"Fly Girls," a new reality television show, follows the lives of five
Virgin America flight attendants as they jet around the country.
The eight half-hour episodes will feature the attendants sharing a home
in Los Angeles, working long hours while dealing with grumpy passengers
and partying on their layovers in cities such as Las Vegas, Miami Beach
and New York. The series, which is premiering this week on the CW
channel, promises stories filled with romance, family and friendships.
"Everything that you are going to see is real — all the relationships,
all the reactions," executive producer Jeff Collins said. "The series
itself has a lot of twist and turns in it, some of it is very personal,
and that's all real. You can't manufacture that."
It's that work experience producers hope will give "Fly Girls" an edge
over other reality shows.
"These women came to the table with a story, with a history," Collins
said, adding that they were already friends or acquaintances before
filming began.
Tasha Dunnigan, 28, has worked for nearly three years with the San
Francisco-based airline that launched in August 2007. "My No. 1 thing is
to show people I am a single mother, I have a son and that everything
is possible," she said.
"My job makes me be away from my son, days at a time. But if that's ...
what you have to do to make ends meet, that's what you have to do. And
at the end of the day, there is always a brighter side."
Dunnigan filmed one chilly day with cast members Louise Nguyen, 28, and
Many Roberts, 26, at the popular South Beach spot Nikki Beach, where
they lounged on outdoor beds.
Virgin Atlantic President Richard Branson makes a cameo appearance on
the series.
Capturing the work environment was a balancing act for the production
crew, since they had to comply with federal rules and regulations, and
airline requirements.
Federal Aviation Administration officials met with Virgin America
representatives in October 2009 to discuss the airline's involvement in
the series. Virgin had to agree to include a management representative
on board every flight when filming took place, and to brief the film
crew on safety procedures and FAA regulations before the first onboard
shoot.
The airline also had to notify all passengers that filming would take
place on their flight. The cast served as extra crew so that the primary
flight attendants could focus on their jobs, and the airline put on
additional attendants during shoots. The film crew was barred from
shooting cockpit footage when a plane was airborne.
This is not the first reality show in which cameras went behind security
gates to film on a flight. A&E Television Networks followed
Southwest Airlines employees and flight attendants for the reality show
"Airline" that ended in 2005 after three seasons. And CBS' "The Amazing
Race" often shoots contestants before take off sitting in their seats.
For safety reasons, Virgin America made sure filming took place on
flights that had fewer passengers. The film crew sometimes filled in the
empty seats.
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer
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