DEAR SUN SPOTS: I have had my license plate number since I registered my first car. I read your answer about the new Maine license plate (Feb. 28 Sun Spots) but it didn’t state if we will receive our current license plate in the mail or if we have to request it. I did read that people with vanity plates will not lose them. How is this going to work? — Marie, no town

ANSWER: First, let’s take a collective big, deep breath. Change is challenging, I know, but this is going to happen. I’m receiving several questions regarding the issue so let’s unpack the information together.

You will receive your new plate when you register your vehicle, which we all do every year. The changeover will take place between May 2025 and May 2026.

State officials have said Mainers who want to reserve their current plate numbers, including vanity plates and low-digit plates, should know that they don’t need to act right now. The state plans to start a reservation process later this spring.

When that process begins, I’m sure it will be in the news. You can also periodically check the Bureau of Motor Vehicles website at https://www.maine.gov/sos/bmv/registration/ for updated information and instructions. Then you can follow through on reserving your plate number at that time.

Mainers still driving with chickadee plates on their vehicles after April 2026 will face a simple traffic violation, possibly receiving a ticket because that would mean they haven’t registered their vehicle for the year.

I hope this information helps all my dear Sun Spotters relax for now and to look forward to a shiny new license plate next spring.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Could you find out about the airline hostess who wrote a story about everything that could happen to an airplane? I can’t remember her name or the name of her book. I also can’t remember the price of the book. I love your column and have learned a lot from it. — Margaret, no town

ANSWER: On Amazon, I found “Diary of a Flight Attendant,” by Marika Mikusova. Another is “Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet,” by Heather Poole. “Fly Girl,” by Ann Hood and Cabin Fever; “The Sizzling Secrets of a Virgin Airlines Flight Attendant” by Mandy Smith. These choices are all $16 or less.

Let me know if you need more help, and Sun Spotters, if you have any airline hostess books to recommend that fit Margaret’s criteria, please write in!

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