Being a flight attendant is such a beautiful career with so much growth

I have been a flight attendant for 27 years, from Philippine Airlines all the way to Etihad Airways. If there is one thing I learned, being a flight attendant is such a beautiful career with so much growth. Throughout those years of flying, I felt I was really transformed to be the best version of myself everyday. Those years of being a flight attendant has brought me where I am now, an innovator.

I am Joana Alberto, and I am proud to be a flight attendant innovator. This is my story and I hope it will inspire you.

A flight attendant for Philippine Airlines in 1989 then to Etihad

I was an international flight attendant of Philippine Airlines for 18 years — Basic Class 89-06. Yes I’m old. That’s why I have so much to share with you about my life as a cabin crew. Getting into flying wasn’t too tough for me. Since my dad was a pilot, it’s already in my blood. I grew up eating crew meals everyday. Just Kidding! I really wanted to become a pilot, but being an extrovert, I was better off in the cabin really. 

After 18 years of flying, I took a leap of faith to fast track my career by taking my chance with a fast growing airline in the Middle East, Etihad Airways. I was 38, the oldest PAL flight attendant who started from scratch, and worked my way up to becoming a Cabin Manager in 4-month’s time. And in the last couple of years before I clipped my wings, I was invited to join the Leadership and Development pool of trainers in the Etihad Innovation Training Academy. Not bad for a 9-year stint. I got my dream job! An inflight leader and a prestigious position in training rolled into one.

The Reboot

Working for a very ambitious airline wasn’t easy. To start, unlearning and learning service and safety standards was a painful process, especially for a jurassic crew. I remember in our ab initio class, I was the first one to be asked to do the emergency procedures. It was so funny when I blurted out, ‘Emergency bend down!’ which was my old airline’s ‘Brace for impact!’ command, instead of ‘Bend down, hold your knees!’. My classmates were staring at me like I was an alien from outer space — talking gibberish. Well, as expected I graduated with flying colors. It’s such a shame if I didn’t, since I was training alongside fresh grads with zero knowledge in aviation.

The tough part though was I flew for a couple of months as an economy crew seated at the tail end of the aircraft, following the lead of Cabin Managers half my age and experience. It’s a good thing that it didn’t last that long. I was lucky to get the highest inflight position fast enough, because I came in at the perfect time. In less than a year, they added a Cabin Senior position to lead the economy cabin. That’s a tough hurdle that could have delayed my climb significantly. 

I definitely grew as a flight attendant and as a person.

Another Leap of Faith

It’s so easy to fall in love with flying. But what we don’t talk about much is what we learn along the way. People see us as happy-go-lucky globetrotters, whose lifestyle revolves around shopping, touring and dining. I won’t deny it. That’s the best part. But time will come when you will yearn for something more. That’s why I clipped my wings at the height of my career. I wanted to see if what I have learned in my 27 years in the aviation industry could be of value in a field outside my comfort zone.

Four years before I resigned, I did some introspection and started working on my dream life masterplan. I decided to get some wellness certifications. I even wrote a book called #Metamorphosis: The Ultimate Makeover Manual for 40-Year Olds and Beyond. And guess what? To make it more interesting, I used flying as a metaphor. And I crafted the manuscript while footnoting where I was. There was even one chapter I wrote in the aircraft, while deadheading of course.

Fast Forward

Who am I and where am I now?

All my plans didn’t work out as I envisioned. The takeoff roll was pretty exhausting, and I encountered a lot of turbulence along the way. I was asked to divert, which allowed me to land on a place which is far richer and greater than what I could have possibly imagined. This destination allowed me to launch breakthroughs that aligned with my purpose, using the gifts that I learned in my flying career, and serving the people close to my heart. 

From a flight attendant to an innovator

In my next letters, I will share with you more about this amazing journey. And it would have only been possible because I was a flight attendant. I still am, and forever will be. And because I am so, I am an innovator at heart. So please, stay tuned!

My name is Joana Alberto, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Ignite Centre for Peak Experiences, a pillar of Ignite House of Innovation, Home of Innovators and Founder of 22 Holistic Wellness Consulting. I am also the founder of the following startups, Lifepad O/S powered by Ignite GPS, Suscipe Farms, Inc., Cuke by Wellness Angel. I am also part of the team that built The Empathy Project, 100H Launchpad, and Restart.ph.

I am compelled to share with you my journey and what enabled me to innovate and break through. And this is what the Innovators Hub is all about. I will be doing this along with three of my friends, two of them were retrenched last March. And this is made possible because we chose to be part of Ni2. We invite you to follow us here at Flyhigh Manila — and maybe along the way, we can inspire you to join our quest in taking the brand,  and lives of flight attendants to a whole new level. 

Before I end, let me share with you a short clip of the first two flight attendants who are well on their way to being full-fledged innovators.

We are Innovators! We are Ni2, The National Innovators Initiative.

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