Ground Turkey and Bean Burritos

This past week has been CRA-ZY at work. I say that because there are people at the airport 24:7, flights are leaving 12 hours later than scheduled, and crew members are taking naps everywhere they can to make up for their extended duty days.

You see, I’m SFO based and the Asiana flight that crash landed on Saturday affected everyone flying for the next couple of days into and out of San Francisco.

I worked Saturday, going from SFO-IAD and was about an hour or two into the flight when a passenger asked me if I knew anything about the crash. Confused, I asked him what he was talking about. He showed me the news reporting on CNN and my heart sank. At first, I didn’t know if it was my airline and I immediately jumped to the worst conclusion that came to mind.

Was it us? Who was working? How many people were injured? How many people survived? What happened to the airplane? Was it an airplane malfunction? Do they have the situation under control? Is the fire still spreading?

Nothing really prepares you for what you see on TV when it hits so close to home. I had just left that airport two hours ago. What would have happened if I didn’t take off at that time? We called the pilots to let them know that something happened at SFO and they had no idea, either.

Our passengers updated us with more information as it was being released on TV. They didn’t know the deaths.. it was an Asiana flight.. the fuselage burst into flames.. the tail fell off… they stopped all traffic into and out of SFO.. It was like trying to put a 500 piece puzzle together with only 10 pieces.

When we heard that only two people passed away from the accident and seeing all the footage of the aircraft, I couldn’t believe my ears. The crew aboard flight 241 did an amazing job getting everyone off the aircraft with minimal casualties. Not only that, but they didn’t even have time to prepare for a landing like that.

Sometimes in situations like that, they’ll have time onboard to prep for an emergency landing. In this, everything happened when they least expected it. Obviously, take off and landing are the most dangerous times in flying, but you never think that it’s going to happen to you.

My heart goes out to everyone involved in that crash.

I was delayed in Dulles for 12 hours on my trip, but that’s nothing when you compare it to the grand scheme of things. For passengers complaining about delays this past weekend, just be grateful that you have your life.

When we flew back Sunday night, I could see the aftermath of the aircraft on descent just out the window. I stared in disbelief.

I mean, we watch multiple videos in training of crashes, but it’s just ten times more surreal when you see it a couple hundred yards away.

Remember that flight attendants are more than servers. They’re not there to satisfy every single one of your flying needs. We’re primarily there for your safety. Be nice to your crew. They could be the ones saving your life!

As always, this burrito from The Pioneer Woman is as delicious as the rest of her recipes. They’re easily customizable for picky eaters and fast to whip up. Everyone should have a burrito night once a week! The second to last picture is a photo of my DB’s burrito and the last picture is my burrito. Can you tell the difference?