I have been on the night shift for 8 months now and it has been very difficult to get use to. It's crazy to think that I still haven't been able to adjust. Airport Operations at Denver International Airport (DIA) is a 24 hour operation. Our shift bids are based on seniority. Since I am still "new" I will most likely be on night shift until the Army tells Joe and I where we will live next. So here is a little glimpse of my life on the night shift! I work Wednesday - Saturday from 8:00pm - 6:00pm.
2:00pm
My alarm clock goes off.... I try to work out first thing in the morning (my morning). I usually hit snooze.
2:05pm
I get up, look at the yoga schedule for the day and see what class I can take. I like to take the 2:30pm -3:30pm class. I frantically put on my yoga clothes, brush my hair and teeth and go to class. If I miss that class, I either a) watch TV and fall asleep again b) go for a run or c) clean the house and then take a nap after.
4:00pm
On a perfect day, I would take a shower and do my hair at this point. But most days, I just take the shower. Then I straighten up the house because Joe comes home around 6:00pm.
5:00pm
I make dinner. While dinner cooks I get dressed for work and just "relax"
5:55pm
Joe comes home and I have dinner made for him. It has been a recent goal of mine to cook more. I try to cook 5-6 times a week. So far so good! We sit down together and eat.
6:15pm
I frantically get up and finish getting ready for work.
6:30pm
I leave for work. Yup... that's right, Joe and I only see each other for 35 minutes on a good day when I work. A lot of the time, I won't see him at all.
7:45pm
I arrive in my work parking lot. I drive an hour and fifteen minutes to work. I do it so that I can have a job in aviation.
7:53pm
I clock in. I am scheduled to work at 8:00pm and I like to arrive a little bit early.
10:00pm
The swing shift goes home and the airport is now my responsibility (well mine and the small group of us lucky people who get to work at night) This is when things really starts to pick up. Most of the departments go home at this time so a whole lot of things that normally don't fall until airport operations gets dropped on us. Airport paging and customer service phone line happen to be 2 of the things that keep us busy. Some joke that OPS stands for other peoples S#!T.
10:15pm-01:30am
This tends to be our really busy time, for some reason this is when all of our emergencies happen. This is when people need medics, people lose kids, people lose items, people call our customer service line to blame me for their flight being cancelled.... on a side note, the airport is never responsible for a cancelled flight or you getting bumped. We can not give you free hotels. It is the airlines responsibility....rant ended.
01:30am-03:00am
This is when all of the crazies call. Like mothers of 23 year old sons, who are cold in the terminal and need a blanket. Or people that just want to talk and keep call to just talk.
03:00am - 05:30am
This is the time I like best on midnight shift. It is nice and quite. But sometimes, this time seems to drag.
05:30am - 05:59am
Ah finally, time to get ready to leave.... or at least at least it should be. This is when people(my coworkers) decide that they need ME to help them do all of their morning tasks. Like close runways for inspections or issue a NOTAM (an online airfield notice to pilots).
05:59am - 06:05am
My morning relief finally arrives and I get to go home!! Well kind of, I first have to make the hour and 15 minute drive home.
07:20am
I'm home! The drive is long and I am tired, but I made it.
08:00am
I'm in bed and hopefully asleep by this time.
And there you have it my day in a nut shell.
Have you ever worked on the night shift?
