Tag Archives: SkyWest Flight Attendant

Jan 03

SkyWest Top Service Moments of 2016

Whether it’s taking care of our fleet, our operation, our passengers or our employees, SkyWest people provide great acts of service every day of the year. With the New Year upon us, take a look at just a few of the top service stories shared with us in 2016.

Captain Praised for Act of Kindness

In April, a mother and her young children were on a late-night flight. As the mom struggled to carry her sleeping children and the family’s luggage off the aircraft, Captain Tracy Woodbury came to assist, offering to carry the sleeping toddler to help the family get home. The mother was so touched she shared the story in a Facebook post. Read the full story here.

Flight Attendant Helps Passenger Make Crucial Connection

Passenger Joe Stevens reached out to us to pass along his thanks to Flight Attendant Manuel Parra. If it wasn’t for Manuel’s service, Joe told us he likely would have missed his international flight connection to travel to his ill wife.

“I fly frequently and have never received such helpful, friendly service from any flight attendant comparable to the service I received from Manuel,” Joe said. “I told Manuel that I had a very short layover before I had to board a connecting flight to Asia to meet with my wife, who was ill. Our flight was close to an hour late leaving, and I was concerned I wouldn’t have time to make my connection.”

As promised to Joe, Manuel helped him through the immigration desk, the customs desk, the kiosk to get his boarding pass, and then through the security gate – just in time for Joe to board as the last passenger.

“For a flight attendant to offer such help is rare, and I want to let you know how much I appreciated him,” Joe continued. “I would definitely have missed my flight otherwise. Not only was his level of service far beyond what I have experienced on my many flights over the years, it was also beyond any level of customer service I have received in any industry. Manuel is much more than just an excellent flight attendant; he is an excellent person.”

CS Supervisor Flies with Unaccompanied Minor

An Aspen deaf camp counselor arrived at the local airport with a 12 year-old boy whose parents purchased a last-minute ticket home to Austin, Texas due to a family emergency. There was one problem; the flight had a connection in Denver. United Airlines does not allow unaccompanied minors under the age of 15 to travel alone during a connecting flight. The family was unaware of the policy, and the camp’s counselor was unable to accompany the boy home.

That’s when Customer Service Supervisor Zak Sidibe took it upon himself to help. On his own time, he flew as a passenger with the boy to Denver to escort him to his connecting flight back home to Austin. Zak communicated with the boy’s deaf parents via text message every step of the way. Thanks to his genuine kindness and heartfelt generosity, the family had some peace of mind knowing their son was in good hands to get home safely during a trying situation.

SLC Maintenance Team Donates Time and Talent to Leonardo Museum

Recently, mechanics at our Salt Lake City maintenance base volunteered their time and expertise to the Leonardo Museum, sharing their love for the miracle of flight with the museum’s 180,000 annual visitors. After helping to reconstruct a C-131 aircraft inside the museum for the opening of the FLIGHT exhibit earlier this year, the SkyWest maintenance team volunteered their time to restore the plane’s luster and shine. Read the full story here.

Pilot Reaches Out to Young Passenger’s Parents During Diversion

Captain Peter Wagstaff recently went the extra mile when he made sure an unaccompanied minor and his anxious parents were informed during a diversion. He sat with the boy and allowed the boy to use his phone to call his parents and let them know what had happened. We received a letter from the child’s parents thanking Captain Wagstaff.

“The captain continued to keep us updated via texts on the progress of the plane,” mother Beth Shanker said, “As a parent of an unaccompanied minor, it was a relief to know someone was watching out for my son. We really appreciated the captain’s updates. He should be commended for the customer service.”

“I’m Your Match!” SkyWest Flight Attendant Donates Kidney to Co-worker

After an ongoing battle against her kidney disorder, Tonuah Trujillo, a Seattle-based SkyWest flight attendant had received the bad news – her kidney function had declined to 12 percent, and she was going to need kidney dialysis or a transplant very soon. As Tonuah was preparing for dialysis due to the lack of donor matches, an incredible thing was taking place behind the scenes. For nearly three months, Chicago-based SkyWest flight attendant Jeanette Perez was taking numerous tests to see if she was a match for Tonuah.

