Cape Town

After a small fight with crew scheduling (who kept trying to swap me onto a Munich as I have a German name) I managed to get to the briefing room and meet my friend Emily. The crew all hit it off straight away which I knew meant it was going to be a great trip. The flight down to Cape Town was fine. Most passengers on it were connecting from destinations in Europe. When we arrived we got changed and went down to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront for dinner. We ended up in a steak house with great views of Table Mountain and spent the rest of the night chatting, drinking and eating.

The next day we went back to the waterfront for breakfast in a pancake restaurant recommended by my friends Paul & Jo. I had bacon and maple syrup with mine and I even got to sit in the famous 'Big Chair'. Afterwards we decided it was time to go up Table Mountain. At the ticket counter we started to chat to the cashier. When she heard we were from Emirates she called over one of the guides and we were escorted to the front of the queue! The views were amazing from the top. You could see for miles. Back down and it was time for a nap in the hotel before the 10 hour flight home.
Having dinner with Emily on the waterfront.
Enjoying our steaks.
In my big chair at Harrie's Pancakes!
I've not had pancakes for ages!

In front of Table Mountain at the waterfront.
Going up in the cable car.
The view of Cape Town city from the top.
Looking towards the other mountains.

Emily and I after the long flight home.

May 08 Roster (Updated 26/04)

My roster for May:

01MAY DUBAI - KUWAIT - DUBAI
02MAY DUBAI - HYDERABAD - DUBAI (ARR 03MAY)
06MAY DUBAI - ALEXANDRIA - DUBAI
10MAY DUBAI - DOHA - DUBAI
11MAY DUBAI - LONDON HEATHROW
12MAY LONDON HEATHROW - DUBAI (ARR 13MAY)
15MAY DUBAI - ACCRA
16MAY ACCRA - ABIDJAN - ACCRA
18MAY ACCRA - DUBAI (ARR 19MAY)
22MAY DUBAI - COLOMBO
24MAY COLOMBO - DUBAI
26MAY DUBAI - DAR ES SALAAM
27MAY DAR ES SALAAM - DUBAI (ARR 28MAY)
29MAY DUBAI - MANCHESTER
30MAY MANCHESTER - DUBAI (ARR 31MAY)

Entebbe, Back In Uganda

I've just returned from a great trip with some amazing crew. Everyone really bonded on this trip and it was so nice to see everyone from First Class right through to Economy having a good time together.
The view of Kampala (the capital city of Uganda) from my room.
The bar.

The hotel is in the grounds of a huge park.
Everyone in the bar. L-R Martin (Czech Republic), Eunjeong (South Korea), First Officer Maciek (USA), Me, Keenan (Canada), Irene (Kenya), Valerie (Canada), Captain Robert (Canada), Patrizia (Italy) and Tanakorn (Thailand).
The Bahai Temple we went to visit. It is one of only 7 in the world and the only one in Africa.
Chickens for sale.
Bananas anyone?

I would definately not buy my meat from this butcher!
The local cafe where we ate.
The fish that one of the crew ordered in the cafe. It was a lot better than we though it would be.
A typical street in Kampala.

Post 100!

Thank you to all of you who have been following my blog and my career at Emirates. It's been really nice to hear from a few of you and about your journeys to becoming cabin crew too. I had lots of fun making the last 99 posts and I'm looking forward to writing the next 100 too!



Toby :-)

A380 Here I Come!

I have just checked my e-mails and found the following in my inbox:


Dear Tobias

Congratulations!

We have now completed the selection of crew to join the A380 fleet. I am delighted to confirm that with a great performance record and your manager’s recommendation, your application has been successful.

Selection for the A380 team was exceptionally tough and your success is a great achievement. You will join the A380 fleet as part of the Business class team. You are going to be part of a whole new era in air travel and one of only a small group of people within the entire industry who work on this aircraft. This is such an exciting time for aviation, for Emirates and now for your career as cabin crew.

We expect delivery of our first A380 aircraft by the end of the summer and the second aircraft will arrive shortly after. You will be one of the first crew on these aircraft. The training will comprise of two weeks training at the new Cabin Crew Training Centre, where we have full size models of the A380 cabins to facilitate your preparation. More than ever, the professional standards of service that Emirates is known for must be delivered on the A380. We have therefore included a number of activities and training modules which you should consider before even commencing your training. Details of these and all training dates will be advised to you very shortly.

The A380 is a fantastic aircraft, with the very latest technology used in its design and our very latest products and services on board. Our aircraft will be amongst the very first in the sky and our customers, the media, the entire world, will therefore have the very highest expectations of us. You have been selected because we are wholly confident that you can meet and exceed these expectations.

I know you will find this a rewarding and enjoyable career move and I wish you every success.

Yours sincerely


Jo Burke
Manager Cabin Crew


I can't wait to start my training!

April 08 Roster (Updated 19/04)

My roster for April:

01APR LEAVE
02APR LEAVE
03APR LEAVE
04APR LEAVE
05APR LEAVE
06APR LEAVE
07APR LEAVE
08APR LEAVE
09APR LEAVE
10APR LEAVE
11APR LEAVE
14APR DUBAI - LONDON HEATHROW
15APR LONDON HEATHROW - DUBAI (ARR 16APR)
17APR DUBAI - AHMEDABAD - DUBAI (ARR 18APR)
19APR DUBAI - KOCHI (INDIA) - DUBAI (ARR 20APR)
23APR DUBAI - ADDIS ABABA - ENTEBBE
24APR ENTEBBE - ADDIS ABABA - DUBAI (ARR 25APR)
27APR DUBAI - CAPE TOWN
28APR CAPE TOWN - DUBAI (ARR 29APR)

All Inclusive In Mauritius

The scenery in Mauritius is quite similar to that of the Seychelles but the hotel that we stay in is amazing. It's an all inclusive hotel but as we only stay there for 12 hours it means we can't have any alcohol. We arrived just as the tail end of a hurricane had passed which meant that it rained for most of the day although that didn't spoil our fun. On the way back to Dubai I ran the Business Class galley and found that it was a lot easier than I was expecting. I'm thinking of giving it another go soon. I've had a few requests to put up my April roster. Sorry I've not done it yet, I've been having so much fun on leave I forgot. :-)
At the fountain in the lobby after arriving from Dubai.

My room was on the second floor.

My favourite part of the room was this TV area.

The view of the beach from my room.

The main pool.

The beach.

Our non-alcoholic cocktails.

The dessert buffet. My diet went out the window that night!

Messing around with the crew in the economy galley between services.