If your girlfriend is a flight attendant. Women from above
Ksenia,
flight attendant
Where to go to study
“There are two ways to become a flight attendant (we don’t really like the word “stewardess”). The first is to go to courses on your own and study at your own expense, and only then, with a flight attendant certificate, you can go for interviews at different companies. The advantage is that you do not depend on anyone, but there are also disadvantages - you may not be suitable for some internal requirements (for example, the airline will not like your appearance) or at the moment when you start looking for a vacancy, they are not recruiting, and so you can try for a long time to find a job somewhere.
The second way is to go straight to the airline for an interview. If you pass a competitive selection and the VLEK commission, then you are sent to courses from the airline and even paid a small stipend. The advantage is that you don’t spend money on courses, everything is paid for by the airline, and you are guaranteed a job. But for this you sign a contract with the airline for 2 years, and in case of dismissal you must pay a certain amount of money (Aeroflot has the most expensive prices).
I chose the second path. And yes, they didn’t hire me the first time; I went through three airlines to get it. And then there were two months of training from morning to evening at the airline’s own training center. There were many subjects: medicine, aviation safety, passenger service technology, transportation of dangerous goods, human factors in aviation and many other things. Most of the hours were devoted to aviation safety: how to put out a fire, the algorithm of actions in depressurization, emergency landing - everything should be worked out to the smallest detail, so that if you have to use these skills, you can do everything clearly and quickly.
Now the film “Hudson” is being shown on the screens; it shows the situation in the air very well: something happened to the pilots, there are no messages from the cockpit, and sometimes the flight attendants’ task is in a situation of complete ignorance (and the pilots cannot be distracted - they can make decisions , communicate with dispatchers, try to understand what is happening at this very moment) to reassure passengers and prepare for all possible scenarios. Only a few minutes before landing on the water, the commander gave them a command over the speakerphone. We must know emergency commands even better than the alphabet, because in case of panic and shock, you must competently manage the passenger flow, and also open an emergency ladder in your area of responsibility.
Course options
In order to get into training, you need to go through a competition and pass the VLEK (medical flight expert commission). There are medical contraindications: poor vision, flat feet, diseases of the spine and cardiovascular system.
- Flight Attendant School offers a basic course for beginners lasting 44 training days.
- Aviation training center "North Wind". There are both initial flight attendant training courses (cost: 54,000 rubles) and retraining courses, as well as special English language courses for flight crews.
- Aeroflot Aviation School trains cabin crew members on Boeing 737NG aircraft. A course lasting 50 training days will cost 65,000 rubles. After successful completion of training, you will be able to immediately pass an interview at Rossiya and Pobeda airlines.
- Jet Service School is focused mainly on improving the skills of experienced flight attendants and the nuances of service in business class and luxury class. Here they teach, among other things, to understand corporate etiquette, expensive wines and the “psychology of rich people.”
- Educational and training center "Vnukovo" conducts recruitment for flight attendant training courses, including both theoretical training and internships on aircraft.
Swivel chair and stress interview
“We go to the VLEK commission every six months. If you are absolutely healthy, then they simply measure your blood pressure, but if there is an article (for example, my vision is not 100%), then you still need to see a specialist doctor, and once a year you still have various tests and an expanded list of doctors. When you initially undergo VLEK, you need to go through a bunch of different specialists, and it’s good if you didn’t have various illnesses as a child, and at a conscious age you didn’t have any serious illnesses, complications or surgeries, otherwise you may not be accepted.
You undergo tests, take x-rays, go to doctors who check you very thoroughly. The most unpleasant thing was when they checked the vestibular apparatus: they put you on a chair, ask you to close your eyes, spin you around, periodically ask you to lean forward and backward, spin you for about 60-90 seconds, and then you have to open your eyes and stand up. Not everyone can handle this.
They also test for psychological stability - during the interview they abruptly changed the topic of conversation, they could say: “Girl, you’re fat, how are you going to work?” Or they described a difficult situation and asked them to imagine their actions. And later, during training, some teachers deliberately escalated the situation so that students would feel disgusted or become indignant.”
Flight attendants have irregular work schedules. Not everyone can stand it. Photo: John Ragai / Flickr.com
Expectations and reality
“Why did I become a flight attendant? I was tired of the routine, I wanted something completely different, I didn’t want to go to work every day. Well, plus, my family is closely connected with aviation: my grandfather and uncle are pilots, and my grandmother and mother worked at the airport, and I remember airplanes from childhood. Of course, there is a difference between ideas about the profession and reality. When talking about a flight attendant, people usually imagine a smiling beauty walking through the cabin as if on a catwalk.
In reality, you become very physically tired. Today you have to fly into the night to Novosibirsk on a turnaround flight (there and back), and it is clear that when you have a biological night, then no matter what you do, at 3-4 in the morning the body only wants to sleep, and not walk around the cabin with juices and even more so answer questions that often have nothing to do with your area of responsibility. For example, why don’t we have AiFa on board? And why are there no fish? Several dozen such questions may accumulate during a flight. You arrive, barely make it home, where you fall dead on the bed and sleep, and tomorrow you have to arrive at the airport at 6 am for a flight to St. Petersburg. And you have to manage to get enough sleep after an overnight flight, then fall asleep at night, so you can get up early and still look great - you’re the face of the airline!
