Being a cabin crew member in private aviation means constantly adapting to new environments and challenges. Kirsten Arianejad is a corporate flight attendant who has traveled to a myriad of interesting locations throughout her career. She has over five and a half years of experience as a flight attendant and has flown on Embraer 175 and Douglas DC-8 Combi aircraft. She is fluent in English and speaks some conversational French and basic Farsi.
In 2013 she had the honor of being granted a scholarship by Women in Corporate Aviation to attend Corporate Flight Attendant Training in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kirsten has also received training at FlightSafety International in Long Beach, California, and her last recurrent training was in January of 2014. She is a member of Women in Corporate Aviation (WCA) and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and attends events hosted by both organizations.
Kirsten’s travels have brought her to an amazing range of locations with vibrant cultures and varying landscapes. This became very evident when discussing the list of her favorite locations to travel to, which include “Japan, Singapore, The Azores, Bahrain, Hawaii, Marshall Islands, Greenland, Italy, and Holland. Domestically: Boston, Miami, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, New Orleans, San Antonio, and Denver.”
Since she has such an eclectic mix of favorite locations, Kirsten was the perfect person to get ideas about culinary creations to try from a number of destinations. On a global scale, about her top picks, she said, “Believe it or not, in Kalispell, Montana, a place called Moose’s Saloon has the best pizza I have ever had! Another of my favorite restaurants is located in the Tokyo suburb of Tachikawa. Their ‘Spicy Miso Soup’ is the best. The place seats at most eight people in bar style, and you can watch the chef prepare your order. I can’t read Japanese to know the name of the restaurant, but I love it!” Overall, her favorite foods include, “green veggies, sushi, Asian cuisine, steak, and seafood of all kinds.” When it comes to a favorite meal, she has two that were tied for first place. The two meals are “a pile of king crab legs, melted butter, side of petite asparagus, and a good IPA beer. Filet mignon, baked potato, steamed broccoli, and a good Merlot.”
When thinking about adventures during her career, and memorable activities she has enjoyed, Singapore came to mind. Kirsten shared that, “If visiting Singapore, I would suggest going to Sentosa Island and renting a bike, then going to top floor pool at the Marina Bay Sands and having the famous ‘Singapore Sling,’ followed by walking Orchard Road, which is Singapore’s equivalent of Beverly Hills shopping.”
While discussing her career as a flight attendant, Kirsten shared that some of the most important skills for a successful career are, “Being customer service-passionate. Also, having the desire and drive to give every customer/passenger an unforgettably wonderful experience that he will remember and talk about.” For anyone considering a career as a corporate flight attendant, she had some wisdom to share. She says to “be prepared to work long hours and deal with all cultures and personalities with kindness in your heart. Oh, and splurge on a very good pair of shoes!”
While Kirsten is currently based out of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), she is available to relocate for the right job. Please contact Kirsten Arianejad at kirstensam@gmail.com for further details.
This article is part of a series of interviews we are conducting with contract cabin crew members; individuals who are not 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.
