Lionels Blog on RealTravel

Dubai journal: Brace for turbulence!

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 09:59:39 GMT

So what have been up to lately? Well we started the nitty gritty yesterday. We started to do the safety training. We had a very boring lecture on turbulence, did you know that there are four types of turbulence? We got to ride the simulator. It was fun, like an in door roller coaster. It was kinda cool, the thing feels like the real deal. Next week we get to pop the doors and shoot the slides. We even get to bail in to a pool! Other then that it has been somewhat boring. I am in the “quiet” building. The building that people that like it quiet live in… a long way away from the rest of my ...

Sydney journal: Sydney, round 2.

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:46:04 GMT

Back to Syd, we arrived in the afternoon after the 3 hour flight. We were back in the same hotel. Some of us, including two Korean flight crew, headed to a Korean restaurant for dinner. Sydney is quite like Vancouver in cultural make up. There are a plethora of ethnic restaurants to choose from. After dinner we meet up with the majority of the cabin crew in the basement of the Hilton in the marble bar, and it lived up to its name, being covered in marble, quite nice. The long haul flights require 2 sets of flight deck crew so we were joined by another set of pilots. Of the 4 pilots 2 were ...

Dubai journal: Nails and propaganda.

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:27:52 GMT

Well what did I get up to today? Make up, ya that is right, we had health class. They taught us how to give ourselves manicures, clean our face, eat and exercise… I can’t figure out if it an age thing or a culture thing. I guess it makes sense; they want us all to look good, all the same up good as well. After the pampering lesson the boys were excused while the girls did a class on make up. An hour and a half they came down all looking like the girls from that Robert Palmer video, hair tied back and bright red lips stick. Oh, I forgot to mention that we are now wearing our uniforms (photo’s ...

Paris journal: Paris

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 09:12:58 GMT

The why our flights are chosen is the Cabin Crew members are divided in to 7 groups. Each month the groups are shifted in rank order, so we all take turn being top bid and, in the other extreme we all take a turn doing standby. May was group 1’s top bid, and I am in group one. I bid for a 4 day layover in Sechelles, a Hamburg/New York, a 3 day Bangkok, and a Paris; in that order. The only one I got was the Paris… but I got three for the. I traded two of the Paris for a Malta and a Manila, and I kept one of the Paris. This is the Paris.

The French were an easy bunch. They liked their wine ...

Manila journal: Manila.

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 14:03:02 GMT

Well when I got this roster at the beginning of the month I was some what disappointed with it. This is the month that my group is in the top bid position. I thought I would get all 6 flights that I bid for… I got 1, Paris, but I got it three times! Well I don’t love Paris that much so I traded the first for Malta, and the second for Manila. I think it was a good trade taking into consideration that it is a very popular destination among the Crew… a large portion or which are Philippines. So off to Manila we go!

The flight was about 8 hours long but the time flew by. The passengers were ...

Dubai journal: Long time no hear... sorry.

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 12:39:53 GMT

Okay, I am sorry for taking so long elapse between the last entry, I can imagine how many of you I have lost in the process, for those few who remain I will continue. At least I will not loose sleep over the guilt. Honestly the last month has not been super exciting, but I guess that is not what you want to hear, so with out further a dew, back to the blog.

Tunis journal: Tunisia.

Sat, 19 May 2007 06:26:49 GMT

Welcome to Tunisia, the newest destination for Emirates and my next adventure. Tunisia supports a population of

10,276,158 of which 98% are Muslim , 1% Christian , 1% Other. Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was finally successful in getting the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country's first president, Habib Bourguiba, established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, ...

Dubai journal: Dubai- Don't mess with the Police.

Sat, 19 May 2007 05:16:17 GMT

Yes my life is so boring between flights I thought I would share with you waht goes on around Dubai.

Dubai - A British expat who showed his middle finger to police officers in an act of defiance after being pulled over has been jailed. The man, who has been sentenced to a month in prison, will also be deported. The offender, identified only by his initials RB, was charged by Public Prosecution with the offensive gesture following an inThe Court of First Instance heard that the motorist was stopped by police after they repeatedly flashed their lights at him to stop. After questioning the ...

