Author: Tracy Swartz
Source: RedEye

You could describe James Gordon's time as a flight attendant as a bumpy yet satisfying ride. When Gordon flew from Chicago to St. Louis on Southwest Airlines more than 14 years ago to interview for a job as a Southwest flight attendant--his first time flying Southwest--he definitely didn't see himself working on an airplane for more than one year.

"The first thing I saw were those colors," said Gordon, 43. "I thought, this looks like a flying Burger King."

Fourteen years later, Gordon's still flying with Southwest--after countless trips between Chicago and L.A., snakes on a plane, loud shirts paired with dull khakis, early wake-up calls, airport hotel stays, ginger ales, passenger medical difficulties, and the most important development: his marriage to another Southwest flight attendant.

The job "becomes a big part of your life. It becomes addictive almost," said Gordon, of Beverly. "You learn an awful lot about people."

Like Gordon, many flight attendants are lured to the profession by the opportunity to travel. Flight attendants say they stick with the job because they typically can work out their own schedule, the pay is good and the travel perks benefit them and their families.

But they also live out of suitcases away from their families and sometimes fly on two hours' notice. And since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, flight attendants deal with heightened safety concerns and increased passenger discontent. Customer satisfaction with airlines has dropped to its lowest point since 2001, according to survey results released last month by the University of Michigan.

That's why airlines and flight attendants have to work extra hard to deal with customer unrest. JetBlue, which flies out of Chicago, offers free TV at every seat. Southwest provides a different kind of entertainment: Flight attendants sing, tell jokes and sometimes play pranks to keep the mood upbeat.

Before Sept. 11 and sometimes around Halloween, smaller Southwest attendants hide in the overhead bins to surprise customers when they open up the bins to put in their luggage, Gordon said. When the passenger opened the bin, the attendant would say something like "hello, handsome."

Passengers sometimes play their own—albeit unintended--pranks on flight attendants. On one flight 10 years ago, a passenger accidentally picked up Gordon's luggage and left his own bag behind. Gordon said he didn't notice the mistake until after the passenger left. He opened up the passenger's bag and saw shirts, ties, pants, a pair of red high heels, thigh-high stockings, large frilly panties and pornography. Gordon said the passenger immediately called the airline and a luggage switch was made.

On another flight, a passenger pretended to be blind so he could sit with his dog, Gordon said. Some passengers have faked an illness or lied about a child's age to pre-board while others have smuggled on snakes (by wrapping them around their body or stuffing them under their jackets) and a ferret (which got loose on the plane).

"You pretty much see everything, anything that can possibly happen," Gordon said.

Karen Walker, who lives in the South Loop, celebrates her 20th year as an American Airlines flight attendant this month. She said she's noticed a more anxiety-filled atmosphere than when she started in the business in 1988.

Passengers constantly check out their surroundings and other passengers. Walker said she and others on the flight are more "conscientious about things you used to take for granted." Flight attendants typically face the same security requirements as passengers, though some airports have a separate security line for employees.

"It's nothing like it used to be," said Walker, 48.

Walker said she became a flight attendant because she wanted a glamorous career, and American Airlines pushed the glitz with regular grooming checks that included makeup and hair lectures that stressed moisturizer use and tying the uniform scarf a certain way.

She also was weighed each week to make sure she was maintaining her weight between 125 and 130 pounds. The major airlines dropped their weight standards, instituted because of fears that an attendant's excessive weight would affect safety procedures, after discrimination lawsuits filed by flight attendants in the early 1990s.

But conforming to the airline's beauty standards wasn't the tough part. Walker endured a grueling six-week safety and food service training program once she landed the job. The schedule also was a challenge at the beginning of her career. It got easier as she gained seniority and worked fewer on-call days and bid for her favorite routes.

Attendants typically fly 65 to 90 hours a month and usually spend another 50 hours a month performing ground work such as helping prepare flights for takeoff and landing and writing reports, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Attendants work out with each airline how long they can be on duty.

An attendant's schedule typically varies from month to month, especially if the attendant is placed on reserve. While on reserve, flight attendants know their days off but are on-call the other days. Airlines typically give on-call flight attendants between one and three hours' notice to get to an airport, and attendants may not know their destination until they arrive to work.

Walker said there are a few standard trips flight attendants staff: turnarounds (fly to the destination, then quickly fly back) and trips that last two, three and four days. Walker prefers two-day trips, and she often flies from Chicago to three separate destinations: Philadelphia, Atlanta and Houston.

On these trips, she spends the night in hotels paid for by American Airlines.

"For me, the most I want to be on an aircraft is no more than three hours," Walker said. "I like the up and down. I like to see different people."

While Walker prefers the quick trips, Gordon enjoys the three-day trips to L.A because he has enough time to sightsee. The challenge for him is working out a schedule that maximizes his time with his wife, Southwest flight attendant Kimberly Vallet.

Gordon said he met Vallet, 38, in the jetway in 2002. They worked one flight together and months later love was in the air when Gordon took Vallet to see a taping of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." They married in 2005.

Gordon said sky-high romance "happens all the time" among flight attendants and pilots.

While meeting his wife has been an upside of the job, Gordon also has experienced some downsides. Gordon said a heavy male passenger fainted in his arms during a flight and other passengers have experienced heart attacks, seizures and heat exhaustion. Typical health complaints include headaches and finger cuts.

The uniforms also can be a downer. Gordon said Southwest outfits have varied from a rugby shirt to a sport coat and slacks to a short-sleeved shirt better suited for a valet.

"It's hard to gain the respect of some of the passengers when you're trying to enforce FAA regulations when you're dressed like a caddy," Gordon said. "We're basically the entertainment."