Anna Poverenny lives in Abu Dhabi and has been working as a flight attendant for Etihad for two years now. We talked to find out more about the dream profession - secret or explicit - of almost every second girl, dispel or confirm common myths about flight attendants and understand how everything happens in practice.

We publish Anna's story in the first person.

How to get started as a flight attendant

At the age of 18, I was a second-year student at the Kirovograd Flight Academy and had an internship at the Simferopol airport. She caught fire with planes, the sky, and in the same year got a job at check-in at Boryspil Airport. To do this, I switched to distance learning at the university. Three years later, Air Emirates announced that they were starting flights to Ukraine, and I got a job as a ground staff for them. But six months later, a plane was shot down over Donetsk: the company immediately stopped flights to Ukraine, and after some time our entire Ukrainian office was fired.

Then there was a crisis in the country and it was clear that you need to try to find work abroad. In addition, in Ukraine, the competition for the place of a stewardess is simply incredible. To qualify for the Assessment Days, where companies recruit employees, you need to pass a preliminary competition, and only then can you be invited to the main selection. And even after this dropout, 250-300 model-looking girls with good knowledge of English and huge ambitions come to Assesment Days: the competition is very high. So I applied to Etihad in Amsterdam. There was much less competition.

At first I passed a rather easy English test. Those who successfully passed it were divided into groups of 7 people, where participants discussed a variety of issues. And recruiters at that time looked at who was behaving how - who did not know how to restrain himself, who closed himself in, and who, on the contrary, knew how to listen and calmly argue his point of view. Then there were personal interviews, where they could ask completely unexpected questions, for example, which historical figure would you like to have dinner with. I had to answer right away, and I said that I wanted to have dinner with the first president of independent Ukraine, anyway, because it was not Ukrainians who took the exam and they didn’t even know who I was talking about. Well, that would be really interesting.

After that, I was assigned a personal interview, where they discussed work and organizational issues in more detail. They asked if I was ready for life abroad, if I had ever worked in international companies. And only after that they sent a contract. I spent two months on courses in the UAE: we were taught everything that a flight attendant should do, including first aid. After that, I immediately started working. And yes, flight attendants really only take you if you are taller than 160 cm and shorter than 175 cm.

What does a flight attendant's day look like?

I put on my uniform, put on makeup, check for ID. I arrive at the airport an hour and a half before departure. There we always have mandatory briefings dedicated to the next flight - we study the route, flight features, some security updates. After getting on board, I check my area of ​​the aircraft where I will work - whether everything is in order, whether there are oxygen cylinders, defibrillators, smoke masks, and if there is anything extra on board. If the kitchen is included in my zone on this flight, then I check the availability of food and other kitchen items.

After that, I help passengers find their seats and, after takeoff, I begin to warm up the food that comes to us frozen. Some passengers think I should bring them a hot meal right after we take off, but that's impossible.

We have a whole book with instructions on how we need to look - allowed shades of cosmetics for flights, how to apply foundation, lipstick, mascara, draw arrows and so on. So looking good is part of our job.But flight attendants do have joint problems due to the work on their feet and constant pressure drops. In addition, the air in the cabin is quite dry, so every flight attendant must additionally monitor the condition of the skin. In addition, we are exposed to radiation in the sky, especially when you fly across the ocean for a long time. If the level of radiation that we received exceeds the permissible norm, they change the schedule for me and put only short flights.

There is a common myth that flight attendants look good and young because of the special air in the plane. It's a bullshit. In this air, there is often not enough oxygen, and due to oxygen starvation, the cells of the body only die faster. In addition, constant changes in time zones lead to the fact that we get tired faster and sometimes do not understand what time it is outside the window, which also affects our health.

Why are there fewer male flight attendants?

It seems to me that this is due to stereotypes about the service. When you imagine a five-star service, you often imagine a woman, because she is the keeper of the hearth and so on. The advertisement shows, for example, a flight attendant who shelters a child who fell asleep on the plane. It looks nice. And if you show a steward in the same situation, it will also look cute, but it will sell fewer tickets. Although we have a lot of men in the company who do an excellent job. Approximately 15-20% of the total number of flight attendants.

Privileges for flight attendants

We have two types of discounts: 90% and 50% off the ticket price excluding taxes and fees. In the first case, your seat is not confirmed, and if there is no free seat on the plane, then we have a choice - either fly on the so-called jump seat, a folding chair for the crew members of the aircraft, on which it is impossible to sit for more than five hours, or wait for the next plane . In the second case, the flight attendants have a confirmed seat in the cabin for half the price, but if suddenly the carrier company sells the maximum number of tickets, then your ticket can also be sold to someone for the full price. So there is never one hundred percent certainty in discount tickets.

If our flight is more than five hours, then the carrier company is obliged to give us a daily rest in the city in which we arrived, the so-called layover. For us, this is all of Europe except Greece, where you can fly faster from the UAE. We are settled in a hotel and there we can already decide how to spend this day. You can sleep all day, you can walk around the city. Thus, in two years of work, I have visited almost all corners of the world. There are cities where layovers are longer than 24 hours. For example, Toronto. According to Canadian laws, after such long flights as Abu Dhabi - Toronto, the team is supposed to rest more than 48 hours.

And my vacation is the same as everyone else - 30 days. To say exactly when I want a vacation, I must at least six months in advance. I also often have a good schedule, sometimes I can spend five days at home. Before and after long-haul flights, for example, to Sydney or Los Angeles, our company is obliged to give the team two days of rest. Therefore, my young man does not perceive my work with hostility.

Things that annoy passengers

I don't like it when people think they are kings and kings and they don't care about those around them. When traveling in such a confined space, you need to think about the people around you and act accordingly. To put it bluntly, if you know you have a problem with foot odor, don't take those shoes off. Passengers are not always aware that a plane is not a restaurant, and a flight attendant is not a waitress. If I say that only chicken and pork are on the menu, then I really don’t have anything else, and I won’t get fish anywhere at an altitude of 4,000 miles. It's annoying when people constantly press the button to call the stewardess, which is in principle conceived for emergencies and ask for some trifle.

