Is it really that bad? Former SQ cabin crew rants in viral blog post
A blog post chronicling the supposedly tough life of a Singapore Airlines stewardess has gone viral.
In her post, the woman, who only goes by the name Hilary, goes in depth about her experience serving as a cabin crew for the airline.
While Hilary has gotten some praise for her honesty, many netizens have also blasted her as they feel that the things she's complained about are all part of the job that she had signed up for.
Some even called her "spoiled" for complaining.
Here are some things Hilary said about her experience.
1) The work is "labour intensive".
She said in her post: "I cried because I dreaded going to work... the non-stop labour intensive work where you literally walk to London."
Some of her duties include heating up towels, doing a security sweep for the cabins, arranging the menu cards, and making sure the toilet has moisturiser and toilet paper.
In response, netizen Mary Ann Maes wrote on Facebook: "There are all kinds of hardship in such jobs, not just an air crew. And yet people still survive and become more resilient. Such is life. No one said life will be served on a platter."
2) Caucasians are nicer than Singaporeans
She said: "Ang Moh passengers tend to be more polite than Asian passengers.
"We have to be extra careful when handling Singaporeans because they always think the crew are biased to the Ang Mohs. We are really not biased. It's just that they are generally friendlier and they tend to engage in more conversation with the crew," said Hilary.
3) Training to be a cabin crew was "tiring"
Hilary said: "Even during the three months of training, it was so tiring because we had so many lessons and also exams such as role-playing and multiple choice questions on the computer. And the passing mark was 80 per cent sometimes. (It) was literally like a secondary school, the way the trainers treated us and how we were taught about the importance of our attire."
One commenter wrote: "Any kind of job requires hard work, tenacity and discipline. She chose to play down the pros of the job and kept on bitching over everything."
4) Missing important occasions is part of the job
“In this job, you’ll miss out on birthdays, weddings, Christmas, Chinese New Years etc & it is very sad. In 2013 I spent Christmas Eve & day alone in the hotel room in New York & I felt so sh***y.”
One netizen pointed out that other employees from various industries may also miss out on important occassions.
She said: "Well, that's what you call work. Having to wear many hats? Mothers do. Teachers do. Having to miss important dates? Teachers do miss their child first day of school so that other parents can have theirs."
5) Singaporean passengers complain the most
“It’s like in a buffet, you pay $30 but you will eat $60 worth of food. Same goes for some of the passengers that fly SIA. Not all like this though. Quite sad that some Singaporeans especially behave this way. Whenever we see Singaporeans onboard, we sigh because it means there are bound to be complaints,” wrote Hilary.
6) SIA stands for 'Sorry, I apologise'
"There's no 'explaining' yourself because in SIA culture it is deemed as defensive and argumentative. I find this ridiculous to be honest. So whatever or whoever corrects you, just say sorry & thank you."
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