HURRY UP & WAIT.
If you are a Corporate Crewmember you know that the industry motto is “Hurry up and wait.”
Too often, it’s easy to forget how lucky we are as flight crew in the exclusive and coveted world of Private Aviation – we have been spoiled, so out of the corporate grind that we sometimes forget that even though our schedule is not our own, delegated by those we fly around the world, we still have so much freedom to pursue and do the things we love while we are waiting for our guests to arrive or additional details about the flight or about our guests or confirmation of a flight or departure times, or…the lists goes on. But, somehow we always seem to be hurrying and most importantly, waiting.
Which means we have rushed to get everything done in a pinch only to have the departure time delayed, or the guests decide to stop for lunch instead of dining on the aircraft, or they squeeze one more meeting in or see one more storefront, or perhaps they have decided to stay another day because the weather has cleared and the guests want one more day of surfing or skiing or most importantly, because they can. After all, it’s their jet, their schedule. Private jet travelers have worked hard to get to where they are, so if we have to wait – we wait and we do it with a smile on our face because this is our job and we love what we do.
Whatever the circumstance it’s inevitable that at some point in your career, okay, actually nearly every trip, you will be running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get everything accomplished before your guests arrive only to have the departure time delayed. And that’s OKAY! In fact, it’s great! Because now you have more time to make everything more perfect for your guests. You can spend the extra time getting everything prepared perfectly; the meal prepped, the pillows fluffed, the cabin set to the perfect temperature and lighting or now you have more time to recheck the flight plan or the weather or to do one more walk around the aircraft ensuring everything is safe and enjoyable for your guests.
Then you wait and wait and sometimes wait for what feels like forever. Often times we have a sliding departure time. “The guests will arrive between 0900 and 1200.” So the flight crew will arrive at the FBO by 0700, HURRY to get everything done for a 0900 departure and then WAIT for an hour or more for the guests to arrive. And lucky us, once all our tasks are complete and the aircraft is perfectly staged and ready for the guests’ arrival there is still so much we can do – for ourselves.
Many crew decide to continue their education, taking classes online or spend time completing their recurrent General Emergency Crewmember Training ONLINE. While others learn a new language or how to play the ukulele, start or run a business, or simply play around on their iPhone becoming experts at Angry Birds and Pokémon Go. Or they catch up with loved ones or make new friends. The point is as a Corporate Crewmember we are not stuck in a cubicle. We are not stuck in rush hour traffic. We are sitting and waiting on a tarmac, lounging in a $30M+ jet surrounded in plush luxury often times with a view. Just outside the window will be the rolling hills of Aspen or palm trees and the turquoise ocean of a tropical paradise or the skyline of some majestic city. We are waiting, but if we do it right and with the right attitude the waiting becomes an opportunity to enjoy every minute while soaking in how lucky we are.
As Corporate Crewmembers, we travel the world in luxury making friends along the way, seeing sights, tasting foods, and experiencing cities, countries, towns, and living a life that others dream about. While others sit in cubicles, traffic and the grind we are enjoying life...if we do it right. So enjoy every minute of the “Hurry Up & Wait” for it is the waiting that allows us to reflect on just how lucky we are to be living the dream as a corporate crewmember!
Not a crewmember, but would love to become a Certified SkyAngel and start flying as a Corporate Cabin Attendant within Private Aviation? Click here to learn more and to apply.