I love flying to Japan because the Japanese are very polite and think of others. They try to minimize any discomfort even for the staff who fly with them.

What flight attendants can't talk about

We can talk to passengers, but we have taboo topics. Of course, we all try not to talk about politics, religion, personal things, because you never know what beliefs a passenger holds. We really can’t talk about breakdowns and malfunctions on the plane. If we see something unusual overboard or inside, or if we hear an unpleasant smell, we must inform the captain of the aircraft and he will already decide whether this information is worth reporting to passengers.

If we see that a passenger is afraid to fly, then most often we talk to them, distract them from their feelings. We ask where and from where they fly, we can tell something ourselves.

About sex on a plane

I haven't caught anyone, but I know it happens. Most often in the toilet of the aircraft. But to put it mildly, I do not recommend doing this. Of course, I am a supporter of the fact that adults can do what they want, as long as it does not violate the rules, but this should not be done on an airplane.

The toilets on the plane are always clean, this is done by special workers while the plane is at the airport. But sometimes they can have 30, 45, 60 minutes to clean, so of course they can't do a full disinfection.

Scary stories from flight attendants

Like many professions, we also have our own professional stories and horror stories. Some seem plausible, some are just fairy tales. I don’t remember everything, but here is an example of such a story. She goes not only to Etihad, but in general, probably, in all airlines. We have a special compartment on the plane, similar to a compartment on a train, where we can lock ourselves up and sleep. If the flight is longer than 10 hours, then we are entitled to three hours of rest. And then one day in this room the stewardess was awakened by one of the passengers, an old man. He came to ask for water. The passenger had no right to be in that part of the plane and the stewardess asked him to take his place. When the flight attendant brought water to the place indicated by the old man in the cabin, she saw an elderly woman there. When she heard that her husband had asked for water to be brought to her, she burst into tears. It turned out that he was flying the same plane, but in the cargo hold, with a load of 200.

There is another story about an Asian flight attendant who committed suicide in a German hotel. After that, according to hotel workers, her spirit disturbed and frightened the guests. The medium, who was called in to calm the ghost, said to hang one picture of an Asian girl in each room of the hotel. This is said to have helped. I also stayed in this hotel and I was quite uncomfortable. But I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

