A lot has already been said about shift times, passenger issues, flow programs, rigid routings versus open skies, and others. I do miss not giving much of a darn about occasional moderate clear air turbulence. I do miss not having to track down an iPad someone left at the gate. I do miss not having to deal much with airport volume, holding, delays, extreme reroutes, and congestion.
But they’re nuisances that ultimately factor into how one in general makes a living in this field. Everyone plays a game to balance out preferences versus nuisances on every desk at every airline for every shift or bid. And no matter where you’re at it might take you a while to get to where you truly want to be with all of your preferences. When you’re junior, the goal many have is just to minimize nuisances!
No desk, shift, or airline will ever be free from nuisance. Indeed, we are in a sense paid to minimize and manage them, and really come into our own with the knowledge on what to do if a flight has progressed beyond the inconvenience of annoyance. When it becomes a matter of danger.
My point now is: swat away nuisances like a fly, try not to draw too many of them, and consider the quality of life that works best for you. Take account of your time on and your time off.
If you have to swat away a few flies every day, it really shouldn’t affect you. It doesn’t matter what pile of poo they came from – there will be flies. This affects most of us. One pile of poo might have a few more flies than the other.
If you find yourself frequently in the position where you’re getting swarmed by flies, well then. Most of the time, you can see the huge poo buffet waiting right next to the entrance door at work and you have time to brace for the buzz.
The poo buffet might be a bit more ubiquitous outside the doors of your friendly passenger carrier. You’ll recognize much of the poo and many of the flies. But when the swarm hits you in cargo, many times there was no sign of poo when you walked in – AND THEY COME FROM NOWHERE! You become the poo.
And you’re never truly free from it. Or the flies.