China Eastern Airlines Recruits Stewardesses In Wuhan (Photo : Getty Images)
Is the job of flight attendants all glamor that a Chinese university president believes plane stewards and stewardesses do not need further education for their jobs? After all, most of their task is to push food trolleys on airplanes and distribute food and drinks to passengers.
That is how Zheng Qiang, head of Guizhou University, views cabin crew whose good looks he also questioned, reported The South China Morning Post. Zheng shared his opinion publicly among students of the university which led to discussions on social media if what he did was right or wrong.
Zhang questioned the necessity of Chinese universities offering graduate programs for flight attendants. He pointed out, “Doesn’t the occupation just require one to push a trolley and serve drinks?” He likewise questioned the emphasis on physical appearance of flight attendants which is not required on land transportation employees.
As a result of Zhang’s statements, some of Chinese cabin crew members condemned his criticism of their profession which they describe as humiliating and misleading. The flight attendants pointed out that beyond having good looks, their jobs require them to be multilingual, go through months of safety training and hone their negotiating skill with difficult passengers.
But some Chinese netizens agreed with the academic’s observation, noting that only young and pretty women are allowed to apply as flight stewardesses that recruitment sessions and training appear like the women are applying in a beauty contest.
In January, USA Today reported that a modeling school in Qingdao Province required applicants to wear bikinis when they apply for cabin crew jobs. News of the recruitment method angered Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants International.
Other netizens warn that Zhang may be barred from flying because of his statements. Cathay Pacific ad done in 1992 to Simon Winchester, an author who wrote an off-colored remark about stewardesses on a book foreword. He was banned by the Chinese carrier for one year.
