Judith is living her dream, above the clouds and on stage

When Judith smiles, you can tell right away; here is someone who has found her place, in her career, in her family, and within herself. She has been working at TUI fly’s Frankfurt hub since 2000. “This is my dream job,” she says without hesitation. And right after that, she adds, “And singing, of course.” Because Judith’s life has always revolved around two passions—flying and music.

But it all started quite differently. After earning her vocational high school diploma, Judith applied, more on a whim, for a scholarship in Los Angeles to study jazz vocals. Her boyfriend at the time was already living there, and she wanted to get out of her rural hometown and dive into an adventure. “I thought, ‘Why not?’” It worked out! She spent nearly three years in California, studying at LAMA, the Los Angeles Music Academy (now LACM, Los Angeles College of Music). But, then it all came to an end, she unfortunately couldn’t get another residence permit. At age 22, she returned to Germany, where she worked odd jobs, gave singing lessons, and tried to make a living through music.

Actually, Judith knew pretty much exactly what she wanted: “A job with a good salary and plenty of free time so I could carry on making music.” A stroke of luck or fate, came to her aid; she met a Lufthansa flight attendant who told her, “You’ve got to go into aviation.” No sooner said than done. At the age of 23, Judith applied to what was then Hapag-Lloyd Flug. Today, she’s still flying with, “lots of fun and passion”, for TUI fly. She became a senior cabin crew member back in 2005.

She is well known and much appreciated at the Frankfurt base. Not least because Judith has also let her voice be heard there – for example, at Christmas parties for her colleagues. “Singing has always been a part of my life,” she says. And that remains the case to this day.

In 2008, Judith got married and gradually had her four boys, the last two were even twins! The eldest is now 17 and is already doing an apprenticeship; the middle one is 15; and the twins are 12 years old. To ensure she has enough time for her children and her music, Judith now works part-time.

Judith has remained loyal to her home town. She lives in a small village, about an hour’s drive from Frankfurt Airport. She’s happy to put up with the journey time. “I feel at home here. And I want my children to grow up in the countryside – with family, friends and a close-knit community. This is where my roots are.” There’s always something going on at home; the family sticks together. Two dogs and a cat round off the lively five-person household.

Musically, too, Judith has always kept things moving. Alongside her flying career, she’s played in the odd band or two. For her, music is a natural part of family life – her boys played the drums or guitar and sang with her. One of the twins is now the biggest fan of her current band, Junkyard Queens. Whenever possible, he’s there for rehearsals and gigs.

The five-piece band was founded by Judith’s best friend, Chris. “I taught him to play the guitar many years ago,” she says with a laugh. “Now he plays better than I do.” The band plays high-energy “action rock”, rehearses once a week – in true style, in Chris’s converted former cowshed – and performs regularly: at festivals, birthday parties and soon even on a mini-tour with an international band from the US that’s well-known on the scene. Judith is on the mic, with the four men on drums, bass and guitar. Passion included.

And when Judith wants to switch off completely? Then she hops on her Harley Davidson and rides through the Westerwald. The wind in her hair, freedom, clearing her head.

Judith’s story shows that it is possible to combine dreams – even if the path isn’t always straight. Sometimes it leads via Los Angeles back home, above the clouds and onto the stage. And sometimes it leads exactly where you’ve always wanted to be.