When Sandra Dubach drives her bus through Bern early in the morning and watches the city slowly wake up while the peaks of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau appear on the horizon, she feels a fascination similar to that of the start of a long-haul flight. “It’s simply a beautiful office,” she says. Whether above the clouds or navigating city streets, encounters with people and ever-changing situations shape her daily life.

For more than three decades, she has worked in aviation, first with Swissair and now with SWISS. She says there has never been a moment of stagnation in the profession. Perhaps that is exactly why her second career fits so well alongside it.

From boarding to bus operations
While many people paused during the COVID pandemic, Sandra decided to start something completely new. In Bern, she noticed advertisements from Bernmobil looking for bus drivers. The idea stayed with her, especially because some of her flying colleagues at SWISS also work part-time in public transport.

Sandra completed the Category D bus driver training, learned route operations, safety procedures and how to handle articulated buses in dense city traffic. Today, she drives trolleybuses and articulated buses, and tram driver training is her next step.

Combining both professions requires careful planning. One month she works for SWISS, and the next she sits behind the controls of a Bernmobil vehicle. She greatly appreciates that both employers support this arrangement: “It’s a privilege to be able to combine these two worlds.”

A host on the ground and in the air
Many of the skills she developed as a flight attendant also help her as a bus driver. Dealing with people is central to both jobs. “You learn to stay calm, assess situations and listen.” This experience proves valuable during challenging situations, such as medical emergencies or difficult interactions with passengers.

Her language skills, acquired throughout her aviation career, are also useful in everyday life in Bern, especially when communicating with tourists and commuters. At the same time, bus driving differs significantly from life on board an aircraft. “On an airplane, you are constantly a host. On the bus, I also enjoy the quiet moments in the driver’s cabin and the concentration that driving requires.”

Commitment to the future of aviation
Sandra’s interest in aviation does not end when her shift is over. For years, she has been actively involved in sustainable aviation, including event organisation, marketing and communications for Smartflyer, a young Swiss company developing a hybrid-electric aircraft.

She is also a co-organiser of Electrifly-In Switzerland, an event held at Bern Airport that serves as a platform for sustainable aviation. Its goal is to showcase innovative technologies to visitors and connect aviation professionals from across Europe. “I don’t believe large airliners will be flying purely electrically anytime soon,” she says. “But for smaller aircraft – such as those used for pilot training or short commuter routes – I see enormous potential.”

Coach, mentor and team player
At SWISS, Sandra also takes on responsibilities beyond flight operations. As a Quality Circle Maître de Cabine (QCMC), she coaches and mentors other cabin chiefs. She supports them as they enter leadership roles, answers questions, shares her extensive experience and conducts evaluation and coaching flights.

Being a role model is important to her, both as a QCMC and as a cabin chief on short- and long-haul flights. “You can’t just talk about teamwork – you have to live it.” In the cabin, mutual trust is essential, especially because crews constantly change from flight to flight. This is what continues to motivate Sandra today: working with people, meeting individuals from different cultures, hearing their stories and enjoying a profession that continually reinvents itself.

A life in motion
Flying is also a constant part of Sandra’s private life. She has held a private pilot’s licence for ten years and regularly flies a Blackshape Prime light aircraft throughout Switzerland and Europe. Together with her flying club, the Blackshape Flyers Grenchen, she helped assemble the carbon-fibre aircraft under factory supervision at the manufacturer’s facility.

Despite her many activities, she values periods of rest and recovery. After demanding assignments, she enjoys relaxing with a book on her balcony or travelling – Japan being one of her favourite destinations. “I need variety, new impressions and different perspectives,” she says. And it is precisely in that variety that she seems to have found her course in life.