Tuesday, March 6, 2012

CRUISING ATTITUDE: REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
CRUISING ATTITUDE
 Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and
 Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet
BY HEATHER POOLE

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Real-life flight attendant Heather Poole has written a charming and funny insider’s account of life and work in the not-always-friendly skies. Cruising Attitude is a Coffee, Tea, or Me? for the 21st century, as the author parlays her fifteen years of flight experience into a delightful account of crazy airline passengers and crew drama, of overcrowded crashpads in “Crew Gardens” Queens and finding love at 35,000 feet. The popular author of “Galley Gossip,” a weekly column for AOL’s award-winning travel website Gadling.com, Poole not only shares great stories, but also explains the ins and outs of flying, as seen from the flight attendant’s jump seat.

Flying the not-so-friendly skies...

In her more than fifteen years as an airline flight attendant, Heather Poole has seen it all. She's witnessed all manner of bad behavior at 35,000 feet and knows what it takes for a traveler to become the most hated passenger onboard. She's slept in flight attendant crashpads in "Crew Gardens," Queens—sharing small bedrooms crammed with bunk beds with a parade of attractive women who come and go at all hours, prompting suspicious neighbors to jump to the very worst conclusions. She's watched passengers and coworkers alike escorted off the planes by police. She can tell you why it's a bad idea to fall for a pilot but can be a very good one (in her case) to date a business-class passenger. Heather knows everything about flying in a post-9/11 world—and she knows what goes on behind the scenes, things the passengers would never dream.

Heather's true stories in Cruising Attitude are surprising, hilarious, sometimes outrageously incredible—the very juiciest of "galley gossip" delightfully intermingled with the eye-opening, unforgettable chronicle of her fascinating life in the sky. 

PRAISE FOR CRUISING ATTITUDE:
“Whether you’re a frequent or once-a-year flier, there’s something for everyone in this witty tell-all.”
— Publishers Weekly
 
“[An] insider’s perspective on the friendly skies . . . [an] entertaining, gonzo account."—Booklist         ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Heather Poole has been published in The Best Women's Travel Writing 2010. Her regular online column, "Galley Gossip: Confessions from the Jumpseat with Heather Poole," has received more than two million views and is featured on AOL's award-winning travel website, Gadling.com. 
Heather writes on her website, "Yeah, that’s me, the one standing in the aisle wearing flammable polyester…just another flight attendant writing about flying (and other stuff).  I’ve worked for a major US carrier for fifteen years, spending most of that time flying back and forth between New York (where I work) and Los Angeles (where I live).  So if there’s one thing I know, besides bad food and uncomfortable seats, it’s what it’s like to work inside a germ infested petri dish."
Visit Heather’s website: http://hpoole.wordpress.com/
Follow her on Twitter: @Heather_Poole
Become a fan on Facebook 

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
Heather Poole‘s CRUISING ATTITUDE is more than chik-lit in the sky which I thought it might be at first glance. Rather, it is somewhat like a memoir while also at the same time is funny and very enlightening. Poole is a fifteen year veteran flight attendant who tells of her career from training to climbing the ranks in her daily work. She does not shy away from the real-life details and I applaud her for that. Some of her stories about passengers were my favorite part. From celebrities to medical emergencies to passengers who become unruly, it is easy to see why this can be a very stressful job. Poole also, however, injects humor, that one can surely find, into some of the outrageous situations.

Ms. Poole‘s narrative is complete with hundreds of encounters she has had in her career from the beginning to now. If for no other reason, I think it should be required reading for everyone who travels by air. So many of the things in the book were such a shock to me. For instance, the details about how hungry the flight attendants are because no food is loaded on the plane for them. If you see them eating, you can be sure someone turned down a meal or the captain isn’t hungry on that flight.

The description of what training it takes to become a Flight Attendant was very well done and eye opening, to be sure! This is more than how to be a glorified waitress at extreme heights. Learning about the planes themselves and how servicing on different models comes with it own set of peculiarities is required for their course work. The section on “crash pads” was enough to make me know I could never have done this job. Poole’s description of how things have changed since 9/11 shows that these workers are not just competent but smart and brave as they face different and new threats daily.
 

I think as you read through the stories from Poole, you will hopefully be much more aware of what all is going on during your next flight. I know I will be when I am flying next week! The book is a quick read and I think CHANGING ATTITUDES would be perfect to take along on a flight.

GIVEAWAY
THANKS TO MARY AND MY GOOD FRIENDS AT
WILLIAM MORROW/HARPER COLLINS,
I HAVE ONE COPY OF THIS BOOK TO GIVE
AWAY TO ONE OF MY VERY LUCKY READERS
 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO
 

COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT CRUISING ATTITUDE THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING ABOUT HEATHER POOLE BY VISITING HER WEBSITE HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON A CURRENT GIVEAWAY THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES
 
GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, MARCH 21
GOOD LUCK!

89 comments:

lag123 said...

I would love to read all the stories about passengers. I am sure she has some stories to tell.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

debbie said...

I would bet she has seen it all. I don't think I could ever do this job, but it would be interesting to read about it.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

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Steve Capell said...

Before I retired almost every week I found myself on a flight somewhere inside the USA. I am sure this author has seen some of the worst and also the best attitudes aboard a jet liner. I have seen my share of the worst that becomes an embarrassment to mankind. I am very interested in reading her account of flying the friendly skies so thanks for the opportunity. "This is your captain speaking. Set back and relax and wait for your name to be drawn for Cruising Attitude."

steven.capell@gmail.com

Carol N Wong said...

I would want to read this book because my sister-in-law was a retired flight attendant or as they called it a "stewardess". She has told me some about the training school and flying but I want to see how things have changed.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I watched the videos about the Laviators. The Lavatories are so tiny. I hope that no one had to wait on the people taking their pictures.

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cheryl c said...

I fly a lot, so I would love to hear the interesting and funny behind-the-scenes stories.
castings at mindspring dot com

cheryl c said...

She has a very interesting and informative blog for airline travelers.
castings at mindspring dot com

Karen B said...

I'd love to read her stories, good and bad!
kpbarnett1941[at]aol.com

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holdenj said...

I think anyone in the service industry could relate to some of her stories. Thanks for the intriguing giveaway.

holdenj said...

If her blog is any indication of her book, I'm sure I'll like it a lot. I really liked her "Caption It" feature!
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bloggingmom said...

I would love to read an inside story about the airlines and about the difficulties of working as part of an airline crew.

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I really like the Chloe jacket that Heather Poole has on her blog.
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Anonymous said...

When I was very young and very foolish, I wanted to be a Flight Attendant. Then when I was around 9 years old, I saw a male passenger grab a female Flight Attendants behind (that's putting it politely) and realized right then that it wasn't a job for me. These women and men are professionals but they put up w/a lot of nonsense from passengers. I see from the review that I don't know even a half of what the job entails so I have added this to my TBR. Thanks for letting us know about this book.

maynekitty///at///live///dot///com

Anonymous said...

I read the section on 'Laviators'. So funny and something everyone can take part in versus the mile high club which requires you to be a consenting adult.

maynekitty///at///live///dot///com

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Anonymous said...

I would like to read this to find out some of the weird things she has seen and also because it talks about 9-11

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thanks

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Rebecca Orr said...

This book sounds like a lot of fun, and I am sure very eye-opening! I have yet to fly in an airplane, but it would be nice to know what goes on behind the scenes before I do get the chance! Thanks for the chance to win this book.
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