Departures: NWA employees diversify income

Richard Sennott, Star Tribune

From left: Current and former Northwest/Delta employees Gary Bray, Kelly Bray, Machele Baird and Larry Baird opened the accessory boutique, Zida, in Burnsville two years ago. Gary Bray, a Northwest pilot for 19 years, said most Northwest employees are always looking for a Plan B. “This is our Plan B.”

Facing lots of uncertainty in the airline industry, many pilots, flight attendants and others are starting side businesses, exploring second jobs or working hard to turn hobbies into careers.

By KARA DOUGLASS THOM, Special to the Star Tribune

Last update: October 13, 2009 - 5:26 PM

Most every financial adviser recommends diversifying investments. Some, like Gary Peterson, a financial adviser at Waddell & Reed, believe diversifying income is smart, too.

And Peterson, also a Northwest Airlines pilot, is in good company among Northwest employees who are bringing home a second paycheck.

Pay cuts, furloughs and the recent Delta merger have prompted the search for second jobs. Peterson, who has been a Northwest pilot for 29 years, suspected as early as 1992 that a second career might be in his best interest. That's when he earned his MBA, and then after Sept. 11, returned to school for a second MBA in finance. "Once again I was getting concerned," Peterson said. "The merger is going along fine but I'm glad I have this second occupation in financial services."

Northwest flight attendants Larry Baird and his wife, Machele, partnered with their co-worker Kelly Bray and her husband, Gary Bray, a Northwest pilot, two years ago when they opened Zida, an accessory boutique in Burnsville. Machele and Kelly have since left their posts as flight attendants to run the store full time. "I didn't leave until we made sure the store was going to take off. It's good, and I like it, but leaving was bittersweet," said Machele, who worked for the airline 24 years.

The couples believed that with both paychecks coming from Northwest, all their eggs were in one basket. "If the airline went under, we'd both be out of work," Machele said.

Bray, a Northwest pilot for 19 years, said most Northwest employees are always looking for a Plan B. "This is our Plan B."

While making ends meet and maintaining a standard of living motivates many Northwest employees to find jobs on land, some are also working a second job to pursue their passion as well.

"I started riding when I was nine and bought the horse I have now five years ago," said Chris Hammer, who has been a flight attendant for 20 years.

She has been training horses on the side for five years and most recently took a leave from Northwest. "I'm trying it out to see if I'm ready to do horse training full time," she said. "But do I want to give up the flying?"

Hammer, who is working 40-plus-hour weeks including weekends training nine horses in dressage, said that even with all the ups, downs and uncertainty, she still enjoys her job as a flight attendant. She found this out a few years ago when she took a leave to work as a nursing assistant.

"I'm not used to rush-hour traffic and working five days a week," Hammer said. "It's a lot harder world than I appreciated. I know I won't be training horses until I retire, but if I could do a little bit of each thing I'd be more than happy."

Kara Douglass Thom is a freelance writer living in Savage.