IIamA flight attendant for Emirates Airlines, based in dubai, the biggest/little city in in the world that I know. Ask me about living in this city, traveling, or working with people from all over the world.

I've flown Emirates a few times. Got upgraded to business, which was incredible. The vintage champagne, beds (of course) and other amenities were great, but I thought it was really cool that the staff addresses us by our names. It was a small thing that felt really cool.
And of course your cool caps and sashes. :)

Keep being nice to us and we'll treat you like a king!!! (or queen)

How long do you plan to work as a flight attendant? Do you plan on a career in the airline industry?

I want to work as a flight attendant as long as I can. However I don't want it to be a lifetime job as I'd like to have a normal social life and family at some point. This job can get really, really, lonely sometimes. Also, flying is apparently really bas for your health. I've heard we're not legal to testify in courts after 1 year because our memory gets so bad, nor can we donate our organs.

I've heard we're not legal to testify in courts after 1 year because our memory gets so bad, nor can we donate our organs.

That sounds unlikely. Maybe a flight attendants urban legend?

Its possible, but I would be lying if I was going to say My memory's gotten fuzzy. This might come from weird sleep scheduales, lack of sleep, lots of drinking, and not even knowing what day it is though.

It's definitely your lifestyle (drinking, sleep schedule etc.) that's affecting your memory... Flying doesn't do that. Also, the organ donation thing and courtroom thing are not true. Source: I'm an airline pilot and I've been flying for 15 years.

I hope so. Who are you working for- and do you feel any ill effects on your own health?

US naval pilot here, what you heard is a myth. They're crazy overprotective about all aviator's/nfo's/aircrew's health here and trust me, if being at altitude (in a plane) was bad for your health we'd hear about it incessantly

Edit: spelling. Also I'm an organ donor and have never heard of someone having that status denied or rejected

thats really good to hear =)

Wow, I didn't know that.

Do you think you'll still be doing this after you get married? I would find it really difficult to be away from my wife fo long periods. What would you like to do after leaving the industry?

Well, my boo's in NY right now, so we're spending WAY more time away from eachother then we would be if I'd move to NY and be an FA for an american carrier there. Personally I think it'll be good for our relationship. I get restless a lot and very easily- I think I used to drive him a little crazy with the fact that I had to be OUT and MOVING all the time. Maybe I'll work groundstaff all the time. I have no idea. Any suggestions for a lost soul like me?

Where did you hear all this?

If an FA's memory suffers after a year of flying, then given FA's are, "primarily here for your safety" don't you think there would be no older FAs?

I don't think you are an grammar expert.

I don't think you are an grammar expert.

Lol. Apparently all that flying has affected your brain.

Always love it when a troll criticizes grammar and then commits the same sin.

Ok, will message the mods now with my emirates ID. If someone tells me how? Honestly this is my first time posting to reddit.

Note- roomie's now signed onto my account to help with questions. She's also early 20's but from UK, and been working for the company just as long as me. So if the responses suddenly sound super brit, that's why.

Thanks for the AMA. Have you flown on the A380? If you have then how do you feel something of that magnitude in the air? With the amount of passengers one carries is the advent of getting into the mile high club more likely? Have you stopped anybody during or before the deed?

We're all assigned to different aircrafts. I fly the a380 and the boeing 777. I've kind of gotten used to and probably don't appreciate it as much as I could. Though sometimes when we pull away from it on the crew bus I look up at it and just think, Shit, how does that fucking FLY? haha.

Passengers could easily fuck in the bathroom. To be honest, that's the last thing we're worried about. Sex away. As long as you don't get hurt/drunk/disturb other passengers, then really whatever.

Loved the 777 first class since I was a kid. Don't think I'll ever get the chance to fly in a 380 but at least I've flown in a C-5. Wow need to move to UAE as a /r/askreddit thread a while ago showed many of the american airliners flight attendants tend to stop you from having fun. Do you aircraft have those duty-free stations/bars that Airbus advertised or did Emirates not go with it and just maximized seating?

