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40 Age limit for retirement for Female Cabin Crew at MAS is discrimatory

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Airline's crew rules 'embarrassing'

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines' work policies for its women flight attendants are "embarrassing", says the MAS Employees Union's executive secretary since 2003, Mustafar Maarof.

"I was asked often about MAS's employment policies at the Civil Aviation Union international conferences in Vienna and Toronto," he said, adding that the international community viewed discrimination at work "very seriously".

 

"I don't like to put my country down but, when people ask me, I have to tell the truth. It's disappointing and embarrassing that our national airline's employment policies aren't on par with those of other national carriers," Mustafar told the New Straits Times yesterday.

 

Commenting on a New Sunday Times report on a paper written by a Universiti Malaysia Terengganu lecturer, he said the debate over the retirement age for women cabin crew had been going on for a long time.

 

"At MAS, most female flight attendants retire at 40. Lead cabin crew can work till they are 45. Men retire at 55 no matter what (their) grade.

 

 

"This is highly discriminatory. There are national carriers in Asia where women cabin crew retire much later."

 

Japan Airlines, Mustafar said, has fixed the retirement age for female cabin crew at 60. Stewardesses at Air India and Indonesia's Garuda International Airlines can work until they are 55.

 

"At 40, a woman may still have a mortgage and other expenses, so she needs a regular income," he said.

 

The paper said MAS had discriminatory employment policies that were contrary to the Constitution and the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which Malaysia ratified in 1995.

 

"Together with women's non-governmental organisations, the union has written countless memoranda urging MAS and the government to review the retirement age," said Mustafar.

 

"Unfortunately, nothing has changed. As a national airline, MAS should stop discriminating against its female cabin crew."

 

At budget airline AirAsia, women flight attendants can work till they are 55.

 

"The retirement age for AirAsia cabin crew, who are all permanent staff, is 55," said a media relations spokes-man.

 

 

 

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AK girls retire at 55? I hope they really make it a point to take seriously good care of those legs!

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Yes, we should benchmark against SQ. I think their requirement is more stringent than MH. Those who are married, getting more children, getting into the 30s, getting fat and getting uglier are surely on the chopping radar.

 

This is the most interesting thread about SQ's flight attendant I ever encounter in A.Net. http://www.airliners.net/discussions/gener...ad.main/3596208

 

One of the A.Netters who replied there, Singaporegirl, who is a Leading Stewardess in SQ said:

 

"i've been flying for the company for many years, and now i am a css (chief stewardess). i will be retiring next year, but that is MY choice (i thought about quitting this year, but changed my mind as i wanted to work on the a380s! hehehe). i have NEVER felt any pressure from the company to quit flying. my husband and i bought a nice villa in bali and will be moving there next year. the past few weeks i've met some people from bali's hotel industry and they seemed to be extremely interested in employing me once i reside in bali full time. mind you i have ZERO experience in hotel's customer relation and yet a couple of 5 star hotels (i shouldn't be name dropping, right? hehehe) seemed to be very interested in me, because of my singapore airlines background.

 

as for my experience working for the company, i seriously don't know that many sq girls that would want to serve pax forever and ever. being a singapore girl is more of a fun thing that you do when you're young. maybe similar to being in a university's sorrority group, you know that it's not going to last forever. as i've mentioned that i've been flying for a while and yes you became jaded a bit. and i really don't think that's a good thing when you're in service industry. i really believe to be a great stewardess, aside for the extensive training that you get from the airline, you do need that "awe" of the whole flying for a living thing (u know new destinations, meeting different people, etc). without that awe, your attitude towards the pax will def change. i know for myself i don't want to serve people anymore, i'm ready for something new and different. i am still very proud of putting on my sarong kebaya uniform, but i also know that if i hold on to this job just for the sake of it, i wouldn't be doing myself nor my pax a favour.

 

i do have to say though, i've been on anet for many years now and it's so funny how threads on singapore airlines or singapore girls always attract a lot of attention. and for those of you who love to bash sia's hiring practice, you might want to check out ua or nw hiring practice when it comes down to hiring their asia base cabin crew."

 

The second paragraph clearly differentiates the mentality of the Malaysians and the Singaporeans. Looks like the Malaysian FAs just think of themselves only, not the company or the nation's interest - if I want to look at the topic in the position of Singaporegirl.

