Cross Your Fingers ... (posted by Lani)

There's something that I've been sitting on, not wanting to jinx it, not sure really how I felt about it ... and it's happened. The day before I made my impromptu little visit to the hospital, I'd done something off the wall. A while back I'd met a Delta Airlines flight attendant, we hit it off, and we talked a lot about the job and the benefits and all that stuff over a period of several months. She loved her job, she introduced me to two of the trainers for Delta, they all kept telling me I should apply, that I'd be a shoo-in for a job. Meh. I didn't. I thought about it a lot ... but I didn't.

So I picked up the paper that Sunday and they were having cattle calls for flight attendants for USAir Express, right here in Norfolk. So I went, that Tuesday, just on a whim. I mean, why not, right? It was a LONG process, and an interesting one. 30-odd people showed up, mostly women but a couple of men. After about an hour of 'this is what the job is, these are the benefits, these are the down sides, this is the pay' they gave us a break and told us if we didn't feel the job was for us, or didn't feel we could pass the 10-year background check, the FBI/TSA fingerprint check and security screening, the drug screens etc., no worries, just don't come back after the break. 25 people came back after break and they gave us a battery of tests, then broke us into groups and had us stand up and read in-flight announcements, etc. All that took another hour and a half and then we took another break, and were told to check the door in 10 minutes to see if our name was posted for one-on-one interviews, if not then thanks for applying, don't hesitate to apply again another time, blahblahblah. Five names were posted. Mine was one of them.

In short, I went in at noon, and around 5:15 p.m., along with two other women, I got what's called a 'recommendation for hire' -- a job offer pending the background check. We were told that normally takes about 3-5 weeks; if you wash out they'll send you a letter saying thanks but no thanks, otherwise you get a phone call saying congrats and giving you a training date. Five weeks of training and poof you're a flight attendant, do not pass go, do not collect $200, just go get on the plane. Came home, told Steve what I'd done, we've talked extensively about pros and cons (salaries suck for the first about 4 years then get really damned nice, travel benefits and other benefits are flipping awesome, you're away from home a LOT) and ended up deciding hey, we have weeks to think this over and talk about it anyway, no rush.

Except Air Wisconsin/USAir Express just called. One week, two days later. I'm hired. I have to send them a copy of my passport application, since I'd let my passport expire; I've already done the application and ordered a rush copy of my birth certificate, just have to wait for it to get here. I'm reeling. They had said 3-5 weeks just to do the whole background check thing, and it's only been a week and a half. Granted that the agency doing the background check called me twice for clarification/further info and I gave it to them instantly, even dug up a years-old W2 and faxed it to them within an hour of their call ... I am reeling. No training date until I send them that passport application, but it's a firm job offer. And I'm going for it. Wish me luck.