Some cannot stand the irregular schedule and, to be honest, the passengers. Working with people is not easy. But those who stay and fly truly love their jobs. Each flight is a different story, each time there are new people, sometimes at the pre-flight briefing you get to know the whole crew because you are seeing everyone for the first time. Several times I was put on a flight with very interesting and positive people who supported each other, joked with the passengers, and everything went so easily and cheerfully that after the flight I didn’t want to leave.
And if you are ready to put up with the disadvantages of the profession, then the bonuses will pleasantly please you: this is a big vacation, and travel at the expense of business trips and corporate rates, and free time on weekdays, when you can watch Aivazovsky without waiting in line.”
Icon: User by TukTuk Design from the Noun Project
ABOUT She has been working as a flight attendant for seven years now. She is twenty-six, recently married. “Most of our flight attendants are girls from small towns. I am originally from Nebraska. It is believed that this is one of the best professions for a woman if you cannot get a job as a fashion model or in films. There are so many advantages: you fly around the world, you meet celebrities. It would seem that this is an enviable profession.
I have five older sisters, all of whom got married before they were twenty. Straight out of school and married. There is only one thing on everyone's mind - getting married. When I I told my parents that I wanted to become a flight attendant, they were so happy,prWe were just happy. At least one of the daughters will see the world and live freely for some time, without family worries. I only got married when I was almost twenty-five. My mother was especially pleased that I wanted to achieve my goal, that I was not afraid to go to the big city alone to study to become a flight attendant.”
They ask you what your profession is, and you answer: a flight attendant, and you are very proud, and you think: how great is this! It's like jumping from a springboard. During the first two months of flying, I visited London, Paris, and Rome. And it's me from Broken Bow, Nebraska! But you work for a while and see that it’s not as brilliant as you imagined.
Airlines need girls with an easygoing character and who are pleasant to look at. The slightest spot or pimple on your face - and you are removed from flights until the appearance inspector gives permission to fly. One flight attendant went on duty with a barely noticeable bruise under her eye - she was immediately sent home. Imagine, because of such a trifle.
For the first five weeks we had to attend flight attendant school. For a whole week we were taught how to use cosmetics and how to behave. It wasn't very pleasant. Everything was presented as if you had never been in public. They taught how and when to light a cigarette, and how to look a man in the eyes while doing so. Our teacher kept telling us that we should be sexy. She even showed in class how to light a cigarette when a man brings a light, and that a woman should never blow it out. And when a man lights a match, look him in the eyes. It was terribly funny, we all laughed.
In the company of a man, a woman, you see, is not supposed to light a cigarette herself. You just need to hold it in your fingers, and your companion, of course, knows what to do. You look into his eyes and help him cover the light, slightly touching his hand, very lightly, just so that he feels your warm touch. (Laughs.) She said that it used to be very cool when a woman, while continuing to look a man in the eyes, would blow out the match herself, but now it was the man who extinguished the match.
The point is not to make things too obvious. You can't seem defiant. The main thing is to behave like a lady and at the same time be able to attract men in a purely feminine way: with movements, lips, eyes. The man is expected to look you in the eye. You may be completely spoiled, but act like a lady. Sin only with your eyes.
The teacher persistently advised us to smoke. She said that this partly replaces conversation. If you don’t know what to say, take out a cigarette. You immediately feel freer. I learned to smoke here at Aeroflot.
The airline is recruiting “nice girl” flight attendants. At one time we were forbidden to glue artificial eyelashes and nails. And now it's the other way around. If your nails are not the right length, you need to glue on artificial ones. Everything is in fashion so that passengers like it.
The main thing is this: on the plane you often serve famous people - big businessmen, or famous handsome men, or other famous people. Often there are movie stars or political figures among the passengers, but you only see them on the plane and that's it. They don't invite you anywhere with them. Flight attendants are only impressed by people with a name. Some ordinary millionaire does not inspire us. A flight attendant is only seriously concerned about passengers like Kennedy, or a movie star, or a famous diplomat. In a word, celebrities.
Twenty-six years is perhaps the average age of our flight attendants. And still, the instructors teach us how to use makeup, what lipstick, what hairstyle to wear, and make sure that we smile generously enough. They even prescribe how we should behave between flights. For example, last night my husband met me at the airport. I was in uniform. I wanted to kiss him, but this is prohibited at the airport. It is also prohibited to leave with any of the passengers holding hands. In the city - please do what you want.
Many passengers pester us. Mostly married businessmen. You tell them that you are married, and they answer: “You have a husband - I have a wife, you are far from home - and so am I, no one will know anything.” Yes, I still wouldn’t go anywhere with people like that, even if they were my friends.
