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I will admit, I had a ‘meh’ attitude about reading this book. I had come off the back of reading two, great, YA fiction books and I thought this might be just a very long tabloid expose, but this book turned out to be something else indeed.

Owen doesn’t just spill the beans on everyone, he also confesses his own mis-adventures and poor performance. From the first chapter, you get a good first impression of the type of guy Owen is.  He seems a guy that loves the good life, certainly loves to party, but is smart, witty and has a strong belief that big corporations should take care of all of their team members.

There are some book reviews online which say things like ‘I didn’t get many secrets’ and ‘this is more about Owens layovers’ which I think is unfair. The title itself states that it is ‘confessions’ of a Qantas flight attendant and that is just what this book is. If you enjoy sitting at the airport and watching the world go by, imagining their life situations and relationship scenarios, you will love this book. If you want a book to move you spiritually or emotionally in some way, this is not for you. From celebrities, to people who think they are self important, air headed hosties, to cultural differences, these are all highlighted in personal situations and exchanges, using Owen’s unique conversational style.

The timeline of the much publicised Qantas demise is interwoven throughout the story and if Owens tale is to be believed, demonstrates incredibly poor management decisions which killed the culture of Qantas. Once a premier airline of choice with customer service which underpinned its global reputation, now an embattled airline trying to keep it’s head above water and keep out of the press.  You can feel the shift in the book, when those first dreadful words ‘cost-cutting’ come into play, which ends up with good people who became disenchanted and left the airline,while others stayed to become a bitter cancer in the airlines culture.

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There are many moments in this easy to read book; hilarious, frightening, sickening and on several occasions very relatable. I now see flight crew in a very different light and will no longer be the person who questions why I am being given the chicken when I asked for the beef. I will simply sip my white wine, enjoy my white meat served in a tray and drift quietly off to sleep.