5 aircrafts grounded, terminal One open 24hrs, passengers sleeping all over the place on cots given by PAPD: a sight never seen at T1. Thousands of AF passengers stocked both ways (CDG<--->JFK) every single day, now this is an irregularity !
Work usually is calm, sometimes slow but smooth, or some nights like Thursdays, very busy and noisy.
But right now, because of the Iceland volcano eruption, I don't know how to describe it. On the first day, it was like been a Social worker. You put passengers on buses which took them to hotels (exceptionally for the first night only, as the airline is not responsible of weather related irregularities). The second day, just talk to passengers, answers their questions, give them emotional support, distribute some drinks and so on. Passengers are calm though except some that are really "Waco", the one that are afraid of loosing their jobs, or missing school (like their safety wasn't a priority). For the first time, passengers are really understanding during an irregularity !
The only thing we know for sure is that we don't know when is this mess going to end, and when is the bigger mess going to start. The one that consist of deciding of who's going first, who's going to wait for the next flight, and checking them all in, when of course the sky will be clear again.
Am looking forward to the end of these days. I can see the line to sign the OT sheet already from here.
The only thing is that at least we get paid for the job done, and it feels good to lend a hand when it becomes chaotic, and passengers are thankful to you.
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Interesting to hear your experiences with this! The idea of stress is something we'll talk more about - there's a back story hear about everyone working more hours and/or going to school, which makes for this sense that any break in the schedule is a catastrophe . ..
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