I’m old enough to remember flying when flight attendants — “stewardesses” then — were required to be female, below a certain weight threshold, and meet a certain “standard” of physical appearance. They all looked like Flight Gal Barbie (sometimes Flight Gal Skipper), and in my experience they were uniformly plastic, competent, and carefully, politely bland.
Those days are behind us now, and flight attendants are hired for their competence, their friendly demeanor, and — in at least one instance on Southwest Airlines — a huge dollop of personality.
The flight attendant on this Southwest flight took the standard pre-departure routine and made it a hysterically funny stand-up comedy routine. Not only did he have the passengers rolling in the aisles, he made those boring, repetitive instructions memorable. I won’t soon forget them, and if you watch the video, neither will you. You probably won’t forget the khaki shorts and American-flag tie, either. Graham Gremore of Queerty writes:
Passengers flying from Chicago to San Francisco were … treated to four very gay, very hilarious minutes of reminders about how to buckle their seat belts, where to locate their life preservers, and what to do in the event of a decompression that included lots of attitude, as well as references to Gone With The Wind and Bye Bye Birdie.
Perhaps the attendant’s best line was about smoking in the lavatory being a no-no:
Do not be naughty in the potty. It’s $2200 for tampering with a smoke detector in the lavatory. And you know if you had $2000 you’d be [flying] first class.
The guy who posted this video on YouTube said the attendant made it
the most fun flight I ever took and [thanked him] for going above and beyond to make everyone feel comfortable and entertained. He threw a cocktail party halfway through the flight as well. What a GEM he was!
Enjoy!
H/T Queerty.
Let us know your thoughts at the Liberal America Facebook page.
Published writer since 2001, focusing on politics, history, Web development, and other topics. First book is coming soon.