“I became aware of Tonuah’s need via Facebook back in the fall. Long story short, I went through test after test to see if I was her match with the mentality of ‘if it’s meant to be, it will,’” Jeanette said. “I was finally given the go at the end of January and told Tonuah the good news. She did not know I was testing. She didn’t even know who I was really – other than our one time meeting on a Christmas deadhead.”

Read the full story here.

As illustrated by these stories – and even more from the year– SkyWest people deliver extraordinary service each day. With more than 30 million passengers this past year, SkyWest’s more than 11,500 aviation professionals have proven what it means to go above and beyond. Looking at joining the SkyWest team? Learn more by visiting www.skywest.com/careers

May 25

How to Become a SkyWest Flight Attendant

SkyWest Flight Attendants are safety professionals who enjoy helping others with a smile. They have the confidence and training to handle any situation they may encounter, both on the ground and at 35,000 feet in the air. To join the dynamic InFlight team and earn a pair of wings, follow these steps:

Review the Flight Attendant Career Guide

Submit an online application for the Flight Attendant position

Attend an InFlight group interview at one of our upcoming group interview locations; No invitation is needed

Group interviews follow the same format at all locations: Applicants should wear business attire, bring a resume and check in for the group interview between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. InFlight recruiters will give a brief presentation about SkyWest, the Flight Attendant position requirements and the available training class dates

There is a short break for applicants to ask questions and consider the requirements, such a potential relocation, schedule flexibility and the ability to attend the 31 days of training on the dates available

Applicants continue with the interview process by each taking a turn explaining, in one minute, why they would be a great Flight Attendant to the group

Immediately following, recruiters review resumes and notes on their presentations

A list will be posted of the applicants selected for an individual interview that night

Following the one-on-one interview, applicants will be notified within two weeks of the results, and if selected for the Flight Attendant position, the email will contain a conditional offer of employment and ask the applicant to confirm or decline the offer

Those who accept the offer will be confirmed in an InFlight Initial New Hire training class and emailed a study packet two to three weeks prior to their class date

Training focuses on safety and applicants must adhere to the guidelines and policies set forth and successfully complete the curriculum

Following training, new SkyWest Flight Attendants begin their dynamic and exciting role which allows them to travel, meet new people and take on new challenges every day.

Read more articles about applying at SkyWest.

Apr 11

“I’m Your Match!” SkyWest Flight Attendant Donates Kidney to Co-Worker

Tonuah Trujillo

At age 16, Tonuah Trujillo, a Seattle-based SkyWest flight attendant, was diagnosed with a kidney disorder called IgA Nephropathy, which over time deteriorates the kidneys’ ability to filter waste out of blood. After an overnight trip last July landed her in the hospital for two days, Tonuah received the bad news – her kidney function had declined to 12 percent and she was going to need kidney dialysis or a transplant very soon.

“When I first got the news it was overwhelming, and we weren’t quite sure how to get the word out to all our friends and family,” Tonuah explained. “My boyfriend, Todd Hoover (a SkyWest captain based in Chicago) and a few other family members decided to start a Facebook page called ‘Team Tonuah.’ We felt it was the fastest way to get the word out about the situation and locate a possible kidney match.”

“Many of [Tonuah’s] friends and family lined up, filled out the paperwork and started the screening process,” Todd explained. “Unfortunately, we soon learned that the requirements to be a donor match can be hard to achieve, as one by one her loved ones were scratched off the list because they weren’t a match. While the list of volunteers was long, nobody could help.”

Jeanette Perez

As Tonuah was preparing for dialysis due to the lack of donor matches, an incredible thing was taking place behind the scenes. For nearly three months, Jeanette Perez, a Chicago-based SkyWest flight attendant was taking numerous tests to see if she was a match for Tonuah.

