The panel flew off the plane?

Soooo a panel flew off of the plane on Alaskan Airlines flight 1282 on Friday.

Just a full panel off the side of the plane. 20 minutes into the flight.

Right after the initial shakes (y’all know the ones right) and ascension when I’m typically thinking I’m good and I have told myself I won’t be dying today.

Just freaking flew off. Everyone was looking at the night sky.

I’m sick.

I’m that girl who reviews the safety procedure when they tell me to, if you know what I’m saying. One bout of turbulence and I am deep in prayer.

Whether you’re just like me or laughing right now…

I’m gonna let you in on a little secret.

The secret that flight anxiety girls everywhere know….

always look at the flight attendants.

3 principles that we, as the leaders of our teams, businesses and families, can learn from flight attendants:

#1. YOUR PRESENCE MATTERS

One passenger on the Alaskan Airways flight out of Portland praised the flight attendants for staying calm and suggested that it was “their calmness the kept everyone else calm.”  The fact that ANYONE WAS CALM!!!??? I’m speechless. All I know is that plane can be bouncing around like a pinball and there’s always a woman with the most beautiful hair I’ve ever seen still pouring a cup of tea in the middle of the aisle. I feel silly for even having been worried at all. Just like your teams, employees and kids need for YOU to be the visual reminder that we’re all good here.

#2. YOUR PREPARATION MATTERS

The reason they can be calm amidst chaos? They’ve prepared for it. Flight attendants go through extensive, continuous training in every scenario you can imagine but would rather not think about. In an interview with Business Insider, one long-time Delta flight attendant shared that, “a lot of times, I think the perception is that we're waitresses in the sky. First and foremost, we are safety professionals. Anything that can happen on the ground can happen in the air.” I’m gonna run through a wall? They can be calm because they’ve prepared. As a leader, play offense. Respond, don’t react. None of us WANT the panels flying off midair - but what are you gonna do if they do?

#3. YOUR TONE MATTERS

The little ding* goes off and the flight tracker that I was watching like a movie goes black. They have something important to say. Are we approaching our safe landing in Atlanta or are we about to all say our final goodbyes? Either way, the last thing we want to hear is our beautiful flight attendant sounding panicked, “hey um sit down everyone right now!!!………….. We have a sky miles special this month!” I just threw up my ant-sized bag of Sun Chips for that? It’s giving THERE’S A COLONIAL WOMAN ON THE WING (iykyk). I don’t think flight attendants get enough credit for not freaking us all out the moment they make an announcement. Can we approach our own situations better, keeping this in mind? Promise? Absolutely no texting anyone “we need to talk,” not now and not ever.

For inquiring minds: everyone on flight 1282 ended up being fine, which is a miracle in itself. Every passenger on that flight, and crew member seeing that it was landed safely, has nerves of steel.

Anyways, I hope there’s time to forget that this ever happened before we board our next flight.

But if not, eyes on the flight attendant.

Xo, The Salesgirls

(Anyone else have flight anxiety? This TikTok explaining turbulence changed my life a little… but I’d still there just rather not be any amen)