In times of turmoil up in the air, we look to flight attendants for reassurance. But what happens when it’s their industry that’s in turmoil?
Flight attendant Sarah Steeger told Fodor’s what it’s like flying the not-so-friendly skies amid the throes of a global pandemic.
Crew members describe flying during coronavirus’ spread as “surreal,” “crazy” and “bananas,” she reports. Yes, they have to deal with pranksters — like the passenger who delayed an American Airlines plane for eight hours by joking about having the disease. And while there’s not much obvious panic, Steeger explains, “airports are empty at odd times of the day and everyone is nervous.”
Passengers often do wear masks, but not necessarily correctly. One pilot tells Steeger that many people “only have [the mask] covering their mouth and not their nose. Doesn’t really work well that way.”
A US flight attendant named Domenica (crew members do not reveal their last names due to airline policies on talking to media) tells Steeger that passengers are being nicer to them. But, she adds, in their haste to disinfect their seats, armrests and tray tables once onboard, they miss one major area.
“I think people forget about the overhead bins,” Domenica says, “and those I feel are one of the grossest things on the plane.”
And with confirmed cases and fatalities increasing every day, crew members realize they’re the highest-risk non-medical profession with respect to the disease. They’ve given up socializing with each other and go straight to their hotel rooms on layovers.
American Airlines employee Brian says his company and union would handle diagnoses on a case-by-case basis but that he doesn’t feel at risk: “I feel very safe flying right now.” Brian also tells Steeger that the airline “has done more than I thought they would in stating new procedures to clean planes [and] allow flight attendants to wear gloves and masks when applicable.”
Flight attendants are also at the whim of global travel restrictions, but Steeger reports that stories of stranded crew members are relatively rare. In general, crew members rarely refuse to fly to a particular destination, even if there have been a cluster of cases there — but that might indicate more that they are worried about their jobs amid the flight cancellations and route cutbacks occurring across the industry.
Some employees feel the airlines have not been doing enough to address their fears. “It would be nice to know what kind of plans they have for us if this gets out of hand,” Domenica says. Other flight attendants have taken to Facebook groups to voice their concerns, where some report the under-provisioning of gloves, ineffective hand wipes and antibacterial gel supplied just to certain destinations including Milan, Seoul and Hong Kong.
Crew members are also using social media to express solidarity during turbulent times.