They are not just sisters in wings, but by blood as well, and they stepped up together in order to overcome the negative effects of this pandemic. Both flight attendants Nadine Andaya from Cebu Pacific and Pamela Andaya from Saudia placed up a business named “Bakersfly” in order to augment their incomes due to uncertainties in the airline world amid the pandemic. From then on, everything went uphill for the two.
Pam and Nadine opened their business in June 2020 and started out selling one single product “Cheesy Milky Doughnuts”. “Both of us are Flight Attendants and since we were both affected by the current pandemic situation, we decided that we have to step up and do something to earn to be able to sustain our expenses, bills and to help our family. At first, we were unsure of what we are going to do. Though there were lots of ideas, we wanted something that we both love doing the most which is baking,” Pam shared.
After Pam and Nadine concocted and loved their loved their Cheesy Milky Doughnut, they marketed their product to their friends and neighbors which they ended up loving. Via social media and word of mouth, the flying sisters were able to sell more doughnuts which resulted to even marketing other baked products. “From Cheesy Milky Doughnuts, we started incorporating new products to our menu such as cookies, crinkles, cream cheese garlic bread and new doughnut flavor fillings.”
United in Wings
Nadine been working for Cebu Pacific for 7 years now but she remembered that back when she was young, Nadine admired Flight Attendants walking in the airport. For her, it was a joy to see them. That sparked something in her heart during that time being a flight attendant was her dream career. Years later, Nadine got the chance to apply for Cebu Pacific however, she was turned-down twice but made it on the third shot. She made it through the grueling training and eventually got her “wings” as a full-fledge flight attendant.
Pam, the “ate” among the two, has been flying for Saudia for 5 years and it was her childhood dream to become a flight attendant. It was not an easy journey though for Pam. She applied for different airlines a couple of times but got rejected. She was a registered nurse but did not experience becoming an employed nurse. Instead, Pam landed on different careers, became an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) in Qatar. There were even times that Pam almost gave up on this dream. With sheer hard work, the right attitude, optimism, and determination, Pam finally earned her wings as a Saudia flight attendant in 2015, finally achieving her dream.
Fast forward to this year of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic which is now considered the worse crisis to ever hit the aviation industry. Borders were shut, lockdowns were declared, and air travel demand suddenly plummeted rock bottom.
This has greatly affected all airlines. Pam and Nadine had not been flying for a long time and something had to be done in order for them to get by this crisis. For them, it was hard, and a bit depressing to temporarily stop something that they loved doing. Anxiety did hit the sisters every time. They were very anxious about their respective work status since companies are undergoing retrenchment. Despite the anxiety, they decided to push on together in order to survive and rise above the problems.
Running a business together
According to both, working together is both challenging yet fulfilling. They believe that their small business, Bakersfly, has become a platform where both got to learn how to unleash their full potential by dividing the tasks according to their own strengths.
Nadine is more into product details, costing and quality control. Pam was more into helping her market the product, design, manage the finances with her and making sure that everything is organized. “As we go along, we were able to understand and agree with certain tasks to make our work easier,” shared Pam.
It was certainly not a smooth sailing start for Pam and Nadine. Both did not have any idea on how to run a business, it was their first time. In order to overcome challenges, the flying sisters consulted some of their friends and did some research on how to start a small business. They had to learn a lot of things like making a logo design, and to marketing their products via social media. Decision making and arguments did occur here and there during the process, and it took a lot of understanding and patience to manage it all.
It is a good thing however that Nadine and Pam are flight attendants where they have been trained to adapt and survive any situation in flight and to withstand any circumstances with grace and teamwork. “We believe that such qualifications / traits are the very foundation that helped us run the business amidst this pandemic. No matter what the risk was, we’ve adapted how to be resilient, flexible and committed to hustling our way through to succeed in our goals for bAkersfly,” shared Nadine.
All their hardwork paid-off. Bakersfly has helped both Pam and Nadine in terms of their finances and mental health. “It preoccupied our minds and lessened our anxiety attacks and gave us inspiration to keep moving forward,” said Pam.
No stopping anytime
The sisters do not plan of stopping anytime. Even after the aviation industry recovers and flying returns back to normal, they plan to continue and potentially expand their target market as long as the time and resources allow. Bakersfly has already made a good impression to its customers hence, Pam and Nadine have devised way in order to continue running their business. They plan to carry this by having orders taken by Nadine on days off & will be limited only since Pam will be flying back to Riyadh once everything goes back to normal.
Together and united, we can all rise above any crisis. Pamela says this to all her winged colleagues facing uncertainty or going through rough moments.
To our fellow Flight Attendants, these turbulent times will soon end and we will all recover from this. It is an everyday struggle, yes, but this too shall pass. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Continue to move forward & never lose hope. We shall see clear skies soon!”
Pam Andaya
For all our future cabin crew who seem to have some doubts whether you should pursue your dream to be a flight attendant, do not give-up.
Every time we fall, we must learn to be resilient and stand back up again. Do not give up on your dreams. When there is hope, there’s also a chance and opportunity. Trust God’s timing and His plans for you is worth the wait. Overcoming the challenges along the way will help you grow and achieve that better version of yourself as long as you are committed to your goals and aspirations.
Nadine Andaya
For food orders, you may reach Bakersfly through their Facebook page Bakersfly and Instagram account @bakersfly.ph
About Post Author