See you, - with these words, the mysterious stranger extended his swarthy hand to me, while smiling coquettishly at me.
I was a little confused, but I extended my hand in response and muttered something incomprehensible under my breath. I don't even know his name, I thought to myself.
"O! We've already met!" - Mom, who returned from WC, said right at the time.
We stood at the bus station in Dubai and thought about which direction we need to move on to get to the airport.
The foreigner spoke English with such an accent that I practically did not understand him. Who he was: an Indian, a Mexican, or someone else, I could not understand for our short acquaintance. Back in Abu Dhabi, he got on the same bus with us and, looking at me, said something. Then he helped us put our heavy suitcase in the luggage compartment of the bus. And so, when we had already arrived in Dubai, he, too, was in no hurry to run about his business, but hung around near us. After waiting for the right moment, that is, when my mother leaves, he came up to me. He asked something, I asked again, I didn’t understand, he repeated it again, but I didn’t understand again. In general, we talked about it. In the UAE, in general, it was as if English was turned off for me: that is, upon arrival at the Dubai airport, an internal button called “English OFF” worked and I seemed to be left without a language, without a tool with which I could communicate with this world. At least this button responded very well to the speech of Indians, Pakistanis and other peoples who came to work in the UAE. And these are taxi drivers, shop assistants, waiters in cafes and restaurants. That is, the vast majority of the United Arab Emirates.
Thank God that when it was a landmark on the ground, I could still understand and orient myself from slurred speech.
I asked my new friend how we can get from here to Dubai airport. “Take a taxi,” he answered me. Indeed, the most convenient, fast and comfortable mode of transport in the UAE is a taxi. In any heat, at + 25, at + 50, air conditioners always work inside, the roads of the Arabs are wonderful - cars, like planes are flying, and do not go over bumps and speed bumps like we have in Russia. Yes, and taxi drivers, although black, a little scary for Russian girls, are all dressed in uniform (in white shirts and dark trousers, this immediately catches the eye after Moscow), with their own ID (that is, you can always find it), with a navigator (not get lost) and, of course, a counter, so they won’t say their amount taken from their heads, as our Russian taxi drivers, especially private traders, like to do.
Of course, life in the United Arab Emirates is significantly different from life in Moscow, it cannot be otherwise, but this needs to be written in a separate post. Now I want to tell you what I did at the end of January in a foreign country and how it all ended.
Mom and I got into a taxi. And as soon as we turned the corner, a picture opened up in front of me, which is present in almost any Hollywood film about love. I was sitting in the car, and he was standing in the middle of the street, languidly looking at me and waving goodbye. And here it usually happens like this: the heroine asks to stop the car, runs out of it, throws herself on the neck of her lover and says that she loves him madly and she will not fly anywhere. I didn’t have this, of course, but this picture flashed through my head and even something pinched my heart: “Maybe the email should have been left to the boy? Or maybe this is my destiny? But the car flew away, as well as the thoughts that came to the head for a few minutes, or rather to the brain, then just as quickly left it. “He said that we would see each other again,” I justified myself somewhere inside. - So, see you. Let him turn everything in the world and look for me. Although I understood that such a course of action is simply impossible.
We safely passed customs, stocked up with various goods at the Duty Free and boarded the plane. Our flight was delayed and we took off almost an hour later than the indicated time on the ticket. And all because our Russian tourists shopped heartily in Dubai (during the great sales!) and did not bother to put all their things in luggage, but took them with them on board. Naturally, the landing was delayed, there were not enough luggage racks to accommodate Dolce jackets, bags from Michael Kors, warm sweaters from Tom Ford. The poor flight attendants all hid in the back kitchen and no one even came out to help the passengers with their hand luggage. Only when the situation with things reached its climax, one of the stewardesses entered the cabin with the words: “Pack your things quickly! And then we will never fly away!” The service is top notch, of course. But this is not the Etihad and not the Emirates. One woman at the end of the salon raised a cry that someone had put their things on her own shelf (I wonder if she also bought it along with the ticket?!). She demanded that they be removed from there immediately. The head stewardess came, a young girl who, most likely, had recently become a foreman. She could not calm down this woman, somehow agree with her, explain that the shelves above the passenger seats were not fixed in specific places. And, if the shelves above your seat are free, then the passengers sitting next to you can safely put their luggage there. And since this situation was a stalemate, there was no need to explain this, things are so obvious! But the woman did not subside, the whole plane had already turned its necks in her direction, in order to hint to the brawler with its facial expression that it was time to calm down, the performance was over, everyone wanted to go home to Moscow. As a result, the woman was transferred to a superior cabin (sorry, but I don’t know how this class of service is called in this airline, but there is more legroom) and she calmed down. The senior flight attendant greeted the passengers, welcoming them on board the aircraft, and wished everyone a pleasant flight. Then the commander of the ship muttered something in a half-asleep voice, getting confused in the time of arrival, thereby making all the passengers laugh, the flight attendants handed out flight sweets to everyone, made sure that everyone had fastened seat belts. And now we taxied to the runway, we already wanted the plane to take off from Arab soil, but no ... for some reason we were not given permission to take off. And we stood for another half an hour and waited for the command or our turn to take off. I managed to take a nap during these half an hour and I even dreamed something.
And as soon as we took off, I began to remember those three crazy days in the United Arab Emirates.
How did it all start? Even when I worked at Aeroflot, once a flight attendant flew with us in the same crew, who moved to our company from Emirates. We served the passengers, the flight was long and we had time to chat. I began to ask her about her previous work, about where she flew, where in what countries she visited - everything was interesting to me. Even then, and that was a year and a half ago, I thought to myself: “It would be great to work in a foreign company, fly around the globe, meet people of different nationalities! What an invaluable experience! Where can you buy this in Moscow? Where in the capital can you find such a job?” And this airline also provided its employees with free comfortable housing and transport to the place of work - well, isn’t it from the realm of fantasy? Girls from different cities of Russia worked in our company, they came to the capital and were forced to look for their own housing, pay for it themselves, spend money on transport to the airport. And here is a real Arab fairy tale - come to our country, we will provide you with housing, and a beautiful uniform, and you will see the world (they have all of Europe on business trips in the best hotels), and, most importantly, you will receive a decent salary. But about the minuses, of course, everyone is silent, namely, that you will live in a foreign culture among a different mentality, that at night you will be woken up by songs from the mosque calling all Muslims to prayer, and, of course, 50-degree heat for almost half a year .
I then thought about this work and forgot. She quit Aeroflot, moved to live in St. Petersburg. She began to work as a secretary and sometimes replace teachers when they were sick. Every day I got up at 6 in the morning, and sometimes even earlier, went to work in the cold, sat with spoiled children, somehow withstood their whims and the whims of their parents. She listened to the dissatisfaction of her superiors, looked from the schoolyard at the planes in the sky and recalled her flying career. I missed. I missed the irregular schedule, when you don’t have to get up early every morning and run to work, I missed sunny Dubai, which I visited probably 6 times in a year and a half at Aeroflot. My creative nature could not stand this five-day "prison" and six months later I returned back to Moscow. In the capital, she began to look for a new job, updated her resume, added one more little work experience in St. Petersburg and began to wait for answers from employers. There were responses, but I was not satisfied either with too little salary, or the work itself was boring and not interesting without any prospects for the future. Although I went to interviews, I did not want to work anywhere. Then the idea came to me to volunteer for the Olympics in Sochi. But I was late with the application, it had to be sent back in March, and I realized it only in the summer. I began to look for work in Sochi during the games, looked at various vacancies, even as a waitress and at the reception at the hotel. There was one fairly good vacancy - to work with foreigners, send applications to the base in case of a cellular connection failure. It seems that the conditions were not bad: payment for travel back and forth, provision of housing and food at the time of work, and the work itself was not physically hard and not dusty. Stand behind the counter, smile at everyone and fill out the application correctly. But they promised a small salary, for a month of work only 20 thousand rubles. I came for an interview, it seems, I went well, but there is no peace in the heart of the world and some kind of joy from this work. She sat at home weighed all the pros and cons and refused. Sochi as an option was generally discarded. Around the end of the summer, on VKontakte, I stumbled upon the page of a flight attendant from the Arab airline Etihad Airways, she wrote very actively about her work on her wall, posted beautiful photos in uniform and in different parts of the world: today she is walking in Paris near Louvre, and tomorrow she is in Sydney riding a small boat, photographed against the backdrop of the Sydney Opera House. I wrote her a message in which I told about myself, that I was also a former flight attendant and now I am looking for a job. I began to ask her questions about her company, how to get a job, how they work, where they fly, how long business trips last, etc. Then I came across the blog of another flight attendant from the same company. I began to correspond with her, then she offered to go on Skype and chat there “live”, where she would tell everything in detail. Around the same time, I found a blog of a flight attendant from Emirates. I read it, then other reviews about this company, and nevertheless decided to go to Etihad, it seemed to me that they had better conditions for flight attendants, and the salary was higher (one Etihad stewardess wrote to me about this, as if by secret).
I want to say that from the moment I thought about trying to get an interview at Etihad, and before submitting my application, almost six months passed. All this time I was in doubt whether I could work there, whether my English would be enough for this job, how I would live in a foreign country, and I was only able to overcome 150 other torments and fears within myself on December 25, 2013. It was on Christmas that I filled out a form on the official website of the company, attaching photos and my resume there, and, of course, praying that if it was from God, let them invite me for an interview. I filled it out and left for the church for the Christmas service. I return home late in the evening, open the computer, go to my mail, and there is already an answer, an invitation to an interview. My joy knew no bounds! As a Christmas present or even a Christmas miracle! I was in 7th heaven with happiness. The letter indicated several dates and cities where the interview would take place. I had to choose myself when and in which city it would be most convenient for me to come. I want to say that the company recruits flight attendants from all over the world, so interviews are also held in different cities, not only in Abu Dhabi. At first, I wanted to go to Serbia, to Belgrade, because there were cheap plane tickets and you don’t need a visa for citizens of the Russian Federation (it’s very convenient, it saves a lot of money and time to get it). But, after having a Skype call with her new stewardess friend from Etihad, she changed her mind in favor of Abu Dhabi. Katya, that's the name of the girl, invited me to come and stay with her for the duration of the interview. And she lived in an apartment provided to her by the company. That is, I had the opportunity to see with my own eyes the conditions in which the stewards live. The offer was tempting, but at the same time, other obstacles appeared - this is obtaining a visa to the UAE and buying a ticket for a direct flight from Moscow to Abu Dhabi. The only company that had such flights, of course, was Etihad. But when I saw the ticket prices, my hair stood on end, for that kind of money I would have flown to New York with Aeroflot round-trip. What to do? Mom offered to go to a tour agency and take some inexpensive tour for 3 days in Abu Dhabi. So I did. But there they began to frighten me that they would not give me a visa when I was young, and even one more traveler. “You'd better go with your mother, then the chances of getting a visa are almost 100%,” suggested an agent in a travel agency. I came home, talked to my mother, and after a couple of days 2 of our passports were on their table, the hotel was booked, tickets for a charter flight were waiting for confirmation. God gave us a big gift, for 18,000 rubles we flew together for 3 days to a sunny country, and this amount included a visa, a hotel with breakfast, insurance, and a flight. Isn't it a miracle? We then told everyone how cheaply we bought tickets to the UAE, but no one believed us. And this is how God did it, especially for us, because He knew that we had a small budget.
True, I had to fly to Dubai, and from there I would have to get to Abu Dhabi on the bed-chambers.
We got to the hotel, checked in and went to look for the nearest bank to exchange money. The banks were already all closed, and in order not to sit in hotels, but to enjoy the warm sea air (and the bay was a 5-minute walk from us), we went aimlessly. Our eyes led us to the Abu Dhabi Moll, where we exchanged our currency and had time to go shopping. I want to note that in Abu Dhabi, unlike Dubai, there were no sales. In some stores there were no discounts at all. We were surprised. But I want to move on to the main thing - this is my interview.
As we agreed with Katya, she came to pick me up at the hotel so that we could go with her to her apartment, and from there in the morning I was supposed to go for an interview at the Etihad company. That's how it all happened. And the continuation of the story in the next blog.