I worked as a flight attendant for a year - I wasn't married yet - before moving almost to the North Side - a great place for singles. In a big city, “stewardess” is like a dirty word, a woman of easy virtue. It's so disgusting. And even these advertisements: “Everything for you - coffee, teas and me.”
I moved in with several girls in the same apartment. In this house, almost all the residents were flight attendants. And also secretaries and teachers. They came to our parties and in the end they were the most outrageous of all.
But for some reason they don’t say anything about secretaries and nurses, all the gossip is only about flight attendants, and what kind of ones!
I meet many women, married and unmarried. From the very first words they pour coldness over you. They think that most of us are upstarts, or maybe they're just jealous of us. They think that we live a very cheerful life, that we are only looking for entertainment and that all men are at our service, to choose from. That's why they treat us so unfriendly at first.
At first, girls usually stay in hostels near the airport. They keep company with those who work there. These are ladder carriers, service personnel, mechanics, and young pilots, still single, newbies.
After about a year, the girls get tired of this company, they move to the city, make acquaintances with people of a higher rank, with young administrators from the Xerox company or some other company. Young businessmen, about thirty or a little over thirty, believe that flight attendants are the most suitable girls for them to have a good time with, if they have decided to do so. They always wear hats, formal suits, and in winter they wear black gloves. But the girls are getting older, they are already twenty-four, twenty-five. They often make friends with bartenders. After all, a flight attendant and a bartender are two pairs of boots. (Laughs.)
One day I went with two of my girlfriends to one of the trendy bars. We didn't want anyone to know who we were, so we started telling them that we were going to Colorado to attend a women's college. The number was a success. They spoke to us warmly, the men were attentive and polite. Otherwise everything would have been different. They don't even observe ordinary politeness with flight attendants. They will treat you to a cocktail, but as soon as you go to the toilet, you come back and someone is already sitting in your place. That time they kindly looked after us, because everyone knew that we were not flight attendants, but decent girls, that we were going to study at a women's college.
They say that a flight attendant is immediately recognized by the way she smears her lips. In those years, we all wore short hair, and besides, at flight attendant school, we all had our hair cut the same way. If two blondes, with the same haircut, identical makeup, wear the same uniform, all you hear around you is: “You’re like sisters!” Why sisters? (Laughs.)
Most of us were dissatisfied, because we were not even allowed to choose a hairstyle according to to his taste, were not allowed to be oneself, to put on makeup in your own way, in your own way dress. They prescribed how long skirts to wear. At one time it was not allowed to wear a skirt even slightly above the knees. There was no mention of trousers. Now everything is different.
Wigs were prohibited. Now they are in fashion. Any lady can wear a wig, glue on artificial eyelashes and nails. Previously, only very brave women could afford this. Wearing trousers was considered completely indecent. And now they wear shorts. Airlines introduce new fashions every year.
She says that previously the rules at the flight attendant school were like in a closed boarding school. It was forbidden to leave on weekday evenings. On Friday and Saturday evenings you had to sign when leaving and returning. “Now the program at the school has been shortened. They no longer pass through how to serve food to passengers, like newspapers and magazines. New students now often don’t even know where the magazines are, where the tray tables are... At school we were examined every day. If you don't answer two questions, you failed. They asked ten questions. If you fail two tests in the entire five weeks, you will be expelled. And now the exams have been canceled altogether. Every year we usually received a salary increase. But lately we haven’t received any.”
We are on duty for a long time. Sometimes it takes thirteen hours. But you are not supposed to fly more than eight hours a day. In eight hours you can make a flight from Chicago to Flint to Moline, short flights, with twenty-minute stops. So, let's say, after five stops, you finally arrive in New York. You have an hour of free time. But you must be on the plane half an hour before takeoff. Are there many restaurants where you can be fed in half an hour? So you've been running around for thirteen hours with half-hour breaks, and there's no time to eat. This is considered normal. If you don’t have time to have lunch in half an hour, blame yourself.
And it's not easier for pilots. They'll buy a sandwich in a hurry, chew it in their cabin, and then they'll be full. When I started flying, we weren't allowed to eat at all on the plane, even if there were extra portions left. Now you can still eat at the buffet. Sometimes you’ll have something to eat there if there’s an extra portion left. You eat standing up, with a pile of dirty plates next to you. Eating in front of passengers is prohibited. You cannot go into the salon with food and sit down in an empty seat. We can smoke in the cabin, in the restroom, but not in public.
We have a trade union. We are a section of the pilots' union. The union is helping to defend our demands for shorter duty hours and improved working conditions. Provides us with the opportunity to rest if we happen to get stuck in Cleveland due to bad weather, after thirteen hours of duty. When we didn’t have a union, the administration could call you and announce: “You will work for seven more hours.” One day I was on duty for thirty-six hours straight.
The other day I had to serve one hundred and one second class passengers in fifty minutes: cocktails and a full meal. It's a scary race. There's no time for politeness here. And you don’t want to be rude, but what can you do, you just don’t have time to answer questions. You smile, and it’s as if you didn’t even hear. You’re bringing drinks to three passengers at once, you’re in a hurry. How many times did you miss, spill on the passenger’s lap and not even apologize. You poke the napkin and run on. This is one of the shortcomings of our work.
