When the pandemic hit I was furloughed for 2 years.
At one point I thought I was going to lose my dream job and I was devastated.
​I tried to stay as positive as possible but it was hard.

Early days

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I started my travel career when I was just 18 when I started working for a company called Servisair. They were a ground handling agent at Manchester Airport.

I would check all the customers onto their holiday flights then go to the gates and board the flights. This gave me so much confidence dealing with the public and fed my love for aviation. 

I had always dreamt of being a cabin crew from a really early age.

My dad would take me to Manchester Airport on the weekends so I could watch all the planes take off and land. We would also sit in the restaurant in the main concourse area and just watch all the cabin crew and pilots walking to the aircraft.

I used to wish it was me so bad that I used to visualise myself in the uniform and walking to the aircraft. The innocence of a child visualising was so powerful looking back now. I do believe in visualisation and the power of the mind.
 
When I was sitting at my check in desk I would see all the cabin crew looking so glam in their uniform all pulling their trolley bags that I used to think it was me and that one day I would be wearing the uniform. 

So after 2 seasons at the airport I applied to British Airways Cabin Crew in March 1993 as I was 19 and had reached to minimum age. I did my application and test and sent a picture of myself and just waiting patiently.
Within 2 weeks I had a phone call asking me to come to London for a group exercise, English and math test.

This was all done in Heathrow so I flew down on the “British Airways Supper Shuttle”. It was a Boeing 757 will 8 cabin crew onboard. I really felt like I was already part of BA it was a weird feeling.

It just felt right. 

​I passed my group exercise
and tests and was invited back down to Heathrow
for my 2-1 interview.
I can remember sitting looking at the interviewers
thinking please give me the job [haha.]
 
I remember being on shift at Manchester Airport
when I got the call to say I had been successful.
I can remember everything about the call and how I reacted.
I was so excited and happy I just couldn’t believe it.
 
Fast forward 28 years and I am living my best life.

I travel the world in my dream job with the company I aspired to work for.
BA has been and still is my life, I could never see myself doing any other job. 

What attracted you to it?
Tell us about your career path.

I had always had a passion for planes since a small age.
I also wanted to help people and make sure
they had a great time onboard as I am a naturally positive happy person.

I started in September 1993 with BA as long haul  cabin crew at London Gatwick.
We were actually called the Beach Fleet
as the majority of the flights I did where too the Caribbean,
Florida and the Indian Ocean.
I had never been on a long haul aircraft or traveled past Spain
and now I was flying on the Boeing 747 and DC10 to Barbados,
Antigua, St Lucia and Mauritius.
I just couldn’t believe that I was actually doing this at 19.

It was all such a whirlwind of emotions for me
as I had visualised doing this from such a young age
that I felt at home and part of a huge caring family. 

At the age of 28 I became one of the youngest cabin crew
at Heathrow Longhaul to be promoted to “ Purser “.
The Purser was the person responsible for the cabin service in First,
Business and World Traveler.
I was also second in charge of the flight.

I have also been part of a specially selected team of cabin crew
that looks after the Royal Family
and the Prime Minister flying them personally round the world. 

I have also been fortunate to be selected
to be a part of our New Uniform reveal team.
British Airways will be revealing its new Ozwald Boteng designer
uniform in June 2022 and I will be one of the first to wear it. 

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And now you’ve been promoted, what does this mean?

Now that I have been promoted to Inflight Manager (IFM)I will now be responsible and accountable for the safety and security of 22 cabin crew onboard the Airbus A380 which is the biggest commercial passenger aircraft in the world. British Airways A380 aircraft holds almost 500 customers in First, Club World ( Business) and World Traveller ( economy ). My role as an IFM is centred on inspiring my team to be the best they can be to deliver the highest levels of customer service to everyone onboard so the choose to fly with British Airways again and again. 

What’s it like working for such a huge airline?

British Airways is not just a job, it's a lifestyle. I have spent the last 28 years of my life working for British Airways. I can honestly say it never feels just like a Job. I feel very proud to wear our uniform and I always want to uphold our professional image and reputation. British Airways has  been my life and I am very lucky to be apart of such a huge organisation. 

Where do you fly to the most?

I fly 70% of the time to the USA and Canada where
we stay a minimum of 24 hours or up to 3 days
depending on the destination and frequency of flights. 

What is your favourite journey?

My heart and soul is Thailand!
I love the culture, food and the people.
I try to go away on holiday at least once a year
to one of the Islands.
My last holiday was to Phi Phi Island with my partner Paul.
We both love just getting on a scooter and travelling
around the island stopping off at beaches,
restaurants and just living in the moment of this beautiful country. 

Is there anywhere in the world you haven’t been to?