Cyprus journal: Cypress on the way home.

Sat, 19 May 2007 04:44:14 GMT

This was just a quick stop in to exchange passengers‘. We usually take an hour to let people off and bring people on, and exchange catering and refuel. We have to stay in the cabin for security sake. We do a bag identification, which is just as it sounds, pointing out every bag and asking whom it belongs to. Then board the new passengers and we are off again. I should mention we are not paid for the time spent on the ground, only while the plane is in motion.

Cyprus journal: Cypress

Sat, 12 May 2007 14:02:14 GMT

We touched down in Cypress along the way, but I was not allowed off the plane... As usual. I have the means, I mean I am often left to watch a door with a staircase leading to the tarmac. I wonder what would happen if I just bolted one day, off the plane and gone! Well the plane could still take off. You need one person per door, but we usally have an extra on board, in case of injury or illness. I am sure I would be detain, if they could catch me ;oP. Well that is what I ponder about for the hour it usually takes to make a stop over.

Malta journal: Malta!

Sat, 12 May 2007 13:49:54 GMT

Malta, I small island off the south of Italia, and my next destination. The flight was about half full of easy going passages. The crew where great as well, I even had the pleasure of having a fellow Vancouverite on board. Megan is actually from Twassen, but lived in Point Grey before join the company. She has been here for about a year and a bit and lives across the road. The rest were a good bunch as well. But lets get on to the good stuff… Malta!

The country is small, it comprises of three islands, the largest one is the hub of the country. There are about +400k Maltese and English is ...

Dubai journal: Begining of the end.

Sat, 12 May 2007 13:47:16 GMT

Well one of my batch is leaving. Not my class but one of the neighbouring classes is loosing one of its members. Donna, an Australian from Perth is moving to Texas to be with her Fiancé. Great girl, I am going to miss her, as I am sure, so will the rest of the classes. I am told that most don’t last the three years they sign up for. I, personally, am happy for now, but I guess only time will tell.

Addis Ababa journal: Back to Ethopia for another hour.

Sat, 12 May 2007 13:46:55 GMT

With a life expectancy of approximately 50 years, Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world. The per-capita GDP is around $1000 US a year! Ethiopia is one of the worlds oldest country but has a history of both civil strife and natural disasters.

I was not allowed off the plane. But the interaction with the Ethiopian passengers showed a kind people, very considerate, for most this was their first time on a plane. The flight posed a different kind of challenge. Mostly educating the passengers on how the planes equipment worked; like seat belts, bathroom doors, and my favourite, ...

Entebbe journal: Entebbe!

Fri, 04 May 2007 03:58:29 GMT

Well this month I requested flights to Africa. It is one of the only continents I have never travelled to so I was excited to go. And the first flight of the month… Entebbe, Uganda. Well we stopped in Ethiopia along the way but we did not have the opportunity to exit the plane. Uganda is in the middle of the continent and borders lake Victoria; the largest lake in Africa and the beginning of the Nile. As well it borders Kenya, and Tanzania, Rwanda, Zaire, and Sudan and, Democratic Republic of Congo, some dangerous places to visit. Despite it being one of the worlds poorest countries it was ...

Dubai journal: Lets make party!

Fri, 04 May 2007 03:16:59 GMT

The party. Well we had Antonio’s welcome party and a whopping 9 people showed up, I was expecting more but we really only invited people from our batch and some where flying. We had a good time all the same. I guess I should explain the hair. I have been growing it since I arrived and finally got fed up with it. So I shaved my head… well not all of it. I had a couple days off so with the help of Katy and Louise I sported a Mohawk for a couple days in between. I did get a few complements and some giggles and quite a few stares. I wanted to keep it, and even check the hand book which did not ...