No we have the bar. I think it's hilarious. It's for business class/first class customers and does look like a proper. Now in economy we're meant to make a "social area" out of the galley, too. We pull out these little tables and put out fruit and drinks. No one ever uses it though. =(

Does it look like this? What's the biggest mistake you've done while working? or Worst thing you've done/seen since the A380/B777s are for intercontinental flights so your bound to see someone do something?

lol yes!!! I love the fish eye to make it look better!! so funny!!

Biggest mistake while working?.. spilling an entire meal on a really cranky passenger. it was one of my first flights. i remember so well becuase i was going to bombay and the guy was giving me a really hard time already and made me really nervous. I had to deliver a special meal to him (asian veggie, or something) and i tripped and it went ALL OVER him. I was so embarressed at the time, but now It makes me laugh. (he kinda deserved it)

Worst thing I've seen someone do? Moscow flight, a passenger kept grabbing the girls and trying to get them to sit in his lap. He was also grabbing their faces to make them kiss him.

Wow...any intervention?

We have a formal warning we're required to state in these situations. If they don't listen, we take courses on self-defense and how to restrain people.

I've flown a lot in my career and IMO, Emirates has been the best airline I have ever flown on when it comes to all aspects of travel. No real questions here, just a HUGE thank you for making mine and everyone else's travel much less painful.

THANKS!!

Thanks for being a nice passenger.

Hi this is right up my street

im 16 years old at the moment and want to become an air host for the travelling experiecnes - what could i do right now to make myself a better applicant for the job

how would one pursue this type of job and is it worth all the traiing for the sights you see

how much do you get paid

how many days of per week

and im guessing this is transatlantic?

thanks

Can i ask what country you're in? If it's US, its REALLY tough right now to get a job with a US carrier. I'd say get a job doing groundstaff first and try to make good relationships/connections with your bosses and bosses bosses.

im an indian 16 year old male living in the uk

UK things are a bit different. Could ask my roommate when she's back. In any case, just try to break into the industry in any way you can at first- get your foot in the door, and don't give up!!! I went on about a million interviews before I got accepted here.

My roommate says you're very young, finish school. I don't know how the school system works in your crazy country, but I agree!

Are there at all any female Emirati flight attendants? Which country do most EA flight attendants come from?

I have not met one single Emirati flight attendant. I've only met one Emirati who's worked for the company, and he was a guy. you dont really meet a lot of emiratis in the country at all as the whole city is ex-pats.

as far as where we mostly come from, thats kind of a difficult question to answer. The company's biggest thing is trying to be "cosmopolitian", so they recruit from EVERYWHERE. I'd say the two biggest nationalities (from what I've seen) is Egypt and UK. But like I said, we come from EVERYWHERE.

Seeing how you and your co workers come from all over the globe, is there a lot of camaraderie between flight attendants? Are there cliques? I've heard flight attendants can be a promiscuous bunch. Whats the hooking up situation like?

We do kinda all tend to hang out with eachother, I think especially becuase they give us accomadation. Where I live is wayyy out in the desert (we have a crazy sandstorm going on right now actually) and so we only get to really interact and socialize with eachother.

as for promiscuity, um. depends who you are. wher eI live is known, apparently, for orgies and "sex parties"... but i've never been to one myself. I know the guys get laid a fair amount becuase as far as crew grow, its usually 1 man in about 20 ladies. I'm engaged to a cutie back in New york, though, so thus far I've resisted. ;)

I fly Emirates all the time if I can help it. I even have your meal service times memorized as well as when you take up headphones and blankets and plan my movies around it. I think I've tried every dish on the menu too. Emirates is definitely the best way to travel internationally. And you girls are all so attractive jeez. I wonder how that interview goes. "looks like you are attractive, you're hired!" lol.

My question is, how many alcoholic drinks per person are allowed on a trip, 6?

Also, what can we do to make your job easier, tell me the worst part about each flight and the worst things people can do, so I can make sure not to be that person. Tell me the small things we can do to make your day better.

Ohhh it's nice to hear that you like it/ =) Customers who are nice/happy in general are just already the best. When/where are you flying next??? Maybe someone I know is your FA!

There's no limit to alcohol technically. We're just meant to keep an eye os passengers and make sure they don't get too wasted. We've learned restraint techniques to drunk/crazy pax. ;) But as long as you don't plan on being a jerk, go ahead and drink up! personally I encourage alcohol because it chills people out.

annoying things.. I'm asking my friends now for some input.

