Meet Sherry Bakameir-Arazi, a flight attendant of 22 years, the last eight of which has seen her serve as a service and security director of Israeli flag carrier El-Al.
Over the past two years, however, she has been using whatever free time she has to make Tik Tok videos, showing what life of a flight attendant is like. Her entertaining and informative videos have helped her amass over 42,000 followers so far. "I want to show people that we do more than just say, 'Hope you had a great flight,' and serve beverages."
Her Tik Tok account, which uses "The Stewardess" nickname, is full of videos showing her interacting with other members of the flight team, as well as hidden areas of the plane.
Do you reveal a lot of secrets to your followers?
"In some areas, like security, I reveal nothing. Same with salary or working relations. These are personal and relate to protecting the company and my peers."
Sherry became a flight attendant by chance. She was 18 years old when she first step foot onto a plane. She began studying after her military service, at which time she became enthralled with the idea of traveling the world, so she combined studies and with her new job.
"Once I leave the house with my uniform and makeup on, I'm a different person," she says. "It's like I'm in a movie scene. We travel the world and stay in the best hotels. As a 20-year-old, I learned to be very independent and communicative. There's something magical about being in Bangkok and a week later landing in Los Angeles. It's a special feeling and I'm fortunate."
Early on, Sherry used to plan every detail of her videos, but she learned to be more spontaneous about it. "I roll with what I see. Sometimes I just chat about a thought that came to me.
"I used to plan every detail, like angles and sound. I would get inspiration from other Tik Toks. Now, with the amount of work on flights increasing, I don't have as much time anymore. Flights can be intense, from briefing to landing. My followers prefer to hear me speak rather than watch me dance.
"I tell stories, show staff hard at work, so that's the direction I've taken my channel in. Tik Tok is not for perfectionists, which suits me just fine, because I'm the farthest thing from it.
Sherry says it was actually her daughter who got her into making Tik Tok videos in the first place. "We'd run together and at the end of each run we'd make a little video."
She says she made her first TikTok while in Hong Kong, amid a COVID lockdown. "The whole airport lounge was empty. It was positively dystopian. I made Tik Toks about what it was like to be a flight attendant at a time like this."
"When I got to New York, there was another lockdown. I made a little funny video about changing clothes, and people were intrigued as to what flight crews do at times like these."
Sherry has done dozens of videos, and always makes sure to keep in touch with her followers, answering questions about flights and aviation, as well as helping passengers with flight-related anxieties. Her peers often join her in the videos.
What the weirdest thing that ever happened to you during a flight?
"When we were cruising at 30,000 feet, a passenger said we're not actually moving and it's all a conspiracy. I showed him our movement on the interactive map and calmed him down. Another time, a lightening hit the plane, but there was no damage."