Shanghai journal: Shang Hai

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:44:47 GMT

The Shanghai flight left at the worst possible time. We took off at around 3am. That means I have to be out the door to catch it by 12:25. Which means good luck getting any sleep. The flight was not that bad, well it wasn’t that great either but fairly “par for the course.” Manors were a thing of rarity. In fact in the serving and collecting 39 meal trays and then serving 80 people drinks I had a total of 3 pleases and one thank you, and all the pleases came from one guy! I felt like dropping to my knees and hugging him, but feared a plethora of possible ramifications of such an action. The ...

London journal: London Gatwick.

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:36:13 GMT

London. One of the great things about working for Emirates is the opportunities that the airline affords us. Case in point was this trip to London. I have an Aunt and Uncle, on my mothers side, that reside just outside of London and this was a great opportunity to see them again.

The flight was good. All Canadian cabin crew. Well not all of them but both pilots and one of the two SFS (Senior Flight Staff). So in actuality it was about ¼. The captain did the PA introduction using the nationalities and names of the crew. I had at least 2 passengers ask why there were so many Canadians ...

Dubai journal: Back in Dubai

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 05:32:42 GMT

I have a few days off to adjust to having a flatmate. Antonio has moved in. It is good to have him around. He only had a day to spend here alone, then he was on a long trip, arriving 1 hour before me. It will be weird having someone else around, but I like the guy so I am looking forward to his arrival. I am off to London and Shanghai in a couple days.

Singapore City journal: Singapore on the return home.

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 08:53:53 GMT

6 days latter we found ourselves back in Singapore. And as most of my cohorts shopped there $100 dollar per-diem away Swathi, Iza and I explored the rest of the city. We bought passage on one of those Hope-off-hope-on style busses, which circle the city stopping at varies sites, allowing you to stay as long at one site as you liked. First stop was a Hindu temple on the edge of Chinatown. For the record Singapore is majority Chinese descent. After English, Mandarin is the most common language. Everyone here seems to be Chinese so why they have parameters for their china town beats me. Well the ...

Brisbane journal: Brisbane.

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 08:50:22 GMT

This was the second time I have been to Brisbane. The first being 6 years ago did not impress me that much. It is a modern, clean city, not to crowded, on the East coast of Australia… there is no beach! How do you have an Australian city with out a beach? And ya, the locals would argue that you have two of the nicest beaches an easy train ride away on the Gold Coast or the Sunshine coast, but I would argue why did they not build the cities there then! That said I thought I would give the city another chance… and I am happy I did.

The first day we were there our Purser (highest ranking, ...

Brisbane journal: Brisbane on the way back.

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 07:59:38 GMT

This time round we went back to the Street Beach, the fake beach in the middle of town, for a swim and a good lay around. After we, Tedros, Tamia, and Silvia, had enough of the sun we went for lunch at a local restaurant. Here is a huge difference between Canada and Australia; there is no tipping in the Aussy restaurants, there for their level of service can sometime lack, well more often then not, the server in not very attentive. Don’t feel so sorry for them, when I worked there as a server 6 years ago I was making minimum wage… $17 an hour! The food is good and the server doesn’t ignore ...

Auckland journal: Auckland

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 07:56:50 GMT

We had the option to visit the Auckland airport for 2 hours between the flights to and from ACK (this time round it was just a turnaround) but I opted to stay on the plane and watched the first ½ of “little miss sunshine” in first class. Then it was 4 hours back to Brisbane for another 2 days of exploring. Don’t worry, I will get the opportunity to see Auckland some other time.

Singapore City journal: Singapore

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 07:37:47 GMT

Singapore was the beginning of a nine day trip that saw us visit Brisbane for two days and Auckland on a turn around and then the same destinations for the same time period on the way back. I believe that this is the longest trip the airline takes and differently the longest I have been on.

Singapore is a nation located off the bottom of Malaysia. I have spent time travelling though Malaysia, Thailand and Laos 7 years ago and was expecting something similar. I was quite surprised to see that Singapore is a highly developed, first world nation. Extremely clean and very green. There are ...

