The Glamour

At the end of a long flight there is the delay after the passengers have left the aircraft, the walk through the airport, the delay at immigration, collecting baggage and waiting for the bus. Then the inevitable traffic delays, and finally check-in at the hotel.

My record waiting for rooms to be readied -for the entire 30 crew-members after a 14 hour duty- was two hours fifteen minutes.

If you want to understand the life of a long haul crew member, catch a bus to an airport, plug your headphones in, and, on the way, listen to Jackson Browne's "The Load Out, & Stay":

The band's on the bus
And they're waiting to go
We've got to drive all night and do a show in Chicago
Or Detroit, I don't know
We do so many shows in a row
And these towns all look the same
We just pass the time in our hotel rooms
And wander 'round backstage
Till those lights come up and we hear that crowd
And we remember why we came

It's how we live.