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Yes, Emirates flight attendants have an almost peculiar appearance, so regulated and made up that I find it uncomfortable. Singapore and Cathay staff are beautifully groomed but slightly more human looking. Qantas staff can be old as they cannot discriminate on age as they did long ago. Hopefully they do not look too sloppy.
I know I am not being very polite in this comment, but really the US is a fair way from being the best dressed country on the planet, so I suppose the grooming of some of the flight crews is not that surprising.
Location: Living near our Nation's Capitol since 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elnina
The younger and prettier are working on international flights - First and Business Class. They also speak foreign languages.
The most desirable trips/routes are based on seniority.
However, most non-American airlines, place importance on the appearance of (mostly female) flight attendants. Many have rules governing their lives and makeup routine.
Actually, at my airline, the international routes are NOT the young and pretty. They are senior and older. Those are very desirable trips for us. Once in a while, a younger person will pick up an international trip from a senior FA, but mostly they are people with 25+ years seniority.
Flight Attendants are not there to be eye candy. Yes, we should be well put together...good hair, make up and pressed and neat clothing. But the days of being there for men to ogle are over.
The younger and prettier are working on international flights - First and Business Class. They also speak foreign languages.
The most desirable trips/routes are based on seniority.
Re : "The younger and prettier are working on international flights - First and Business Class." Not necessarily true. Several of my neighbors, we live near ORD, are female and FA's for 2 of the majors, one is 63, one 58 and another mid 50's and all work Intl flights in FC & BC. Obviously not young, looks are ok, but not drop dead "pretty". They all speak a foreign language.
The common thread which is true, is their seniority, 25-30 years with the airlines and they have regular schedule and routes due to their seniority. The other common thread, they do their jobs well!
I'm female. I really don't care how "pretty" my flight attendants are. I remember the Bad Old Days when not only did you have to be attractive and keep your weight below specified levels depending on your height- you also had to quit if you were married! My Dad (now 88) flew a lot on business and he said back then the passengers were nearly all male, with the exception of the occasional military wife flying to join her husband somewhere. Maybe then it made sense to recruit female flight attendants based on their physical appearance and their availability.
Frankly, I don't know why anyone would want to be a flight attendant anymore, especially in Coach and on the commuter flights. You have to be alert, smiling and well-groomed for a 6:30 AM flight, you have to deal with overcrowded planes and passengers who have been through TSA hassles and delays that aren't your fault, and who are jammed into tiny seats too close to each other, etc. And if you're unhappy with your job at Airline A, you can work for Airline B but you start at the bottom with no seniority.
The younger and prettier are working on international flights - First and Business Class. They also speak foreign languages.
The most desirable trips/routes are based on seniority.
However, most non-American airlines, place importance on the appearance of (mostly female) flight attendants. Many have rules governing their lives and makeup routine.
The most desirable routes for a flight attendant are the long hauls (over the atlantic or pacific), as they only have to work a few days a month. That comes, as you said, with seniority.
So on my international flights, I see almost exclusively very mature women. No problem, they are all experienced and they don't spill drinks in my lap.
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlygal
What's amazing is that most responses in the thread indicates that people are okay with sexualizing women.
What about the male flight attendants?
Because we men are dogs! LOL. In my defense I noted that lack of professionalism in seeing an unshaved male flight attendant in a previous thread. Again, it's not appearance, it's professionalism.
Haha..interesting topic. My wife and I fly to Asia quite a bit and we always have a choice of taking a US or Asian based airline. We usually end up picking EVA Air only because they have the red eye leaving Seattle at midnight. Asian based airlines seem to only hire young, slender and attractive airline attendants....
My wife and I joke and say they must hand the uniforms to the attendants and say "here's your uniform....either fit into or go do something else."
Haha..interesting topic. My wife and I fly to Asia quite a bit and we always have a choice of taking a US or Asian based airline. We usually end up picking EVA Air only because they have the red eye leaving Seattle at midnight. Asian based airlines seem to only hire young, slender and attractive airline attendants....
My wife and I joke and say they must hand the uniforms to the attendants and say "here's your uniform....either fit into or go do something else."
Asians tend to be pretty slim.
I have flown on EVA. As a woman, I don't particularly look @ other women, but Asian women are generally pretty attractive.
I'm female. I really don't care how "pretty" my flight attendants are. I remember the Bad Old Days when not only did you have to be attractive and keep your weight below specified levels depending on your height- you also had to quit if you were married! My Dad (now 88) flew a lot on business and he said back then the passengers were nearly all male, with the exception of the occasional military wife flying to join her husband somewhere. Maybe then it made sense to recruit female flight attendants based on their physical appearance and their availability.
Frankly, I don't know why anyone would want to be a flight attendant anymore, especially in Coach and on the commuter flights. You have to be alert, smiling and well-groomed for a 6:30 AM flight, you have to deal with overcrowded planes and passengers who have been through TSA hassles and delays that aren't your fault, and who are jammed into tiny seats too close to each other, etc. And if you're unhappy with your job at Airline A, you can work for Airline B but you start at the bottom with no seniority.
The first stewardesses were required to be registered nurses, so that's why the field started out as being all females, as back then doctors were men and nurses were women. Weight was also more critical back then as the DC-3 and other early airliners didn't have the weight capacity of today's airliners, so that's why there was a weight standard.
I've found that the FA's of today are not what they used to be, mainly with temperament. I haven't noticed a lack in appearance and they all seem to be put together well- they're attitudes are another thing, though. I've flown a lot the last 4 years and more often than not they are abrupt, inconsiderate and act as if you're doing them wrong in 15 ways if you ask to buy something from the snack cart or ask for a pair of ear buds. Being polite and kind to FA's is a MUST to my husband and I and our kids are well-trained to behave on airplanes and treat everyone working on them with respect. Unfortunately, it's rare if a FA is nice to my kids, who sit quietly and color, read, watch a movie or nap.
Considering the type of people who fly these days, though, I suppose I can understand to some degree if a FA is a jerk to passengers.
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