OMG!!! My friend just said one thats so true. Be neat with your meal trays, and dontstack up all the things in a big pile fro when we clear it, we know you think youre helping, but it makes it longer/ more annoying to clean.

If you want something to drink or eat, just come into the galley, instead of hitting the call bell. It's not only easier for us, we also like it when peole chill with us. Really. Especially on longer flights. Come on in, grab some wine, and chat and eat! It's so lovely when passengers treat us like we're people and ask us questions about our jobs and lives. We'll do the same. Promise.

If you want something to drink or eat, just come into the galley, instead of hitting the call bell.

I fly with Emirates all the time and I didn't even know that was allowed, let alone encouraged! TIL.

So encouraged!!!! Please come say hi!

I didnt take your airline, but I just wanted to share this.

I recently flew with my 1.5 year old for the first time on a 14 hour flight from Tokyo. Since he didn't really want to sleep, I spent the better part of the flight walking around the plane back and forth. Probably the biggest factor in keeping me sane was the attendants in the galley chatting me up. So for any others out there, including yourself, thank you for doing this as it greatly helps pass my time as well as yours. :)

ahh thanks!! cuties with babies like yours are def favs!!

I can't find myself to believe you are telling the truth right now.

As a service industry guy, I know the details of our jobs are significantly different, but I didnt realize our preferences on guests would be so different.

Maybe I'm a weirdo. I get bored on flights and I genuinly like helping mommas with babies. You can always tell how happy it makes them.

So you're an American, how did you apply? Since you said there is only a few hundred Americans, is it because they tend not to hire them? I am an American female, 23 and very interested in Emirates. Can you speak other languages? I've been living abroad (Russia and The Netherlands) for two years and hope that gives me a Cosmopolitan edge. How long was the process from application to hire? What are the accommodations they give you like?

I went to an open day. There were about 160 people there, and we had a 3 day long interview, after each of which they would send some of us home, ask some of us to come back. I can't speak any other languages, but it does help! The process can be quite long. I had my open day in mayb, got a call mid-june saying i got the job, but then didn't come over here until october.

I like the accomadtions becuase compared to anything I had in NYC its really big and luxurious. Some people complain about my particular accomadation thought becuase we're outside dubai and kinda just in the middle of the desert. Its free housing, though. Its all about perspective, I guess.

How often do they have these open days, and in what cities?

google emirates open days- theyre fairly often, and in cities all over the world. Not many in the US though, if thats where you're coming from. I was lucky.

I'll be on Emirates 215 DXB/LAX tomorrow morning! Monday 4 Feb. Been in Dubai for ArabHealth show and a few meetings here and in Kuwait. I think I'll be in 35D. Hope to see you!

hhaha I fly to AMM, jordan tommorow. My roommate just came back from the kuwait flight. I wish I knew someone who was flying with you, I'd tell them to treat ya extra nice!

Thanks! But no worries, always treated nice on the EK flights. It would be the first time I'd met a fellow redditor besides my niece though! Enjoy Amman, get to Petra if you have a day free, it's pretty cool.

By the way, I've been in aeromedicine for many years, and though there is some discussion of the effects of increased cosmic radiation over many years, the jury is still out on what that might mean. No restrictions on testifying that I know of. Enjoy.

Edit: iPhone autospell

Thanks. Slightly comforting. But lets be real. I'm not going to stop being a FA anyway, cosmic radiation or no.

Oooh Emirates. I like Emirates. You guys give us cool bags and stuff. Way better than Qatar. We were flying on Qatar and the flight attendant forgot to clean out my bro's puke bag, and it was filled with puke, which spilled all over him and his bag on the flight.

delicious.

I've always thought that being a flight attendant must be super boring, because flights are often super boring. Do the longer flights go pretty quick or do they drag on? What prep do you have to do before/after a flight? How long is your total shift? Thanks for doing an AMA :)

No way. Crazy shit happens almost inevitably every flight! Like when I was coming back from Kuala Lumpor, this woman with Diabeties who spoke no English forgot her medicine in the hold. We had to open our emergency medical kit and give her insulin ourselves.

