Humiliation on board routine for attendants

NEW DELHI: She was manoeuvring the refreshments trolley down the narrow aisle in economy class, when she suddenly felt a hand brush against her thigh. Pallavi (name changed), a 22-year-old air hostess with Jet Airways, had no choice but to carry on with her duties, seemingly unruffled by the humiliation. "I turned around and saw an elderly man who had probably touched me, but there was absolutely nothing I could do about it,'' she says.
A young and glamorous cabin crew, traversing both domestic and international skeis, encounters a variety of in-flight provocations. The recent bid to hijack an IndiGo Airlines flight by three passengers who were inebriated and behaving aggressively, reinforces the stereotypes associated with the Indian flyer, especially men: "They have money, but no manners.''
Bindu Ramachandran, aviation trainer with Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training, and ex-cabin crew with Singapore Airlines, recalls with horror a flight on which a "totally smashed'' passenger from Chennai asked for more liquor. "I still remember he was drinking cognac. I told him, gently, that I could only offer him a non-alcoholic beverage. He couldn't handle the refusal, so he started spitting and using abusive language.'' Far from being intimidated, Bindu informed the rest of the cabin crew serving in economy: "There were eight of us we surrounded him and told him if he didn't stop hurtling obscenities, we'd have him arrested when we landed. That sobered him.''
Young recruits at institutes like Frankfinn are often from small towns and need extensive counselling to deal with a job that promises only the good things travel and money in glossy brochures. Frankfinn, with around 250 students in each of the 119 centres across the country, has extensive training programmes for the students. "We simulate an aircraft cabin and all its possibilities. Dealing with aggressive passengers, or lecherous ones who want an air hostesses' phone number, is tricky because the air hostess cannot afford to lose her cool,'' says Bindu. For touchy-feely passengers, she suggests a firm reprimand that draws the attention of the rest of the cabin: "Girls should say, `Please don't touch me', loud enough for everyone else to hear. That usually embarrasses shady passengers.''
Unruly behaviour isn't restricted to small-town flyers or those flying for the first time, overwhelmed by the perfumed-and-coiffured beauties who can be hailed at the press of a button. Ishita (name changed) flying to Mumbai on a JetLite flight teeming with the `educated elite', recalls a passenger who called out to her with a rude "Hey!'' Taken aback by the bad attitude, she ignored him until he called out again. "I went up to him and told him that my name was written on my badge. He should either address me politely by name, or press the service button. He apologised.''
But not everyone is as fortunate as Ishita. Savita (name changed) a 23-year-old aboard a SpiceJet flight, is still shaken by the sudden aggression of a 40-year-old man, travelling from Ahmedabad to Delhi: "I was serving candy and he grabbed the whole basket and stuffed the candy into his bag. It was disgusting.''
Sapna Gupta, founder and director of Air Hostess Academy Pvt Ltd, says categorically: "Men, irrespective of their background, go crazy when they see a glamorous woman. But, sadly, in our country, girls grow up being eve teased in buses, on the streets, everywhere. So most of them can deal with it, even before we formally train them.''