We have readers! Now I am absolutely sure of it… despite the fact that my mother doesn’t have a computer.
I had a flight to Istanbul. During the evening rush, our aircraft was parked at a distance, so the passengers were brought to it by bus.
I stood at the door and wished them welcome. A tricky moment cropped up when my phone rang. It was my Finnair phone, the one I use to communicate with the gate attendant and vice versa. Answering the phone and welcoming passengers at the same time, however, is rather difficult. It’s not worth nodding at a phone, because it does not offer visual contact – at least yet. But if you are speaking on the phone, I guess you simply have to welcome the passengers by nodding? It results in perspiration and a rise in heart beat. But only slightly and briefly.
There were nearly 100 passengers. Americans on a business trip from Japan via Helsinki, now heading to Turkey for a sailing holiday. I guess it’s true that Americans like a challenge, because these ones had already managed to pop into Hong Kong before visiting Japan. USA-HKG-TYO-HEL-IST! It’s exhausting just to think of it. To me, the idea of so much travelling was like a hundred press-ups. Followed perhaps by a hundred sit-ups. Respect!
Service proved to be a flight aerobics session. My work partner is an gymnastics instructor and that was pretty obvious. A brisk step, good posture and slightly sporty. I followed the series of movements using coffee pots as hand weights. I bent to the left and bent to the right. Kinetic pleasure and rising pulse. I was so much into it that in business class I clipped a customer’s serving tray. A glass or two toppled as I tried to adjust the tray to allow him to finish his meal in peace. My temperature rose. Embarrassing. I felt a drop of sweat trickle down my back. I apologised for my beginner’s blunder, saying that I wasn’t exactly new to this work.
The passenger said consolingly: “Oh yes, we know that this isn’t your first flight. In fact we almost acquaintances. We have ordered your blogs as an RSS feed to our e-mail.” His neighbour nodded in agreement.
What? I imagined how their computers bleeped on the arrival of e-mail and how on opening the messages the blogs were theirs to read.
I gave a nervous laugh. It was no longer a question of a few drops generated by my thermoregulation system. I was sweating like a river. Amazon, anyone? And, no thanks. It’s no worth sending me deodorants, antiperspirants or hormone treatments, because this was a pleasant experience. My friends inform me that such perspiration is a heightened emotional state caused by a strong sense of wellbeing, where the blood rushes in the veins and the heart beats accordingly at precisely the right rate.
A rewarding discussion followed; on the service offered in Finnair and elsewhere in the world. It was fascinating to hear genuine, honest opinions. It is important to hear them. It’s good to learn from listening. This was my effort at so-called mental training, the importance of which in raising performance level should not be underestimated.
In Istanbul I opened the aircraft door with a steady, restful pulse. Proudly I sent the men out into the world.
I then began to check the seat pockets and overhead lockers for any items that passengers may have left behind. This served as a warm-up exercise for the return flight.
Helena Kaartinen
Filed under: Service | Tagged: cabin crew, flight attendant, flying, pulse, sweat | No Comments »









