite hotel: Hotel Villa Rosa (Positano, Italy)
Favorite aircraft: B767
Brand of suitcase: Travelpro
Paper or electronic boarding pass: Paper
Seatback or PED: Both
Favorite social network: Twitter

Did you choose the airline industry or did it choose you?
I think my mom chose it for me. “You can always apply to an airline” was her go-to answer whenever anything went wrong in my life. If I broke up with a boyfriend, there’d be an ad for flight attendants circled in red on my bed. My mother always wanted to be a flight attendant, but she didn’t think she could do it with young kids at home.

“That’s kind of the great thing about the job: Just when you think you’ve seen it all, something else happens.”

But because she would drive me crazy about it, I thought being a flight attendant was the last thing I wanted to do. In college, I was thinking marketing. Then one day I quit my (non-marketing) job and decided to go for it. The plan was to figure out what I wanted to do with my life while I worked for an airline for a few months traveling and meeting new people. I wanted to do something people would respect. Well, 20 years later…   

Here’s something funny: My mom actually started flying two years after I did. I pinned her wings on her at her graduation. We were one of the first mother-daughter duos at my airline, and maybe the first mother-daughter duo where the daughter was the more senior flight attendant. She retired two years ago.

Every job has a cool factor. What’s yours?
In the beginning, it was all about seeing the world – and all those days off. Now, as a mother of a nine-year-old, it’s all about the flexibility – and all those days off. What it’s not about is the pay.

Something that never ceases to amaze you in your industry?
That’s kind of the great thing about the job: Just when you think you’ve seen it all, something else happens. Like the time a passenger called me over to complain about the passenger in front of him who had reclined his seat. I had to point out that his own seat was reclined. And then there was the lady who got all bent out of shape because her tray table wouldn’t go down. When I suggested she remove the ginormous fanny pack around her waist, she looked at me like I was the crazy one! Last week, I saw a photo of an emotional-support turkey on a flight.

How has social media changed your job?
Social media has totally changed my job. It’s a great way to stay connected to family and friends and know what’s going on in the world at all times. I’m totally addicted to it, more than most people.

What is the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you at work?
I met my husband on a flight. I noticed his sandwich as I pulled the meal cart to the front of business class. It looked really good. I said something to him about it and he offered me half. Right away he stood out. He was a man with a plan. A man who knew how to take care of himself – even in business class! We were engaged eight months later.

What’s the one item you can’t travel without?
As a passenger, I can’t travel without something to read. There’s no better place to read than on a plane. That, and headphones, in case I get stuck next to a chatty seatmate. As a flight attendant, I can’t travel without Starbucks instant coffee. I also always make sure to have cold medicine in my bag, just in case I feel something coming on. Blocked ears are painful.

What do you miss most about home when you’re traveling?
Let’s just say nothing makes you appreciate home more than travel. At the same time, I think I’d go crazy if travel wasn’t such a big part of my life.

If you could give passengers three tips, they would be…
One: Wear a sweater or hoodie. Planes are like movie theaters, always cold, even in the summer. Two: Wear running shoes in case you have to sprint from the hotel bar to the gate. Flip-flops and heels will only slow you down. Three: Calories don’t count at the airport.