Flying for QantasLink: Connecting Communities and Family

I’ve been flying for almost 14 years. I was originally based in Brisbane and now I’ve been in Sydney for the past 10 years. My mother was a flight attendant in the late 1970s and she said I should apply. I quickly fell in love with the Dash 8 aircraft – I fly on the 200, 300, and 400 to all of our regional ports in Australia – and also being part of such a small team.

You really get to know people in my role. I have regular customers; sometimes I see them once a month, sometimes I see them six months later. Some of the smaller ports we go to, like Moree or Broken Hill, we turn right around and come back. But we spend time in towns like Tamworth, Dubbo, and Coffs Harbour – it’s these ports where you see the same people because they’re coming to and from work, medical appointments, or holidays. We give our regional towns those links to major capital cities. It’s great to be a part of.

Both my parents are from Tamworth, my grandma grew up there, and my grandfather was a bush poet. It seems that every time I fly on a Tamworth route, there’s someone who asks, “Are you Wendy’s daughter?” Mum has moved away now, but for many years, she was part of that town, and I’ve got a real soft spot for it.

My eldest boy, Rory, is seven and really into flying. Late last year, we went to the opening of the new Sydney Flight Training Centre, which has five flight simulators. He enjoyed it so much, and he knows more about the planes I’m on than I do. Sign him up to the Qantas Group Pilot Academy in Toowoomba for 2037 – he’s ready!

Alison Murphy
QantasLink Cabin Crew