Dubai journal: Psychos in the skies!

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 06:55:35 GMT

The title of the April 3rd 7days (one of the local papers) read Psychos in the skies. And right below was an article detailing the dangers of prolonged exposure to air travel. Mostly drivel so I will save you the time of reading the entire article and, instead, give you the highlights.

“New research claims frequent air travellers, such as Cabin Crew, who repeatedly take long-haul flights risk ill health and bouts of mental issues.”

“As well as the obvious jet lag encountered with crossing multiple time zones, an out-of-kilter body clock can trigger psychotic and mood disorders”. ...

Tehran journal: Behind the curtain. The magic of flight.

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 05:43:35 GMT

Well I flew to Tehran, Iran. I never left the plane so don’t have much to say on the subject, but I can give you some insight on the goings on which allow the plane to function. For example; have you ever wondered how the plane gets from the “Bomb Blast” state that passengers leave it in to the “fresh plane look” that you see when you board? Well it sure aint us cabin crew that cleans it! Well we collect the blanket and headsets as people deplane (I don’t believe that deplane is a word). After the passengers go e take on a security role as an arm of cleaners, caterers, engineers, and various ...

Dubai journal: What USA today wrote about Dubai

Sat, 31 Mar 2007 09:28:46 GMT

Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA Today

Erupting from the flat, featureless desert of this Persian Gulf city-state like a space-age mirage is the tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai. It is rising at the rate of a floor a week. Some predict it will reach half a mile heavenward, but no one knows for sure. The builders won't reveal its final height for fear of tipping off would-be competitors and -- heaven forbid! -- being trumped. To ensure its place in the record books, the tower -- which will house shops, apartments and a 172-suite Armani hotel when it's finished next year -- ...

Dubai journal: Shanga La

Sat, 31 Mar 2007 04:34:14 GMT

I have just been bumming around between flights. A bunch of my batch (training class) went out last night. We have what is called a “Face Card” or Flight Attendants Club of Emirates. Which gets us discounts all over town for a variety of different things. I usually use mine to work across the road in the Shangri-La hotel, and sit by there pool, really swank, I will try to get some photos to show you. Well back to the story at hand: they also have a buffet that includes drinks it is usually 175 Dirham ($60) but for us it was half off! So 6 of us went and enjoyed the ambiance (drank and ate and ...

Moscow journal: From Russia with love.

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 08:21:42 GMT

Well I was excited, I am finally going to a country I have never been to. And what a country! The flight was on the older Boeing 330, but that is a smaller aircraft, which means fewer people. The plane was jam packed, 220 people or so in coach. But the flight was only 5.5 hours, and went off without a hitch… except for the lady whom was having an attach of some kind and required oxygen. No big deal, happens all the time we were told.

Russia was cold, well that was the first thing I noticed, the second was that the airport was outside of town…1.5 hour drive outside! The drive in was nice, ...

Jedda journal: Return from the Jedda.

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 09:48:26 GMT

Well this is one of those flights that everyone complains about so I was a little worried. The plain was a 2 class configuration Boeing 777. That means no first class to make room for extra Economy class seats, on did I mention that the 777 is the longest passenger jet out there? This baby can hold 380 oblivious call button pressers. The crew were nice, and once again the Captain was Canadian (4 out of my 5 flights for those keeping track) I was assigned door Right 3. Basically in the middle of the plane. There 15 cabin crew on bored and I had seniority over 3 of them… not that impressive ...

Dubai journal: A day in Dubai

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 09:42:48 GMT

Well I had a day in Dubai between the DUS flight and the next flight to Jedda, Saudi Arabia. Spent the day cleaning up dust. It is everywhere here, I mostly seem to find it in my eyes and mouth. All kidding aside, I leave my balcony door open, to allow air in, I can’t stand the Air Conditioner, it makes the air so dry and I am convinced that it spreads germs around the building. So every day I leave the door open have a fine layer of dust over everything in the place. Man I miss the greenery.

(Sorry guys, no photos, but would you really want them?)

