'Beyond Belief' Book Excerpt

I work as a flight attendant, and was interested in the piece about the Aeroflot flight attendant giving the finger to her customers. It made me laugh, as we've all felt like doing that to one or other passenger over the years. I think most of us can relate. It's a tough job, dealing with 300 different personalities for 8-16 hours, all the while situated together in an airless tube. The picture of the smelly feet on the armrest is minor, compared to most other types of abuse airline crews sustain. Any one of us, who has worked in that profession for 30+ years, recognizes that it's the tip of the iceberg where passenger behaviour is concerned. I started out with a charter company, where the favourite pastime for our passengers, was to get completely stinking drunk and projectile all over the cabin. The working environment was so stressful, I felt forced to take a leave after 5 years. Any one of us could write volumes on what that career really entails. Perhaps you should invite a flight attendant into your studio, for the real dirt, instead of those who make pronouncements about what they ASSUME the job involves, not having ever worked at it. The behaviour and attitudes on the part of flight attendants, that some may find rude and offensive, pales in comparison to that of the worst type of passenger. Don't misunderstand, I say "worst", meaning just that. Most customers are reasonable, polite, normal people. And it's that we keep smiling, despite the grueling working conditions, which is a testament to our superhuman capabilities. I call them "superhuman", because most humans I know, wouldn't put up with staying up all night, flying through energy-sucking turbulence, picking up vomit bags, pulling 300-lb. trolleys backwards and dealing with hundreds of individual concerns and complaints with a smile on their face. It's almost impossible, and conspires to wipe the smile right off of your face, but because we manage to do just that, smile, it makes us, in my view, superhuman. We are diplomats, psychologists, babysitters, emergency medical workers and firefighters, and, lastly, food service workers. Additionally, many flight attendants hold down other jobs and careers, to which they go after flying a 15-hour flight in from Hong Kong. They are among the most talented, smartest people I know. Plus, they have boundless stamina. And that is why I'm proud of what I and my colleagues accomplish, every time we go to work, and what we call our career.