Sometimes I get tired of serving first class passengers. They understand a lot about themselves, they think, they paid more money, so they can demand more. It’s also annoying in second class, when passengers demand this and that, imagining that they are flying first. This attitude towards the second class comes from the administration. They simply divide people into two classes. In first class, the flight attendant wears an elegant trouser suit or dress, the crew wears suits, white shirts, and ties. And there are all sorts of passengers here: in sloppy clothes, in jeans and moccasins. They can afford to dress as they please...
If I myself want to fly first class, I pay an additional five dollars of the difference. I like that there are free drinks, free champagne, free wine. This is not the case in second grade. If a second class passenger asks, “Can I have a pillow?” - you will bring it. Here he is again: “Can I have a glass of water?” - and you say: “The fountain is nearby.” If someone in the first class says: “I want water,” you will certainly give it to him, even if the fountain is right under his nose. He uses extra services only because he flies first class. It's not fair...
In second grade all you see is heads, heads, heads. And in the first one it is freer, there is no such tension, such haste. The 727 has one wardrobe. By order of the administration, we only hang outerwear there for first class passengers. But if a second class passenger asks me: “Hang up my coat,” I almost always hang it up. Why is it only first class to use the cloakroom?
There is one flight attendant in first class, and two in second class. The eldest is usually appointed to the first. She works all the time in first grade, so she gets used to it. She looks into the second one, one of the passengers asks her for something, she tells the other flight attendants to do it. The first class flight attendant is supposed to stand at the entrance and greet each passenger, and when they exit, say goodbye to each one. Because of this, many girls do not like to work in first grade.
We tell the following story: a flight attendant asks a passenger if he would like something to drink, he and his wife. He says, “I’d like to have a martini.” Then the flight attendant turns to his wife: “What can I bring you?” She is silent, and her husband replies: “Sorry, she’s not used to talking to servants.” (Laughs.) This was the first thing I heard when I started flying.
I never had the courage to confront a passenger if he pinched me or said something nasty. I was always afraid that he might write some kind of slander. There is nothing worse if the passenger makes a written complaint. A few complaints like this and you will be fired. One complaint and they are immediately called to the authorities. Now girls are completely different, now many are not afraid to stand up for themselves. The passenger can’t believe his ears and is indignant: she’s being insolent! Sometimes it’s useful to teach someone a lesson.
They served one passenger a steak, and he said: “This one is overcooked, I want another.” “Sorry,” the flight attendant replies, “but I didn’t fry him. We receive them ready-made.” He grabs the steak and throws it on the floor. Then the girl told him: “Pick it up now, otherwise I’ll tell the team, they’ll force you to pick it up!” (With admiration.) Imagine, giving him something like that loudly and in front of everyone! He never expected to be yelled at. He picked up the steak like a darling... Now the new guys don't pull tricks on passengers like we used to. If a passenger performs a trick, they pull him back. It is believed that the passenger is always right. No matter what nasty thing he says, you must smile and answer politely. Us, Indeed, I have to smile all the time, because the management received complaints about the flight attendants, as if they were rude to passengers. We must smile, even if passengers pinch us and make dirty comments. Smiling is the first thing we were taught at school. The passenger claws you as he wants, and you, silently, take his hand away and smile. The main thing is to smile.
During my first classes at school, they remarked to me that I had a crooked smile. And the teacher showed how to smile: “It’s like you glue that smile on.” I did so. “Excellent,” the teacher praised, “this is good smile". But I felt uneasy, because I was forcing this smile to order. A flight attendant should always smile, even if her heart is heavy.
While I was on the flight, the news came about the death of my grandfather. In such cases, you are met at the plane and told: “Sad news for you.” I take out a note from my mailbox and read: “My mother called. Your grandfather died today." The tone is as if we are talking about a cup of tea. Well, I was furious! I was not allowed to go to the funeral. They are only allowed to go to the funeral of your parents or those who raised you, in whose family you lived. And I never lived with my grandparents. But I went anyway.
Many of our girls work as teachers, nurses or something else. They take an incomplete load. Between shifts we have enough free time for part-time work. For example, I work at advertising exhibitions: say, electronics equipment or cars. The company hires me, and I sit in a booth with a microphone in my hand, talking about their products. I make whole speeches! And sometimes I just give out matches and candies in branded packaging. Now we need girls like this at every advertising show.
Passengers on planes love to drink. They then feel like adventurers. So you run around with drinks and food, rarely sitting down to rest. If the flight attendant manages to sit down, she will have no time to engage passengers in conversation. I used to play bridge with them. But I don't play anymore. We are not supposed to sit there or read a magazine or newspaper. If we fly from Boston to Los Angeles, we spend half an hour talking with passengers. You can only sit if you go into the cabin. You are allowed to stay there for no more than five minutes and smoke a cigarette.
