Flying the Unfriendly Skies with an Airline Crew

In the movies, they always seem to swagger a bit. A hat cocked slightly to the side, shoes polished to a high shine. They move at a steady pace, never looking rushed, always relaxed and followed by a well dressed gaggle of flight attendants, all walking through a brightly lit, impeccably clean airline terminal somewhere. A hushed reverence silences the gate area when they show up, doling out a nod and a smile to the small children who point up at them, maybe a wink for the pretty girl stealing glances at them. And then as suddenly as they appeared, they are gone, disappearing down that long dark jet way. That was your flight crew, ladies and gentlemen, and that old stereotype, like Elvis, has just left the building.

In reality, there is usually a more of a concerned look on your flight crew's faces. The airplane they just flew in is more than likely parked 6.3 miles from the next plane they are scheduled to pick up and fly you to your wildly exotic destination on. They have been given just 30 minutes to get to that new plane, set it up, get flight plans ready and welcome you aboard with a smile. That swagger is quickly turning into an incredibly quick power walk bordering on a flat out sprint, with bags flailing crazily behind them. That welcome aboard drink has been replaced with a gentle admonishment to find seats quickly so an on time departure can be achieved and the crew can avoid a waltz on the company carpet when called in to explain the reason for their late departure. Things are not like they are in the movies.