Overview

Based on Rene Foss's successful music revue of the same name, which Tom Brokaw called 'A first-class ticket to laughs', this hilarious book confronts every aspect of a flight attendant's absurd world - from the endless array of passanger demands, to the secret language of flight attendants, and a unique version of the 'Safety Demo Shuffle'. Fasten your seatbelt and prepare yourself for a side-splitting perspective on the trials and tribulations of air travel.

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9780786890118

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Being a flight attendant is much like being a waitress on a Greyhound bus. With no tips. - Rene Foss ..should be added to the in-flight entertainment schedule of every airline in America. - New York Times

"""Being a flight attendant is much like being a waitress on a Greyhound bus. With no tips."" - Rene Foss ""..should be added to the in-flight entertainment schedule of every airline in America."" - New York Times"

Humorous (and not so humorous) sketches about the life of a flight attendant, a follow-up to the author's musical revue of the same title. Exposes by members of the service professions, from doctors and waiters to cab drivers and cops, are a publishing mainstay. Sixteen-year veteran flight attendant Foss knows the genre's requirements: (1) insider accounts of training, working, and scandal within the profession; (2) funny stories about encounters with the public. The author is at her best, however, when not trying so hard to be amusing. It's a jolt to learn that flight-attendant training shares much of the discipline and brutality of boot camp. Despite impressive perks (free air-travel anytime), the work itself is grueling; meanwhile, though, readers will enjoy the author's nuts-and-bolts description of her duties. Meal service up narrow aisles is a complex, by-the-numbers team effort quickly thrown into chaos when too many passengers decide to go to the bathroom. And a delightful chapter describes the attendant's interminable chore of collecting trash. Inevitably, the jokes and attempts at humor miss as often as they hit, though there are plenty of zingers ( How does a flight attendant say 'Fuck you' to a passenger? 'I'll be right back' ), and the rules for passengers are worth memorizing ( Never poke a flight attendant ). Anecdotes about passengers from hell are a staple, and many are amusing. Unwanted, though, are the lyrics and sketches from Foss's revue; they were probably entertaining when performed but shouldn't have been included here. It was also misguided to add a final chapter describing her in-the-air experiences on September 11, no matter how de rigueur it seems for writers these days. Not quite as funny as it should be, but the behind-the-scenes peek at the flight attendant's life makes it mostly worthwhile. (Kirkus Reviews)

Author Information

Rene Foss has been an airline steward with Northwest Airlines for 16 years. She is the writer and star of the musical revue Around The World in a Bad Mood, which was performed in major cities across the US. She currently lives in New York City.

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