If the inspector notices you sitting in your jump seat, you will receive a reprimand for not being with passengers. Usually we are warned about the inspector, but often we do not know that she is on board. The company has such staff; when registering, they do not disclose their names and do not tell us anything. Sometimes a flight attendant will light a cigarette in the cabin - well, let’s say the flight is long and it’s a night flight. You play cards with a passenger and ask: “Do you mind if I smoke?” And he will say no. She'll sign you up right away and you'll be fired for smoking on the plane.
You need to behave with passengers by strictly following the rules. You're supposed to be sociable, but if someone offers you a cigarette, you should refuse. If you are not on a plane, smoking cigarettes is encouraged.
Attention should be given to everyone equally, without giving preference to anyone. It happens like this: in the cabin the passengers are already snoring with all their might, and some three guys, say military men, are not sleeping. The guys return home, worry, and can’t sleep. Well, sit down and play cards with them. If there is an inspector on the plane, that's it. This is a violation. They consider a lot of things to be a violation.
The administration calls us trained professionals, but they treat us like schoolgirls. They constantly monitor our appearance. Weight is checked every month. Fly even for twenty years, they will still test you, teach you what is possible and what is not. Paying little attention to passengers is a misdemeanor. Not hanging up a first class passenger's coat is a misdemeanor, even if there is no more room in the dressing room. Whatever you want, you have to squeeze it in. If you gain even a pound in weight, you will be taken off flights until you lose the extra weight. Disasters? I have never been so afraid that I no longer wanted to fly. Sometimes something goes wrong during takeoff. And the thought flashes: what if I die today?
Well, no, I have my fill of things to do, there’s no way I can die today. So you cheer yourself up with a joke.
There were also emergency landings, and I had to evacuate all the passengers. One day we were returning from Las Vegas, and I was so lively, I didn’t sleep there all night, playing in the casino. The commander tells me: there will be an emergency landing in Chicago, a bolt in the front landing gear has come out, and the wheel will break during landing. He orders the passengers to be prepared, but not earlier than in two hours. And don’t say a word to the other flight attendants, they are new and will get nervous. So I carried this inside me for two whole hours and kept thinking: am I going to die today or not? And on Easter Sunday too! I’m walking around, serving drinks and food, and one of them got angry: the omelette, he says, is cold. I almost said: “Wait, buddy, soon you won’t have time for an omelette...” But she kept silent, I think there’s no point in contacting him, especially since we need to prepare him for an emergency landing.
I announced to the passengers: “The commander said it was a simple precaution, nothing dangerous.”
Well, she began to explain how to quickly get off the plane, what position to take in the “ready” position, that you need to take off your glasses, as well as high-heeled shoes, leave your bags and all your belongings. And the main thing is to remain calm. A blind woman with a dog is flying with us, she will need help, and the like.
They behaved amazingly. No squealing, no screaming, no shouting. Finally we sat down, everything went well. The pilot landed the car well. But there was still a blow, and then they screamed and screamed so much! They were in suspense all the time, and then suddenly - bang on the ground!
I held out well. (Laughs.) And here's the funny thing. I told myself: I now have a husband, I don’t know how he will survive it if I die on the plane. So I can't die. When I walked up to the microphone, I was completely calm. And besides, you still had to smile. Even if an accident is looming, you need to walk through the cabin and calm everyone down with a smile. You sit on the jump seat and everyone is looking at you. And you’re sitting with your legs crossed, as if you’re getting ready to jump out of the plane with a smile from ear to ear.
Doctors warn flight attendants against two unpleasant phenomena. The first is premature wrinkles from constant smiling. The second is varicose veins in the legs. When the plane is gaining altitude, it is harmful to get to your feet. In a word, the profession of a flight attendant spoils your appearance.
Many of our girls dreamed of becoming fashion models, the famous Tanya is one of the flight attendants of our airline. But the rest did not pass: they either had the wrong appearance, or were not beautiful enough or thin enough. That's how they remain flight attendants.
What did you dream about?
I dreamed of getting out of Broken Bow, Nebraska. (Laughs.)
POSTSCRIPTUM: “Whenever I fly home, the whole family meets me at the airport. Neither of my sisters had ever flown in their lives. All my nephews think that their Terry is an amazing young man and that their moms and dads - that's my sisters and husbands - are somehow uncomfortable around me. They really don't look good. “Look at us now,” they say They, - It’s a pity that we didn’t become flight attendants too.” Of course, the sisters are annoyed that they missed their chance in life. But they love when I fly home to listen to my stories. I send them gifts from Europe. My relatives tell all their friends and acquaintances, that I'm a flight attendant. They are very proud of it. And they always greet me with, “Looks like one of my sisters is a flight attendant?”The father was promoted at work; the company announced in its newsletter that he had seven children, one son and six daughters, and that one of them was working as a flight attendant in Chicago. And then not a word about anyone else, but everything about me.”
Notes
Respectable area of Chicago.- Note translation
In New York, flight attendants live five or six girls in one apartment, hoping that there is enough space for everyone, since one of them is always absent. But it happens that everything is assembled, and then two people have to sleep on the floor. Note author.
