Over the last six Thanksgivings, she flew with Delta.
She started a tradition of flying with her mom on holidays.
She keeps an eye out for passengers who are difficult to get along with.
An essay is based on a conversation with a flight attendant about flying during Thanksgiving week. It has been edited to make it clearer.
I was enamored with travel when I was in my 20s. I applied to be a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines because I couldn't afford to see the world as much as I wanted to.
The best thing about this job is that it never ages. You get to fly new routes and meet people from all over the world. It's always interesting.
It is the most difficult part of this job to work during the holiday season.
During the busiest travel months of the year, being a flight attendant is difficult.
I've spent Thanksgiving away from my family for the past six years so I've had to get creative to still make it special.
I started a tradition a few years ago where my mom would fly with me on the holiday so I wouldn't be alone. I usually work two to three flights on the day of Thanksgiving.
During the holiday season, I've tried to move from Salt Lake City to Atlanta, where my family lives. If I have an afternoon off between flights, I can stop by and see them.
Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel times of the year, so travelers should expect long lines at security, as well as be prepared for the crowds. A lot of people who are flying aren't people who travel frequently. They don't know where to go, how to get through security, or what to do at the airport.
I spend more time explaining things to customers during this week. A lot of people will turn to me for help when I'm walking around the terminal or greeting them as they board, with questions about how to navigate the terminals or what to do once they get to the airport.
Since a lot of travelers this week aren't frequent fliers, I often see more people missing flights or arriving late.
If the airline tells you to arrive two to three hours in advance, you need to follow that advice. If you get to the airport late this week, you could face long lines at the security checkpoint.
You can skip the holiday rush if you fly a few days earlier or the week before a holiday. The busiest days are before and after the holidays.
The way each flight attendant prepares for this week is different because of the holiday rush.
I start to change my work routine during the week of Thanksgiving. I have to arrive at the airport an hour earlier because parking lots fill up fast. I make sure that I don't leave the house without my lunch and noise-canceling headphones so that I don't get caught in the crowd.
The most important change I make is my attitude. Since I'm about to interact with a lot of people, I try to practice patience.
I try to treat people with respect. People are just trying to get to their families, and they're afraid they will miss their flight, or they're confused about the rules at the airport.
Many people approach me with their emotions, whether it's with questions if their luggage is going to make it to their destination now that they had to gate check it, or about a frustration they experienced earlier in their travel day. I try to give them as much information as I can and let them know what's going on with the situation.
Sometimes I work earlier flights or pick up more flights because some senior flight attendants take time off. I drink a lot of coffee and take a lot of rest between trips.
A lot of the difficult situations we deal with with flyers during the week of Thanksgiving aren't out of the ordinary, but sometimes they feel more extreme.
During the holiday season, when people travel with gifts, it can be more difficult to fit all their belongings in the overhead compartment. When we run out of space, people get angry that they have to check their bag because they want to make sure they don't get lost, or they have gifts they want to make sure don't get lost.
I try to do what I can to accommodate bags on the flight, whether that's moving things around to store luggage wherever we can find room or asking other passengers to put their backpacks under their seats.
I'm usually able to see who is going to be a difficult passenger. I will share this with other crew members so they can be prepared for future interactions with this passenger.
You should have a backup plan if your flight is delayed or canceled. If you need to make a change, you can download the airline's app on your phone, locate the help desk in the terminal, and save the customer service phone number.
If you're traveling with gifts, put them in a carry-on bag that can fit under your seat, and check your clothes and other items in a suitcase at the ticket counter. If you're rushing to your gate during this time, you don't want to carry a lot of luggage with you.
People forget that flight attendants are also people during the holiday travel stress. We try to get to a destination to spend time with loved ones or to our layover spot to make the most of the holiday. Working on Thanksgiving means sacrificing being with our own families, so it would be nice if passengers showed us some sympathy when things go wrong.
We're doing everything we can to make your holiday travel as good as possible, but sometimes we're missing out on our own celebrations in order to do that.
While I've seen passengers bring gifts for flight attendants during the holiday season, a simple greeting when you board the flight will go a long way.
The week of Thanksgiving is one of the hardest weeks on the job, but it's also a good time to reflect on why I love my job.
Business Insider has an article on it.
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