The Dubai Diaries
My life as a flight attendant in the Middle East!

November Roster

The second last roster of the year is already here! I’m sure I say it in every post but I just can’t quite believe how quickly this year has sped by.

I have so many posts to catch up on – mainly from my incredible holiday to the Dominican Republic with Lizzie, my sister, but I promise I will get round to posting them eventually.

As you may know, I started my new role as Cabin Supervisor in October. It’s been a big change and a new challenge for me but so far I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it!

Rather annoyingly I got barotrauma and was signed off for a week by the doctor, so missed out on one of my flights home. Of course, health comes first and there’s nothing worse than flying with blocked ears.

As for next month, I got quite a few of my bids (as well as some not-so-desirable turnarounds thrown in there!) so I’m quite happy with my roster. I’ll be jetting off to:

  • ZRH – Zurich, Switzerland
  • ZRH – Zurich, Switzerland
  • MRU – Mauritius
  • STN – London Stansted, UK
  • IST – Istanbul, Turkey (Turnaround)
  • IST – Istanbul, Turkey (Turnaround)
  • STN – London Stansted, UK

Starting off with two trips to Zurich, Switzerland. By this time Autumn will be in full swing and I’m looking forward to some crisp cold weather and perhaps a delicious cheese fondue!

In between the two flights I have a few days off and my cousin Sarah is coming to stay with me in Dubai, so it’ll be round two of tourist duties, after my brother and his girlfriend came in September. We’re having a little staycation for one night in a hotel though so I can’t wait!

After that is Mauritius – a destination I haven’t been to in quite a while! I can’t wait – we stay at a lovely resort right on the beach and I plan to fully maximise my relaxation time.

Following on from my mini holiday in the sun, I have a flight to Stansted, home! Sadly the layover has been reduced from 30 hours to 24 hours (due to the launch of the second daily flight in summer) but it’s still great that I get paid to fly home and spend time with my family. 

Next up – two turnarounds to Istanbul! I’ll be honest, not my favourite flight, as it’s a very long day (4,5 hours flight time each way) and quite tiring. I actually had Beirut (also a turnaround) instead of the second Istanbul, but just got a roster change. 

Last up is another Stansted layover. Some of my siblings should be at home at the same time which will be lovely.

Before we know it it’ll be time for the December roster, Christmas, New Year’s, and then 2020! 

P.s. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter for more day-to-day updates of where I am in the world! 🙂

August Roster

Once again the roster is out and it’s time for another busy month.

It’s a jam-packed one this time and I’ve already managed to do a couple of swaps, and hopefully one more if I can! 

August will be a real mix of destinations, with almost every continent covered! I’ll be heading off to:

  • BSR – Basra, Iraq (turnaround)
  • AMM – Amman, Jordan (turnaround)
  • MLE – Male, Maldives (turnaround)
  • EWR – Newark, USA
  • BLQ – Bologna, Italy
  • ABV – Abuja, Nigeria
  • BCN – Barcelona, Spain
  • GLA – Glasgow, UK

Starting off with three back-to-back turnarounds (i.e. no days off and minimum rest in-between) to Basra, Amman and Male. I’m seriously hoping I can somehow make a miracle happen and swap these for a layover, but let’s see!

My first layover of the month is to Newark – while I’ve visited New York plenty of times, it’ll be my first time flying into Newark. Sadly it’s just a 24 hour layover but I’m sure I’ll manage to stay busy! I originally had San Fransisco rostered but decided to swap as this will give me an extra day off.

Up next is the trip I’m most looking forward to – Bologna, Italy. I’ve been here a couple of times and can’t wait to go back and eat my bodyweight in tagliatelle bolognese and gelato 😀

Following on from that is a 48 hour layover in Abuja. A new destination for me and I’ll be honest and say it’s not one that I would have bid for, but I’ll try to make the most of the layover and get out and explore some of the city. Any tips are more than welcome!

Then I have a layover in Barcelona, Spain, which I can’t wait for! I was actually rostered Moscow, but someone sent me a swap which I immediately accepted. Funnily enough I had actually bid for Barcelona but didn’t get the flight, so it’s great that I managed to swap.

My last trip of the month is to Glasgow, which again is another swap – originally I had a flight to Entebbe, Uganda. I’m not sure yet what I’ll do there, so stay tuned!

P.s. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter for more day-to-day updates of where I am in the world! 🙂

July Roster

Halfway through the year already! Sorry it’s been a bit quiet over here on The Dubai Diaries…I’ve been busy studying for my interview and assessment for cabin supervisor and am very excited to share that I was successful! 

Depending on space and availability I will be rostered my training for cabin supervisor soon, which means I’ll be moving back out of first class to be in charge of the economy or business class cabin. It will certainly be a change, but I’m so excited for a new challenge!

As for next month, I’ll be jetting off to:

  • KWI – Kuwait (turnaround)
  • RUH – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (turnaround)
  • HAM – Hamburg, Germany
  • JFK – New York, USA
  • FRA – Frankfurt, Germany
  • MLE – CMB – Male, Maldives – Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • HYD – Hyderabad, India (turnaround)
  • BP – Business Promotion
  • BKK – PNH – Bangkok, Thailand – Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Starting off with a couple of quick turnarounds to Kuwait and Riyadh. Although nobody particularly loves a turnaround, both of these are during the day, so no working through the night and they’re both pretty quick.