Latest review for Etihad Airways. We have long wanted to fly with Etihad Airways and finally the wish came true. We made 2 flights on the route Moscow - Kuala Lumpur with a transfer in Abu Dhabi. We share our experiences so you can draw your own conclusions about what to expect from Etihad Airways.

Etihad Airways review

I must say right away that the expectations from the airline did not materialize.
I don't know why, but we used to consider Etihad an airline of the same level as or. But in fact, this is the level, let's say, of Aeroflot. Only the flight attendants smile.

The first thing that spoiled the impression was e-mail spam from the Etihads, which began a week before departure. After the third letter, I could not stand it and unsubscribed from the mailing list. But still, another letter arrived on the eve of departure.

Where can I order a transfer from the airport?

We use the service - KiwiTaxi
Ordered a taxi online, paid by card. We were greeted at the airport with a sign with our name on it. We were taken to the hotel in a comfortable car. You have already talked about your experience in this article

Flight EY 68 Moscow — Abu Dhabi

Time: 12:50 - 19:05
In flight: 5.5 hours

The second unpleasant impression is the queue for registration at Domodedovo. The queue itself is small, only 10 people, but each passenger is served for 5-10 minutes. Why? What's so difficult about taking luggage and printing your boarding pass?

We stood for about 40 minutes ... Fortunately, there was time, we arrived at the airport in 3 hours. When we finally approached the check-in desk, we were asked to show the paid return ticket from Malaysia. It’s good that such a ticket was bought from us, as it was required for. The employee checked the ticket number in the database. Otherwise they wouldn't have let me on the plane.

• Baggage allowance for Etihad Airlines: 23 kg + 10 kg hand luggage.

We go to the salon. It can be seen that the plane is not new. But the finish is of high quality, neat chairs of a pleasant sand color.

Enough legroom. The chairs are not narrow. It wasn't tight. In the back of the chair there is a convenient pocket for a bottle of water. Built-in monitors work, a good selection of films in English, music, games, a map, a camera. Watched the new Star Wars episode. There are USB chargers. Also, each passenger is provided with a blanket and a pillow (dirty).

Everything seems fine, but the chairs do not fold out

Departure from Moscow without delay.

Nutrition. What do they feed Etihad airways

The food on board at the Etihads disappointed us too
We were expecting "haute cuisine", like the Cathars and Turks, but got a choice of a regular cutlet with rice or pasta with gravy. Food and drinks for 5 hours of flight were served only 1 time after takeoff. There were no nuts or cookies. From the advantages of food, we note delicious wine and metal cutlery.

Transit through Abu Dhabi

The flight from Moscow to Abu Dhabi takes about 5 hours and 30 minutes. Landing over the desert. It is interesting to look through the window.

The new terminal in Abu Dhabi has not yet opened. In the photo below you can see the cranes and the construction site at the airport.

Abu Dhabi airport is huge, clean and quiet. Transit time 3 hours. You don't need to take luggage. After the first flight, we were hungry and had a bite to eat at McDonald's. Prices are reasonable, two of us ate for $12. We paid by card so as not to change money.

