Can you make the most of working at Christmas?

So how can you make the best of it?

Aeroplanes fly 365 days of the year and you will be expected to fly any one of those 365 days through-out your entire flying career. So working at Christmas at some point in your career is inevitable.

Here are some tips from long serving crew:

• ‘You’ll find out what you are rostered for a few weeks in advance so you’ll have time to plan an alternative. Arrange with friends or family to have a ‘Christmas Day’ on a day before or when you arrive home. They’ll be happy they get to do it twice and you won’t feel like you’re missing out!’
• ‘Find out who else is on your trip and contact them beforehand. They’ll be in the same situation as you and probably more than happy to share some ideas of how you can spend time to make it more fun together’.
• ‘Make sure you and your colleagues get into the spirit by making a few festive additions to your uniform. Passengers probably don’t want to be flying on Christmas Day either, so a pair of flashing Christmas tree earrings or a Santa hat might brighten their day too!’

Of course there are also plus sides to working at Christmas…

• ‘If you are away over the main part of Christmas you will have time off leading up to it and then straight afterwards, so you can enjoy the pre-Christmas festivities and then put your feet up afterwards’
• ‘You could be fortunate enough to be jetting off to sunnier climes – just think how envious all your friends would be when you leave the Great British winter behind! Plan to do something special whilst you are away and take lots of photos, like wearing tinsel on your bikini when you are on the beach….followed by a Christmas balmy evening in your summer attire and sipping a cocktail watching the sun set over the shimmering ocean.’
• ‘A big perk of the job will be your cheap flights so if you miss spending time with loved ones for a traditional Christmas you can always take them away with you instead!’
• ‘If you’re with a good crew you’ll have a real laugh- you might even enjoy it more than a normal Christmas!’