RE: Goodbye to the Friendly Skies - Posted by Rod

My beautiful wife has a talent for understatement. Her recent blog post doesn't even come close to what a heart-wrenching decision it was for her to decide not to return to work as a Flight Attendant (FA). I apologize for the length of this blog, but to fully understand the tears shed and difficulty in picking up the phone to give her notice you need to understand a little history:

The decision to become a Flight Attendant was not an easy one for Clarissa. In the Fall of 2006 Clarissa was recovering from a series of unfortunate events, she had a long frustrating year working to "make it" in the cut-throat real estate business, two controlling and sometimes verbally abusive bosses, and she had worked at a Daycare that she would never want any kid to have to attend. She was frustrated and downtrodden but still trying to find another way to contribute to the family income. About that time she noticed on Craigslist an ad for a Flight attendant job as Horizon Air (a regional airline associated with Alaska) and, on almost a whim, she applied. Then she began to think about the job, it would take her away from her home and husband frequently and for extended periods, the pay wasn't great, and it would make it hard to start a family. Despite her misgivings, she kept her name in the hat, something was drawing her to the job. In November, Clarissa was called in for an interview, but this wasn't a normal interview, it was a group interview where 250 applicants were slowly whittled down to 3. After several stressful hours Clarissa, with her caring and friendly personality, won the interviewers over and was one of those three. She was then invited to go to FA school starting in January. In the intervening times the doubts came back, Clarissa was excited about becoming an FA, but all her friends told her not to do it. I didn't help any either, I told her I would support her in whatever she decided. I remember the long walk a Coulon Park in Renton on a cold December night when Clarissa decided she couldn't let this opportunity pass her by. She was so excited, nervous, but excited.

At the beginning of a new year, and, looking back, a new life, Clarissa left me for FA school. Now, for those of you who think any high school dropout ditz can become a Flight Attendant, think again. FA school is like a month-long college final exam. The airline put Clarissa up in a hotel in Oregon so she could take the class full-time. At school, there were 3-4 tests a week, each of which she had to pass by 90% or better, or fail out of the class. The typical class fails out about 50%. She also had to be ready every day to quote from memory any one of the 40 or so sometimes lengthy safety announcements that none of you listen to when you get on an airplane. This was a stressful time for Clarissa, but she excelled in her class, she made new friends, and became very excited for the day she could fly.

In February 2007 Clarissa made her first flight as an FA, and she loved it. While she was away I would get calls all the time from Clarissa talking about the people she met on the airplanes, the friends she made, and the places she saw. Now, my favorite thing in the world is to see my beautiful wife smiling, happy, and excited, and it seemed like during the time she was flying she was always smiling, happy, and excited. Clarissa had finally found something she wanted to do, she loved doing it, and on top of that, she was fantastic at it. Every time Clarissa came home from a trip she was coming home with comment cards from very happy customers. In her short time flying she was given several special recognitions. I believe her crowning achievement was when she was faced with possible disaster.

After only a month of being an FA Clarissa was flying one of the small airplanes as the lone FA when the cabin began to fill with smoke in mid-air. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that smoke in the cabin of an airplane is never a good sign. Clarissa noticed the smoke, calmly notified the pilots (who then busied themselves with making an emergency landing) and then Clarissa faced a full cabin anxious and frightened passengers. Frightened herself, Clarissa put away her own feelings and took care of her passengers assuring them that they were going to get down quickly and safe, and even cracking a few jokes. After the incident Clarissa received several emails commending her effort including one from the CEO of Horizon. I quote from some of these emails:

From the pilot - "Flight Attendant Clarissa Stratton also distinguished herself yesterday. She has only been with us a month or two, but she handled things in the cabin far better than I would have expected from a completely seasoned flight attendant.While she was preparing the cabin for a short-notice divert to the nearest airport and helping us evaluate the effectiveness of our efforts to control the smoke, she took time to make certain that all of her passengers were doing well both emotionally and physically. I understand that she even threw a joke two in to lighten the mood. The result of her efforts was apparent upon opening the flightdeck door: The passengers were calm, they did not appear worried, and they all told her how well she did as they exited the airplane.
While the story of Clarissa’s heart and courage could end now, it would not do justice to the depth of her compassion for our customers. After we, as a crew, had dealt with the immediate aftermath, we proceeded through the terminal to our crew lounge area. It was at this point that I gained a true understanding of Clarissa’s efforts. Passengers in the terminal stopped her repeatedly to thank her. It was one of the biggest outpourings of gratitude I have ever witnessed in my nearly six years with Horizon Air. Her only response was to make certain that all of her passengers were well."

From the CEO - "Clarissa was, in many respects, 'soloing' - applying her newly acquired training while remaining poised, loose, professional and empathetic...What a tall order--yet one that this account confirms she handled with great distinction. I would have loved to have taken that walk through the terminal with you to witness the gratitude expressed by our customers! Way to go, Clarissa!"

Clarissa loved this job, and after we had our wonderful surprise beautiful baby, Clarissa kept the option open to go back. Over the last four months Clarissa has gone back and forth, sometimes in sync with Caily's moods, on whether she was going back. I again didn't make it easy for her, telling her I would support her decision either way. After many tears and heart wrenching internal debate Clarissa decided that she just loved staying with Caily more (another job she is fantastic at). Maybe someday when the kids are older Clarissa will go back, I look forward to having the free flight benefits back, but for now she/we have the great memories provided by that experience. It is the end of a wonderful chapter in the book of Clarissa's life, but just the beginning of many great years. Maybe someday Caily will be able to read this blog entry and appreciate what her mother gave up for her.

I love you Clarissa and I am glad you had the opportunity to have this wonderful experience.