For flight attendants, it's being on reserve.
I talked about what being on reserve is like in this post, but essentially what you are is an on call flight attendant. When someone calls out sick or a crew is stuck elsewhere or a flight is understaffed, that is where a reserve comes in. Reserves keep the operation going. The pay and schedule as a reserve can be terrible, but thankfully it doesn't last forever.
What every reserve looks forward to is getting a line. A line is a schedule with trips (instead of blocks of reserve days) that you can swap and drop to your liking. Having a line is life changing. Having the flexibility to change your schedule and work the trips with the layovers that you actually want and not having to worry about scheduling calling you is what every reserves dreams are made of.
So when I got a line for the month of September, I was determined to make the most of it. Not just for the hours, but for the layovers. With the weather still warm in most places, I wanted to see as many places as I could, even if it was just for a few hours at a time. Who knows when I'd get the opportunity again? (ETA: I ended up back on reserve in October.)
Salt Lake City
One of the great things about my job is being able to explore and see new parts of the US. My first layover for the month was a 16 hour layover in Salt Lake City. Since we got in around Midnight SLC time, (3 am NY), it was the perfect amount of time for us (me and my crew) to sleep in a little late, but also have time to explore.
Recommended by the front desk, we started the day with breakfast at The Rose Establishment. It was a really nice laid-back coffeehouse with an exceptional breakfast. I had a quiche and a lavender earl grey latte with the most perfect foam ever. (That sounds pretentious but it was!)
After breakfast, we made our way to Temple Square. It's hard to describe Temple Square without using words like "wow," beautiful," and "breathtaking." From the gardens to the architecture, Temple Square is just filled with beauty and for one more adjective, enchantment. We had no time for a tour, but we did get a brief history from a Sister Gunther and watched the organ rehearsal.
With just a few hours till our report time, we made our way over to the Utah State Capitol building. The Capitol is open to the public and visitors have the option to do a tour or browse on their own. Given our time (and our desire to take a nap before our flight) we opted to browse on our own, learning about Utah's rich history and involvement in the development of the West and modern day pop culture.
Austin
Like Salt Lake City, Austin is a new city I have been able to visit and explore thanks to work. This was my second layover there and a short and sweet one at that: arrive at 2 am Sunday morning from Long Beach, leave later that afternoon. Our day didn't leave us with much time to do much, so we went to brunch at Emmer & Rye, walked around Rainey Street and along Lady Bird Lake. As much as we wanted to stay, duty called.
When we arrived to the airport, we found out that a mechanical issue with the plane caused our flight to be delayed and then ultimately cancelled a few hours later. With no other flights going out for the evening, it was back to the hotel for the night. We would now be in Austin for an extra 24 hours!
Now before things get misconstrued, cancelled flights suck for everyone, crew and customers. But I can say as a passenger and a flight attendant, I have definitely had cancelled flights that have oddly worked in my favor. This was one of those times.
Since we wouldn't have to work the flight the next day, the entire crew (flight attendants and pilots) set out for the night. What is more Austin than BBQ for dinner and dancing the night away on Sixth Street? This was THE. BEST. LAYOVER. EVER.
Long Beach
Long Beach will always be one of my favorite layovers. This long layover was perfect for my solo birthday, on which I finally had the chance to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific, a must visit when in Long Beach. I had so much fun learning and walking around the exhibits of the sea life that inhabit the Pacific Ocean. It is truly spectacular.
Bermuda
Some layovers are typically only held by senior flight attendants and Bermuda is one of them. Most of the layovers are short, and arrive/depart at times where you can't really see or do much. This layover though? 18 hours long with a 10 am arrival. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that it was being dropped by another flight attendant. I picked it up right away.
The day started out clear when we deplaned. By the time we got to the hotel, that all changed. Torrential downpours and winds whipped the palm trees as remnants of Hurricane Jose went past the island. We didn't want to let the rain ruin our day, so we ventured out anyway, bathing suits in tow, just in case. We had lunch on the beach and were treated to Bermuda's signature drink, the Rum Swizzle, by the bartender. I was working with two of the most senior flight attendants in the company and they were some of the most incredible women I have ever met.
Later in the day, we were joined by some friends of one of my crew members who then took us all around the island. I have visited Bermuda many times on cruises, but to experience it this way on such a personal level truly made it a layover I will never forget.
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