 

This is some of the requirement to become the much sought after cabin crew, Singapore Girls, from flightattendants.org.

 

The Standards SQ Has to Keep Up

 

Before you are hired:

  • You have to be under 25 years old to be invited for the interview.
  • You must bring a swim suit and wear it during one of the interviewing process. You must CATWALK with it in front of a panel of judges.
  • They do a grooming inspection during the interview that means, hair, legs, butt, arms, make-up. If you have a scar or a tatoo, you are eliminated automatically. If you are overweight/don't have a what they consider a nice bum and breast, you are out. If you are not pretty enough, you are out.
  • Of course, you cannot be married or have children.
  • There are height restrictions. Those who are below 1.58 meter are out.

THEN...

 

After you are hired:

  • You MUST maintain your weight/height proportion as they will not supply you with another uniform for size purposes.
  • If you did gain weight, they will ground you and post you to an office position till you lose your weight.
  • You MUST wear make-up. And that is not only some mascara and lipstick only... THE WHOLE thing. Apparently because of the lights in the plane, they must wear thick enough so it shows that they have make-ups on.
  • Guys do get hired but most of them will do ONLY galley positions. They want the SINGAPORE GIRLS in the aisle.
  • When the girls kneel down, the uniform is made in a way that customers can see part of their breasts.
  • They wear sandals.
  • Hair must be in a bun or tied up VERY neatly. Baby hair must be shaved or else... you are out.

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I agree that a stewardess should look pretty and all those, but age shouldn't be a factor, as long as they can keep up with the requirement.

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The Standards SQ Has to Keep Up

 

Before you are hired:

  • You have to be under 25 years old to be invited for the interview.
  • You must bring a swim suit and wear it during one of the interviewing process. You must CATWALK with it in front of a panel of judges.
  • They do a grooming inspection during the interview that means, hair, legs, butt, arms, make-up. If you have a scar or a tatoo, you are eliminated automatically. If you are overweight/don't have a what they consider a nice bum and breast, you are out. If you are not pretty enough, you are out.
  • Of course, you cannot be married or have children.
  • There are height restrictions. Those who are below 1.58 meter are out.
THEN...

 

After you are hired:

  • You MUST maintain your weight/height proportion as they will not supply you with another uniform for size purposes.
  • If you did gain weight, they will ground you and post you to an office position till you lose your weight.
  • You MUST wear make-up. And that is not only some mascara and lipstick only... THE WHOLE thing. Apparently because of the lights in the plane, they must wear thick enough so it shows that they have make-ups on.
  • Guys do get hired but most of them will do ONLY galley positions. They want the SINGAPORE GIRLS in the aisle.
  • When the girls kneel down, the uniform is made in a way that customers can see part of their breasts.
  • They wear sandals.
  • Hair must be in a bun or tied up VERY neatly. Baby hair must be shaved or else... you are out.

 

Ageism, Gender Discrimination!

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Age discrimination is demeaning and wrong. I have been on TWA and USSR-era Aeroflot, amongst others, which employed 'mature' FAs. In my opinion they performed just as well as their younger counterparts.

 

Not everyone flies an airline just because of 'attractive' and young FA's.

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Yes, we should benchmark against SQ. I think their requirement is more stringent than MH. Those who are married, getting more children, getting into the 30s, getting fat and getting uglier are surely on the chopping radar.

 

This is the most interesting thread about SQ's flight attendant I ever encounter in A.Net. http://www.airliners.net/discussions/gener...ad.main/3596208

 

One of the A.Netters who replied there, Singaporegirl, who is a Leading Stewardess in SQ said:

 

"i've been flying for the company for many years, and now i am a css (chief stewardess). i will be retiring next year, but that is MY choice (i thought about quitting this year, but changed my mind as i wanted to work on the a380s! hehehe). i have NEVER felt any pressure from the company to quit flying. my husband and i bought a nice villa in bali and will be moving there next year. the past few weeks i've met some people from bali's hotel industry and they seemed to be extremely interested in employing me once i reside in bali full time. mind you i have ZERO experience in hotel's customer relation and yet a couple of 5 star hotels (i shouldn't be name dropping, right? hehehe) seemed to be very interested in me, because of my singapore airlines background.

