At a very young age I developed a fascination for Air Hostesses and flying. The first time I flew as a passenger was at the age of 7 when my parents emigrated. From that day on I was hooked! At the age of 16 years I announced to my parents that my dream was to become an Air Hostess and to travel the world.
Despite being offered a bursary to study after high school, I was determined to pursue my dream of flying and nothing was going to stop me. I applied at a major airline but in those days the minimum age to be a Flight Attendant was 21, and I was only 18 years old at the time.
I applied for a job as a Ground Hostess until I was old enough to fly, and the airline offered me a job in their Reservations Department which entailed learning their reservations and bookings systems and making airline reservations for passengers. I was very grateful for the opportunity to enter the amazing world of Aviation, and to gain experience in the airline industry.
However, my passion for becoming an Air Hostess was still my focus and as soon as I was able and was 21 years of age I started applying again. I was accepted by the airline I was employed with at the time, and so my dream career started.
I was a Flight Attendant with that airline for 20 years and loved every moment! I gained valuable experience flying on the Domestic Routes, and then it was time to go onto the International Routes. The countries I visited, and the places I got to explore and experience were incredible, not to mention the amazing people I got to meet and work with.
After 20 years of being a Flight Attendant in an airline, I decided to apply as a Corporate Flight Attendant, and this led me to working on a private jet based in West Africa as the aircraft owner’s Personal Flight Attendant for 8 years. Being a Corporate/VIP Flight Attendant was a unique and incredible experience and took me to countries I had never had the opportunity to travel to before.
My passion and love for flying and aviation, as well as all the experience I have gained over the years now allows me the privilege of training others and to pass on some of the knowledge, in the hopes that their dreams of being an Air Hostess can also become a reality.
-Nicky Foster