Emirates Airline

An experienced cabin crew assistant and author revealed that on one particular airline there was a special space reserved for the most gruesome eventuality during a flight

There are many unseen happenings that take place on an aircraft while you manoeuvre your way down the narrow aisle trying to locate your seat, store your cabin luggage overhead and settle back for what you hope is a relaxing and smooth flight to your chosen destination.

Cabin crew members often share their secrets of life in the sky and what really goes on, with some grisly warnings of things to avoid when flying.

One experienced assistant has revealed what she’s learnt and witnessed behind the scenes during her years working for a US airline and there’s one quite morbid detail many travellers would never have known about.

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Heather Poole has worked for a major carrier for over 15 years and is the author of Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet. She has spoken about the rather morbid topic of death on board an airplane.

Although she says it’s very rare for a passenger to die in the air, it obviously does and can happen – although no one officially passes away in flight unless there is a doctor on board to pronounce it.

Speaking to mentalfloss.com, she said that in such challenging circumstances most stewards would rather move the deceased to an empty row of seats where they can be covered over away from other passengers, although this isn’t always possible.

“On these very rare occasions, the crew will do everything possible to manage the situation with sensitivity and respect,” she said. “Unfortunately, most flights are full, so it’s not always possible to move an “incapacitated” passenger to an empty row of seats.”

Heather revealed that one company, Singapore Airlines, decided to get around the problem with a “corpse cupboard”. This she explained was “a compartment for storing a dead body if the situation arises”.

The company installed the locker on its Airbus A340-500 in 2004 next to one of the aircraft’s exit doors. It was big enough to hold an average-sized human body and had special straps to secure the corpse and stop it being moved by turbulence or on landing.

It only chose this particular type of aircraft for the cupboard because it operated on extra long haul flights from Singapore to New York and Los Angeles. The routes had some of the longest distances in the world, with flight times of 18-19 hours. The fleet was retired in 2013-14 and the lockers aren’t used on any other airlines currently.

While Heather said she thankfully hasn’t had to deal with a death on board, her room mate has – and in some rather strange circumstances. She revealed that her friend realised a passenger was trying to sneak a dead body on the flight.

“She knew the man was dead the moment she saw him looking grey and slumped over in a wheelchair, even though his wife and daughter assured her he was just battling the flu,” she said. “Midway through the flight, the plane had to make an unscheduled landing when it became apparent that no amount of Nyquil was going to revive him.”

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The airline is currently looking to hire 17,300 people, equivalent to a mid-size town or the seating capacity of 58 Airbus A350 aircraft, across 350 roles, which include pilots, IT professionals, engineers, and cabin crew

Emirates Airlines is hiring new flight attendants, but applicants must meet strict criteria.

The airline is currently looking to hire 17,300 people, equivalent to a mid-size town or the seating capacity of 58 Airbus A350 aircraft, across 350 roles. Emirates hasn’t said how many of those job openings are for flight attendants, but it is likely to be within the hundreds, if not thousands.

Throughout the year, the group will be hosting more than 2,100 open days and other talent acquisition events in 150 cities to recruit pilots, IT professionals, engineers, and cabin crew roles. The announcement comes after Emirates banned power banks on its flights.

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Emirates has said that new recruits are required for some roles, including cabin crew, pilots, engineers, commercial and sales teams, customer service, ground handling, catering, IT, HR, and finance. Separately, Dnata is looking to hire more than 4,000 cargo, catering, and ground handling specialists.

Some of the benefits included with Emirates jobs are profit share eligibility, comprehensive medical and life insurance cover, travel benefits including flight tickets and membership cards that provide discounts at hundreds of retail, hospitality, and lifestyle outlets.

Although the airline has not advertised wages as part of this recruitment drive, Aviation A2Z reports that the average annual salary of an Emirates flight attendant working in the United States at approximately $47,000 (£34,000) as of last year.