To prep before the flight, you need to study. We have kinda intense safety briefings before every flight, and if you answer questions incorrectly, you could be offloaded. Also, you need to look PERFECT before the flight. They do random grooming inspections. I've gotten writting up before for having incorrect hair color, for having a rip in my stockings, ect.

My totaly shift depends on the flight time. We need to arrive at the airport 2 hours before departure. We leave the aircrazt probably just a half hour after pax have disembarked. Takes me some time to get home though because I live in the middle of the desert, unfortunatly.

Middle Eastern airlines are notorious for treating travelers from South Asia shabbily, is that true of Emirates as well? Putting it bluntly, is brown treated differently from white?

Nah, we're from everywhere. Unless one person is singularily rascist, I dont think there's a particular group we don't like.

There have, in the past, been accusations leveled at Dubai for preserving a legal slave culture, where racism means that a different shade of skin-colour could see you in a subservient, entrapped role for your entire life. In your experience, if any, what is life like for the poor, low-caste resident of Dubai?

I'm friends with a cab driver here. He's from pakistan. He lives in a 2 bedroom apartment with like 4 other guys. He's also the cheeriest person I know, though. And when you go outside of Dubai you do see accomadations for people like cleaners or people who work for catering. Those places can be really disheartening.

How much time do you spend in Dubai? With your line of work you probably are away alot of the time. How often do you get to stay overnight in other cities? Any particular places you like travelling to?

How do you like Dubai? I think it must be quite a change compared to the US. Did you know what to expect? What were the pleasant and unpleasant surprises?

Sorry for asking so much, but I am really interested in life in Dubai. Wish I could move there myself. :)

I spend actually a lot of time in Dubai. Flight attendants have so much time off!!! because of legalities with rest time and stuff, I have more time off that I have ever had with any other job. For instance, this week I happen to have 3 days off, one turn around flight from which I'll be back home by 4 in the evening, and then about 2 more days off. Basically a vacation.

We get to stay over night a lot. for instance, this month I will be staying in Malaysia, I just got back from Manchester, I'll be staying 3 days in Toronto, and I have one New York Layover. Oh, and I london. Actually, my roster is kinda boring this month. Usually we have more exciting stuff. Last month I was gone for 6 days doing a Sydney-Auckland flight. I got to spend 2 days in sydney and one in NZ.

How do I like dubai.... ohhhhh boy. Ok. this is going to be lond. Dubai is fine. It just... doesnt have a culture. If you come here, you're going to feel kind of empty. I think that was the biggest unpleasant suprise for me. If you read online, there is this impression of a muslim/arabic culture. Which I guess there is. Sort of. If you count the fact that they have a call to prayer in the mall here. Beyond that, the culture isn't much more then pretty women and money.

Also, they make the city seem much bigger in photos and on tourist sites. Guys- dubai is SMALL. I run into people all the time when I'm out because Expats all go to the same place. There's no proper pubs, either, for the most part. Just clubs and places to go out and eat. Most of the city is under (stopped) construction. When you drive around, you see one or two clumps of finished (and admittedly, gorgeous) skyscrapers, followed by a bigger clump of half-finished construction.

Dubai is fine. It just... doesn't have a culture.

Dubai does have culture, you just need to know where to look! Here are some of my suggestions:

• Go for an Emirati breakfast at the cultural centre in Bastakiya
• Have a tour around Jumeirah Mosque and find out how Islam fits into contemporary Dubai.
• Visit some of the twenty different modern art galleries in Al Serkal Avenue.
• View centuries-old Islamic art at the Farjam Collection in DIFC.
• Learn traditional falconry techniques.
• Watch movies made by local film makers at The Pavilion.
• Attend a talk or workshop at Shelter.
• Visit the Sharjah Art Foundation.
• Walk around Bastakiya or Shindagha to see old Dubai.

There are even more suggestions in the FAQ at /r/dubai. I agree that Dubai is less cultural than, say, London or Paris but there is stuff out there.

Thanks man, I'll take a look. but I still stand by the fact that most of the other places are a lot richer in life and culture.

What do you usually do when you stay overnight in a country? I can't imagine there's a lot of time for sightseeing.

