After serving 35 years as a flight attendant, Ann Meili decided to change roles and give back to the business aviation community. Amongst other projects involving technical work, Ann spends time helping new corporate flight attendants with their resumes, training and applications. As part of her efforts, she runs Corporate Flyer dot net, a private Facebook group for corporate flight attendants. Ann has a lot of valuable insights to learn from, so first let’s learn more about her.
Ann started her career in commercial aviation, where she worked for 25 years. Her favorite career memory was when she worked as an air hostess for Alia, Royal Jordanian Airlines in the early 1980s. “Living and working in Amman, Jordan was something that very few Americans got to do,” said Ann. “I loved every minute of it!”
She then decided to make the next move in her career by training at FlightSafety International to transition into business aviation. She spent ten years flying as a corporate flight attendant based out of South Florida. Throughout her career she flew on almost too many aircraft to count – including Martin 404, FH227, YS11, 737, BAC 1-11, DC8, DC10, L1011, 747, 747SP, 727, 707, 720, Convair 580, Saab340, ATR, ERJ, CRJ, Legacy, Global, G450, GV, Challenger 604/605 and Hawker.
In addition to an amazing career in the skies, Ann has written manuals and training programs for over 20 different countries. She has also trained corporate and commercial flight attendants in Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Turks and Caicos, Venezuela, United Arab Emirates, Gambia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Togo and the United States. Ann has used her expertise to write flight attendant manuals for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Parts 121, 125, 135, 91 and manuals for other countries always following the specific regulations of said country. Currently, she is on a two-year contract to help convert classroom training to computer-based training for a major international airline.
Throughout all of her travels, Ann has experienced a variety of cuisines and her favorite is Middle Eastern. “I absolutely love a meal of tabouli, hummus, baba ghanoush, pita, tomatoes, cucumbers and olives,” she said. “Throw in some falafel, and I am one happy gal!”
While on the topic of food, Ann shared a story of an in-flight catering challenge she will never forget. “I flew with a gentleman that would only eat chicken feet and drink grappa (a type of brandy) with Nigerian wood soaked in the bottle! I had ordered catering for the flight, but little did I know he was bringing his own food, she said. “It was really difficult to find a caterer that would prepare chicken feet; I was going to have to explain my dilemma to him! Prior to the flight, the captain reached a private chef by phone, and chicken feet were delivered to the aircraft moments before our scheduled takeoff. The next dilemma was how to serve them, but after downing an entire bottle of grappa, the passenger fell asleep for the long flight to London and only ate some grocery store cookies! He even slept through the tech stop in Accra!”
Another memorable trip during her career is when she “had a flight of 12 passengers on a Global from Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) to Luton Airport (LTN). The main passenger wanted to be the flight attendant. I worked in the galley, and she served the passengers. When it came time to clean up, I washed and she dried! Easiest flight ever and what made it even better they requested me for the return flight a month later!” Given the variety of just these two experiences alone, it is no surprise Ann believes adaptability is the top skill for being a successful corporate flight attendant.
Looking back at all of the destinations she visited during her travels, Ann’s favorite city is Baku, Azerbaijan. Ann says that Azerbaijanis are the “friendliest people I have ever encountered.” Her favorite dish of Azerbaijani cuisine is “Sazan in Tandyr,” a style of fish which is baked in a clay oven. While discussing Azerbaijan, Ann shared a few tips for anyone visiting for the first time. “Be sure to hire a driver,” she said. “Have them take you to the seaside at Bilgah. Walk along Seaside Boulevard in Baku. Do not forget to visit Martyr’s Lane, also known as Kirov Park, a cemetery and memorial dedicated to those killed by the Soviet Army during Black January.”
Since Ann is such a great help to so many new corporate flight attendants, she has great advice for anyone considering starting their career as one. “By all means, take the best training available; cost should not be an issue. Do your research on the best training option for you and the most widely accepted,” she said. “Remember, in the United States the industry is tight, there are still plenty of extremely experienced corporate flight attendants out there looking for a full-time position. Take culinary classes, learn another language or get a college degree. There are so many things that can be done to prepare you for a career as a corporate flight attendant.”
Of course, many people start off as a commercial flight attendant, so Ann shared a few pointers on making the career change. “Corporate is nothing like commercial,” she said. “You still need corporate specific training, but your FAA issued certificate will serve you well. Having the FAA certificate is sometimes a plus, but it must go hand-in-hand with corporate-specific training. Also, never miss out on taking food prep, plating or etiquette classes.” If you have any questions for Ann Meili, please contact her at AMeili@aol.com or request to join Corporate Flyer dot net on Facebook.
This article is part of a series of interviews we are conducting with members of the business aviation community; individuals who are now employed by Air Culinaire Worldwide. If you would like to be considered for an interview, which is posted on our blog and all of our social media accounts, please contact socialmedia@airculinaire.com.