I have always wanted to go to Bali! It’s on my To Go To List. Bali is very spiritual which is what is pulling me to go. I love doing yoga, in fact I went to Thailand for 4 weeks in 2014 to do my yoga teacher training which was just life changing for me. Yoga is my happy space and place to let go of my stress. Since 2014 yoga has played an important part of my mental well-being which is so important as mental health effects so many of us now. 

Is it always good to come back to Liverpool?

OMG YES!! Liverpool is my home, it's where I was born and bred. As soon as I get off the train at Lime Street I can feel the excitement running through my body as there is no place like home. I love getting into my own bed with fresh clean bedding after being awake for over 24 hours haha…. Now I sound old! Haha. 

Is there any ambition you wish to fulfil?

I have always wanted to do some TV work. Actually it almost came true. Myself and Amanda were cast for a new prime time reality tv show based in Liverpool. It was by Lime Pictures and we had to live in a new private street near Southport and be filled 24/7. It was a reality/scripted soap based on the real lives of 8 families. We had so much fun filming for 2 months but unfortunately it was not commissioned and nothing came of it. It was great experience though I loved it. 

You’re always so positive, what is the secret of this?

I have always been a very upbeat sort of person. I am always smiling and I like to make sure everyone around me is happy. I have had my fair share of ups and downs though and life has not always been kind to me. I have suffered with my own mental health when I lost all 3 of my grandparents in the same year and my mum was diagnosed with cancer. I was very close to my Nan as she was like a mum to me as my mum had to go to work so my Nan looked after me, taking me to school plus we lived with her. So when she passed it was hard. Then when my mum was told she had cancer mentally it just takes its toll on you. 
Life can be hard and when you are in it sometimes you can not see a way out. I had to really dig deep and with the support of my amazing partner Paul I have come out of it a stronger more emotionally resistant person. It made me grow as a person and on a spiritual level. 
I have never been someone who is rude or unkind and I always want to treat everyone with respect and kindness. Life is too short to be held back in the past. Live for today… live in the moment. 

How many hours do you fly each week?

I fly mainly Longhaul so probable once a week I will fly to a destination
and fly home back to Heathrow
​then I commute back to Liverpool. 

How do you deal with difficult customers?

Firstly I always start with an open mind. I listen and empathise depending on the problem/situation to show that I genuinely care. Take the time to listen and understand without interrupting the customer. Acknowledge and be honest in my response. If I can’t do something I will not make false promises. I will always try to see the issue through to the end working towards a positive outcome. I have learnt that most escalating situations can be defused by calmly communicating, listening, empathising and acknowledging what has happened/situation. It is harder for someone to be rude/aggressive towards you if you are being open, honest and caring towards them. I then constantly check on my customers after the event to show I really care. 

Do you miss the coffee shop ?

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Oh Amanda!
Gourmet was my life for 9 years.
It was like my child.
I fed and nurtured it from nothing into a profitable business.

It was a rollercoaster of emotions each day but what I never got bored of was my gorgeous very loyal customers. They supported me when things got hard financially all the way through to me being approached by a Canadian Coffee Chain to sell my business.

It was very much bittersweet for me as the business was tough to run as well as doing my flying job so when I sold it the pressure went but I was then left with a huge void in my life.

I would for I would say 2 years walk past the coffee shop after selling feeling emotional as someone else was looking after my baby.
But everything happens for a reason.
I am extremely proud of myself for achieving another dream of mine which was to own my own business.
At the peak of Gourmet Kingdom 
I had 2 coffee shops, a pop up coffee shop in St Georges Hall
​and an outside catering business.

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When the pandemic hit I was furloughed for 2 years.
At one point I thought I was going to lose my dream job and I was devastated.
I tried to stay as positive as possible but it was hard.
I initially started working as an Uber driver
just to get me out of the house and to earn some money.
I then moved to Amazon deliveries which was a challenge as
I had to be at the depot in Kirkby at 6am each day
to load over 300 parcels into my van which had to be delivered in 8 hours.

After 6 months of Amazon
I applied to be an NHS vaccinator of the Covid 19 vaccine.
This was such a rewarding role which allowed me
to really up skill myself and gave me a sense of pride
as I felt like I was helping the country get back to some sort of normality.

I was trained to administer the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines
along with cold chain management.
Each day was such a joy as I would initially see mainly 
the elderly and most vulnerable patients coming to the vaccination centre.
They were so appreciative and thankful for what we were doing.
Many of the elderly were living alone so for them
it was an opportunity to see real people and to have a conversation.
I would really take my time with each patient
chatting to them and really making them feel special.
It was very humbling and made me realise
how lucky I was to be in a loving relationship
and to not take things for granted. 

After a year of vaccinating my skills and experience where recognised
and I was promoted to the Assistant Operations Manager of the Chester Racecourse Vaccination Centre where we vaccinated over 3000 patients a day.

I feel very proud of myself for what I have achieved
and it just goes to show that whatever life throws at you
if you are positive and focused
you can make it through the dark times.

​Life is for living.