You make time. 24 hours is a lot of time if youre willing to be a little tired. But sleep is for the dead, right? So people do lots of things. One of my friends on a layover in south africa just did a "walk with the lions". he got to feed/pet/chill with them. I was so jealous! usually we get to the hotel, grab our allowance, change, and go out.

Cool. What has been your best experience during an overnight?

OK. I guess I could come up with some of the stuff I've seen and mroe exotic places I've been. BUT. As dumb as this sounds, one of the coolest experiences this job has afforded me was to meet a friend- someone i met when I was just 15 (ten years ago now!) online. I never, ever thought when I was some dumb 15 year old I would meet this person in real life. I was just young and the internet was still kinda new and shiny to me (I think i MAY have still had dial up through my library) and this guy form the UK seems exotic and far away. Last week, i landed in his city, shook his hand, and had a beer with him.

Awesome! I always wondered what happened to my internet penpals back during the dial up days. I'm sure most of them have turned out to be a bunch of freaks!

Favorite city? Favorite flight route?

My favorite city in the world is one emirates doesnt fly to. Most wont agree with me, but I think Budapest, Hungary, is the most beautiful city in the world. mostly becuase of these baths: http://metropartyprague.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Budapest1.jpg

the picture does not do it justice. I went when it was winter. it started snowing and it go to steamy you couldnt see in front of you. just thinking about it now still makes we want to cry. I think it was literally the most beautiful thing I've ever seen/felt, the hot water on my skin and the snowflakes melting on my skin.

Well, I suppose living in Dubai is completely different for an expat than it is for woman from the region, be it the UAE or Saudi.

I've always been really interested in the life of the women in this part of the world. If you find the time, pick up "Girls of Riyadh" by Rajaa Alsanea. It allows an interesting glimpse into this mindset. There is also another autobiographical book about a Moroccan flight attendant working for Emirates and Saudi which I really liked, just cannot remember the title at the moment.

Girls of Riyadh is a great book but, despite being neighbours, the way women are treated in Saudi and UAE is utterly different.

So true. We know lots of FA's for other airlines who are either based in Saudi/ have layovers there. Oh my god. I'm glad to be in dubai. Being a woman here, at least for an expat, is the same as US.

EDIT: By here I mean Dubai. Other parts of the UAE are MUCH more conservative.

Last month I was gone for 6 days doing a Sydney-Auckland flight. I got to spend 2 days in sydney and one in NZ.

I work at the Sydney Sofitel Wentworth, which is where most of the EK crew stay on stop overs, I might have even brought you some food.

How do the different hotels compare around the world? Are there any places in particular that you like staying at?

oh, oh, I like sofitel a lot!!! I liked staying there tons. I could harass the conceirge (is that what you call the people at the front desk?) tons without them making me feel like i was harassing them.

I've flown emirates a number of times (US to India), and I like the airline but hate DXB. What's the best thing to do there while waiting for a connection? And, more importantly, where's the best place to eat?

For people who haven't been. It's a modern, clean airport... but the food is sub-par even by airport standards. Oddly, there's also no middle eastern food that I could find. Maybe they think people would prefer to eat at terrible french "cafes".

Thanks in advance!

hahahah well do you have time to leave the airport? Ironically, we never go into the airport. We take a bus from emirates HQ to the plane ;)

How much do you make? If you don't mind me asking.

4000 dhs a month base salary, 55 dhs an hour, and allowance when we have layovers. free accomadation, and no taxes

Less a question about being a flight attendant, and more about Dubai in general:

How hard was it to immigrate to Dubai for work? What have been the biggest changes or culture shocks? Name one thing that met your expectations, and one thing that totally blew them out of the water.

Since you're working for a foreign organization, has it made a mess of your taxes?

Thanks!

No taxes here!! And.. I'm kinda cheating bc My dad's filing for my tax return from what I ahd left over in the US.

It was so easy through this company. If anything, weirdly easy. They gave us no information before we moved here. All we had to do was prove we dont have HIV or AIDS. But beyond that they took care of everything once we were here.

Are you a man or a woman? You haven't made it clear.

Sorry hahaha. yeah I'm a lady!!! 24 years old. They don't hire very many men, and only hire women who are attractive (generally). (god knows how i got hired, ha)

Do you have any tips for being hired?