All women claim to be creatures of the air. But not everyone deserves it. Meet the best flight attendants in the country. Everything you dreamed of when you stopped dreaming of becoming an astronaut!
The sky has always attracted a person - like the place between the shoulder blades that you can’t reach when itching. And although it has been largely conquered in the last hundred years, the average man still stands in awe of it. All inhabitants of the airspace - astronauts, parachutists and roof cleaners - are by default considered direct descendants of the gods. But even in this crowd of celestials, flight attendants stand apart. Flying women, unattainable in a square... What are we talking about? Oh yes! In the recent past, we conducted a survey on men's sexual fantasies. Some of the questions concerned girls in uniform. Here's how the answers were distributed:
As you can see, flight attendants are the main object of male fantasies. And don’t deny it: you probably also participated in that survey. We decided to make your fantasies come true. Fasten your seat belts and turn off all electrical appliances. The MAXIM Airlines crew welcomes you on board our website!
What do flight attendants do during a flight?
Times are based on a 4-hour flight.
Min. Removing food trays Shows how to inflate the vest and where to go in case of an accident Sit in place, buckled up Checking whether passengers are wearing seat belts Delivering food Offer passengers duty-free goods Explain to passengers that the call button should not be pressed unless absolutely necessary Chatting with pilots Approaches passengers who press the call button |
Calming nervous passengers, avoiding slaps on the butt and coping with other emergency situations - for the rest of the time |
Who invented them
The history of the appearance of flight attendants, even in a simplified form, does not fit into the line “airplanes come first, and then girls.” There was a lot more in between these milestones.
The world's first flying steward began his work in 1928 at Lufthansa (though it was then called Luft Hansa). The Junker F-13 single-wing aircraft on which the steward worked could accommodate only four passengers, so the work was considered dust-free. Following Lufthansa (that is, Luft Hansa, of course), the American company Stout Airlines began hiring male stewards. Preference was given to waiters.
Everything changed in 1930, when nurse Helen Church persuaded Boeing Air Transport to hire her to work on airplanes. This is how the sky girls appeared - flying nurses who distributed chewing gum and flip-flops to passengers. In addition, they had to clean shoes, kill flies in the cabin, and also ensure that a passenger, while in the air, did not accidentally open the front door instead of the toilet. For some reason, feminists considered this work prestigious and proclaimed Helen Church as their activist. Until the end of her life, she denied this fame and modestly squashed flies.
In 1933, oil magnates from Standard Oil of California bought themselves a plane - a luxury Boeing 226 with a wooden interior. They also advertised the employment of girls no older than 25 years old and weighing no more than 52 kg for a salary of 25 dollars per flight (apparently, the keys with the numbers 2 and 5 stuck on the typewriter at Standard Oil). After them, all airlines began to introduce beauty standards for flight attendants. The process has become irreversible.
Voice of Reason
Professor Boris Egorov, a sexologist and president of the Center for Psychoanalytic Research, discussed for us the phenomenon of the popularity of flight attendants.
“The interest in flight attendants is easy to explain. On the plane, a man is tormented by the fear of death. The flight attendant is the archetype of the protector, the angel. But at the same time, she is also a woman in uniform. Form is an order, submission. That is, a sadistic man immediately wants to order, a masochist wants to obey. In addition, through flirting with a flight attendant, a man realizes his subconscious desire to master the flight. In the sense of mastering flight techniques... In the sense of learning to fly...”
Come on, professor. We get it.
Myths and facts about flight attendants
Flight attendants must fulfill every whim of the passenger Most flight attendants are unmarried |
Flight attendants are the same as waitresses, only on an airplane Flight attendants stay young longer than earthly girls Flight attendants prefer pilots According to Olga Chusova, a flight squad doctor, most often colleagues come to her complaining of swelling and numbness in their legs. “Do you want to make the flight attendant happy? Give her a foot massage,” she says. Of course, you are unlikely to be able to do this in flight. Not a single flight attendant, even the most progressive-minded one, can spend half an hour with you. No, it's not because of your appearance. It’s just that girls are not supposed to do this according to the instructions. But if you are lucky enough to have a warm relationship with a flight attendant, master the four techniques shown in the pictures. Pull her toe, knead the sole, pull your toes towards you and be sure to massage the area between the toes. Then the girl will think three times before trading you for a rogue who will offer her a foot massage on the next flight! First? Class! There's still something humiliating about flying economy class simply because you don't have enough money for business class. Luckily, there is always a way to achieve an upgrade. Or almost always. 1 Do not try to win over the ticket sellers or airport workers who issue your boarding pass. Only its crew can control your fate on board the aircraft. 2 Spend money on clothes. “If a flight attendant takes it upon herself to transfer a passenger to first class, she must be sure that she will not be found out,” says Aeroflot senior flight attendant Olga Zinkevich. You shouldn't stand out from the first class passengers. Therefore, leave your helmet with straws and beer can holder at home, and dress in a discreet suit. “The main thing is not to arouse suspicion among the neighbors in the cabin. All the problems are usually because of them.” 3 First, try to please the flight attendant and simply tell her about your desire to change seats. “If a girl has authority in the team, and she likes you, she can change the passenger at her own peril and risk. But it’s better, of course, to go straight to the captain or senior flight attendant.” After takeoff or lunch (when foie gras will be handed out anyway), go to the control room and say that you want to fly first class. Don't give any reasonable arguments. In particular, don't pretend to be claustrophobic with a knee amputee. “We immediately refuse malingerers. We’re already tired,” says Olga. Just say “I want.” If you're lucky, you'll be transplanted... 4 ...but, most likely, they will either refuse you right away (in this case it’s stupid to push), or they will hint about a reward. “In many companies, especially small ones, the practice of “black surcharge” for transfers has long become the norm,” says an anonymous source (not Olga). In this case, it is better to share money with the entire crew at once, so that one of its members does not pour Chateau-Lafitte on you out of envy.
