It feels weird seeing the places I see everyday featured in the WSJ ! Wall Street Journal for you fellas ! People I even went out with are pictured (namely Lea) ! Please read on and make an opinion for yourself (leave comments). I’ve included pictures from the article. As for the weight SOP, I’m not sure about this one. I think they misquoted someone on that topic ! It also seems that the reporter went to ZINC wayyyyyy too early for his photoshoot ! Should of stuck around for a little more and take snaps of the real “debaucheeeeeeerie” that is Zinc late at night…
After checking that passengers’ seat belts were fastened and the cabin was prepared for takeoff, Alex Rodriguez, a 26-year-old Spaniard and Emirates airline flight attendant, reached into her pocket for a tube of bright red lipstick.
“I retouch it every 15 minutes,” she said. “Otherwise, my supervisor will remind me.”
Emirates’ Glamorous Crew
Emirates flight attendants smile at the ceremony promoting them from economy to business class service.
The global economic slump is just now touching the glittering shores of the oil-rich Persian Gulf. But when it comes to the 10,000 flight attendants working for Emirates, the government-owned airline here, Dubai isn’t cutting any corners. In an industry in a tailspin in much of the rest of the world, this city-state of man-made island developments, luxury resorts and an indoor ski slope has put some of the glamour back into air travel.
The glamour comes with a price. The airline is a demanding employer, flight attendants say. Tough rules are enforced, including some that would be deemed discriminatory in the West, such as weight requirements and a no-pregnancy policy for unwed women.
The carrier meticulously recruits attractive young men and women from around the world, like Ms. Rodriguez, a brunette with big green eyes and high cheek bones. As part of the airline’s standard training, Ms. Rodriguez attended beauty and etiquette training. She’s required to keep her makeup fresh, even on long flights. High-heels are a must when she’s in uniform, even on the ground. Both men and women are expected to get manicures and facials.
Innocuous onboard flirting is condoned: Emirates’ rules require attendants to politely accept a business card or phone number if it’s proffered by a passenger. (The airline doesn’t require the attendants to call or give out their own numbers, unless they want to.)
The uniform for women — pillbox hat and beige scarf attached to one side, flowing sideways over the shoulder — evokes traditional Persian and Turkish attire.
Earlier this month, dozens of uniformed and perfectly made-up Emirates flight attendants greeted and mixed with a star-studded, black-tie crowd, including Charlize Theron and Robert De Niro, at a $20 million grand-opening party for the new Atlantis hotel here.
“Our crew always sticks out,” says Ms. Rodriguez.
Many of the airline’s recruits are from developing countries in Asia, Eastern Europe and across the Middle East. For them, the airline is a rare ticket to see the world in style, and for women from conservative countries like Iran and Egypt, it’s a chance for independence. For many Western airline veterans drawn here, Emirates has so far been a safe haven from the economic storms buffeting the rest of the industry.
Layovers aren’t so bad, either.
“We work hard in the air, but we also party hard when we are on the ground,” said Neha Masillamani, a flight attendant from New Delhi, as she got her hair styled and her nails done at a crowded Dubai salon popular with Emirates attendants.
Young, single crew members are paired with roommates and housed in blocks of luxury-apartment towers across Dubai. The night life is reminiscent of college. Ms. Masillamani recalled a recent party at a room in the 21st Century, on Dubai’s neon-lighted main strip. Female crew members danced in bikinis while young men sprayed champagne.
This is a WPSimpleViewerGallery
At night, flight attendants flock to Zinc, a throbbing night club tucked into the ground floor of the Crowne Plaza hotel here. Male attendants, hair gelled in spikes and sporting tight-fitting designer shirts, earrings and leather necklaces, order pitchers of vodka mixes. The manager of the club estimates up to 70% of its revenue comes from Emirates’ crew.
“It’s so much fun, like being on a dreamy vacation. They take care of us here,” said Jane Park, a 24-year-old from Korea, dressed in a tiny black dress and stiletto heels as she greeted her friends and colleagues.
There are limits. Despite its tolerant attitude toward foreigners, Dubai still harbors a conservative Muslim culture. If a single female attendant shows up pregnant, she’s fired. Openly gay male attendants need not apply. Premarital sex and homosexuality are both illegal in Dubai.
“We aren’t above the law here,” says Kevin Griffiths, Emirates’ senior vice president for cabin crew.
On duty, attendants are kept on a short leash.
Crew members aren’t allowed to drink in the 12 hours before a flight. Smoking and eating in uniform are prohibited. If an attendant gains too much weight, he or she is put on a diet by the airline’s resident nutritionists.
A regulation manual prescribing everything from dress to posture on duty is also clear about the underwear women should have on under their light camel-color skirt and pants: white or beige, and “well fitted.”
Young Women Preferred
Emirates draws young recruits. The average age of a flight attendant is 26. By comparison, the average age of an attendant on a U.S. flight is in the mid-40s, according to a spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants. According to the union’s statistics, just 12% of members in the U. S. are under 30.