“I became aware of Tonuah’s need via Todd’s Facebook page back in the fall. Long story short, I went through test after test to see if I was her match with the mentality of ‘if it’s meant to be it will,’” said Jeanette. “I was finally given the go at the end of January and told Tonuah the good news. She did not know I was testing. She didn’t even know who I was really – other than our one time meeting on a Christmas deadhead.”

On January 28, Tonuah received a life-changing text from an unknown phone number. It said, “Hey Tonuah! Good morning! It’s Jeanette – we met on Christmas… I brought you doughnuts. Heard you need a kidney. This is a weird text, so I’ll just spit it out. I’m your match. Really didn’t know any other way to put it out there. Fancy a chat sometime?”

“At first I was in shock!” said Tonuah. “I had only met Jeanette one time, and it was just last Christmas. She was on my flight and I felt like we had an instant connection. Unbeknownst to me, she had already been in the testing program since November, before I ever met her.”

The two connected and immediately felt as though they had known each other forever. Between Tonuah’s courage, positive attitude and strength to push on, and Jeanette’s incredible kindness, self-sacrifice and love, these two incredible women truly are an incredible match.

Following several other hurdles, the kidney transplant surgery was performed on March 28, 2016.

The surgery went well and both Jeanette and Tonuah are recovering, slowly but surely.

“Everything is going well. ‘Leftie,’ as we affectionately call the kidney, started working on cleaning my blood right way,” said Tonuah. “I know it’s a long road ahead, but so far I’m feeling good…Words can’t express how amazing I think our SkyWest family is.”

Jeanette and Tonuah are a great example of SkyWest’s unique culture where 11,000+ employees are continually going out of their way to help and support each other. To learn more about SkyWest and the opportunities that are available to work with people like Jeanette and Tonuah, visit www.skywest.com and check out the career page.

For more information about kidney donation, visit the National Kidney Foundation.

Read more stories about SkyWest people making a difference!

Dec 28

SkyWest Flight Attendant Runs to End Thirst

Before she started training for her first half marathon in 2013, Kelsey Galiano, a Minneapolis-based SkyWest flight attendant, had never run a race and didn’t really care for running. Even now that she has trained for and run multiple races, including a marathon, there are plenty of days she doesn’t want to run. But Kelsey continues the grind because of the cause that fuels her: helping to provide clean water for people in Africa who don’t have access to it.

“There are many days I detest running but I detest people not having something simple like clean water even more,” said Kelsey.

Not having access to clean water takes the lives of hundreds of children every day and is the number one preventable cause of death in the world. To help, Kelsey joined Team World Vision in 2013 with the goal of bringing clean water to as many people in Africa as possible. Thanks to the efforts of World Vision and people like Kelsey, one new person is receiving clean water every 30 seconds.

Kelsey’s personal goal is to provide clean water access to as many as 200 children.

“I donated to provide clean water for two children and I’m hoping to find 99 others to match my donation,” she said. “Just $50 is enough to provide one child with clean water for life!” And with the global water crisis expected to end in 2030, Kelsey hopes she will only need to run for this cause for 15 more years!

Since joining Team World Vision, Kelsey has run the 2013 Monster Dash Half Marathon in St. Paul, Minnesota, the 2014 and 2015 Minnesota Half Marathon in St. Paul, the 2015 Hood To Coast Relay in Portland and the 2015 Twin Cities Marathon. While most of these races were in Minnesota, Team World Vision participates in races all across the U.S.

Kelsey with her World Vision team.

Whether it’s helping a co-worker or sending aid around the world, Kelsey’s focus on giving back is one shared by many of SkyWest’s more than 11,000 employees. If you are interested in donating to Kelsey’s team or joining Team World Vision, no matter your location, go to Kelsey’s fundraising page. More information about World Vision can be found at www.worldvision.org.