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These heavenly creatures can serve as a standard of femininity and therefore attract male attention. However, numerous advantages also repel, because the applicant instinctively feels that the competition in this case will be serious. Is it so? How likely is an affair with a flight attendant on international or domestic airlines? And how can it end? The answer to these and many other exciting questions requires knowledge of some professional specific aspects. Nine of them are listed below. Everything else depends on the personality of the particular flight attendant. They are also different, like all people, and have individual traits. But they have something in common. So...
1. Calmness and endurance
The flight attendant is able to maintain composure in a very difficult environment. There are two main factors contributing to this. Firstly, innate courage and perseverance are dictated by the rules of professional selection. A coward will not be accepted into flight school, he will not even pass the initial tests, and flight attendants sometimes need no less courage, just remember Nadezhda Kurchenko, who closed the door to the pilot’s cabin from terrorists. And in cases of other emergency situations, the flight attendant should radiate calm and confidence, even if she herself is very scared. This is second because it is taught.
2. Beauty
They simply don’t hire others for this job. Every flight attendant serves as the face of the airline, and part of her job responsibilities is to look great. Any carelessness in clothing (uniform) or hairstyle is unacceptable. By the way, this is precisely the deterrent factor; most men are convinced that all beauties are bitches. It is possible that to some extent they are right, but there are exceptions.
3. Legibility
For some reason, there are numerous rumors that this service contributes to numerous extramarital affairs. In fact, flight attendants get very tired, and, as a rule, they are not in the mood for amorous adventures either during the flight or immediately after it. In addition, you can easily lose your job for inappropriate behavior and unwanted relationships, but flight attendants are paid very well. By the way, about this...
4. Self-sufficiency
Salaries and bonuses in civil aviation are indeed very good, so it is not easy to shock a flight attendant with the scope of luxury; this requires a considerable fortune. If other attractive traits are difficult to achieve, then it is best to refrain from demonstrating financial capabilities. They “don’t fall for it.”
5. Broad outlook and high intelligence
It’s better to forget the myth of the beautiful fool, at least it has nothing to do with flight attendants. This work requires the ability to quickly concentrate and instantly make the right decisions. In addition, familiarity with many air harbors presupposes excellent knowledge of the national specifics of different countries. Knowledge of applied psychology is also necessary for conflict-free communication with a wide variety of passengers (including very capricious ones).
6. Obsessive cleanliness
The flight attendant washes her hands constantly, she wipes all her hands with a disinfectant solution and takes better care of hygiene than any doctor. Airplanes arrive in many exotic countries, and diseases there are also difficult. The habit of cleanliness becomes a character trait.
7. Taste for good food
You can’t call “airplane” food disgusting, it’s even tasty in its own way, but if you eat it constantly... In general, at every opportunity the girls “have a blast” on local colorful delicacies. The salary allows.
8. Caring
If you manage to start a relationship with a flight attendant, you can be sure that she will be able to take care of everything related to convenience and comfort. This is something she definitely knows how to do.
9. Unpretentiousness and simplicity
It seems paradoxical, but flight attendants, so beautiful, smart, brave and capable of everything, are often lonely. They cannot be seduced by money, they cannot be surprised by exoticism, they cannot be touched by care. They just want real men. The bar is high.
Didn't all this scare you? Then be brave!
All women claim to be creatures of the air. But not everyone deserves it. Meet the best flight attendants in the country. Everything you dreamed of when you stopped dreaming of becoming an astronaut!
Text: Alexey Karaulov
Photo: Oleg Khoroshev
The sky has always attracted a person - like the place between the shoulder blades that you can’t reach when itching. And although it has been largely conquered in the last hundred years, the average man still stands in awe of it. All inhabitants of the airspace - astronauts, parachutists and roof cleaners - are by default considered direct descendants of the gods. But even in this crowd of celestials, flight attendants stand apart. Flying women, unattainable in a square... What are we talking about? Oh yes! In the recent past, we conducted a survey on men's sexual fantasies. Some of the questions concerned girls in uniform. Here's how the answers were distributed:
As you can see, flight attendants are the main object of male fantasies. And don’t deny it: you probably also participated in that survey. We decided to make your fantasies come true. Fasten your seat belts and turn off all electrical appliances. The MAXIM Airlines crew welcomes you on board our website!