Emirates also prefers women to men: Seventy-five percent of total flight crew must be female.
“It’s a little stifling,” says a 25-year-old European female attendant, who asked not to be named. “We are human beings, not just a marketing tool.”
Emirates hasn’t been immune to the current global economic downturn. The airlines posted an 88% drop in first half-year profit last month. But Valerie Tan, a company spokeswoman, said it is hiring more attendants to staff new routes to North and South America. And new planes are on order.
In the past 12 months, the airline says, it received 93,079 flight-attendant applications. Using photos, interviews, psychological profiling and group sessions with candidates, executives hire just 6% of job seekers. Recruiters hunt for promising hires around the world.
In some countries, applicants are put on a scale and weighed. (The practice is against the law in many Western countries because it’s considered discriminatory, according to the company.)
After a six-week training course at Emirates headquarters near Dubai’s sprawling airport, the airline graduates about 90 new flight attendants per week.
Less Pay, More FunMichael Miller, a 29-year-old from Miami, has flown with Southwest Airlines Co. and JetBlue Airways Corp. He says Emirates pays less than his former employers, but the perks and lifestyle are better.
Emirates also offers free living accommodations and transport to and from work. Married personnel are offered either company housing or generous housing stipends. The crew also gets up to 50% off at local bars, restaurants and health clubs.
Emirates’ routes — including nonstop flights to Los Angeles and São Paulo — beat the U.S. domestic circuit, where most young American attendants wind up. And Emirates puts its attendants up at luxury hotels and gives them generous per diem allowances while traveling.
“I would have to fly 30 years in the U.S. before I could travel like this,” says a bronzed Mr. Miller, lounging with a blonde colleague at the rooftop pool of one of Emirates’ high-rise apartment towers. “There is no comparison to what we get here,” he said.
One comment by Lisa Chowning just stood out, taken from the article goes like this :
The employees sound like absolute idiots. With all the partying going on it doesn’t seem like they would be able to provide quality and or competent service. I would rather have an older person who is experienced and conscientious.
You can react to her (she’ll be googling her name soon enough!), rather raw, feelings. It seems she still hasn’t flown with Emirates, which is quite sad, because we could prove her darn wrong ! She must be a frustrated 64 year old Silverjet Flight Attendant ! Oh well, had a giggle none the less.
Source : WSJ.com
Everything was fine in the article until i arrived to the stupid comment made by this Lisa whatever…
LOL she kinda AWESOMELY frustrated… the small part about the weight, i think it’s true..like it said in the CS medical requirement..you need to be between 16 -30 (BMI)
But if you google..you’ll see that being 16-18 , it’s underweight internationally but Emirates still accept the person..so i think its not too severe..
Sounds like a very narrow-minded opinion- you can get both good and bad service from both young and old crew. There’s no specific group better than the other!
I have a slight suspicion that Lisa Chowning tried to become an Emirates “absolute idiot” once upon a time,but to her horror she was weighed,she was measured and still came up short! Sorry Lisa,you must have been the idiot,that’s why Emirates didn’t hire you.
“young women preffered”? why is that? i can see that there’s alot of restrictions in dubai, since its an islamic country. ive also read theat emirates hiers 90 crews per week? how many crews are they targeting in the year 2012? 15,000 crews? emirates is getting bigger and bigger! cant wait to experience dubai and emirates personally!
cheers!
That is so funny, some friends of mine emailed me that article to make sure I was making the right move. 1- All airlines in canada require that crew does not consume alcohol at least 12 hours before duty. 2- Most airlines require and expect proper grooming , that’s a FACT. 3- Go in any crew lounge and all the flight attendants there are planning a drinking festival, after flying 10 plus hours with annoying passengers, people don’t actually expect us to just go to bed ?!?!? 5- No way in H.LL Southwest pays better unless you’ve been there to long , and flying only domestic routes in the US, please lol. My conclusion, when you are on TOP everyone wants to bring you down. I know, it’s the law of nature, more HUMAN NATURE. Imitate don’t Irritate lol
Wow, I loved reading this article, thanks so much for posting it!!! It feels like a lot of airlines today have lost the glamorous touch and Emirates seems to have the essence of what it use to be in the 70s to be a flight attendant. Im so excited, lookin forward for January! YAY
Oh crap here come more American! I bet they will get people showing up for open days now in the states. Great article! They made Zinc sound so hip and cool… Who would have ever thought Zinc would be featured in WSJ
You have got to be kidding me. I worked for a more discriminatory airline (in a Western Country) and most of these competencies are what Flight Attendants world over are hired on whether it is mentioned or not. Every little girl that ever dreamt of becoming a flight attendant, always knew if she grew up too short (this rule has somewhat changed now over the years) or did not groom herself as per the stereotype she would not have a chance to even make it through the door for an interview. I am not saying this is right or wrong, however EK is not alone with their hiring practices. My first airline I worked for would give us a demerit point if we returned from lunch without our lipstick/gloss reapplied. After 6 demerits, we would have a formal warning….like I said, not commenting on the ethics of this, however I have flown quite a few US carriers and I could say that they could definitely do with picking up on their grooming and service standards. I am certain people like Lisa would also comment on her cabin crew should their grooming be out of place (as most friends of mine have if they have had an unusually disheveled crew), and also, do these people have any idea how much study and testing goes on to ensure we can evacuate a plane and themselves in as much time as possible! AARGGHHH! Age and experience does not ensure a safe evacuation of a plane in an emergency. On the China Airlines Flight 642, the aircraft was evacuated upside down by the most junior flight attendant crew (with only 3 fatalities, all crew survived), the most probably reason being that this crew member was the freshest out of initial training. Age or experience does not always guarantee proficiency as this incident demonstrates….thanks for allowing me this rant!
