Love Is In the Air

By HATTIE FOOTE

Bonjour Coronado lovers, ‘tis the season for all things amore, which is why I will be discussing my love for aviation today. Look, there are only so many times I can recommend my favorite date night restaurants in Coronado, and Lord knows cooking isn’t my strong suit, so I can’t share any romantic dinner recipes. But I can tell you about how my husband Chris proposed 37,000 feet in the air; our love was quite literally soaring! Please fasten your seatbelts securely and make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in the upright and locked position. We are ready for departure!

I recently asked my kids if they would be comfortable flying by themselves to visit my sister in New Mexico, a 1-½ hour flight. The look of shock and horror on their faces gave me the answer immediately. Growing up, I was a trained professional unaccompanied minor as our family was spread out all over. When I was 11, my grandmother took me on a trip of a lifetime to Paris. We saw and ate everything, and it was so incredibly special. We met my grandfather there, and when Spring Break was over for me, they stayed in Europe, and I flew home alone. I thought I was very chic and international and was extremely nonchalant about the whole thing. Looking back, I’m so proud of my little fifth-grade self for being so brave and adventurous. I would

fly solo to the East Coast every summer to see my family and to Paris twice more to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins. I called my mom just now to be like, “Why were you guys just sticking your child on a plane alone all the time?” We had a good laugh; nobody seems to remember why which just adds to my international mystery era.

When I graduated, I, like so many, had no idea what I was doing. I knew I loved flying, so I thought that I would start there. I applied for a job as a Reserva-

tions Agent at Southwest Airlines and was hired immediately. I flew to Dallas and trained and trained more in Albuquerque, and all of a sudden, I was a career woman! I loved the company, and I loved the perks. On my days off, I would fly to San Diego in the morning, have lunch and shop with my mom and sister, and then fly home that night. I would gossip with the flight attendants as they poured me wine on the side. It was the best. What wasn’t the best was the actual job. It was soul-sucking having people scream at me all day; also, as a newbie, you were working all the terrible shifts and always holidays. I remember one Christmas Eve, I was working, and I had one heavy breathing call that made me want to puke, followed by a woman who had imbibed in too much Christmas cheer and kept repeating a speech about how Southwest was her favorite airline. I knew my delicate self was not cut out for this position.

As I pondered what my next move was, Chris and I flew to San Diego for my birthday. We were cruising somewhere over Arizona, and the flight attendant called my name over the intercom, saying I had dropped my camera. When I got to the front of the plane, the flight attendant was smiling and pointed to the back, and I saw Chris, I swear to God, floating up the aisle. All of a sudden, he is down on his knee, intercom in hand, and I start to black out because I realize what’s happening. My worst nightmare is attention on me, and I have an entire plane watching this happen. I wish I could tell you what he said, but my ears were ringing, and I was pouring sweat and crying while the whole plane cheered. It was such a sweet, beautiful moment, and even though this was 16 years ago, I am wildly uncomfortable reliving it right now.

As soon as we got home, I met with my supervisor and gave them my notice. They were so kind and supportive, even offering me a position in flight. I was flattered but also explained if I couldn’t handle people yelling at me on the phone, I really couldn’t handle it in person. That was the end of my career in aviation, but my deep fascination with it continues. My daughter was a newborn when Malaysia Flight 370 disappeared, and I would nurse through the night, reading every article about it. I can tell you when the Japan Airlines or British Airways flights depart and land at SAN. I could talk about people’s flight experiences all day long, like my aunt’s recent three aborted landings in Paris, eventually diverting to Geneva, or the time a child projectile vomited in front me so violently that it hit the headrest in front of him and shot backward filling my purse on the ground and covering my window and legs. I am still completely traumatized by that one, if you couldn’t guess. My favorite part of landing at San Diego International Airport is looking out the left-side window and seeing our beautiful bridge that will lead me home. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our destination, and I thank you so much for flying with me today! Also, please be kind to airline employees. Have a great day, and we hope to see you again soon!