757 Fitness Training

Earlier this week, I worked a flight from Seattle to Washington. It's a long flight--5 hours-ish. And, I was originally scheduled to deadhead (that is, ride as a passenger, being repositioned by the company.) I was relieved to receive a phone call 10 minutes before my alarm clock was set to go off...it was the Crew Desk. I had been rescheduled to work that flight instead of deadheading.

Most Flight Attendants would love to deadhead--getting paid to sleep, read, nap, etc. every now and then is really, really nice. But, sitting for five hours is not my thing...especially since the flight was full, and I would have probably ended up with a middle seat. AAA-ACK!! (First Class was full, too....) So, I was happy to work it!

About 2 hours into it, a lady came back to our 757 galley and started doing calisthenics. Working out. Exercising. Cardio. Strength training. Pilates, yoga...you name it, she did it. She started with the hand/arm shake--where one wildly flings hands in front of one's body. Then the tippy-toe lifts--up, down, up, down. This was followed by deep-knee bends, squats, and forward bends. Trunk twists and upright push-ups from against the jumpseat wall. She started doing a little jogging in place....I was able to go through the cabin and do two (albeit quick) services of water and coffee, and she continued her work out. As I was heading forward the second time, coffee in hand, she commented that she was really getting her heart rate up! Oh, um...okay...I just didn't know what to say, so I nodded affirmatively and smiled as I walked away.

Other passengers were having to work around her to enter the lavatory. Mind you, the lady is working out in a 3 x 3 space, which is in front of our jumpseat, beside the 3L door, and in front of the lav door. It is impossibly small and congested there. She didn't seem to mind the intrusions to her workout...in fact, she was very social and spoke with almost everyone that came back to my little teeny galley.


See this small space? This is an Airbus galley...but, it is about the same size as the 757 galley. See that jumpseat in the foreground? In front of it is about 3 feet of space and then the lavatory. This is where she did her workout.




Seriously, after more than 30 minutes of Jack Lalanne-ing in my galley, it was time to go. I totally understand the need to get up and get moving while one is on an airplane, especially for that long. I encourage it. Come back to the galley, chat a few minutes, do a few stretches, walk the aisle if you want. I'm with you, I understand. But, this lady was over the top and impeding everyone's entrance and exit into the lavatory. I had to stop her! But, I wasn't sure how to do it. "Ma'am, you have to go now?" Would that work and not offend her?

I had a better idea. I started counting the liquor inventory. And Buy Onboard snack boxes. (Well, I am responsible for them, and did need to get an ending inventory count!) So, I started pulling out the massive galley carts. Pulling them out of their housing and turning them around in this tight space so I could count the inventory on the other side of the cart, too. By the time I pulled out the second cart, she realized there just wasn't room enough for all of us back there. (All of us being her, me, the cart, the #3 Flight Attendant who had come back from a break, and the people in line trying to get to the lav.)

A bit passive-aggressive on my part--but, with a few beads of sweat on her forehead and across the bridge of her nose, she had, indeed, gotten her heart rate up. And now it was time for her to sit! And me to count. And we did.