Up next is Hamburg, a destination I haven’t visited in a while. I have an old school friend who lives there, so hopefully he’s free to catch up!

After that is another JFK. I’m always happy to go back to New York, and even though I was only there last month I’m sure I will be able to find something new to do! I’m thinking of going to see a musical, so if anyone has any suggestions, just let me know in the comments below.

Following on from New York is a flight to Frankfurt. I’ve actually just got back from there – I was supposed to be going to Hong Kong but sadly there was an aircraft change so I was removed from that flight and given Frankfurt instead.

Up next, a trip to Colombo, with a short stopover in the Maldives. Sadly we don’t get to stay there, but I’m quite looking forward to going to Colombo, as it’s been years since I’ve visited Sri Lanka!

After that is another turnaround (my third of the month!) to Hyderabad and back. And then I have an exciting business promotions trip – to the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Hockenheim, Germany! I’ll be there for a few days representing the company which should be a great trip.

For my final trip of the month, I have a new destination. Very exciting, as I always love ticking off new places, and this is somewhere that we haven’t been flying to for very long – Phnom Penh, Cambodia! The flight has a quick stop in Bangkok, and then a 24 hour layover in Cambodia. I’m very open to all of your suggestions and must-visits for my short time there!

So that’s it for my upcoming month. I will get back to writing on here more regularly, as I still have quite a few trips to post about, and I’m sure I will have some more to come this month!

P.s. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter for more day-to-day updates of where I am in the world! 🙂

May Roster

This month has just flown by, and we are already approaching summer! I’m at the top of the bidding group next month, but sadly didn’t actually get much that I asked for.

Nevertheless, I still have a few flights that I’m looking forward to. In May I’ll be flying to:

  • MLE – Male, Maldives (turnaround)
  • JFK – New York, USA
  • IKA – Tehran, Iran (turnaround)
  • CMB – Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • BP – Business Promotion Event
  • STN – London Stansted, UK
  • MUC – Munich, Germany

Starting off with a long turnaround to Male – not a very sought after flight as sadly we don’t get to stay in the Maldives!

Up next is a trip to New York, which I’m very much looking forward to as I haven’t been since Christmas 2017! Hopefully the weather will be much warmer by May as well.

After that is another turnaround, this one to Tehran and back, which is fairly short, around 2 hours each way.

Then it’s on to Colombo – I have been to Sri Lanka on holiday a couple of times, but never actually operated the flight!

Following on from that is a business promotion event, which I’m still waiting to hear details about. It’s always nice to do something a bit different – my last event was the Saudi Airshow in Riyadh!

Up next, the only trip I got that was one of my bids, a 54 hour layover in Stansted! Due to the current runway closure in DXB, some of our flights have reduced frequency, which means a longer layover for me at home, yay!

Finally I have another longer layover, 48 hours in Munich. I have been to Munich around 20 times now so hopefully I’ll be able to explore somewhere nearby as I have a bit more time than usual on this trip.

That’s it for next month! 🙂

April Roster

It’s time for another roster post, and next month I actually have a new destination! That’s two months in a row with new places to explore, one of the main reasons I chose this job.

After nearly 6 and a half years here, it feels like I get some of the same destinations quite frequently, but there are still new routes launching all the time for me to tick off the list. 

Next month I’ll be heading off to:

  • MAA – Chennai, India (Turnaround)
  • Annual Leave
  • KBL – Kabul, Afghanistan (Turnaround)
  • GVA – Geneva, Switzerland
  • MUC – Munich, Germany
  • IAD – Washington D.C., USA
  • BRU – Brussels, Belgium

Starting off the month with a turnaround to Chennai and back, which is quite a long one (blocked at 4 hours each way), just before my leave starts.

I then have a week off, and I think I’ll fly home and see my family this time. I haven’t had a Stansted layover in a while (the last one was on my birthday in October!) so it’ll be nice to spend some time at home in spring.

After my leave is another turnaround, this time to Kabul and back. I’m hoping that somehow I might be able to swap this for a day off to extend my leave but I’m also realistic that this doesn’t happen often!

Up next is a trip to Geneva – I was originally rostered Moscow and when someone sent me the swap I jumped at the chance to visit Geneva again (and more importantly, eat some cheese fondue!). Last time I went was in the middle of winter so I’m hoping it’ll be much warmer now.

Then a flight to Munich, which is a nice easy layover.

Following on from that is my new destination of the month – Washington! It’s the only one of our US destinations that I haven’t visited, and although it’s just a short 24 hour layover I’m hoping to make the most of it and do some exploring.

My final trip of the month is a 42 hour layover in Brussels. I’ve been here before in summer and I really enjoyed it, and due to the runway closure in Dubai we have some extended layovers, so I’ll try and get to Bruges this time, which I’ve heard is just beautiful.

I’m looking forward to ticking off a new destination, as well as re-visiting some old favourites.

P.s. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter for more day-to-day updates of where I am in the world! 🙂