Mandy praises flight attendants, says “they are my true heroes in this pandemic”

You’ve heard the term “walk a mile in my shoes.” Mandy Mundy, onboard product & services senior specialist, is a shining example of that. Although she traded flying the skies as a flight attendant for a job behind the scenes, she makes it her mission to continue to walk in the shoes of Horizon Air’s flight attendants, supporting them in their jobs.

Everything I learned from all my experiences flying set me up for the role I have now,” Mundy says. “I work for an incredible group of flight attendants that remind me every day the reason I am here,” she says.

Mundy, who has been with Horizon for 15 years (12 years as a flight attendant) makes it her mission to listen—a lot. She’s always looking for ways, large and small, to make inflight processes better for her flying colleagues.

“Flight attendants can go weeks, if not months, without seeing their inflight leaders. We are always observing for opportunities to improve their work and work environment based on the data we receive from their feedback,” she says.

Mandy with her daughter.

Those that work with Mundy know that she spends as much time with flight attendants as she can. You can regularly find her in the PDX Village and attending as many recurrent ground school classes that she can, which she finds incredibly valuable.

“We have had a lot of great discussions. I am given the opportunity to explain the ‘why’ behind our decisions,” Mundy says.

An example of Mundy’s commitment is when we brought on the E175 aircraft and there were differences between the Q and E galleys so mock galleys were created. She took it upon herself to provide over 20 flight attendants one-on-one training on the jet. She helped film videos to explain service expectations, and often stayed long hours to ensure the training was in place to make our employees successful while aiming to deliver award-winning service to our guests.

No one had to tell Mandy what needed to be done. She knew the destination needed to be reached and found a path to get there. She truly is a Pathfinder,” said Matt Prainito, VP of Horizon Air station and inflight operations.

Leading the way to help others is a theme in Mundy’s life. A self-described horse-lover, she founded a nonprofit organization for mounted search and rescue. She also recently welcomed a baby girl to her household.

Mundy truly loves her job, because she loves people, especially the flight attendants she supports.

“They are incredible, stepping up to the task at hand and willing to adjust to everything that keeps coming at us as we navigate COVID-19.,” says Mundy. “My heart goes out to all those that have essential roles—but flight attendants, they are my true heroes in this pandemic.”