I got tagged by daily: 3-day red eye to PHX. Yay! I saw a dear friend who transferred from CLT to PHX, AND I got to visit with a couple I haven’t seen since moving away from ABQ in 2007! They are now both flight attendants with Southwest Airlines and live in PHX! I love being able to visit old and new friends on my layovers!
I was the extra (K) position, and flew with great crews. I always introduce myself to the flight deck (pilots which are the Captain and First Officer), and one FO said, “Oh, the loser position!” 🙂 OK, good one – as we are without a crew, have our own pairings going from plane to plane, and go to and from hotels by ourselves. I even had great pax, one of which gave us a pack of delicious chocolate truffles, and upon deplaning, a man told me to make sure the FA in the back hands out his special chapstick to all the FAs and to “not shirk us on our gifts!” 🙂
One leg was a 45-minute flight. This means 5 minutes to 10,000 feet. 2 dings signal it’s safe to get up and perform our duties. 20 minutes are needed for landing preparation. This leaves 20 minutes to serve an entire coach cabin of 171, and we start from the beginning at row 5.
Me: Would you like something to drink?
Pax: What do you have?
(Please understand that there are 160+ pax behind you with only 18 minutes left. I don’t have time to go over the entire beverage selection.)
Me: “NOT A LOT OF TIME!” (Of course I didn’t say it, but was thinking it… However, I was smiling and being positive!) What are you in the mood for? Chances are we’ve got it!
Pax: Root beer?
Me: I’m sorry, how about a Dr. Pepper?
Pax: No, Mello Yellow?
Me: Sierra Mist?? I can add a splash of orange juice!
Pax: No, pineapple juice?
(Seriously?! STRIKE THREE!)
Me: Well, my pax have always gotten what they wanted on the first or second try. I said that chances are we’ve got it, but I didn’t say the chances were high…
Everybody laughed as he enjoyed his Coke!
I clearly did not have time to eat on the plane, and I always pack various containers just in case. I usually include one aluminum, one glass, and one plastic container. Glass is incredibly easy to clean and is microwavable without melting, unlike plastic. Here is one of my favorite spaghetti recipes. Be sure and cut the noodles with scissors into bite-sized pieces as it’s MUCH easier to eat while traveling and not as messy.
Ingredients:
1 large jar of Prego traditional sauce
2 packs of Italian sausage (one mild, one hot)
1 box angel hair pasta
6 cloves minced garlic
Various herbs from garden – about 5 stems, trim leaves for cooking
Directions:
Cook pasta in boiling water. While the pasta cooks, cut the coating off the sausages and cook them in a large skillet until very browned. Add the garlic and herbs and cook additional 2 minutes. Add the sauce and stir until heated. I don’t drain the juice from the sausage because I think the grease helps it taste better upon reheating.
This quantity will produce 10 meals in various containers. Divide the noodles into all containers, then top with sauce. Upon cooling down, top with lids and use heavy aluminum foil on the mini loaf-pans. Be sure to label your meals before storing them in the freezer. Use the meals as ice blocks to help keep your lunchbox items cold until thawed enough to cook. Bon appetit at 35,000 feet!
Crew Chew 