• Job: Flight attendant, Delta Air Lines, Atlanta

KARL W. RITZLER/Special (ENLARGE)

Candy Bruton has been a Delta Air Lines flight attendant for 36 years. She said she's always been interested in planes and developed an attachment to Delta, in particular, when the airline became a hero for her brother.

KATHY TOBER/Special (ENLARGE)

• What I do: Meeting famous people, flying to exotic locations and getting paid for it — that's the glamour side of a flight attendant's job.

Candy Bruton, a Delta Air Lines flight attendant, knows there's a lot more to it: being on the front line for safety and customer service inside a metal cylinder more than six miles up in the air, sometimes for 14 hours at a time.

"There isn't another job like this," said Bruton, 56.

Bruton flies about 90 hours over the course of 16 days a month, mostly on sports teams' charters but also on scheduled commercial flights. As a flight attendant with a lot of seniority, she usually gets the assignments she requests.

But flying hours are only part of the time attendants spend on the job. Bruton explained that they also are required to put in "ground time." They arrive about an hour before the flight takes off to make sure that the cabin is ready to go, there are plenty of blankets and pillows, the galley is fully stocked and all the required safety equipment is aboard and working.

The flying-hours total also doesn't count layovers, which can last up to 24 hours, while attendants wait for a flight back to their base location.

At the airport, Bruton and her fellow flight attendants are the first people on the plane and the last ones off.

For sports charters, attendants distribute welcoming snacks and drinks as the athletes, coaches and team officials board the plane, then provide nonstop service in the air. They hand-deliver everything — no carts in the aisles.

Because the same attendants often are assigned to the same teams, they get to know what people want to eat and drink. "They don't have to ask," Bruton said.

For a regularly scheduled flight, attendants help passengers stow their carry-on bags and get settled so the plane can depart on time. In the air, they serve food and drinks, fill requests and continually check on the passengers, Bruton said.

"I like to pick a couple of passengers and get to know them," she said. "It's always the people. In the air, you're never alone. . . . I've developed lifelong friendships with flight attendants and passengers."

The job is not just about service. "A lot of what we do is safety-related," Bruton said.

In 36 years of flying, Bruton said she's seen only two emergencies, both of which were minor incidents that did not endanger anyone on the plane.

• What got me interested in this: Bruton, who professed a lifelong interest in airplanes, said she knew she wanted to fly for Delta after the airline came to her brother's rescue.

He had been bitten by a poisonous snake while playing outdoors. When Delta was alerted by the hospital that he needed an antivenin that was not available in the area, the airline arranged to get the medicine and bring it back for him.

At 5 feet tall, Bruton didn't meet the minimum-height requirement then in place.

She was working in the wig department of a retail store, which gave her an idea: She wore a wig with a little extra padding to her interview with Delta.

• Best part of my job: "The people — customers and flight attendants," Bruton said. "The destinations are great, with wonderful layovers. I've gotten to know cities that I'd never have traveled to." Her favorite? Seattle.

• Most challenging part: "Because everything changes quite often, keeping up with it," she said.

Those changes include safety and security issues, especially since Sept. 11, 2001, as well as equipment changes.

• What people don't know about my job: "How much preparation is involved," Bruton said.

All attendants take safety training every year and then again when something changes.

"We're trained on every plane, and there's specific training for international flights," including language and cultural training.

• What keeps me going: Her crew and the possibility that something new will happen each day, she said.

• Preparation needed for this job: High energy, willingness to adjust rapidly, quick thinking and the ability to listen to and assess the needs of another person, she said. Attendants also should love to travel, know how to make people comfortable and "be able to smile for 13 hours without fail."

All attendants are required to pass an intense, six-week training course, during which they are assessed constantly.

Delta prefers that flight attendants have college degrees, but one isn't required. Bruton added that an applicant with work experience in customer service may have an advantage in a highly competitive market.

Bruton graduated from high school in Orlando and worked in a department store before being hired by Delta. She since has earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Kennesaw State University.

- By Karl W. Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.