Helsinki to New York and back: 48 hours with the cabin crew

Asta Buchanan, Cabin Crew Member

My shift doesn’t start until Monday afternoon, but getting ready begins a full day earlier. I take out the suitcases and check the weather at our destination. New York is forecast to reach 35 degrees, so I pack light clothes and the essentials. I check my documents too, because without a passport and visa the working day would end before it began. The packed bags go to the car to wait. Before I leave, there is time for a few last chores at home and a moment with the family.

On Monday I drive to the airport in good time. About half an hour before the shift begins I drop my bag for the hold, and soon two colleagues from the same flight arrive to do the same. We go through the staff security check together and on to passport control. Helsinki Airport is busy, with the hum of conversation coming from every direction.

The whole crew gathers at gate 52. We introduce ourselves and shake hands, cabin crew and pilots alike. Some of us are old acquaintances, others are flying together for the first time. We set off for the east coast of the United States on an A330, a team of eleven: three pilots and eight cabin crew members. Even though many of us meet only at the gate, we usually find a shared rhythm quickly. We do this time too, already on the jet bridge. 

Getting ready for departure

After check-in, my first task is the briefing led by our purser. In a brisk seven minutes we go through the safety points, our areas of responsibility and the in-flight service. We also get word from the pilots. The flight time is exactly eight hours, and around the second service there may be some light turbulence from crossing traffic.

On the way to New York and back to Helsinki, my responsibility is door area L3: the third door from the front, on the left side of the aircraft. The purser assigns these positions by seniority, and each one has its own particulars. For me, the departure preparations mean checking the safety equipment in my area and helping with the business class setup. My door partner and I look after the whole third-door area together, so we work closely side by side.

Once the groundwork in the cabin is done, it is time to welcome the passengers. People pass by, and we exchange a greeting and a smile. The aircraft is about half full today. Bags find their places, passengers find theirs, and soon the purser announces that everyone is on board. The door closes. The journey across the Atlantic can begin.

Before we can push back, the cabin has to be ready. Each of us has a part in keeping things running smoothly. My job is to make sure the passengers seated by my emergency exit know how the door works and to keep the door area clear during takeoff and landing. Once the safety points are covered, everyone is seated and the overhead bins are closed, I report that my area and my door partner’s area are ready.

“Cabin crew, take your door positions. Cabin crew, arm your doors and cross-check.”

The aircraft eases into motion. The purser calls for us to arm the emergency exits, which sets the door’s escape slide ready for use. If the aircraft had to be evacuated, the slide would now deploy with the door. This step matters for safety, so we check both our own door and our partner’s. On the way to the runway, the safety demonstration plays on the screens, and we point out the nearest exits to the passengers. Before takeoff we make one last check of the cabin. Seatbelts fastened, window shades up, bags stowed, armrests down, seatbacks upright? My door partner and I work through our area and nod to each other. All in order. I take my jump seat and tell the purser we are ready. 

Food, drink and rest

We leave a sunny Helsinki Airport behind and climb above the clouds. During the climb I go over safety points in my mind: how I would operate the door in an emergency, where the nearest fire extinguisher is, whether anyone nearby might need help. When the seatbelt sign goes off, I change my jacket for an apron. It is time to serve the passengers something to eat and drink.

The colleagues at the fourth door pair have already prepared much of the service on the ground. It has been a full parental leave since my last long-haul flight, so I am still finding where things are kept and asking my colleagues about the details. Help comes without hesitation. Together we get both the drinks cart and the meal cart ready, and the service can begin.

We take the carts first to the middle of the aircraft, to Premium Economy. A colleague has handed out the hot towels, and we serve a little something to eat and drink. The main course is beef in stroganoff sauce or grilled chicken breast. Both are ordered at a steady pace, and we leave the passengers to their meals. Behind the curtain, in economy, there is chicken in sweet and sour sauce.

In between the service we have time to chat with the passengers. I hear all kinds of stories and get to be part of their journey for a moment. After the meal we tidy the cabin: collect the trash, stack the trays and sort the bottles and cans for recycling. Then we have time to eat ourselves.

Even though the northern sun is still high, many passengers have pulled down their window shades and closed their eyes. Between services it is our turn to rest too. On long flights the rest breaks are split evenly so everyone has the same chance to gather their strength. This time I am first, so I head to the crew rest area with three colleagues. Each of us has a small bunk where we can close our eyes and try to find sleep.

I didn’t fall asleep this time, but nearly an hour and a half off my feet did me good. At the end of our break it is time to switch. We wish our colleagues a good rest and take over the passengers and the cabin. We move through the cabin offering water, keep the lavatories tidy and bring passengers what they have ordered. There is plenty to do, and that helps, because by this point in the flight it would be easy to feel tired. 

Seatbelts fastened and shades up: time to prepare for landing

The flight has gone briskly, and New York is now only a few hours away. We prepare the second service until it is time to wake our colleagues and head into the aisles with the carts. In Premium Economy we serve a cheese baguette with chicken, and in economy there is a range of drinks and food for purchase. By now many passengers turn out to be fans of blueberry juice, and some ask for a second glass.

Once the cabin is tidied after the second service, the destination is close. The apron goes back in my bag to wait for the return flight, and I put my jacket on again. The captain switches on the seatbelt sign, and we start preparing the cabin for landing. When the last window shades and seatbacks are up and bags are stowed under the seat in front, it is our turn to sit down too. I report to the purser that the third-door area is ready. We wish each other happy landings and close the line. I tighten my seatbelt and silently go over the same safety points as during the climb.

Welcome to New York

Eight hours have passed quickly, filled with shared thoughts, laughter and stories. We are at the gate. With the purser’s announcement the doors are disarmed, so the slides would no longer deploy with them, and it is time to say goodbye to the passengers. I wish a good trip to a couple on their way to see their grandchildren, and good luck to an athlete here to compete in their sport. Soon the whole cabin is empty. Only we, the crew, remain. We open the overhead bins and check that no one has forgotten anything.

The whole team gathers once more on the jet bridge to go briefly over how the flight went. Back home in Finland the clock has reached the small hours, and you can feel it: tiredness starts to weigh. After half a day on the move it is good to breathe outdoor air again, even though the May evening in New York is hot and humid. When the crew bus doors close and the seatbelts click shut, I let myself settle into the seat.

On the way from the airport to the hotel, the city streams past the window. Traffic slows us down, and I have time to watch the streets go by.  

I arrange to meet a colleague a little later. We grab a few slices of pizza before it is time to shower and go to bed. I manage about six hours of sleep, because my body clock is still on Finnish time. At half past six I give up and head into the city.

My day passes in the nearby shops and wandering around the West Village and Midtown. I come back to the hotel in the afternoon and try to rest for a while before the working night ahead. I only manage a short nap before it is already time to get up, put on the uniform and braid my hair.

The best leg: home

It is three in the morning in Finland when I sit in the hotel lobby with the rest of the cabin crew and the pilots. On the way from the hotel to the airport, the sun sets. We hand our hold bags to the agents and head to the gate, where the familiar aircraft is waiting for us.

The tasks on the return flight are the same as on the way out. The only differences are that the rest breaks come in the opposite order and that, instead of daylight, we fly much of the way in the dark. Most of the passengers sleep, so the flight is calmer than yesterday's. Soon it is time again to say goodbye to passengers who have become familiar over the trip.