Duesseldorf journal: Strap on your lederhosen, we’re heading to Dusseldorf!

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 09:08:10 GMT

We had the pleasure of flying there in one of the few remaining Airbus 330’s. The oldest in the fleet. We are really quite spoiled, apparently we have one of the youngest fleets in the industry, so ever time we have to fly the 330’s someone complains. And honestly, they are not that old. In comparison when I flew form Vancouver I few Air Canada to London then switched to Emirates. The Air Canada plane was built in 1988, vs. the Emirates plane was built in 2003. So all things considered we really have nothing to complain about, but if we did it would be that the 330 has less space and fewer ...

Dubai journal: Wild Wadi Waterpark!

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 04:43:23 GMT

Well what do you do after a six day trip to the other side of the planet, trapped with the same strangers for the whole time? Easy go to the wather park with them! I was invited to Wild Wati Waterpark by the Jo and Evangeline along with Mikey. An offer I couldn’t refuse. The park is huge, and lies at the foot of the Burj Al Arab (the 7 star hotel, built out in the water, and symbol of Dubai… just look at the pictures, it is the funny looking building ).

So it know it seems somewhat childish but I must admit I had but I fun time. Unlike the water parks of my youth, where you would spend ...

Christchurch journal: Christchurch

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 02:05:11 GMT

The next day we were off to Christchurch, yet another of my favourite cities. The flight was short, only 3 hours and without incident. I was here 5 years ago. The weather was much nicer this time and once again we stayed in a great, central location, the Holiday Inn. That day most of the crew (including the flight deck crew Captain and First Officer) headed to a lookout on the edge of town, we took a gondola, similar to the one on Whisler, but much slower and smaller, up the mountain and took in the view… and a few beers. Then we headed off to dinner and then a pint at a local bar. Then to ...

Sydney journal: Sydney!

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 01:30:32 GMT

Well I have finally made it right round the world… ok, maybe not in one go but I have arrived in Sydney from the east around 5 years ago when I travelled around Auz, and now I arrived from the west, so it took me 5 years but I have made it right around the planet! I can tell you are not as excited as I. Sydney was beautiful, the weather was perfect, and it was nice to see greenery again. The flight in was LONG 13.5 hours! We were afforded 3 hours break in the CRC (crew rest compartment) which is the secret 8 bunk room below the main cabin, which really helped pass the time. I watched movies. ...

Istanbul journal: Next stop Istanbul.

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 08:03:41 GMT

The second flight in my illustrious career as cabin crew sees me heading to IST, or Istanbul. The flight was only 4.5 hours, but it was on the Boeing 777, a much longer plane. You really notice the difference in the long walks to get from cabin to cabin. This plane holds around 380 people in economy. A much larger plane then the Airbus. The other cabin crew are most always strangers. There are just under 8000 of us “trolley dollys” so the odds of seeing someone I know is quite slim. But everyone has been nice so far and it I look forward to meeting new people.

The highlight of the trip ...

Dubai journal: Congestion

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 01:42:17 GMT

So back in Dubai, or DXB in airport code, I need to enter a log so the map function on the blog knows I returned before heading out again. I did very little but sleep on my return so I will talk about Dubai’s growth. And show some random pictures of some exploring in the “old” part of town. The rant for the day is an exert out of one of the local papers:

“Dubai has seen a staggering increase in the number of vehicles on its roads with a 30 per cent hike in just a year. A total of 212,867 cars, buses, trucks and heavy mechanical vehicles were newly registered in 2006 to swell the traffic ...

Dubai journal: Service

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 09:34:29 GMT

Service, the final stage of training. It was suppose to be the most enjoyable stage, but few in the class found it to be the case. The instructors were unreasonable; found to be so by the majority of the class. Fortunately the material was interesting. We learned the Emirates procedures on cabin service. How to talk to people, and how to deal with concerns and the answers to all the crazy questions we might get stumped with. Most of it was done on the Service Simulator. This is a room built to feel as if you were on a plane. We ran lots of mock ups. Most of the time these simulated flights had ...