We walked around the duty free shops, went to the other end of the airport, lay for half an hour on the most comfortable sun loungers. At Moscow airports, they are now trying in every possible way to prohibit lying on chairs, but in Abu Dhabi, on the contrary, there are even sunbeds (in the photo above on the right). Connected to wi-fi for free, without SMS and registration

Flight EY 418 Abu Dhabi — Kuala Lumpur

Time: 22:25 - 10:20
In flight: about 8 hours

The plane is big, but the seats are more cramped. When registering online, we chose places at the end of the salon where you can sit in twos, so that without a neighbor. The flight was delayed by about an hour. Air traffic control did not give permission for takeoff. The pilot is American.

Feeding was again unappetizing. You can eat when you are hungry. Good wine again saved the day. There was also beer and whiskey to choose from. They pour alcohol even in spite of Ramadan.

All passengers rely only on blankets and pillows (again stale). No slippers, socks, blindfolds and other trifles are given

I put on a bandage with the Qatar Airways logo at night. I hope someone from the airline was ashamed that their passengers use the accessories of a competitive airline.

It was almost impossible to sleep. The chairs are cramped and hardly fold out. Having made an effort, we managed to recline the back a little (it turned out to be returned to its original position only with the help of the stewardess). The salon is not full, the uncultured Malay neighbor to the left of us was a little more fortunate:

In the morning, an hour before landing, breakfast was served - 2 cold sandwiches in a bag
Satisfied with empty coffee. Coffee is so so

Disposable toothbrushes with paste were also not given to anyone.

Time in flight somehow caught up and landed in Kuala Lumpur on schedule. Fine! Good luck on the next flight.

Outcome

What conclusions can be drawn:

Etihad Airways is the most common carrier. Definitely not luxury, not luxury, not prestige. I would even say that Etihad is a budget airline. Perhaps things are better in business class, but in economy you have seen how.

You can fly Etihads if you have profitable tickets. They have good sales, for which we bought tickets from Moscow to Kuala Lumpur for 17 thousand rubles per person. But you should not expect any additional comfort from them. The main thing is that they flew. It definitely makes no sense to buy tickets for Etihad flights specifically for the sake of service, Qatar and Turkish are much better.

To be honest, we were disappointed. Although they themselves are to blame. This is what always happens when there is a misconception. Etihad marketers did their best, otherwise how could we have such high expectations… Either Etihad used to be on the level, but now they have deteriorated.

If you have flown with Etihad Airlines, please leave your feedback in the comments. What did you like, what didn't you like? If you haven’t flown, but have long wanted to try them, then how do you like such an unexpected truth about this airline?

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In one year, I managed to make my most cherished dreams come true, I visited many new countries, saw Niagara Falls, Neuschwanstein Castle, pandas in China, kangaroos in Australia, leopards in Johannesburg, Big Ben, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Chichen -Itza, the Statue of Christ the Redeemer, spent the night in a castle in Scotland, visited Irish pubs and the Sex Museum in Amsterdam, and a year ago I doubted that I could even return to the UAE.

If this is my first youthful love, then Etihad Airways - This is a respectable and wealthy man, in a gray suit from Brioni and cufflinks from Mont Blanc. He gave me everything that I lacked in a relationship with the "ex". A good apartment with a swimming pool in the capital of the UAE, transport, clothes from the Italian designer Ettore Billota and, most importantly, the ability to travel. I understood well that I should correspond to such a handsome man, both in appearance, and behavior, and lifestyle. Over time, I not only admired and respected him, I fell in love like I never loved anyone and never before . I did not notice any shortcomings in him, no matter how hard my friends and colleagues talked about them.

INTERVIEW

According to the classics of the genre of such stories - there were two girlfriends, one of them was the initiator and generator of the idea to send a resume to Etihad Airways, the second sent for the company and was interviewed. I didn’t even take this act seriously, but now I will be grateful to my friend all my life.

Some time after filling out the questionnaire on the site, they sent me an answer and I had to choose the date of the interview. Nothing from the list suited me, I had a flight on each of these days, so I chose the very first interview so as not to suffer for a long time waiting. Now, having breakfast, on a flight, during silent review and sleepless nights, I came up with the most insidious, compromising, tricky questions and good answers to them. I didn't know the answer to one question Why did you decide to change airlines? ". Not only did I not know the answer to what would suit recruiters Etihad Airways I didn't even know why I actually wanted to leave Air Arabia.

To a greater extent, preparation for the interview was to create an image. I prepared everything to the smallest detail. I went to the Louis Fé raud store, where the sellers were exactly the kind of men to whom I am not indifferent: handsome, neat, with fashionable haircuts and beautiful hands. I asked them to find me such a shirt and skirt so that even they could not refuse me. I trusted their choice. Now I will not be a frightened student from the periphery. The trump card in my hands was that I don't want to be a flight attendant, I'm already a flight attendant.

It was my first time riding a bus in Abu Dhabi. I bought a ticket at the box office. And honestly, at that moment I felt that this ticket will change my life!

We were given visitor badges and numbers. My lucky number was 116. There were about 150 candidates from all over the world. There were also Air Arabia flight attendants, which meant that by the evening everyone in Sharjah would know that I was at the interview. Many candidates specially flew to Abu Dhabi for an interview from Ireland, France, Norway, South Africa, Korea. And I just bought a ticket for 30 dirhams.

At the very beginning, when we were put on the list, they checked our height, asked us to reach out with our hand to the mark on the wall of 210 cm, and examined our hands. We asked a couple more questions about the weather.

First stage - you need to tell about the person that is sitting next to you. I was sitting next to a girl from Kazakhstan who works in Dubai. During the performance, I could not even pronounce her name, a complex Kazakh name, I could barely read from her tablet, and then I said the stupidest school phrase « she likes to read books and listen to music» . I will never forget this offer in my life. I regretted a hundred times that I said that, but that's all she told me about herself. Other candidates talked a lot, joked about the origin of the name and the country they came from, told about hobbies and interesting facts from the neighbor’s biography, and I said, “ she likes to read books and listen to music". Would you like to change something in the past? Then, most of all, I would like to have the opportunity to present a Kazakh woman in a different way. Then we were given tests from English. Elementary, simple tasks for middle school students, but it wouldn't be me if I wasn't looking for a hidden meaning in everything. I was sure that everything is not so simple there, that there you need to look for some logical tricks and show resourcefulness. But in fact - the answers are just as simple as it seems at first glance.