What do flight attendants do during a flight?
Times are based on a 4-hour flight.
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Min. Removing food trays Shows how to inflate the vest and where to go in case of an accident Sit in place, buckled up Checking whether passengers are wearing seat belts Delivering food Offer passengers duty-free goods Explain to passengers that the call button should not be pressed unless absolutely necessary Chatting with pilots Approaches passengers who press the call button |
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Who invented them
The history of the appearance of flight attendants, even in a simplified form, does not fit into the line “airplanes come first, and then girls.” There was a lot more in between these milestones.
The world's first flying steward began his work in 1928 at Lufthansa (though it was then called Luft Hansa). The Junker F-13 single-wing aircraft on which the steward worked could accommodate only four passengers, so the work was considered dust-free. Following Lufthansa (that is, Luft Hansa, of course), the American company Stout Airlines began hiring male stewards. Preference was given to waiters.
Everything changed in 1930, when nurse Helen Church persuaded Boeing Air Transport to hire her to work on airplanes. This is how the sky girls appeared - flying nurses who distributed chewing gum and flip-flops to passengers. In addition, they had to clean shoes, kill flies in the cabin, and also ensure that a passenger, while in the air, did not accidentally open the front door instead of the toilet. For some reason, feminists considered this work prestigious and proclaimed Helen Church as their activist. Until the end of her life, she denied this fame and modestly squashed flies.
In 1933 year, oil magnates from Standard Oil of California bought themselves a plane - a luxury Boeing 226 with a wooden interior. They also advertised the employment of girls no older than 25 years old and weighing no more than 52 kg for a salary of 25 dollars per flight (apparently, the keys with the numbers 2 and 5 stuck on the typewriter at Standard Oil). After them, all airlines began to introduce beauty standards for flight attendants. The process has become irreversible.
“The interest in flight attendants is easy to explain. On the plane, a man is tormented by the fear of death. The flight attendant is the archetype of the protector, the angel. But at the same time, she is also a woman in uniform. Form is an order, submission. That is, a sadistic man immediately wants to order, a masochist wants to obey. In addition, through flirting with a flight attendant, a man realizes his subconscious desire to master the flight. In the sense of mastering flight techniques... In the sense of learning to fly...”
Come on, professor. We get it.
Myths and facts about flight attendants
|
Flight attendants must fulfill every whim of the passenger
Most flight attendants are unmarried
|
Flight attendants are the same as waitresses, only on an airplane
Flight attendants stay young longer than earthly girls
Flight attendants prefer pilots
|
Crush and love
According to Olga Chusova, a flight squad doctor, most often colleagues come to her complaining of swelling and numbness in their legs. “Do you want to make the flight attendant happy? Give her a foot massage,” she says.
Of course, you are unlikely to be able to do this in flight. Not a single flight attendant, even the most progressive-minded one, can spend half an hour with you. No, it's not because of your appearance. It’s just that girls are not supposed to do this according to the instructions. But if you are lucky enough to have a warm relationship with a flight attendant, master the four techniques shown in the pictures. Pull her toe, knead the sole, pull your toes towards you and be sure to massage the area between the toes. Then the girl will think three times before trading you for a rogue who will offer her a foot massage on the next flight!
First? Class!
There's still something humiliating about flying economy class simply because you don't have enough money for business class. Luckily, there is always a way to achieve an upgrade. Or almost always.
1 Do not try to win over the ticket sellers or airport workers who issue your boarding pass. Only its crew can control your fate on board the aircraft.
2 Spend money on clothes. “If a flight attendant takes it upon herself to transfer a passenger to first class, she must be sure that she will not be found out,” says Aeroflot senior flight attendant Olga Zinkevich. You shouldn't stand out from the first class passengers. Therefore, leave your helmet with straws and beer can holder at home, and dress in a discreet suit. “The main thing is not to arouse suspicion among the neighbors in the cabin. All the problems are usually because of them.”
3 First, try to please the flight attendant and simply tell her about your desire to change seats. “If a girl has authority in the team, and she likes you, she can change the passenger at her own peril and risk. But it’s better, of course, to go straight to the captain or senior flight attendant.” After takeoff or lunch (when foie gras will be handed out anyway), go to the control room and say that you want to fly first class. Don't give any reasonable arguments. In particular, don't pretend to be claustrophobic with a knee amputee. “We immediately refuse malingerers. We’re already tired,” says Olga. Just say “I want.” If you're lucky, you'll be transplanted...
4 ...but, most likely, they will either refuse you right away (in this case it’s stupid to push), or they will hint about a reward. “In many companies, especially small ones, the practice of “black surcharge” for transfers has long become the norm,” says an anonymous source (not Olga). In this case, it is better to share money with the entire crew at once, so that one of its members does not pour Chateau-Lafitte on you out of envy.