How do cabin crew celebrate Christmas on board?
Ever wondered how the cabin crew working on Christmas Eve celebrate Christmas on board? How is the food? Will there be Christmas decorations? And how about presents? We have asked Rikke to tell us what it is like for cabin crew to work on Christmas Eve:
Rikke @rikkeinthesky
Through the years I have had more than my fair share Christmas Eves on board a plane, and it is always something special. Nobody wants to work on Christmas Eve, but everybody is trying to make the best out of it.
Most flights out of Copenhagen departing on the 24th are flights to holiday destinations such as the Canary Islands, and the passengers are often a rather mixed crowd. Some people choose to travel on Christmas Eve because they do not want to spend Christmas alone, while others travel because that is the weekly departure of the flight to, let’s say, Tenerife, or because they found a cheap last-minute ticket.
Most airlines have special Christmas catering on board for both passengers and crew, but the times I have been working on Christmas Eve, all crew members also brought their own Christmas food for the flight, so we could have a potluck party on board with homemade treats such as risalamande (Danish rice pudding), pork belly roast and of course a lot of Christmas candy.
Usually, the crew also bring Christmas decorations to make the galley more cozy. There are usually Christmas ornaments and elves, and on one Christmas flight I had, somebody even brought a Christmas tree. If people are up for it, we also arrange that everybody brings a small gift, so we can have a gift exchange game onboard.
This year I am off December 24-25 so I will be celebrating Christmas Eve with my mom in Denmark, and then travel back to Sweden on the 25th, when I will be attending a Christmas party in Helsingborg.
Are you flying this Christmas?
Jessica @jesasica
I have taken leave during the holidays, so my husband and I will be spending Christmas with his mom and the rest of his family. 8 kids and 14 adults! I have not spent Christmas on an out-station yet, but I have been away on New Year’s Eve a couple of times
Anne-Mette @tinytravellersguide
I am off this Christmas, and as a matter of fact, I have never worked on Christmas Eve during my 15 years in aviation. I was once scheduled for an airport standby on Christmas Day, but luckily they cancelled the standby in the morning, since there weren’t any flights departing that day anyway. This year I will be celebrating Christmas with just my kids and my husband. It is the second time we are celebrating Christmas just the five of us, and I am looking forward to creating my own Christmas traditions, which is something I have always wanted to do.
