Following a series over at a very popular Flight Attendant Blog owned by Bobby (BTW, I need to congratulate him for the logo he came up with! So I used it…), I decided to document my own. So today, and today only, you will get a sneak peek into my suitcase. It’s a one time only offer though! We, at Emirates trail around with a maximum of two luggage items. Any other item is deemed unnecessary by our Grooming Department and therefore not within the Standards. That’s why, when you see us storming the airports around the world, you’ll see a uniformed procession. A sea of red hat, rays of ****suck*** lipstick slashing through the terminals, chocolate wrapped male FA’s with a full swagger on display. And closing the parade, you’ll see – seamlessly following behind each cabin crew – our RVs, or luggage :
My cargo suitcase (yes it is checked in on all layovers, and goes straight to the cargo bay), which as seen many countries and has been wounded at war several times already. It is currently missing a lock but I really do not have the time nor the motivation to dish out around a 100 dirhams in taxis alone to get it fixed. Hence the bold patriotic/loyal Fly Emirates belt I got the day the lock got free. I had to buy this because my suitcase wouldn’t close at all and I was fearing it would open and expose my underwear to the baggage handlers. Not to mention the hard-earned Diesel jeans and perfume as well as my favourite bacon and Heinz Baked Beans from Marks & Spencer’s (I’m talking about the London ones, which are for me the tastiest on mother earth).
Closely in tow, you’ll find my FLYING OFFICE (as I like to call it). It’s my cabin bag. This bag is packed with plenty of technology as I need to be constantly connected to the internet, be able to take pictures and videos, smoke, and recharge the batteries. It also has some boosting stuff like vitamins and basic Panadol tablets just in case. I do not pack, or very rarely, any food because I like to be maintained at every level by my company so I eat whatever there is onboard, so far that it is EDIBLE, so I usually venture up to business class of even up there in the heavens of First Class for some nice chicken skewers and herbal teas. Below you’ll be able to witness the extend of what I can pack into that small roll aboard :
Details :
- Keys with Corona strap from my barman days and bright orange RESCUE tag from Singapore
- My beloved MacBook black. Any Flight Attendant’s must have. Emails, photos, films. Our personal entertainment center for these boring layovers.
- The almighty sunglasses to cover the eye-bags and fading make up for women. Great against the sun too.
- THE IPOD. Saved thousands of Cabin Crew before, whether delayed in airports or on standby, this piece of equipment is extremely important. It also needs to be charged fully before each trip !
- A funny postcard from my ex.
- Company provided Onboard Updates to keep up with the hundreds of changes to the service they make every two weeks or so. By The way having a dozen of those in your cabin bag (mandatory and part of grooming) adds a hell a lot of weight. But we’re apparently going paperless, so it’s good news ! More valuable space to play with !
- Return leg tags where I can put details of the destination + date + staff number. Life saver when they loose your cargo suitcase.
- Service Jacket. Neatly folded inside the cabin bag. Managed to master the folding process for it to take as little space as possible without inflicting any wrinkles. I also fold it inside out so that the ink from the manual does not stain the outside (customer facing side of the jacket) material.
- Lighter + pens. Here’s a travel tip : NEVER EVER GET SEPARATED of your lighter or pens. Life savers again.
- Cigarettes, obviously. We lead stressful jobs up there.
- Extra buttons for the jacket. Didn’t show the sewing kit because it was tucked inside one of the pockets…
- Absolutely essential piece of equipment here : The computer charger. Apple has made it super easy to change from one socket type to another. So I can cover the whole world using those little adapters you can see there.
- The Crew Bible. Our Emergency Manual that details every single action we can or cannot take in every possible event. A mandatory (or so called NO GO item) item to have constantly while on duty. It’s the heaviest of all. Even my laptop weighs less.
- Padlock for cabin bag on long hauls with CRC (crew rest)
Finally a peek inside my cargo suitcase, self-explanatory :
Lovely pics!
True: iPod is extremely important!
It’s gonna take me way more time to have any resemblance to your suitcase preparation, how ever !!!! after 7 months of flying mine still looks brand new
Day-um! (Damn, in Southern!) I JUST posted about what’s in my mobile home–and now see you posted the same yesterday! I did not mean to steal your (obviously better) post–I was stealing someone else’s.
Don’t hate…
No arm what so ever. Great minds think alike ! I like your post too !
You could expose your cheeky underwear!
But seriously, would you have enough time to consult your Bible in case of emergency?
We carry this manual for polishing our knowledge and follow childbirth steps meticulously. Otherwise everything is jammed in our little brains and ready to be spat at any appropriate time.
prince_devy loves this post
I can’t wait to have my own set of those.. Thanks for sharing..
great post…. and great idea the secondary perfume!!!
Nice post! I have that exact same laptop case.
tsktsk …didn’t they teach you that lighters should never be put anywhere but on your person?
Sorry I couldn’t help it, former freight officer speaking…