Middle Eastern Airlines- What Are They Really Like to Work For?

Recently I have been receiving a lot of questions & emails regarding recruitment for Middle Eastern airlines. Being that I don't work for one, I've had to do a little research to find out the answers to some of those questions. Luckily for all the wannabes out there, I have some 'spies' out there in certain airlines who have been willing to answer my nosy questions so that I can tell you what you want to know.

So, just which airlines are we talking about here?

The most well known ones are, of course, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar. In addition to these "Big Three", we also have Gulf Air, Bahrain Air, FlyDubai, MEA, Air Arabia, Egyptair and Saudi Arabian to name a few. I'm planning to write a series of posts on the subject, covering various areas that people ask about, such as training, living conditions and rules imposed on FAs working for those companies.



Some of the questions I've received include:

* What's the pros & cons of working in the Middle East? (I believe this one depends largely on where you are based)

* Do all of the airlines have a curfew on their crew? I heard that they have tough rules and you cannot have visitors overnight.

* What are the perks of working for these companies- how much vacation time do you receive & what is the salary like?

* What kind of flying do they do- long or short haul? How long are the layovers? Do they have to share rooms with each other?

If you have another question you'd like answered, leave a comment below, or you can also contact me on Twitter or Facebook.

Travel Stuff

When you travel on the road, it's not uncommon to develop an (sometimes unhealthy!) obsession with travel gadgets and tiny-sized toiletries. It's quite usual amongst flight attendants to have a comparison session in the galley of the most recently acquired "cool stuff", especially after a layover in a new city or one known for great shopping.

Here's a few links to some neat travel stuff I've spotted around in various places in print & on the web. As I just wrote down the links and not the place I was reading, I couldn't actually tell you where I saw these originally, sorry. I just thought they were cool. (I have also not been asked nor paid to feature these items, I just figured some of my readers might like them and are not responsible for any effects on your credit card!!) ;)

I'd always wanted one of these when I was a kid. Until I heard the joke about the Russians just using a pencil. But still, as someone who gets tired of cheap hotel pens running out of ink at the worst time, the Fisher Space pen seems like a pretty cool idea. Especially if you've ever ruined a uniform with exploding ink stains!

Notemaker has quite a range on their website as well, with all the different models. A bit on the expensive side, yes, but then again you should no longer have to be buying or stealing taking your entitled pens from hotel rooms 200 times a year.

Now, for all you Flight 001 fans, they now have their very own .com.au site, full of all the travel gadget geekiness you know and love. One cool product I'm lusting after is the Grid-It, a neat web of elastic bands to keep all your bits & bobs (especially electronics) in place.



For someone who's always losing her phone chargers in a carry-on bag, this is a great way to keep track of everything & prevent tangles. (Hint Hint Santa)

The next product up is shown in prototype form, but would be awesome for those long flights where you're stuck in a middle seat with nowhere to snooze. Basically, it's a hoodie with an inflatable pillow built into the hood, so you always have a place to lean wherever you may be- airport floor, train, in your parent's car on those boring road trips... anyway, hopefully this one will be available soon. My notes show Burton as having one, but when I checked their website there's nothing there, so it's either sold out or not being made available here just yet. Still, pretty cool!

Hart & Heim is one of my favourite stores, and you can now shop online! I can always find something cool here, and for those of you who hate packing, or always forget something, here's the solution for you. The Packing List is a tear-off notepad with checkboxes for all of the stuff you might need for your trip. Simply check items off as you pack them and you'll know exactly what's in your bag- even if you're the "pack three things then wander off for 3 hours" type. If you work in an office environment be sure to check out the rest of the pads & sticky notes, including the classic 'Sh!t List' and 'Do This Now' versions. Great cubicle-dwelling fun!!! =)

Have you seen any cool new travel stuff? What's your favourite gadget that makes your life easier?

Leave a comment below or head over to Facebook or Twitter to tell me what you found.

Giveaway Time!

Well it's been awhile in the making, but to celebrate passing 300 fans of my Facebook page, plus all the fun I've been having meeting you guys & the comments on Twitter & Facebook, I'm having another giveaway!!! (Woo hoo)

In keeping with the travel focus of my blog, the prizes I'll be giving away to some lucky winners all have a relation to travel or holidays.

So without further ado, here's the details. I'll have 4 different prize packs up for grabs, each with certain items and a way to enter to win the prize.


AvGeek Pack, pictured below. It contains an aviation-themed T-shirt (Size small, so probably will best fit the ladies or a guy on the skinnier side), a transport-motif notebook from "Paperchase", a set of airplane magnets I picked up in Hong Kong airport & an Air New Zealand light-&-noise keychain.


The next pack up for grabs is the Comfort Pack, it has a jewellery roll to keep your necklaces & rings safe on the go (From Thailand), a hand-made sleep mask with Koala motif (purchased at the Rocks Market, Sydney) and a little doll in traditional Thai dress (also from Bangkok)


The next two prizes are virtually the same, save for some colour variation between the two Accessories Packs.