Oh and I meant evacuate the aircraft in as LITTLE time as possible and also, my comment re US carriers was in general! Blondie, Heather and UpUpnAAway I have not had the pleasure of flying with you and I have had some great FA’s on these varied carreries. I think we can all agree with TrayTable’s comments that there good and bad in all groups!
I would honestly take this article with a grain of salt.
– The no pregnancy law for unwed women is actually law here, and considering the huge selection and availability of condoms, lube, and the very cheap price of birth control pills (esp without the need for pescriptions) it’s not as if people have a problem looking for contraception.
– Beauty & Etiquette takes up 1 day in abinitio training, half an hour during SEP. Hardly something to fret over!
– High heels are not a must at all times, the minute we get on the plane we have flats on
– Considering how much Champagne costs here, I doubt the bikini parties with young men spraying the drink would happen very often, they’d be licking the parquet at the end of the night!
– I have never seen a male cabin crew with earrings. Believe it or not, non-crew attend Zinc as well!
– Openly gay male attendants need not apply? WTF?
– Eating in uniform IS permitted! I’m not going to get changed on board, esp if it’s a 14hr flight just so I can have a meal. We can’t eat in the hat, and even then it’s a hygiene issue with the scarf.
– The 12 hr drinking rule is industry wide, like any one with a driver’s license we’re operating a vehicle, if we’re breathalysed and over the limit there’s consequences!
– If an attendant gains too much weight they’re given 6 months to lose SOME weight to show they’re making progress. It could be 18 months after the initial weigh-in before a diet plan is discussed with the clinic. And the max acceptable BMI – 30, is actually classed as obese by the World Healh Organisation. Considering we’re subject to lower oxygen levels, DVT, and other medical risks in our environment more often than the general public this weight guideline is more medical related than cosmetic which the article implies
– 75% of the crew must be female? Isn’t it just a minimum number of crew per flight must be male? Where did that come from?
– Married crew are NOT offered company housing.
– Not all the hotels we stay at are luxury, they are chosen to ensure optimum rest before operating the return sector, and considering some of the hotels we’ve stayed at in the past and how many of them are at the airport we’re lucky if we can even achieve that.
Considering the article portays us as party-hard Barbie/Ken types with no way to think for ourselves no wonder you get derogatory comments from Lisa. Grrrr!
“party-hard Barbie/Ken types” best line ever !
@ GirlOnTour : Just take a look at SQ and their physical requirements….
@ Jarad : That bald french manager from ZINC is a happy man, knowing the audience WSJ, no matter what, business execs in need of exotics will be down in zinc in no time !
@ Traytable : I couldn’t agree more. With 10000 crew, there is many kind of people working on those planes.
In any case, it seems the reporter misquoted or rearranged quotes for exageration and publication worthiness. She probably got an OK GO from upper management too, but I wonder how the Champagne/Bikini episode got in there !
It was probably some ex-Ek crew’s Facebook photos from the 80’s that started that Champagne story!!!
And as for the grooming regs- as said, what airline doesn’t have grooming regs?? Even check-in chicks at the airport have grooming regs!
The not getting knocked up thing is just a no-brainer in an Islamic country, especially if you’re single & not a local!!! Duh! Yet people seem to think it’s archaic to fire them and send them home- well it’s their country last time I looked!
American media disguises and distorts many things. Average Americans are generally good people with misinformation about the rest of the world.. If you meet one and they are willing to try to understand that what they percieve is not really true, you have the opportunity to possibly enlighten them and make a friend. I understand where a lot of resentment comes from about Americans. The truth is we are just like anyone else. A little education about a different culture goes a long way especially if they are immersed in that culture. I can’t wait to see if I will be traveling the world with all of you at Emirates.
What´s gonna be next? Maybe a note in WSJ about the glamour of EK group groundstaff? W/ pictures of the Al Quoz staff accomodation…rsrsr