Dubai journal: A berth for birth.

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 09:18:45 GMT

We finished the Safety part of our training. The final exam was hard but we all past. It was good to get is over with and now I am qualified to operate on Boeing 777-200 & 300 as well as Air Bus 330, 340-300, 340-500. We have also had a day of safety training which included, among other things, Dealing with Terrorist, Bombs, Hijackings, Gun recognitions, and how to take down “unruly passengers.” All very interesting, and empowering if not propaganda laden.

The next day we started on EFR or Emergency First Response, aka first aid. A topic I have a great deal of knowledge in, but one ...

Damascus journal: We have lift off!

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 08:54:55 GMT

Ya that’s right, I flew! The long wait is over! At 7:10 this morning, or @ 7:10 last night your time, I was crew on a flight to Damascus, Syria. Really not that interesting as I didn’t exit the plain, but it looked nice…exactly like Dubai actually. The flight took of at 7:10, but I need to be there at 5:40 for the briefing. Which meant I had to be out front of my place at 4:35 for transportation to the airport. I will spare you the boring details of preparation. The plain, for all those interested, was an A320-200. An older plane, designed for shorter halls. The flight was about 3.5 hours ...

Dubai journal: Finished SEP!

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 07:10:55 GMT

The next day we started on EFR or Emergency First Response, aka first aid. A topic I have a great deal of knowledge in, but one ...

Dubai journal: Friday Night... is a Thursday?

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 05:11:49 GMT

For what ever reason the weekend here is Friday and Saturday. Here are some photos from last night with some of the crew. We went to the Irish Village that is adjacent to the training college. I little oasis of western culture in the cultural wasteland that is Dubai. We had a waitress that was quite Irish and quite rude. Example: When the bill was paid there was a stack of Dirham coins, each worth about 30 cents, as well as paper bills. As we were getting up to leave she was clearing our table and took the bills and brushed the stack of coins on to the ground, which was cobble stones so made ...

Dubai journal: Sick of school.

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 04:56:58 GMT

Sick of school.

Well long time no hear. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. The whole class is fighting off different symptoms of the flu. One girl in our class is no longer in our class due to too many sick days. They have held her over till the next class starts. Not that big a deal seeing that they start every week. In fact we lost another girl, this time for academic standards, but have had two girls also join the class from classes ahead. Although I have been fighting off the flu for the last week, and sleeping 10 hour days , fear not for me! I was one of 5 people that ...

Dubai journal: The Dubai museum.

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 04:41:25 GMT

The Dubai museum. I was over in Bur Dubai, the old part of town, picking up my unlocked cell phone (take that FIDO!), and found myself a couple of blocks from the Dubai Museum. Thought I would check it out. It is build in a fort that was once the ruling Sheiks abode. As well as serving as a variey of other functions in its 400 year life. It was only 3 Dirhams ($1 cdn) to get in and quite informative, in fact if you want to know anything about Dubai it is in there: history, future, flora, fauna, different cultural influences, you name it. The fort is nice but small, they have build a huge ...

Dubai journal: Working for the weekend.

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 05:52:11 GMT

Well what do you do with a day off in a foreign city… That’s right EXPLORE! I headed to Bur Dubai, this is the old part of town, located on the “creek.” This is were the first build in Dubai was built, which is now the Museum. The cab took me right into the heart of the district. I had a shopping list of electronics that according to my lonely planet if it runs on electricity you can find it on Al Fahidi street. It was a crammed full of shops selling mostly Cell Phones, watches, and cameras. Bargaining is the norm and I am sure that I was exploited, but it was all part of the fun… right? I ...

Dubai journal: Welcome to Dubai!

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 05:52:48 GMT

Welcome to my DUBAI BLOG! I thought rather then bother you with boring e-mails you can come and see my travels on your own accord. So, please return your seat to the upright position, place your tray in the seat back in front of you, stow all items under your seat and prepare for take off.