My Dad's wife applied and they wanted to bring her in for a kind of training day to see how she was but we already had a holiday booked so she couldn't make it. She will be reapplying this year however

Be cosmopolitian. they want people more then anything who love people from other cultures.

Llama flight attendant?

Camel flight attendant, bitch!

Have you met any celebrities or important persons on any of your flights?

Well personally, right now I'm only working in Economy. So I don't really get to see any famous celebrities. My roommate got a few pictures with Ronald Inho, though, and apparently the Sheikh flies with us really often on our a380 first class.

Ronaldinho

ronaldpoopnugget

Aren't there a metric F-ton of sheikhs?

I guess, but when you say The Sheikh, you're talking about our big guy or his baby Mo'.

I recently flew Emirates for the first time (MAN-SYD via Dubai return) and was intrigued by the roll-call at the beginning of the languages the crew spoke. All flights featured about 8 languages (including, of course, English and Arabic). In your experience, is Emirates more diverse than most airlines?

(As a linguist, I was fascinated by Serbian and Bosnian being classed as two different languages. It's a classic example of cultural differences making people self-identify as speaking different languages rather than different dialects.)

Yes, of coarse- their whole aim is to BE diverse. We usually have 8 languages are so spoken on board. ALWAYS at least three- english, arabic, and the native tounge of wherever we're flying.

Ever been in an emergency situation? Also, how does all the travelling affect your social life?(family and friends in America)

Had one drunk guy on hong kong who told us he was going to get arrested. After we landed, he called the cops who came on board and investigated all of US! The guy refused to leave the aircraft and bascially held it hostage for near three hours. Thought just becuase he had a hong kong passport and was landing home could do whatever he wanted. They ended up arresting him, allsaid and done, thank god.

I have a couple college buddies that are 19 and 20, (im 22). We're planning on traveling to europe this summer, probably prague to stay with my brother. We live in the US, what is the general Emirates or airline policy to serving alcohol on international flights?

18 or older- bring an ID with you. We will ask! Drink up!!

Are you allowed to have pets where you live in Dubai? Would you recommend against it because you are gone so often? I would absolutely LOVE this job but I have a dog

I had to give up my dog to come here. one of the hardest things I've ever done. There's no WAY you could have a dog here and be able to give it the proper care is deserves. Some people here have cats. They have roommates usually who help take care of them. Personally I still don't think they're getting the attention/ care they deserve.

I got to fly Emirates airlines a couple of months ago, and it was incredible. I routinely fly United business and first trans-continential, but for various reasons mainly related to Lufthansa being annoying, I could not take a Star Alliance codeshare out of Europe to Dubai, so I took Emirates.

It was incredible - and I was in economy. I actually enjoyed the food on the aircraft more than I enjoyed some of my meals in Dubai. The service I received in economy was superior to what I receive as a full-fare unrestricted business class flyer. You guys are doing it right. I felt like my business was extremely valued by your airline, and I only spent a couple thousand with you. I spent 60K last year with United, and I still get cranky, bitchy FAs in international Business - one actually chewed me out in front of other passengers when I received the wrong meal and ate it anyway (because I honestly don't care, and didn't want to make more work for the FAs) instead of sending it back.

So, what's with the somewhat goofy-looking outfits that the female FAs wear during takeoff/landing? Nobody wear stuff like that in the UAE, and it doesn't seem to have historical significance that I'm aware of.

I think we wonder ourselves about the uniform. Apparently it's by some shnazzy designer and the Shiekh is really fond of it. Since it's his airline, I guess it's up to him.

Flew Emirates SYD-AKL in Y once and due to the ash cloud all the London connecting passengers misconnected, so the flight was empty. As a plane nerd, I was talking with a FA asking a bunch of questions. She tells me "when we land, stay in your seat." I was confused but did it and turns out she was the purser or lead FA and brought me on a personal tour of F and C and gave me a goodie bag. "Take your time, the plane is not going anywhere," was here phrase. Was just me, her and NZ Immigration on the plane. I was in amazement. I wrote EK a letter to compliment her, does anything happen? And thank her again for an amazing experience!

Yes, it goes in a file for us. You probably helped her out a lot.