Numbers were called the leading intonation of the "X-factor". All the beautiful and interesting people were in another group, I realized - that's it. She picked up her bag and said to herself, “Well, I didn’t really want to. I still have a hotel paid for there for a day, ”and decided that it would be nice to swim in the pool today. But I can’t create intrigue, because you know what this story is about. I made it to the second round.

Second phase team Work is the most dangerous competition. The task will be simple - prepare a travel package for the family, take the most necessary things to a desert island, or choose who to put in a hotel room and who to refuse it. As you can see, there are no right answers. They are not needed, as well as the result of work on the project. Recruiters care about how you work in a team. I left the group and the girl who terribly infuriated me in the group, but everyone else was just plankton, no matter how rude it may sound. Advice to those who have gathered for an interview - do not be silent, show yourself, participate in the discussion, because you will have a second chance only in six months, or not at all.

Final third stage . 22 candidates. From the CIS countries, only me, a few more Arabs, Koreans, two girls from South Africa, one from Pakistan, Europeans. There are no guys. There were very few of them at first.

All beautiful, young, smart, educated, hardworking, ambitious. I asked myself the question “What are you better than them?”. Everyone is well aware that they will take only a few, and someone will have to return home. This is where you have to "sell" yourself for as much as possible. But what makes me different from other candidates? I'm not prettier or smarter than them. But I have one feature that not everyone is endowed with, but only the elect on this planet: I am happy! I didn't grab this position, I didn't carry any nonsense about my dream job, the most romantic profession and the opportunity to see the world. I said I'm happy Air Arabia I like my job and my company. “And all I can offer you is a worker with experience in aviation, a winner in life and a psychologist by training. And if I don’t suit you in any way, then you give another airline the opportunity to thrive and develop with the help of my ambition and love of work. I answered many questions in present times, as if I was already an Etihad stewardess, because I did not doubt myself for a second, I knew this was mine!

NEWS ABOUT MY ENGAGEMENT OR WHAT I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO GIVE UP

WELCOME TO ABU DHABI

When I arrived in Abu Dhabi, I was not excited I didn't have that twinkle in my eye like a lot of brand new flight attendants. On the contrary, I had such an emptiness inside and complete indifference that I still regret that I cannot live this period again.

On the BelAvia plane, I noticed two girls from Ukraine who were also flying to work in Etihad. I understood this immediately from their dress code and printed textbooks that were sent in advance from the company. But I couldn't get to know them, I couldn't talk, because I didn't want to. I didn't even want to see people at that moment. And the entire staff of the 95 Kvartal Studio flew with us on the flight, but even this did not cheer me up.

Nihilism and apathy were the result of the stress of being fired, uncertainty about the future, and the arrival in Ukraine left no small imprint. Nobody expected snow to fall in October. I couldn't sleep thinking that if I didn't go back to the UAE, I would never meet the guy of my dreams and pick up my Jimmi Choo shoes from Sharjah. The dullness of everyday life, cold weather, gloomy sellers and gloomy passers-by, forced me. I drove my thoughts away, but listening to the songs of my favorite band “The Hardkiss” on the bus, I thought “And if nothing works out? What will you do in Ukraine?” I even visited former colleagues and thought that I would return to work with them. I watched the ads in the newspapers and mentally prepared myself for the fact that teaching at the university is great! But first, I must try at all costs to return to the Emirates and not let the dream of a hat with a veil be only pages in a diary.

I have the opportunity to start all over again. I'm moving to a new city where no one knows me. I can be anyone, I can tell about myself what I want, but I wanted to be nobody, so that no one would pay attention to me at all.

The only joy in my life was a young man whom I wanted to meet in Abu Dhabi more than even work in Etihad. And I was very afraid of this thought. I had what many of you dream of, but I didn’t realize it, I didn’t have the strength to rejoice at all. Despite the fact that I am a sociopath, this period has surpassed all my inclinations to recluse. First, I had "new-in-class" syndrome. I compared mine with the group in AirArabia and missed them very much. At home, I missed Katya and Leshka, and I simply did not want to trust the new flatmates.

Secondly, the "nerd" syndrome returned to me and I really enjoyed my studies, but I never went out with my group. The highest degree of nerdism is inherent in "show off" and a thirst for excellence in everything. It is not strange that the group did not like me very much. On the very first day of training, I agreed to be the photographer of my group, because I love taking pictures and the main reason was the desire not to be photographed. I succeeded. For the first few months, I didn’t even have news on social networks.

After the trainings, which ended at 16:00, and by 17:00 we were at home, I was going on a date. Only walks along the Corniche with a young man brought me back to reality, to normal life. But I, like Cinderella, had to return to accommodation by 23:00, because we had a curfew, which I would not violate for anything. And when I returned home, most often at 22:58, I continued to read the manual, even if I had already read this section at recess, while everyone was having lunch. I don't understand how I survived those two months without sleep or food.

At night, I woke up in a cold sweat from the fear that everything could end, that at any moment I could be deported, thrown out of the apartment like a yard dog, that I climbed in to warm up and already poked my face into a plate. Because I broke the law. I was not allowed to work for a competing airline. And now I had something to lose!

For all this period, I was delighted only from the apartment. When we were brought to Al Forsan - a bright complex with villas and 7-storey houses built in a circle, I didn't believe my eyes.

It reminded me of ancient Rome, and did not at all resemble the Muslim world. It is so quiet and calm here, even prayers are not heard from the mosques. After all, Al Forsan, as we joke, Middle of Nowhere, in the middle of the desert, where there is nothing. It can't be that flight attendants live here! We were given a chic new apartment with appliances, dishes, towels, bedding. Everything you need for life! There was even a “dry ration” for the first time.

