Best-looking flight attendants survey 'offensive'

[Ryan N]

Best-looking flight attendants survey 'offensive'
February 24, 2011 - 11:18AM

Singapore Airlines cabin crew were rated second in the survey behind Virgin Atlantic. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants called the survey offensive.

For decades, airlines hired only young, single women to work as flight attendants to put a pretty face on in-flight services.

But in the 1960s and '70s, airline unions pressed the carriers to allow any qualified person to work as a flight attendant regardless of gender, age or appearance.

That didn't stop the organisers of the recent Business Travel and Meetings Show in London from taking a survey of 1000 participants to choose the airline with the best-looking flight crew.

Of those questioned, 53 per cent said Virgin Atlantic's crew was the most attractive, followed by 18 per cent for Singapore Airlines' crew and 12 per cent for Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates.

Jeff Pharr, a spokesman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, called the survey "very offensive." The group represents nearly 18,000 flight attendants who work for American Airlines.

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, flight attendants play a much more important role than just serving drinks with a smile, Pharr said.

"We are the first responders on the plane," he said. "I don't see that looks have anything to do with that."

The Business Travel and Meetings Show calls itself "Europe's leading event for the business travel and meetings industry". The event took place earlier this month.

MCT

[David Ramsay]

I recall back in 1987 when Ansett New Zealand first started flying, they made a statement that they employed young attractive female flight attendants because at the end of a long day businessmen didn't want to be served by anything less.

They were probably right but imagine trying that today.

[D Chan]

Originally Posted by David Ramsay

because at the end of a long day businessmen didn't want to be served by anything less.

try United's transpacific flight to the US... the only ones are granny age

I guess this is part of the reason why air travel has lost its glamour