WARNING - this post was written whilst the author was suffering from insomnia. May potentially cause drowsiness and/or general boredom.

Anyways, yesterday I was supposed to go to Hong Kong, but due to a mix-up regarding my uniform, I have now been branded with my first Absent of my career, the exact details of which I'm going to leave to your imagination. I'm not too fussed to be honest, apart from the 3 extra days spent in fasting Dubai, 200DH deduction from salary and lack of per diem (and a good time) I would have normally gotten in HK.

So due to this AB, I have also been assigned Standby Duty today from 10am. It is mercifully only 8 hours long, having recently been changed from 12 hr duty home confinement. Chances are very high that I'll get pulled out for a yucky turnaround (I'm predicting a Nairobi turnaround or Jeddah) but there is also the possibility I can get a cruisy Euro layover. And so, allow me to draw your attention to the flight attendant suitcase...

To ordinary folk this may look like a right old mess, and on days off it certainly is, but in fact this is organised in such a way that I can pack, as well as shower, have hair, makeup and uniform ready, should I get the call from Screw Scheduling, which can give notice of between 20 min to 1 hr before pick up. And to those who doubt, I have actually had the 20 min notice before, for the Nairobi turnaround, and I was struggling, let me tell you.

Now for the contents of the suitcase

• Toiletry Bag


• Handbag, preferably squishable into a tiny space


• Umbrella (yes hotels have them, but I'm rather attatched to mine, and sometimes hotels do run out of them if there is heavy rainfall)


• Uniform for the return sector


• Unfoldable bag, for carrying groceries and stuff, to avoid plastic bag usage


• Make up bag


• Hairbrush


• Spacebag with clothes used regardless of weather (undies, jeans, bra, stockings for work, basic singlets, bikini)

And then you have ouside of the suitcase weather-dependant clothes, from left -

• Big coat, for climates approx. <>Wooly jumper with appropriately matched 3/4 sleeve top


• Boots, with knee-length socks


• Cool weather outfit - wool skirt, thin cashmere jumper, black stockings, scarf, thin belt


• Flats - choice of 2 pairs, only one of which will make suitcase


• Black Pashmina, should really be in spacebag because it can be worn with anything, but if it's really hot may not even need it


• Summer outfit - light cotton wrap tops, basically anything light and of a natural fibre


• Comfy walking shoes, suitable for cobblestone roads which are abundant in Europe. These ones are Scholls, and are daggy as hell. May as well purchase some Birkenstocks...

So that's my standby suitcase ready to go. I guess I should point out that if it were a scheduled layover, I would normally wait until the very last minute, with an hour until pick up, before I even start to pack. This is mainly due to me needing the makeup bag and hairbrush to get ready, but also because I need the time to decide what I'm packing, and there could also be a change of duty which messes up plans very quickly. I'm also currently suffering from mild insomnia, and have found packing for standby a constructive way to pass the time, thus explaining why everything is in nice neat piles. Tis a rarity I tell you.

Labels: Airline Stuff, Layovers, Random Thoughts, Work

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