In the evening after moving to Al Forsan, I was sitting on the balcony with my cohabitant (and now a friend) Yulia from Belarus. She offered to drink wine, I replied that I did not drink. "What a nerd! And should I live with her? - she thought then and admitted it only recently. We didn't get along at first. The thing is, we don't give a damn about each other. Our opinions differ on almost everything. How she infuriated me at trainings, how we almost quarreled when deciding what to name the network WiFi and how difficult it is to choose a movie in the cinema. But Stockholm Syndrome worked for me. Imprisonment in Al Forsan brought us closer, but I did not immediately understand how much she was dear to me.

My diary entry in April (half a year at Etihad):

“Between a deep sleep and watching another melodrama, I realized how dear one person is to me - my neighbor Julia. For a long time I did not want to recognize her as a friend, and openly stated this, but without her I can no longer imagine my life. At the beginning of our acquaintance, we did not get along very well, could not find a compromise in anything, even in choosing a movie in the cinema, and probably irritated each other very much. But now that she's gone to work, I miss her so much. Julia often comes to me with the phrase "Talk to me!". But it was precisely the conversations with her that had not yet turned me into a homo erectus. She is interested in many of my hobbies, even if she is not interested at all. Julia reads my articles on blogs, together we think of new images for cosplay, share novelties from cosmetics and perfumes, discuss why we have not yet met worthy men and where to go on vacation. Yesterday I announced that I would no longer write about Abu Dhabi and my adventures on the Internet, no one needs this anyway, and I was struck by how Yulia persuaded me to continue writing this nonsense. She gave so many funny arguments that if you believe her, then without my news, all people will become uneducated on this planet. She brings me magazines and gives me good things to think about! She is my muse! And she saves me from starvation, from delicious meatballs to sandwiches. I wish everyone to find such a strong and independent girlfriend!”

Now you won't be the prettiest stewardess on board

When I was leaving Air Arabia, my best friend Katya jokingly said, “Now you will not be the most beautiful stewardess on board,” I remember this phrase so much, and I understood that she was absolutely right. After I saw the promotional girls at Formula 1, I was once again convinced that Katya saw my future. It will not surprise anyone here that you were an actress or model before. At Etihad Airways, all flight attendants are like top models. And then I made a promise to myself that I would not strive to become as fashionable and popular as these girls, first of all i want to be a good person which I have never been able to do before. I promised myself that nothing will change me , will not kill my love for work and life in me, I will keep my thirst to know the world and passion for travel, I will never forget where I come from, I will visit my friends in Sharjah, partly whose merit was that I am now in Etihad , I will be grateful to everyone who once helped me and will try to make my family happy. But I didn't keep my promise that I wouldn't change. I have changed a lot! It's no secret that I used to not like children and was a racist, and in Sharjah racism was even more exacerbated. But working at Etihad influenced me. Sometimes I didn't recognize myself. At first, I was even ashamed to do good, it was like a sign of weakness. In fact, only strong, brave, independent people can do good without expecting anything in return, do good contrary to their desires.

Now I do not like the soul in children (although not in all), I love to draw, play, talk with them. While I was struggling with my demons - complexes and fears, I realized that they were all laid down from childhood, I remembered who and how influenced my fate. This means that I am also responsible for the future of every child on board. Maybe this is his first flight, maybe he has a dream of becoming a flight attendant, maybe he just wants to hang out with an aunt with purple lipstick.

The phrase "I am sorry" is a different story. This is my most frequently used phrase. It is clear that there is little sense in it and there is no sincerity at all, but I apologize regardless of whether I am guilty or not, and I even apologize for my colleagues. Thus, for the whole year I did not have a single conflict or complaint. I do not need them! While I am in shape, I have no opinion, no pride, no interests and no needs. I will bow my head to any person, just to avoid conflict. Do you think I'm wrong? Please, but I work like this and I always come home in a good mood.

A lot more changes happened in my mind, my outlook on life, plans for the future changed, there was a reassessment of values, I began to trust people more, forgive insults and recall failures and small tragedies with gratitude, because this is an invaluable experience. And a couple of days ago, I changed the line “The main thing in life”, “Glory and influence” in the “VKontakte” questionnaire to “Improving the world”. And these are not just words, I believe in it!

Let's start with an overview of flight attendant earnings in general and move on to a more detailed look at flight attendant salaries in the main target airlines of our SkyJob project:

• Emirates Airline (UAE),
• Etihad Airways (UAE),
• Qatar Airways (Qatar),
• MAU (Ukraine).

Stewardess salary: rate + flight

The salary of flight attendants of any airline is not a fixed figure, it varies and consists of two main parts: this is the actual rate and the so-called "flight". " Plaque” is the number of hours that a flight attendant spends on board an aircraft. This is her working time, which starts when she boards the plane before the start of the flight before the passengers have boarded, and ends when she leaves the plane after all the passengers and following the work instructions. Flight time may vary from month to month and also depends on the season of flight navigation. As a rule, it is the main part of the salary. There is also per diem - travel money, which is issued by the airline additionally if you stay in any country for a day or more between round-trip flights. Per diems are fixed by law and differ in different countries and depending on the host country. About them below.

In large, world-famous high-level airlines, stewardesses have good earnings, especially in relation to the realities in Ukraine. Note that salaries in the top three world leaders - our target airlines, in which we train our girls and boys, Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, are approximately the same level, so let's dwell on Emirates Airline in more detail, which will give an understanding of earnings and two other airlines. For convenience, all figures are translated from the UAE currency "dirham" and from Qatari reals to dollars.

How much do flight attendants earn at Emirates Airline

Since 2014, Emirates has been ranked as the "Most Valuable Airline Brand" in the world. And, of course, the salary of flight attendants in this famous airline corresponds to its high level. After a successful interview, the airline issues a work visa to the candidate, sends a work contract, an invitation and tickets to Dubai. The contract is concluded for three years, and then can be extended by agreement. The first 6 months is a trial period.

