- Robert "Bingo" Bingochea is a Denver-based flight attendant for United Airlines who commutes to work from his home in Phoenix.
- Bingochea has been a flight attendant with United for seven years and previously worked in the airline industry in other capacities.
- Though he says every day on the job is different, we joined him on a trip from Denver to Houston and back to capture what a day in the life of a flight attendant may look like.
It's 3 a.m., and I'm jolted awake by the ring of the hotel phone.
The bright red numbers on the clock next to me are the only thing illuminating my pitch-black hotel room, and I groan as I roll over and steal another five minutes of sleep.
When I checked in to the hotel at 10:30 the night before and asked for my wake-up call, the front-desk clerk was horrified to hear how little sleep I'd be getting.
"At least I'm getting the 'true' experience," I tell myself. "Flight attendants probably do this all the time."
As it turns out, Robert "Bingo" Bingochea, a 63-year-old who has worked with United Airlines as a flight attendant for seven years, went to bed early that night, and he has already been awake for more than an hour by the time I finally bolt out of bed. He's had his morning coffee, watched some TV news, and checked the weather from his hotel room before I even clicked the lights on in my room.
Like me, Bingochea has also flown in the day before the 5:24 a.m. flight from Denver to Houston.
He's what you call a "commuter" in the airline industry. He's a flight attendant based out of Denver, but he lives in Phoenix with his wife and commutes to Denver for each trip he works.
Bingochea got the first flight into Denver the day before our flight, which isn't uncommon for commuters, since flying standby means you aren't guaranteed a seat on the flight you want, and it can sometimes take a full day to get a flight on standby.
I'm shadowing him for the day, and we're to meet at Denver International Airport to begin our journey together.
SEE ALSO: 11 insider facts most flight attendants know — and you probably don't
As our flight will begin boarding at 4:50 a.m., I arrive at the airport at 4 a.m. I'm scheduled to meet Bingochea at United's In Flight area, but before that, we both need to go through airport security.
Just my luck, getting through the Transportation Security Administration's security takes me longer than anticipated. I must remove my shoes, take all electronics out of my bag, and place them, exposed, in the screening bin. And, since I wear some medical devices, I'm treated to a full pat-down and tested for bomb residue.
Bingochea, on the other hand — and other flight attendants flying through Denver International — goes through an expedited TSA screening, a process that usually takes less than a minute.
Bingochea has packed enough clothes — rolled, of course — and supplies to last at least four days. "You want to be ready for everything," he tells me. "Anything can happen."
Apart from the essentials like extra underwear and T-shirts, medication, and clothing, he also takes a couple of trinkets with him: a pink, rubber frog that was his daughter's when she was younger always goes around the world with him, as does his Vietnam Veteran cap, which commemorates his time as a medic in the US Army during the Vietnam War.
In general, Bingochea doesn't pack a lunch. He'll bring some snacks with him, but he opts not to eat while he's working — it makes him sluggish — and instead budgets enough money to try the different cuisines where he's traveling.
As a passenger, you won't ever see United's operations station. With the swipe of my handler's United Airlines ID badge, we take an elevator up to the fourth floor, home of United's conference rooms, HR and IT departments, and Inflight Services.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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