For this post, I’d like to talk about my experience as a front-line worker during the earliest parts of the COVID-19 pandemic. By March of 2020, I had been working as a flight attendant for just over 3 years. The career brought me a lot of joy and allowed me to have so much freedom. I genuinely enjoyed every aspect of the job. However, like a light turning out, that so quickly faded when the pandemic began. At first there was fear of infection, fear of keeping myself and my family safe. Then, as planes emptied and airports became ghost towns, a new fear of the greater global instability that lay ahead set in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a short period, there simply was no flying. My scheduled trips dwindled and when I did work, it was to fly passenger-less planes to hangars for maintenance. After a few months, people came back, but really only out of necessity. A few more months after that, flights resumed to at least 75% capacity. However, these passengers were unlike anything I had experienced before. They were angry, tired, stubborn, impatient, and probably afraid. It suddenly felt like every flight was a point of contention, a fight to have them mask, or simply just obey basic air safety instructions. The job became exhausting and anxiety-provoking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I talk about my experience to give a little insight for those that maybe had the ability or luxury to stay at home. While I was so grateful to still have a job, it can still be okay to acknowledge how difficult that time was. As a result, so many in the aviation industry simply quit or retired early. There was a collective fatigue that formed not just within my field, but everywhere. In a good way, people began to realize there were other options for work. People also went back to school (me!), or began new trades, or found ways to work from home. The shift we saw, with individuals demanding more from their careers, was incredibly inspiring and still continues to be. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For this post, I’d like to talk about my experience as a front-line worker during the earliest parts of the COVID-19 pandemic. By March of 2020, I had been working as a flight attendant for just over 3 years. The … Continue reading