Ah, air travel. The joys of waking up at the crack of dawn, fighting through airport traffic, managing the luggage as people jostle around you, the long invasive lines at the security checkpoint, the $20 cold sandwiches, and finally, the tiny seats that contain you for the next two – four hours. What was once a luxury experience has now become a tedious, occasionally painful experience that many people seek to end as quickly as possible.
One modicum of comfort comes from the flight attendants, the individuals tasked with keeping customers needs fulfilled while on these long flights. While some people may see these attendants as nothing more than customer service representatives, they do much more than tend to customer needs.
Holly Houskeeper, a flight attendant for Allegiant, recalled her training when she first became a flight attendant nearly six years before. Much of their training involved first aid and fire safety, as well as self defense and accessing the cockpit. During their last week of training, one of her fellow flight attendants finally asked, “When do we learn the job? Like the serving?”
The response? “Oh, you’ll learn that when you get out there.”
The visible job of the attendants is the simplest part of their responsibilities. While the internet may have horror stories of people freaking out on planes, all of Houskeeper’s flights have been smooth flying. After their preflight checks and expediting boarding, the job calms down, with very few “little things” for them to do.
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While her time as a flight attendant started only six years ago, Houskeeper was no stranger to the airline industry. Two weeks after her marriage to her husband Chris, she began working as a travel agent at an airport. She worked there for three years, earning flight benefits while working on the ground. She was able to use some of those benefits to travel to Argentina to pick up her brother from his mission.
As their family grew, Holly stayed at home with her seven children while Chris supported them. After her kids became more self-sufficient, she began dreaming about returning to the airline business. “I applied many times and did not get hired,” she said. While she was disappointed, she recognized that it may not have been the best time for her family.
The right time came years later, when Chris was suddenly laid off from his job, losing their insurance and leaving them with a new house to pay off. Within a week of his unexpected job loss, she received a call from Allegiant offering her a position as a flight attendant. Even though Holly had not worked for several years, she stepped up to the plate to help provide for her family.
While some flight attendants will travel with the airline across the country or even internationally, Houskeeper is based in Mesa, AZ. She typically works in the mornings, allowing her to fly during the day while her kids are at school before returning home every night. “It’s like a day job in the sky,” Houskeeper explained.
“Even though the ideal was [for her] not to work, she hadn’t worked in many years before that, it was just another example of the Lord watching out for us,” Chris said.
Holly agreed with her husband. “It’s just amazing how there’s no coincidences. Things work out for a reason.”
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During the flight, she and three other attendants take turns walking down the aisles every 15 or so minutes, ensuring that the passengers’ needs are met. In between those stretches of customer service, flight attendants typically sit with one another, sharing stories and comparing experiences.
“We’re not allowed to listen to anything, so we can’t watch movies or listen to podcasts,” Houskeeper said. “Just as long as you can hear what’s going on in the cabin is the main thing.” She explained that these periods of conversation often became free therapy sessions between herself and her fellow employees as they talk about life, their families, and their experiences.
With hours of downtime between take-off and landing, Houskeeper has developed good relationships with many of the 150 Allegiant flight attendants based out of Mesa. She has also been able to find friends who will trade flights with her, so she can avoid working on Sundays.
As the Stake Relief Society President, Houskeeper tries her best to be at Church when she can. However, she doesn’t leave her religion on the ground during her flights. While she rarely talks about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ with passengers, she has had lengthy conversations with her fellow flight attendants.
“We’re not talking about any other religion. They want to know about the Mormons,” Houskeeper said. Many of her coworkers talk about ‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,’ adding that the show “isn’t like any of the Mormons I know.”
Houskeeper does her best to explain questions about the Church that her friends have during their trips from Mesa and back. “We’ve looked up scriptures together, we’ve talked about the Trinity, it’s every day that I get to share the gospel.” She has even invited several of her coworkers to attend the Mesa Temple Easter Pageant.
One such coworker, who had been raised in a Catholic household, recently went through a difficult divorce. Houskeeper and the other attendants helped her through her difficult experience, sharing scriptures that would help her overcome her sorrows.
“You girls, you know your Bible, you know your scriptures,” she told Houskeeper. “I just feel so good talking to you Mormons, because I know you girls have a relationship with Jesus.” She came with Houskeeper to the Mesa Temple Easter Pageant, joining a growing number of curious coworkers who have asked Houskeeper about the Church. Houskeeper shared that even the pilots were curious, and following conversations with other attendants, one pilot had joined the Church.
“We’re always always talking religion on the planes,” Houskeeper said. “I’m so good at loving and sharing; where I lack is the invite… I need to be better at that.”
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Hundreds of thousands of passengers board flights every day, traveling from one place to another. Houskeeper pointed out that the attendants almost never know what brings travelers to her plane. They could be traveling for a vacation, or to visit a loved one, or to attend someone’s funeral. All Houskeeper can do is serve.
“Everyone has a story and everyone just wants to be loved,” Houskeeper said. “And really, all we have to give is our time and love to people.”
As the world and the skies above it remain turbulent, Houskeeper does her best to help those she cares for know that they are loved. She serves those around her while sharing her testimony, bringing others closer to the Savior. For her, the sky isn’t the limit – it’s the mission field.