There's a Thai doll, some travel containers with jets on them, a luggage tag & pass case- Paperchase (for your train or subway pass) an Emirates light-&-sound keychain and either Paris-themed stickers (Accessorise) or travel-themed pin badges.


To enter, you have to be a Facebook and/or Twitter follower of my Traytable accounts to be eligible. You can join today if you're not already following, it doesn't matter (I would prefer if you're joining because you like my page & blog, not just to win the prize ;)

Prize 1- AVGEEKS

To win the AvGeeks prize, leave a comment on my Facebook page (or via Twitter) telling me your best AvGeek story- something funny that happened to you in the pursuit of planes, or even better, post a photo of your best AvGeek experience. The winner will be the person with the best story or photo, as chosen by me. (This prize is not a chance draw.)

Prize 2- COMFORT Tweet or Facebook me your best tip for being comfy when you travel. All the commenters will be entered into a random draw to win this prize.

Prize 3- ACCESSORIES PACK #1 Retweet a link to my blog (http://traytables-travels.blogspot.com) with where you are from to be in the draw to win this pack.

Prize 4- ACCESSORIES PACK #2- This will be drawn from everyone who is a fan of my Facebook page at the time the competition comes to a close. There's no need to do anything to be in the running for this one other than click 'Like' on my page. =)



RULES

Each person can enter for Prizes 1-3 only once. Each person is eligible to win only one prize, in the interests of fairness. So if you really want to win a certain prize, then try only for that one. If you're happy with any prize, you can enter all three. (Prize #4 will be drawn last to prevent that draw from stopping you winning a preferred prize if you entered for Prizes 1-3.)

The giveaway contest will close at 11:59pm Australian Eastern Standard Time Sunday, July 10th. Winners will be contacted either by Facebook or Twitter if they have not provided email address. Prizes will be mailed by Wednesday 13th latest. Winners must contact me upon being notified of winning within 24hrs to claim prize (I'm a busy hostie you know and I have only so much time to haul butt to the post office) and provide a valid mailing address.

Photos posted to enter the AvGeek prize must be your own. No taking photos from other websites. It's fine if someone else took a photo OF you, but the photo must otherwise have been taken by you if you are not in the photo.

The giveaway is open worldwide. Postage cost will be covered by me. The winner is responsible for any duties/taxes payable on any items. If there is anything in the prize packs which is not permitted to be mailed to your country, do not enter for that prize. I take no repsonsibility for lost/misdirected mail.

To Pee, Or Not to Pee?

A little while ago Bobbylaurie(TM) made a post about something he calls "Lavophobia", where passengers (and sometimes crew) are afraid to use the lavs onboard the plane- for whatever reason- and it got me thinking about some of the weird toilet habits I've seen or heard about on the plane.

I'm no fan of the lav myself, as I think it's one of the ickiest places you can go, but I'll use it if I have to. I'll avoid it if possible, but I won't get so weirded out by it that I develop some bizarre ritual to deal with having to go tinkle in the sky...

Here's a few that I've heard of.


The Paper Towel Warrior

This person is the one who opens the door using a tissue over the handle, and proceeds to paper every exposed surface with paper towel in order to create a shield between their body and any germy surface inside the lav.



Of course, this takes quite a while and is likely to annoy both the people waiting, and the crew who have to keep replacing the loo roll and/or hand towels every ten minutes on a transcon flight. (There are quite a few PTW's on flights these days)


The If-I-Don't-See-It-It-Can't-Hurt-Me Type

They enter the toilet, cautiously peering out of one squinted eye, hoping the reduced vision level will prevent them seeing the horrors of the lav. They do everything by feel including wiping and/or papering the seat before sitting down, all the while thinking 'nice thoughts' to keep them from thinking about what might actually be on that seat. These people are also usually the kind that think if they can't SEE any dirty parts of the bathroom, then it must be relatively clean. (Haha)


The Hand Sanitizer Queen (King)

This passenger (or crewmember) is happy to use the lav at any time, provided everything has been coated in a generous amount of sanitizer before use.



They can usually be recognised by the fact they own shares in Bath & Body Works, and always have a spare bottle in their bag to give to that non-believer who might just be converted to using Purell after their eyes have been opened.

The I-Can-Wait-To-Pee Type

This flyer would rather risk their bladder health than use the icky loo on the plane. No matter how desperate they are, they just WILL NOT go. Even on a long haul flight. I once knew an F/A who was NEVER seen using the lav at any time, but on turns would run into the airport to use the restrooms in the terminal, screeching at everyone to get out of her way as she couldn't hold it any more. There was also an urban legend doing the rounds about a captain who was kind of on the fat side, and as he found it difficult to get in & out of his seat easily, would just pee in a bottle instead. Needless to say, those FAs wouldn't spend any time in the cockpit, much to the dismay of whichever First Officer he happened to be flying with that day.

The Number One Only Type

Happy to use the lav onboard but only for getting rid of number 1's. Will hold it for everything else.