 

as for my experience working for the company, i seriously don't know that many sq girls that would want to serve pax forever and ever. being a singapore girl is more of a fun thing that you do when you're young. maybe similar to being in a university's sorrority group, you know that it's not going to last forever. as i've mentioned that i've been flying for a while and yes you became jaded a bit. and i really don't think that's a good thing when you're in service industry. i really believe to be a great stewardess, aside for the extensive training that you get from the airline, you do need that "awe" of the whole flying for a living thing (u know new destinations, meeting different people, etc). without that awe, your attitude towards the pax will def change. i know for myself i don't want to serve people anymore, i'm ready for something new and different. i am still very proud of putting on my sarong kebaya uniform, but i also know that if i hold on to this job just for the sake of it, i wouldn't be doing myself nor my pax a favour.

 

i do have to say though, i've been on anet for many years now and it's so funny how threads on singapore airlines or singapore girls always attract a lot of attention. and for those of you who love to bash sia's hiring practice, you might want to check out ua or nw hiring practice when it comes down to hiring their asia base cabin crew."

 

The second paragraph clearly differentiates the mentality of the Malaysians and the Singaporeans. Looks like the Malaysian FAs just think of themselves only, not the company or the nation's interest - if I want to look at the topic in the position of Singaporegirl.

 

This is some of the requirement to become the much sought after cabin crew, Singapore Girls, from flightattendants.org.

 

The Standards SQ Has to Keep Up

 

Before you are hired:

  • You have to be under 25 years old to be invited for the interview.
  • You must bring a swim suit and wear it during one of the interviewing process. You must CATWALK with it in front of a panel of judges.
  • They do a grooming inspection during the interview that means, hair, legs, butt, arms, make-up. If you have a scar or a tatoo, you are eliminated automatically. If you are overweight/don't have a what they consider a nice bum and breast, you are out. If you are not pretty enough, you are out.
  • Of course, you cannot be married or have children.
  • There are height restrictions. Those who are below 1.58 meter are out.
THEN...

 

After you are hired:

  • You MUST maintain your weight/height proportion as they will not supply you with another uniform for size purposes.
  • If you did gain weight, they will ground you and post you to an office position till you lose your weight.
  • You MUST wear make-up. And that is not only some mascara and lipstick only... THE WHOLE thing. Apparently because of the lights in the plane, they must wear thick enough so it shows that they have make-ups on.
  • Guys do get hired but most of them will do ONLY galley positions. They want the SINGAPORE GIRLS in the aisle.
  • When the girls kneel down, the uniform is made in a way that customers can see part of their breasts.
  • They wear sandals.
  • Hair must be in a bun or tied up VERY neatly. Baby hair must be shaved or else... you are out.

 

interview at MH and AK can till 30 year old... :mellow:

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i have been to the SIA cabin crew interview and i was selected after my final round of interview. there are things that i can edit a little based on what Azizul had mentioned.

 

You must bring a swim suit and wear it during one of the interviewing process. You must CATWALK with it in front of a panel of judges.

swimsuits are used during the water confidence test, and after completion of the WCT, you are to walk to the beautician there who will check your skin for visible scars/tattoos.

 

They do a grooming inspection during the interview that means, hair, legs, butt, arms, make-up. If you have a scar or a tatoo, you are eliminated automatically. If you are overweight/don't have a what they consider a nice bum and breast, you are out. If you are not pretty enough, you are out.

about being pretty enough, there were many who weren't good looking who got selected too. they weren't very stringent about being pretty, it is being charismatic that counts. many of the not-so-good-looking girls who got selected were of a different kind; be it the thinking, way they talk, walk, behave and most importantly, they didn't merely come for just another interview or just another job.

 

the height regulations are VERY VERY strict, but even then there are exceptions to that. if they do not fulfill 1.58m's, they can try to check the if their arms reach are 212 cms. there was one girl who was 1.55ms and managed to get selected after she fought her way to prove to the interviewers that she can reach 212cms.

 

being a singapore girl isn't a dream for many. you can't count the number of stewardess leaving after fulfilling the minimum bond of 2 years. many are there for the pay, and even you and i know it (but this doesn't mean it's applicable to ALL). reason being the higher qualifications needed for the interview. SQ isn't like our national carriers. they make the job look elegant and only professionals gets a chance. over here, a SPM holder who failed 5 subjects can still apply to our local airline and become a steward/stewardess.

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I dont think age is an issue here since they can be in charge for First and Club Class Passengers who requires more experience staff to handle them. Haha :rolleyes:

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