Not specifically a EA question but general question about flying so much - do you often experience turbulence? Are you every worried that anything may happen to the plane? Any plane related emergencies other than unruly guests?

The other day we had severe turbulence for one whole hour, but I was more bored than worried! When there is mild to moderate turbulence we usually just carry on, making sure all passengers are seated with seatbelts, but for more severe bumps we have to be seated and belted ourselves, sometimes we have have to grab the nearest seat and if the flight is full we have to sit on a passenger! I never really get afraid of anything bad happening, just during take off and landing all the emergency routines run through my head, just in case. I guess because we are trained that way.

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Yeah we get amazing discounts. I have a card that I use around dubai that gets me up to half off at many bars/ restuarants. We get discounts at plenty of hotels and retuarants outside of dubai, too.

as for compensation, everytime we get to our hotels we're given an "allowance" for that layoever in the currency of the country.

What are the people of dubai like? Everyone has tons of money so i guess sometimes that comes with big egos. I would just like to know,might be a insane assumption!

There's good and bad people like anywhere else. Go out though and you'll mostly see rich men flashing there money around, and girls in short dresses and high heels trying to impress them. I know you see this everywhere, but more then anywhere I've been I notice it here. I know lots of girls who try to meet guys on a night out so they can get them to take them shopping at the malls here.

Just wanted to say you guys have ruined me for every other airline. Your customer service in unparalleled.

thanks, ill try to keep it up ha

read this as llama fight attendant.. so if 'someone' peed on their seat after landing will the seat be washed before the next takeoff?

Happened to my roommate. As she was collected headphones in business class, she noticed it was totoally wet. Says all they do is take the seat cover off and put a new one one. TIL.

What kind of footwear do you wear? And is it provided by the airline?

The company provides our footwear, we have red heels for boarding and walking through the airport to look all glam, and then red flats for the rest of the time on board.

Is smoking on planes permited?

Nope. Not at all. I had someone smoking in the toilets on a recent flight and we were not amused! Luckily the smoke alarms didn't go off as we caught them in time, but if they did it we are training to react very quickly to fire situations.

I have flown Auckland to Madrid return twice in the last year. The first time I chose Emirates because it was cheap; the second time I flew Emirates because the first time was so good. Every single one of you was absolutely lovely to me, and you're always immaculately presented, so you can take their thanks from me.

Anyway, I'm about to do the trip again (long story that involves draining my bank account considerably). I figure it's probably worth signing up for your airpoints scheme. Are those two previous flights lost or can I still get them claimed?

Secondly, I feel awkward sometimes asking you guys for things because I feel like I'm treating you like a serf. If you look busy, is it better to wait until I see a not-busy person or ask you and say that there's no hurry?

Just hit the call bell, that way we can come to you when one of us has a second. That, or some to the galley and ask us in person. When you just flag us down as we're walking past, it can get annoying. But don't worry too much about it. It's what we get paid for, after all.

Do you see a lot of Jews or Israelis in your line of work? How would Jews be treated?

No, none that have ever said to me, "im jewish", I cant imagine they'd be treated well. We have lots of egyptians who work for us for example- many are good friends of mine. The only thing that bother me about themis their blatent hatred of Jews. I told my friend once my grandfather was tachnically jewish and he looked utterly horrified and told me, "please tell me thats not true".

How about some proof you're actually a flight attendant for Emirates?

WIll do somethng tommorow, for now i need sleep as I have a flight to AMM in the AM ;)

Guy or girl ? Why do FA's all like to go to Zinc nightclub ?

Girl :) I don't like to go to zinc haha, there are much better clubs in Dubai so I don't know why it's so popular with crew. Me and my friends prefer Barasti, Rock Bottom, Crystal etc

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What are you doing now? It's never too late =)

What's the story with the hat you guys wear?

its uncomfortable. end of story.

Tell us more about the sex life/dating. I have seen couple of Emirates flight attendants who hand in their numbers to guys.

Really? we aren't techically allowed to do that. Probably lots of people slag around. This job can get pretty lonely.

Plan on travelling with Emirates soon out of South Africa. ANy tips for getting an upgrade?

Get a skywards card.

EDIT: and be nice to the groundstaff.

