Life in the skies!

• Cabin crew member speaks passionately about her experience at Emirates

Many young people aspire to embark on a career as cabin crew but are deterred by fears and misconceptions. Some are afraid they will be separated from their families; some think they won’t fit the criteria and some are intimidated, not understanding what the job actually entails.

In an interview with the Daily FT, Emirates cabin crew member Tinusha Witanachchi shared her journey, along with some pointers which may wipe out some of these fears and misconceptions.

Emirates has more than 1,200 Sri Lankans working with them, out of which 146 are cabin crew and has been a big part of Tinusha’s life for the past five years. She speaks ardently of her job with the airlines and life in the skies. Following are excerpts from the interview:

Emirates cabin crew member Tinusha Witanachchi – Pic by Lasantha Kumara

By Fathima Riznaz Hafi

Q: Could you tell us about yourself?

A: I’m 27 years old and I went to Ladies College, Colombo 7. I was flying for SriLankan Airlines for four-and-a-half years and then joined Emirates. My hobbies are cooking, watching movies, hanging out with friends and I’m a huge animal lover.

 

Q: What inspired you to become a cabin crew member?

A: Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to be a cabin crew member, to see the world and Emirates is such a global airline, it goes to so many destinations.

 

Q: How did you get to know about Emirates?

A: I have seen advertisements, and on newspapers and have heard from friends.

 

Q: What were the selection criteria?

A: You have to be over 21 years and need to be able to reach 212 cm on tiptoes, to be able to close the hatch racks and reach emergency equipment. You need to be friendly, approachable, service-oriented and responsible and be able to do things on your own initiative.

 

Q: Can you describe a regular working day?

A: For a flight, we are provided transport, so we are picked up and then go to headquarters and check in for our flight. Then we have the briefing, where they tell us about the profiles of customers  we will be carrying, any special handling, etc. Afterwards we go on the flight and check safety equipment, check catering and all that. Then prepare for boarding. When customers come on board, we welcome them and have a service round – basically a welcome service. Then we take-off and we do constant PR throughout the flight.

 

Q: What are the training programs that you have to undergo before being scheduled on your first flight?

A: We have a month of training, which starts with safety and emergency procedures. They also train us to handle medical emergencies on board.

After that there’s service; they teach us how to serve customers from different cultures, because we carry such a versatile profile. They teach us things like: for Arabic cultures we don’t serve with the left hand, we only serve with the right hand, and so on. After that is grooming; they tell us how we’re supposed to wear make-up and how to groom ourselves for the flight.

For safety, there are aircraft-type simulators where we actually feel turbulence before we start really flying. After one month we graduate.

 

Q: About grooming, do you do your own make-up after the one-month training?

A: Yes I do my own make-up; they tell us what we should do and what to avoid with make-up.

Q: Do they have a fixed set of rules on grooming?

A: Yes, for example with nails, we can only have red nails or French or clear; nothing else. Eyebrows have to be done, we have to wear the powder, mascara and lipstick, but other than that it’s upto us if we want to wear things like eyeliner or not. The uniform has to always be pressed and we have been shown how to wear the scarf. For earrings, we can only wear pearls or something really small with a small stone.

 

Q: How long does it take you?

A: About 40 minutes.

 

Q: Just for the make-up alone?

A: No, for the make-up and to wear the clothes I take 40 minutes (laughs) but for the shower, well, I take a long time in the shower normally.

 

Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?

A: The obvious, getting to travel all over the world. Since Emirates is expanding so fast we have new destinations coming every month so it’s always to nice to look forward to your roster because you know you’ll fly somewhere you’ve never been. I meet many nationalities as well and it’s nice to get to know other nationalities, learn about their cultures.

 

Q: Are you referring to the crew or the passengers?

A: The crew as well as customers. On many flights I would be the only Sri Lankan and there will be another 13 nationalities who speak many other languages. There are over 130 nationalities working with Emirates.

With customers, it’s nice to go to work and see new people; you have to communicate with new people – that’s lovely.

 

Q: You’re travelling to so many different countries; are you required to learn any additional languages?

A: No, but if you do know any, it’s an added benefit.

 

Q: This job can be quite demanding and requires you to be very active and flexible. How do you keep yourself fit?

A: I do yoga. When we go on layovers, we get to stay at really nice hotels with gyms and pools so after a flight we can go to the gym or swim. I also manage my rest well because I have to sleep properly before a flight, otherwise when I get to my other destination I’ll be really jetlagged.

 

Q: Any unforgettable moments during a flight?

A: Every flight has interesting stories. Once I had a honeymoon couple that was flying with us to the Maldives. A cake was ordered for them, we served them champagne, took pictures... They were so happy; it was nice to share that moment with them.

 

Q: How often do you get to travel home and how often do you get to see your family?

A: At least once or twice a month. I get to see them frequently because Emirates flies 27 times a week to Colombo; some days there are four flights a day, some days there are three flights a day – they fly very often and it’s only a four-hour flight to Dubai so it’s very easy for me and other Sri Lankans working here. Whenever I want to see my parents, I just change one of my flights and I come over. I get 24 hours, so it’s basically one day.

 

Q: What are the perks of working for Emirates and living in Dubai?

A: I really enjoy what I’m doing and Dubai is a lovely place to live in. It’s a very cosmopolitan city; a lot of beautiful restaurants, leisure spots and clubs, and is great for shopping.

Emirates provides us with insurance; our medical and dental is covered by them as well and in most of the shops that we go to in Dubai, we are given discounts since we are Emirates staff – we show our ID and they give discounts. Yeah, it’s nice – that’s the best part!

We get free transport from our accommodation to work and the tickets we get when we go on holidays and personal trips (to go home or anywhere in the world) are at concessional rates. We get eight days off a month.

 

Q: Could you share some tips for aspiring cabin crew members?

A: Just be yourself, be confident and go for it!