Moms, do you come home from work exhausted and wonder how you are going to get dinner on the table and get your kids to bed, their lunches made for the next school day? Or are you a stay-at-home mom who is drained from running around after your children all day?

Well, today Smart Poodle Publishing is interviewing Shari Rubin, who is a wife and mother of 2 teenage daughters and has been a flight attendant for American Airlines for close to 30 years. We thought it would be interesting to interview her and find out what it is like to juggle work and family with such a crazy travel schedule.

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Shari Rubin on her RAGBRAI Bicycle Trip Last Summer in Iowa

Shari, how long have you been a flight attendant?

I started working for Continental in 1979 and have worked for American Airlines since 1984.


What made you choose this for a career?

When I was in college in Arizona, I walked by a Continental Airlines recruiter table on campus. A man there stopped me to ask, ”Have you ever thought about becoming a flight attendant?” I hadn’t, but I filled out an application.

When I told my Dad about it, he said, “If you quit school for this job, I’m never paying for college for you again.” After 2 interviews, I got the job at Continental and stopped going to college. In 1983 Continental filed for bankruptcy and laid me off. At a loss for what to do, I started school again (without my Dad paying for it!) It turned out to be a huge lifestyle adjustment for me, since I was so used to traveling. I missed the flying so much, I decided to go to work for American Airlines. I didn’t finish college, but I sure got a great education on the job.

Give us an example of one of your recent work schedules.

Lately I work 4 days in a row, and get 4 days off. I do turnaround flights and never get off the plane until I get back home. This requires me to get up at 4:30 am for a 7 am flight. You’ve got to look fresh and prepared and have energy for this job, no matter what time of the day it is. I usually land back home at 12:30pm. One time I worked a 4-day trip, 8 flight hours each day. I’ll never forget that.

Don’t you find that exhausting? How do you manage?

Yes, it is exhausting. But you do what you have to do. You do get used to it, however the older I get, the longer it takes me to recover. Flying internationally requires you to constantly reset your internal body clock. It’s a struggle. But working conditions have improved over the years, because airlines do their best to keep their employees healthy and happy. There have been many scientific sleep studies done, and airlines use the findings as a guideline for scheduling pilots and flight attendants. Now there are longer breaks between flights than there used to be.

Your husband, Mark is a pilot for American. Are you ever away at the same time?

No. We make an effort to make our schedules different, because of our kids. One of us is almost always home for them.

Did you meet your husband on a flight?

No. We actually met through colleagues in Chicago at a social event. It is very common for pilots to marry flight attendants. It’s funny how it goes in cycles. When we have a flurry of new hires of pilots and flights attendants, many marriages follow. When there are no new hires for a while, it seems that you hear more about divorces!

What challenges have you faced juggling your career and family, especially when your children were younger?

Time management is the hardest thing. My husband and I have relied heavily on friends and babysitters over the years. Since we do not live near family members, friends and sitters have become family to us. There are times when it is tough because I have had to miss Christmas, birthdays or other special events. But my family has learned to be flexible. I actually find it harder to juggle schedules since my girls are older, than when they were in grade school. There’s just a lot more going on! Once you have a teen who drives, you don’t want to be out of town when she is in the car!

What do you like best about your job?

The people I work with and the passengers I meet are amazing! I love the variety. No two flights are the same. You get to know the people you work with, and the crew changes constantly. Years ago, the travel benefits were the best perk of the job. But with the increase in the passenger load, accessibility of flights on the Internet and last minute deals for passengers, standby is not such a pleasant way to travel. My family has had to separate and get on different flights just to get home from vacations. As many people know these days, it is tough spending hours waiting in airports.

What is the hardest part of being a flight attendant?

It is challenging to schedule life and work and even harder to make last minute changes.

What is your favorite destination in the world?

Home.

Can you share with us a funny or unique story about an experience you had while working?

I always laugh when I ask passengers if they would like breakfast, and they reply, “I only want toast.” Food service is so limited on planes, and we do not have toasters. We no longer have microwaves either. It never ceases to amaze me what people bring on the plane. I have seen standing floor lamps, paintings that are 4 ft X 6 ft, and more. Passengers smuggle pets on planes all the time! We don’t discover this usually until the flight has taken off.

By far the strangest request I ever received was from a world-renowned celebrity in the music business (who shall remain nameless). We were traveling from Miami to LA non-stop. She got up out of her seat to speak to me. She wanted to talk to the Captain of the flight and demand that he land the plane at the nearest airport. She was simply tired of being on that plane and wanted to get off. She said she’d pay for the expenses associated with the unscheduled landing. My reply? “I’m sorry but that is impossible. Now you’ll have to go back to your seat.”

You are an avid exerciser like me. But how do you stick to it when you are so exhausted from flying so often?

Energy creates energy. Doing nothing makes me feel terrible. If I did not exercise, I would not be able to do my job! My favorite thing to do is ride my bike when I get home from a trip – even if I am exhausted.

You have completed the RAGBRAI Bicycle event 2 summers in a row! Can you tell us about it?

RAGBRAI stands for Registers Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. Two news reporters started it in 1972 and it runs every summer. Basically it is a weeklong ride across Iowa, about a 450-500 mile journey. There are challenges – rain, heat, wind and hills. 10,000 weekly riders are allowed to join the group, and an unlimited number of day riders join in too. We camp in tents and rough it for a week. I love it because this is not a pro athletic event. The participants are regular people like you and me – families, husbands and wives, from the very old to very young. You meet a lot of great people and cultivate new friendships.

What advice do you have for a mom (or future mom) who is thinking about becoming a flight attendant?

Remain flexible. If you are rigid and a schedule nut, don’t do this for a living! You can make a good income, but you’ll never get rich. You’ll get to see the world, and best of all, when you are not working, you can completely leave your job behind.

Thank you Shari for your insight into the life of a Mom/flight attendant.

P.S. Shari says she is just “an average Mom” and does not consider herself to be a Super Mom. But we do!

We salute Shari and all of the billions of moms in the world who are dedicated to working hard while taking care of their families.

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