Ever hook up with passengers or pilots or other crew?

I havent been with other crew, but my roommate is dating other crew, and we kinda tend to date eachother a lot, from what I've seen.

I like flying in emirates. Flew to London last year. I just love the lime juice you serve as a starter :p

To londed? Thats weird. Usually we only serve those on India routes that I know of?

Do you know if it really costs money to drive up to the front gates and see the Burj Al Arab?

That's what I've heard. Every time someone drive in there's this giant puff of fire from the road on both sides. It's hilarious to watch.

Is there rivalry between you guys, Etihad and Qatar airways? I have to say, Etihad is quite nice, though I admit I haven't flown Emirates in at least 6 years. My girlfriend flew Qatar and said the plane felt a lot newer than Emirates. I guess that's the disadvantage of being first mover in the region. Still shitloads nicer than American carriers.

It's hilarious that there is a Dubai to Abu Dhabi route which takes longer than simply driving.

Yeah, fuck American carriers. Personally I've never had a good experience on Delta or Jetblue. We don't have a rivalry that I know of. I mean, people from Eithad came and sat in on some our our safety training, so I assume Emirates and Etihad have some kind of an agreement?

Do you have to smile all the time?

Oh my god, yes. We get "flight reviews" after the flights sometimes that our Cabin Crew managers see and later could effect our getting promotions/ moving around the company to where we want to move. I got a really bad flight review the other day on my flight to munich. I was having a really bad day and just couldn't keep the smile pasted on my face that day. My SFS kept stopping me in the galley and asking me, sarcastically, "Is something wrong, Sabrina? Do you want to talk about it?" When the flight was over he sat me down and told me I was mostly getting 1's (the lowest flight review score) because I didn't smile enough, my nails were chipped, and i had a rip in my stocking. It was my worst reviewed flight yet =(

When I moved to the UAE from the US, the company I work for flew me and my family business class with Emirates. My daughter was just over a year old with her own business class seat. I overheard a flight attendant referring to me as "the high roller", and I then proceeded to explain that I did not pay for the tickets.

I flew with Air Chance/KLM for a long time, and Emirates is much nicer across the board.

I have a friend who works for Etihad and complains that there is Racism in the promotions. She says that white women are much more likely to get promoted to business class. Is the same true for Emirates?

I highly doubt it, though to be fair, we dont have very many black people working for us. Plenty of people thoguh from egypt/bangledesh/india/ ect.

Have you ever done the flight from Rio De Janeiro to Dubai or Dubai to Seoul? If so i might of had you and you guys are pretty awesome. It's a long ass flight though how do you guys approach flights like that? Do you consider it work and just sleep up before hand or do you grab a bit of shut eye on the way?

I havent had either of those flights. I can't wait to get them. I have had australia, though, and I fly to toronto at the end of the month. I dont know how other people approach it, but I try not to do a lot the day/ night before. Sleep if I can, but usually I can't. We have legal rest on long flights in the Crew Rest Compartment. On the way back from Sydney (15 hours) we had 3.5 hours rest. I don't know that it's possible to sleep much, though.

A friend of my sister just started a few months ago too. Do all new people train together? Her name is Cat and she's from the UK.

Do you know her batch or staff number? message me if you do.

What are some of the coolest amenities Emirates offers?

You can pretty much ask for anything. We have an "amenities kit" in the galley. we have EVERYTHING. cards toys baby foruma chocolate toothbrushes...... if you get bored/ need anything, let us know.

Which cabin do you work in? I fly Business Class a couple of times a year from Manchester to Dubai. When it is boarding time and I'm in my seat having a drink it seems Emirates now don't care about J class passengers and board the rest of the plane through business class cabin instead of using the economy doors. Why is this?

I work in Econmony, I'm still a baby as far as emirates is concerned. I dont know the boarding procedures, but when I was groundstaff for AF we'd do this sometimes, too. I know it would make business class pax really mad and we'd try to board first class very last.

Hi, do you happen to know a guy name Arsalan? he's a friend of mine working the same job.

there's 16,000 of us!!!! hahahaha I dont think i know him, no.

Any snakes?

did you see the story with the snake on the plane at quantas?

I was fisted once

good for you buddy