Long before the pandemic made flying a horror show for passengers and crew, the US Congress acknowledged that flight attendant rest time was insufficient. But like a bad dream from which they could not awake, these essential airline safety workers have waited 4 years to see new rules guaranteeing a minimum of 10 hours rest between shifts. The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to announce them shortly. The change increases present rest time for flight attendants by one to two hours depending on circumstances, and makes the 10 hours mandatory. “Ten hours and not a minute less,” became a rallying call for flight attendants and… Read More…

When Margrét Halldórsdóttir was a girl in the sixties, career paths were more strictly prescribed than they are today. That was the case even in Iceland, one of the world’s most feminist countries – the first nation to elect a woman president and the first openly gay prime minister. Limited choices made no difference to young Margrét who knew from an early age she wanted to be a flight attendant, a nurse and a mother. Achieving all three, Margret, now 67, went further; she wove these separate jobs together creating a notable tapestry of work/family/community. On Monday, April 29th on a flight from Copenhagen to… Read More…

Two Southwest Airlines flight attendants and two passengers were responsible for pulling passenger, Jennifer Riordan back into the airplane after she was partially pulled out of the window during a rapid decompression of the jetliner, according to an update issued today by the National Transportation Safety Board. Riordan, an New Mexico banking executive and mother of two, died of her injuries on Southwest Flight 1380. “As they moved toward the mid-cabin, they found the passenger in row 14 partially out of the window and attempted to pull her into the cabin. Two male passengers helped and the four were able to bring the passenger in, the… Read More…

Let’s face it, travel is disruptive, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Whether it’s an interruption in sleep schedule, exercise program or family time, there’s a gadget, app or destination that tackles the issue head on. That’s something to keep in mind if a frequent traveler is on your holiday shopping list. Sound Oasis sleep mask Forget the raccoon-disguise that mashes your eyelashes against your lids and slides sideways in any position other than lying flat. Sound Oasis, makes a variety of sleep masks that do more than help you sleep in uncomfortable settings like planes and buses. Their products are billed as sleep… Read More…