The (Much Hated) "I Don't Do Number Two's At Home" Type

Out of courtesy to their loved ones/colleagues, they avoid going for a "newspaper break" at the home or office, but are only too happy to stink out the back of a 737 with their visits to the restroom. They don't even have the sense to use the air freshener AND I'm not allowed to light matches to counter the reek. I *hate* this type...


The Barefoot Adventurer


This type of passenger is likely to complain that the carpet is not clean enough, the plane is a bit old or the person next to them looks a bit sniffly. They will then happily walk into the bathroom with no shoes on (or even worse, wearing socks, so they can soak up the germs to take home with them.) I love cheerfully informing them that it's not water on the floor in there. On long flights, my colleagues and I sometimes keep a tally of how many passengers go in barefoot. If we're feeling particularly cheeky, we'll tell them due to safety regs that shoes must be worn in the toilet. It's funny how many go back to get their shoes, and how many just shrug their shoulders and go in anyway. I think just for fun I might try making a sign on the computer with a "no bare feet" symbol and stick it on the door... :P

One final note from me: Whichever 'type' you are- PLEASE flush when you're done, it's not a urinal!!




Have you observed any strange bathroom habits onboard? Are YOU a "Lavophobe"? What things do you do onboard to avoid the potential germs?

Leave a comment, hop on over to my Facebook page or Tweet me with your story!!

To Pee, Or Not to Pee?

A little while ago Bobbylaurie(TM) made a post about something he calls "Lavophobia", where passengers (and sometimes crew) are afraid to use the lavs onboard the plane- for whatever reason- and it got me thinking about some of the weird toilet habits I've seen or heard about on the plane.

I'm no fan of the lav myself, as I think it's one of the ickiest places you can go, but I'll use it if I have to. I'll avoid it if possible, but I won't get so weirded out by it that I develop some bizarre ritual to deal with having to go tinkle in the sky...

Here's a few that I've heard of.


The Paper Towel Warrior

This person is the one who opens the door using a tissue over the handle, and proceeds to paper every exposed surface with paper towel in order to create a shield between their body and any germy surface inside the lav.



Of course, this takes quite a while and is likely to annoy both the people waiting, and the crew who have to keep replacing the loo roll and/or hand towels every ten minutes on a transcon flight. (There are quite a few PTW's on flights these days)


The If-I-Don't-See-It-It-Can't-Hurt-Me Type

They enter the toilet, cautiously peering out of one squinted eye, hoping the reduced vision level will prevent them seeing the horrors of the lav. They do everything by feel including wiping and/or papering the seat before sitting down, all the while thinking 'nice thoughts' to keep them from thinking about what might actually be on that seat. These people are also usually the kind that think if they can't SEE any dirty parts of the bathroom, then it must be relatively clean. (Haha)


The Hand Sanitizer Queen (King)

This passenger (or crewmember) is happy to use the lav at any time, provided everything has been coated in a generous amount of sanitizer before use.



They can usually be recognised by the fact they own shares in Bath & Body Works, and always have a spare bottle in their bag to give to that non-believer who might just be converted to using Purell after their eyes have been opened.

The I-Can-Wait-To-Pee Type

This flyer would rather risk their bladder health than use the icky loo on the plane. No matter how desperate they are, they just WILL NOT go. Even on a long haul flight. I once knew an F/A who was NEVER seen using the lav at any time, but on turns would run into the airport to use the restrooms in the terminal, screeching at everyone to get out of her way as she couldn't hold it any more. There was also an urban legend doing the rounds about a captain who was kind of on the fat side, and as he found it difficult to get in & out of his seat easily, would just pee in a bottle instead. Needless to say, those FAs wouldn't spend any time in the cockpit, much to the dismay of whichever First Officer he happened to be flying with that day.

The Number One Only Type

Happy to use the lav onboard but only for getting rid of number 1's. Will hold it for everything else.


The (Much Hated) "I Don't Do Number Two's At Home" Type

Out of courtesy to their loved ones/colleagues, they avoid going for a "newspaper break" at the home or office, but are only too happy to stink out the back of a 737 with their visits to the restroom. They don't even have the sense to use the air freshener AND I'm not allowed to light matches to counter the reek. I *hate* this type...


The Barefoot Adventurer


This type of passenger is likely to complain that the carpet is not clean enough, the plane is a bit old or the person next to them looks a bit sniffly. They will then happily walk into the bathroom with no shoes on (or even worse, wearing socks, so they can soak up the germs to take home with them.) I love cheerfully informing them that it's not water on the floor in there. On long flights, my colleagues and I sometimes keep a tally of how many passengers go in barefoot. If we're feeling particularly cheeky, we'll tell them due to safety regs that shoes must be worn in the toilet. It's funny how many go back to get their shoes, and how many just shrug their shoulders and go in anyway. I think just for fun I might try making a sign on the computer with a "no bare feet" symbol and stick it on the door... :P

One final note from me: Whichever 'type' you are- PLEASE flush when you're done, it's not a urinal!!




Have you observed any strange bathroom habits onboard? Are YOU a "Lavophobe"? What things do you do onboard to avoid the potential germs?

Leave a comment, hop on over to my Facebook page or Tweet me with your story!!