Why I Fly

Written and contributed by F/A Kimberly Siao

Photo from Gary Sato

The classic and famous quote, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” by Confucius hangs on the office walls as a visual reminder before I head out for a flight. I couldn’t agree more. We are all entitled to work. Basically that’s the rule of life. Do you every wonder what it takes for a cabin crew to stay on a high-risk job? How about those questions like “Do you get any rest?” or “How can you manage to keep all passengers safe and sane in flight?” Not to mention, the iconic “Aren’t you afraid of your job?” Trust me, I get this a lot.

Photo from Gary Sato

​Let me keep it simple for you, the beauty of flying is not always about the kind of lifestyle that is presented to us, but how we choose to live with it.

The life of a cabin crew is not an easy job. Given we enjoy perks and privileges, but we are also faced with the challenges and obstacles of flying. Yet why do we still choose to fly?
​
So to come up with a concrete answer to this question, I refer to an article I came across reading Neil Ducoff of the “Great Game of Business” with his article on the Top 10 Reasons Why Employees Stay.

Photo from Rhygy Pude

Inspired by this, I came up with a blog for the benefit of my readers, to understand what it takes to be a cabin crew and how we have the guts/courage to face this job and maintain it in our lifestyle.

There are multiple reasons why we, your cabin crew, like to stay consistent on this job, despite the factors that we are aware of. Here are some insights to feed your mind

​1. Long Term Plans

Photo from Mark Anthony San

Who doesn’t want a good future? We know for a fact that we are secured with this job, especially if we are financially- focused/minded. We all want to think for the benefit of a good future, and mind you this is the main goal.
​
We won’t deny it, but our job compensates us and our state of living. Whether we are single, married or have other responsibilities to handle, being a cabin crew member saves us from shortcomings for both short and long term future.

2. Great Escape

Photo from Gary Sato

A getaway and escape from problems unsettled at home or factors contributing to stress outside of the work environment. We look for ways to de-stress to keep minds cool after facing life’s confrontations.

By working, we keep our minds busy by focusing our time and effort on flying. Excuse our behavior should we be moody; we are people who have feelings too!

​3. Get Inspiration

Photo from Gary Sato

Finding inspiration in-flight is a challenging but worthwhile experience. This includes meeting passengers traveling with different stories to tell. We are faced with different people that come from all around the world, and we get the chance to know more about other cultures and get travel inspiration. It could be seeing families, couples or friends traveling together. We also get the chance to meet with out celebrities, Who knows? Maybe finding love in-flight? We all have our reasons.

​4. Crew Colleagues

Photo from Rhygy Pude

Sometimes it could be the people we are working and flying with. If there are positive signs that crew members have that togetherness and camaraderie among themselves, then that flight is bound to be a positive and happy flight. We look forward to flying with our colleagues-turned-friends or significant partners because we know the work load is lighter and better and more fun!

5. Living Up to Our Responsibilities

Photo from Gary Sato

We have lives of our own and priorities to attend to and part of the job is being widely available whenever work calls while balancing time for home.
​
Being a cabin crew member may cause us to lose time spent with our families, loved ones, plans and even time for ourselves. We make sure to find ways, sacrifiving time and rest just to be with them. It also saves us the benefit of surviving for ourselves or for families, which all the more motivates us to work.

​6. Reunions

Photo from Gary Sato

Relating to #5, Flying gives us the chance to reunite with families, relatives and friends who are living abroad. It also gives us a better chance to help them feel more at home with items that we can transport and bring back for them.

​7. Travel Perks and Benefits

Photo from Rhygy Pude

Of course! What a way to say that one of the best parts of being a cabin crew member is that we get to visit other places that are given and granted to us. Whether it would be international or domestic or international, being in the airline industry gives us the opportunity to visit more beautiful places around the world.

​8. Motivation

Photo from Gary Sato

As what Ducoff stated our “work has purpose and meaning”.

We are motivated to work because we know the nature of our job demands a great deal of effort for safety and service. It makes it necessary for us to explain situations that our passengers may not understand. For this, we educate them instead of taunt them.
​
We are motivated to show the company that we are influencers and we can make a difference. As long as we are taken care of, we choose to fly to benefit the two-way process of contributing to the excellence of our work.

Photo from Kimberly Siao

Note: This article has minor modifications for the benefit of all readers and followers. The original article can be found here: http://misskalibutan.com/2018/08/19/why-i-fly/

All photos used in this article were submitted by their respective photographers and owners with permission and full consent for the sole use of Flyhigh Manila only. Please do not lift any of them without permission from Flyhigh Manila and/or their respective owners.