A Travel and vacations forum. TravelBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » TravelBanter forum » Travelling Style » Air travel
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

No acne for new Air India hostesses



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old February 21st, 2004, 06:17 PM
Lary E.
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default No acne for new Air India hostesses

Glad to see them modernizing. We flew them from New York to London and the
experience was disappointing. A friend had told us they would be so good,
with beautiful Indian stewardesses in elegant saris and all that. Instead
what we found was a bunch of fat, older women in worn looking saris and
sandals, looking very disheveled and ungroomed, sort of what you would find
in your typical cheap family owned Indian restaurant in Queens rather than
what you would expect from a world class airline.

"varanasi" wrote in message
news:n7gc305c4i8uvh6ghaikeil3fsmmbb0j0a@news...
No acne allowed for air hostesses

By Monica Chadha
BBC correspondent in Delhi

International carrier Air India has taken over a sports stadium in the
Indian capital Delhi for the recruitment of 400 new air hostesses and
male stewards.

New guidelines place a heavy emphasis on personal appearance.

So candidates with acne or whose teeth are deemed not good enough are
among the many being weeded out.

Some 32,000 people applied for the jobs - the first time in 10 years
that Air India has recruited on such a large scale.

At least 1,200 candidates are being screened everyday at the Delhi
sports stadium.

Young men and women, dressed in their finest suits and saris, stand
patiently in line outside the gate waiting for their name to be called
out.

The make-up is perfect and every gelled hair is in place.


WHAT IS NOT ALLOWED
There should be no scars, acne, or any major marks on the face...
looks matter in this line of work, and therefore we are giving it a
lot of importance.
Air India Personnel Manager Meenakshi Dua
The selection procedure seems to be in keeping with the
'everything-must-change' theme of Air India as it looks to create a
more modern image.

The candidates must first appear for a personality test that involves
standing in front of a camera and briefly introducing themselves for a
minute each.


Once they have passed this round, they must complete a written test
before a final interview.

Needless to say not many surmount all three obstacles and get hired by
the airline.

Personnel Manager Meenakshi Dua says the changes have been made in
keeping with the requirements of the job, enabling Air India to weed
out candidates who do not fit the bill.

"Looks matter in this line of work," she says, "and therefore we are
giving it a lot of importance.

"When we review a candidate, we look at the skin, teeth and height.

"There should be no scars, acne, or any major marks on the face.

"The candidate should have a pleasing personality, should be able to
carry him or herself with confidence and be ready to serve others.

"After all, that is the job of an air hostess and a male steward."

Handsome salary

As for the candidates, most of them are under 24-years-old and come
from lower and middle income groups.



They seem to be motivated by a chance to meet different people and
travel across the world without spending a penny.

The handsome salary is also a big incentive among potential recruits.

New recruits stand to earn 36,000 rupees ($800) as their basic pay,
but that increases with the number of flying hours.

Twenty-one year old Arusha Talwar said this is the only way she can
see new places without spending her own money.

On the other hand, 22-year old management student Tushar Saroya has
always been enamoured by the aviation industry.

"Some of my aunts work with various airlines and I have always envied
the life they lead," he said, "of course they work very hard but they
also seem to enjoy themselves, and experience the finer things in
life.

"I have always wanted to live like them."

All this is an about turn from 10 years ago, when the job of a cabin
crew member in India was looked down upon.

Becoming a doctor, engineer, architect or joining the civil service
were the preferred career choices then.

Now, it has become a glamorous and popular career option for most
young people.

Twenty-two-year old Sarika is one such girl.

"I have wanted to become an air hostess ever since I was a child but
never told my parents about it," she said, "because they never quite
encouraged me to look at this profession.

"However, when Air India advertised these cabin crew jobs, they
actually asked me to apply for them! I could not have been happier."

The fact that Air India has decided to change its image so drastically
could be related to the fact that the airline that has lost money for
some time now.

But critics say that the airline also needs to change the working
practises of its ground crew and its in-flight service before
passengers can sit back, sip their orange juice confident in the
expectation that their flight will arrive on time.




 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Air India: opinions? colin. Air travel 7 December 22nd, 2003 03:06 PM
What adapter to use in India for my british camcorder? Rob Beattie Air travel 10 December 19th, 2003 08:08 PM
Travelling to India with a laptop? Rohit Air travel 30 December 8th, 2003 03:04 PM
Air India A340-300s (and 737-800s) George M. Gumbert III Air travel 1 November 19th, 2003 06:54 PM
Kuwait Airlines and Air India on LHR-JFK Harry Dodsworth Air travel 0 September 20th, 2003 04:42 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 07:08 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 TravelBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.