While the salary and benefits appeal, Emirates is particular when it comes to what it is looking for in new recruits. They must be:

• Be fluent in both written and spoken English (additional languages are an advantage)
• A natural team player with a personality that shines
• At least 160 cm tall (5’2”)
• Able to reach 212 cm high
• Able to meet the UAE’s employment visa requirements
• Have at least one year of hospitality/customer service experience (desirable)
• Have a minimum of high school (grade 12) education
• Have no visible tattoos while in Emirates cabin crew uniform

“Irrespective of nationality, Emirates look for a positive attitude, confidence, flexibility, maturity, a friendly disposition and a genuine passion to help others to provide quality service. As the job can be physically demanding, it is imperative you demonstrate resilience and a determination to continually perform well”, the job requirements add.

Marika Mikusova, a flight attendant with Emirates, shared her recollection of the application process. “For example, I would definitely advise against wearing unnatural hair or nail colour! I personally attended open days twice. The first time I didn’t even pass the first round of the interview. I assume it was because of what I was wearing,” she explained.

Marika also had some, perhaps slightly more traditional advice for those angling for a job with Emirates. “So I would advise women to put on blazer and pencil skirt and style their hair in a bun. I would highly recommend putting a lipstick and heels on!”

For men, Marika suggested that they arrive clean-shaven or with a moustache only, and dressing in a suit.

“Mind your body language! Put on a gentle smile and present yourself in a calm manner. Do not cross your arms during interview as you would look unapproachable or even angry,” she added.

Marika even recalled a time when she attended her Prague Emirates Open Day, where several Korean women hoping to become flight attendants had flown in from other continents just to attend the Emirates Open Day.

“In fact, the interview was conducted entirely in English and was not limited by the nationalities of the candidates, the number of participants, or how many times each candidate attended Open Days in the past. So you can try multiple interviews outside your country,” Marika concluded.

Those aspiring to join the Emirates Group can apply for the various roles and keep a lookout for open days and recruitment events worldwide at www.emiratesgroupcareers.com.

Air staff can refuse to serve drunk passengers, but one former cabin crew member claims she would act when anyone started getting “tipsy” on-board

A former flight attendant has revealed one non-confrontational tactic she claims to have used when presented with “tipsy” passengers on-board.

The unnamed crew member said she had personally “watered down” alcoholic drinks of passengers who she felt were becoming intoxicated on-board. The revelation was made on social platform, Reddit, when curious flyers posed different questions about the role of cabin crew.

The topic came up on an Ask Me Anything thread where the question was asked if there is a limit to how much alcohol can be served to a passenger on international flights. The original poster (OP) shared that while there is no set limit, passengers “cannot be intoxicated” on-board.

When pressed further by another poster about what happens if passengers do start to show signs of being drunk, the OP revealed one sneaky tactic she had previously used.

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“We will watch and if we notice a passenger becoming tipsy we will start diluting the drinks,” the OP shared. While this has not been confirmed as a standard practice, research from Stratos Jets seem to back up the claim.

The study – which was viewed by The Sun – interviewed 119 flight attendants and more than 35% of cabin crew members admitted to watering down passengers’ drinks. Additionally, 74.8% of interviewees shared that they had refused service to an intoxicated passenger on a flight, something flight attendants have the right to do.

Cabin crew members reserve the right to stop serving alcoholic beverages to passengers. It is also against the law to be drunk on a plane and you can be refused entry if you’ve had one too many before a flight.

The official rules for drinking on a flight

According to The Air Navigation Order 2016: “A person must not enter any aircraft when drunk, or be drunk in any aircraft.”

Additionally, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority: “Disruptive passengers can lead to planes being diverted and, where this happens, the disruptive passengers themselves risk having to pay the cost of the diversion. They can also face criminal charges with severe penalties or even prison sentences.”

Passengers who also buy cheaper bottles of alcohol at duty-free are forbidden from opening it up on-board, and must wait until they have landed to enjoy it responsibly.

Ryanair announced on June 12 that disruptive passengers whose behaviour results in them being removed from the plane will now be fined £500.

Ryanair says “unruly passengers” is an “industry-wide issue” and the hefty fine will be the “minimum” punishment and will continue to pursue disruptive passengers for civil damages.