The stewardess starts flying at the initial stage - in economy class and receives $ 1,160 per month. rates + 15.52 dollars per flight hour (raid). Large airlines like Emirates have many regular flights, and flight attendants get an average of about 90 hours a month, sometimes a little less, and sometimes more. For 90 hours of flight, the stewardess will receive 1396.8 dollars, and in total with the rate the salary will be 1160 + 1396.8 = 2556.8 dollars. In economy, she flies for about two years, and the next class is business class. flight attendant salary increases: up to 1187 dollars the rate and up to 18.24 dollars per flight hour. To summarize: 90 flight hours per month is 1187+1641.6= 2828.6 dollars. As you can see, after two years of work in an airline like Emirates, a flight attendant earns about $3,000, and at the current dollar/hryvnia exchange rate, this is about 80 000 UAH per month. Such a salary can be received by a guy / girl with no experience, getting a job after graduation, and at the same time flying around the world. This is the main goal of our training - to teach a student or any other person without experience and attitude to aviation how to become a flight attendant in such an airline. And our successful graduates, and in the recent past, simple students who now already fly in foreign airlines are proof that all this is real.

In the highest class of flight attendant work - first class - she receives the same $1187 rates, as in business class, but higher per flight hour - 19.74 dollars. For a month with 90 flight hours, her salary will be 1187+1776.6= $2963.6

Further, the stewardess can become a senior in business or economy class (the so-called SFS - Senior Flight Steward or as they are now commonly called: CSV - CabinSupervisor). In this position, the rate is 1314 dollars, and the flight hour is 22.87 dollars. The total salary of a stewardess for a month with 90 flight hours will be 3372.3 dollars. And finally, after a long experience in this work and the constant successful performance of their duties, the stewardess can become a senior flight attendant - Purser and receive 1502 dollars. rates and 24.51 dollars. per flight hour. 90 flight hours per month + rate will bring her a salary in the form of $3,707.9. And according to our familiar Emirates flight attendants, they used to get more than 100 hours of flight, that is, Purser receives about 4000 dollars wages.

At the same time, 41 dollars. every month is deducted from the salary of the stewardess for health insurance.

Travel allowances

And here are some figures on business trips in different countries. Additionally, as a daily allowance, stewardesses receive 57 pounds per day in London, 88 Euro per day in Paris, 148 dollars. for 30 hours in New York, etc.

It is noteworthy that 90.95 dollars. every month for three years of the contract is withdrawn from the salary of the stewardess. This money is put into a special account and accumulated. This is compensation for the costs of the airline and its training, this is insurance in case of termination of the contract by the stewardess. But after she has worked out the contract and, accordingly, the funds invested in her training, this money is returned to her. At the end of the contract for three years, flight attendants receive 12 * 90.95 * 3 = 3274 USD

Bonuses

Here are some numbers on flight attendant bonuses. At the end of the contract, flight attendants receive a bonus 1634 dollars There are also annual bonuses up to the salary, taking into account the financial results of the year. If an airline makes a lot of money, all employees receive a bonus at the end of the year. But it can be different, depending on how good everything is in the airline. Additional bonuses are also paid later for seniority.

How much do flight attendants earn at Etihad Airways

Approximately at the same level, the stewardesses of the UAE national airline Etihad Airways earn, which is the second largest in the UAE after Emirates Airline and the third largest in the entire Middle East. According to our fellow flight attendants from Etihad, they still get a little more.

In the national airline of the state of Qatar, Qatar Airways, the salary level of flight attendants is the same and bonuses are calculated according to similar principles. In economy class, the Qatar Airways stewardess rate is $989.01. for a probationary period of 6 months, the flight hour is paid at a price of 12.36 dollars. That is, for 90 hours of flight per month, a novice stewardess receives 989 + 1112.4 = $2101.05 After half a year of work, the rate increases to 1098.9 dollars, in total with a raid it turns out 2211.3 dollars. And then it grows with promotion in classes, like Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways.

Kuwait Airways

Kuwait Airways is another airline from the Middle East that is rapidly developing and has started recruiting in Ukraine since 2016. There is still no very accurate data on the salaries of flight attendants in this airline. According to information from our successful graduate, since the first group that became a flight attendant at Kuwait Airways, the first three months while the flight attendants are still on probation, they earn a total of about 1900 dollars, after that - about 2500 USD

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA)

Regarding the Ukrainian airline "Ukraine International Airlines" (UIA), the salary of its flight attendants is a trade secret that UIA representatives will not make public. According to information from our sources, their minimum rate under the law is UAH 3,200.

The flight hour of ordinary flight attendants is paid in the amount of about 2 dollars (approximately 50 UAH), senior flight attendants - about 2.5 dollars. (65 UAH). A simple flight attendant with 90 flight hours gets 3200+4000=7200. But where does the figure of UAH 15,000 declared by UIA come from? The answer is per diem. Firstly, according to Ukrainian legislation, the company must pay per diem, that is, travel allowance, to an employee when he crosses the border of Ukraine for work purposes. And for stewardesses, a round-trip flight on the same day with a stopover of one hour at the airport of another state is considered a business trip, since it formally crossed the border of Ukraine, and therefore it is legally entitled to daily allowance. That is, a flight attendant takes off in the morning, for example, to Germany, returns back to Ukraine in the evening, and in addition to charging money for a few hours of flight, she receives 50 dollars. daily allowance (according to the norms established by law) for this flight.

Secondly, since in distant foreign cities where stewardesses stay for one or several days waiting for their flight back (for example, New York, Bangkok, etc.), crew accommodation in hotels with breakfast included is paid by the airline, the stewardess can save, not having spent all the money from the daily allowance allocated to her, and part of this money remains. Daily allowance is a significant - a large part of the salary of flight attendants of the Ukrainian airline UIA. This is how the final figure per month is obtained - from 15,000 to 20,000 UAH and more.

Some successful graduates of our training, who, while still students, asked how to become a flight attendant and eventually came to us for training, now fly to UIA, not counting every flight and every hryvnia, but are simply satisfied with the final salary and the work itself.