NAOMI ROTOLO ON LIFE AS AN AIR HOSTESS

November 30, 2023

Air Hostess Naomi Rotolo was born in the city of Milan. She tells us how her Neapolitan mother worked each and every day and all the hours she possibly could to support the family, “I grew up with my grandmother and grandfather because my mother had to do everything she could to look after us. I am proud of my family, my seven uncles, and so many cousins. They have never made me lack anything, especially affection.”

For Naomi, family is everything and being away from them whilst she travels with work is one the toughest parts of her job. Once upon a time, it had been her dream to be an actress. A dream that her family encouraged her to pursue, but it wasn’t to be and life eventually took a different path as she embarked on a career in the sky as an Air Hostess.

In Naomi’s industry, there is the excitement of discovering and exploring new places, meeting new people, and learning about cultures. But beyond the glamorous image often associated with their profession, air hostesses often lead demanding lives that require a lot of patience and dedication, especially when it means not being able to see family as much as possible.

For Naomi her day as an Air Hostess begins long before the plane takes off, meticulously preparing for each flight, starting with a thorough briefing on the flight schedule, safety procedures, and any specific requirements for the day. Appearance is also a crucial aspect, and Air Hostesses are expected to maintain a polished and professional look and wear the airline’s uniform with pride. All of which can be difficult in the face of demanding customers, long flights, and long hours.

Naomi smiles for a moment as she reflects, “I actually wanted to be an actress and my grandfather and uncle had the same dream for me, but you know when the doors don’t open and the gates are locked you change your path. My grandfather was really proud of me and what I was doing. After his death, I always tried to make him proud every day. I tried to make our dream come true for both of us but I couldn’t do it so I decided to change my path.

Being an Air Hostess wasn’t the dream I had when I was little, I have to be honest, and I wasn’t a little girl who wanted to move away from home, however, I understood that on earth I needed to do something different.”

“There is so much about my job that I love though. You can be in contact with different types of people, who have different ethnicities, cultures, and languages. I can speak three different languages and it’s so nice to be able to use them and learn about other people.

So much of Naomi’s life is now an adventure, and it takes her from places like Portugal to Poland, where she experiences everything that life has to offer, “There are days when you really enjoy yourself as if it were your life’s work.” Then. there will be other days when the demands of a gruelling schedule become too much and she just wants to hit the ground as quickly as possible and back to her new home in Malaga.

“I think one of the most difficult parts of the job is the rude customers,” she tells us. “I will tell customers that their backpack needs to go in the overhead locker, instead of under the seat, and they will refuse to accept it. You will explain it to them as calmly and politely as possible, but they will still scream at you and take it out on you.”

The job also comes equipped with plenty of surreal moments. “This happened on a flight recently,” she says, smiling at the memory. “We have the bathrooms in front of the jumpseats where we have to sit to eat. This passenger enters the bathroom, and says: ‘I’m claustrophobic, don’t lock the bathroom for me!’ as she says that, the bathroom door closes and she begins frantically screaming, ‘I don’t want the bathroom door to be closed or locked.’ So she left the door wide open and started to pee. As we sat there in front of her eating! Every day is an adventure I guess!”