Thai And All Other Foreign Air Hostesses Sacked From Jet Airways

[sriracha john]

Jet sacks foreign air hostesses

NEW DELHI: India's second largest airline, Jet Airways, has retrenched all the 120 foreign air hostesses it had as part of its 3,000-strong cabin crew.

Jet has so far never hired cabin crew from the West and all expat air hostesses hailed from Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

With Jet closing overseas crew bases in these three places, the 120 expats were laid off.

"We have been operating on overseas routes for five years now and have been able to train our Indian crew to world standards," said an airline official.

The move to retrench expat air hostesses is the latest in a series of steps taken to keep the airline afloat in tough times.

- The Times of India / 2009-05-14

[Ricardo]

"We have been operating on overseas routes for five years now and have been able to train our Indian crew to world standards," said an airline official.

Presumably all three thousand local 'hosties' now also speak Thai, or other S.E.Asian languages fluently, too ?

[sriracha john]

In 2007, Jet Airways had a big promotional campaign with the logo, "We've changed!", in regard to their uniforms and company colors.

Now it seems with their dumping of all foreigner employees, it's even more appropriate now...

Edited May 14, 2009 by sriracha john

[Boater]

i noticed last week they have also DOUBLED there prices !

[PeaceBlondie]

Does typical Thai xenophobia bar non-Thais from cabin crews on Thai carriers?

[bertlamar]

Does typical Thai xenophobia bar non-Thais from cabin crews on Thai carriers?

If you thought about it, you would be aware that some flights regionally benefit from lower cost staff who are bi-lingual....knowing that Thai airstaff are cheap and hard working, JAL etc etc have all employed them as they are cheaper.

If Thailand was going to employ foreigners....are you suggestnig it would be smart to pay MORE for some foreigner? The only foreigners I've seen on the Thai carriers tend to be Japanese, and I think I saw a Korean once....but for the most part there are Thais who can speak those languages, cost less, and can do the mind numbing work.

[sriracha john]

Does typical Thai xenophobia bar non-Thais from cabin crews on Thai carriers?

Nok has 'em...

Bangkok Post: 8 Jan 2008

Foreign air hostesses on Thai Nok Air ruffles some feathers

The sight of European air hostesses on board some of Nok Airlines' domestic flights has drawn mixed reactions from passengers, particularly Thais who had never been served by foreign cabin attendants on local trips.

Some raise eyebrows while some wonder where all the familiar Thai faces who normally look after them are gone. Others welcome the change while a number of travellers said they did not really care.

Twenty ''farang'' crew, all properly attired in Nok Air's eye-catching yellow uniforms, are serving mostly on the budget airline's flights from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Udon Thani and on some services to Phuket.

The presence of the foreign crew has raised a question whether it is all right for the budget airline to employ them without breaching the laws on reserved professions.

But the answer is yes: there is no law that prohibits foreigners from working as cabin crew on commercial flights in Thailand, Nok Air executive vice-president Sehapan Chumsai pointed out.

[sriracha john]

...but for the most part there are Thais who can speak those languages, cost less, and can do the mind numbing work.

something's numbing about them...

"The Air Hostess War," a popular new Thai soap opera about love and infidelity in the high skies has angered Thai air hostesses who demanded Monday that the show be canceled for casting their profession in an unrealistic and immoral light.

http://news.scotsman.com/opinion/Strange-world.3695625.jpg

which, incidentally is covered by the thread:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thai-Airways...93.html&hl=

Thai Airways Objects To Steamy Thai Soap Opera About Flight Attendants

On topic: Weren't some of this show's attendants leuk theung?

[wileycoyote]

Look better than plump,bureaucratic, governesses on European Airlines !

[Thaddeus]

Look better than plump,bureaucratic, governesses on European Airlines !

Have you ever traveled on National Express. They had to have the aisles widened.

[Arkady]

THAI, indeed, has or had some Japanese and Korean cabin attendants, as it is hard to find Thais that speak those languages fluently. They do the same thing and trim their numbers when times are tough. All airlines seem to do this. British Airways once fired all its Thai cabin attendants. I don't know if they ever hired any back again. Various American airlines have done the same. Airlines see foreign based cabin crew, who are usually not permitted to join the airline's union, as a great way to expand in boom times without too much downside, if they want to shed them later. In the case of Jetstar, however, they probably have to pay them more than Indians and therefore it is more urgent to get rid of them in a downturn.

[ozfarang81]

The Nokair ones probably worked for XL Airlines who were leasing Nok's 737-800s for a short period of time in 07/08. Those aircraft have since returned to europe

[PattayaParent]

i noticed last week they have also DOUBLED there prices !

I found their fares from London to Bangkok to be the cheapest at 400 Quid return.

They must have really had the 'planes packed at 200 Quid?

[andyc2006]

United Airlines fired their Thai flight attendants in summer 2008.

They only worked United's only flight in/out of BKK, once daily to Narita in Japan, but they were UA's best dam_n flight attendants. Now there's not a single flight attendant on the UA BKK/NRT who speaks Thai. And hardly any who do a good job.

[macduff]

The Nokair ones probably worked for XL Airlines who were leasing Nok's 737-800s for a short period of time in 07/08. Those aircraft have since returned to europe

We went as a family on the Nokair XL route from udon thani to bangkok back in feb 08. One of the hostess's came from manchester uk and only spoke English over the tannoy system. She also made everyone with small children wear a third seatbelt,something that nok air generally dont do

[Pseacraft]

I for one am so happy that XL is gone from Nok. When they showed up Nok went the route of the US carriers and BA - nasty flight crew attitudes. I hated the hello out of that mess and had a problem with them once on the BKK - UTH route. The Thai flight landed 30 mintues before we were due to land, the Brit driver decided to return to BKK due to weather, it was monsoon season and nice big clouds but UTH was clear as a bell (as per everyone on the ground there) , flight crew got a massive attitude towards the passengers who were left to our own means in BKK for 5 hours. Fun watching the Thai get pissy with the ground staff.

Shame that Jet did what they did, kind of silly of them, but I don't fly them.

The Nokair ones probably worked for XL Airlines who were leasing Nok's 737-800s for a short period of time in 07/08. Those aircraft have since returned to europe

We went as a family on the Nokair XL route from udon thani to bangkok back in feb 08. One of the hostess's came from manchester uk and only spoke English over the tannoy system. She also made everyone with small children wear a third seatbelt,something that nok air generally dont do

[Texpat]

Language is the only difference that matters.

If Jet can find a handful of Indians who can speak the languages required, why not hire them?

What difference does it make if the nationality of the cabin crew is Indian or Thai (or anything else) if they can do the job?

Is my german shepard any less a dog because she didn't come from germany?

Edited May 17, 2009 by Texpat

[andyc2006]

Language is the only difference that matters.

If Jet can find a handful of Indians who can speak the languages required, why not hire them?

What difference does it make if the nationality of the cabin crew is Indian or Thai (or anything else) if they can do the job?

Is my german shepard any less a dog because she didn't come from germany?

Service is what matters to me, and language is a part of that, but not all of it.

In the case of United Airlines, the Thai flight attendants were so much better than the US-based flight attendants that there was no point comparing them.

Sadly, the Thai flight attendants weren't unionized, and UA's contract with its US-based employees' union stated that the non-union employees are always first to get fired. I.e., UA made a deal to put its employees above its customers.

[Tinkelbell]

United Airlines fired their Thai flight attendants in summer 2008.

They only worked United's only flight in/out of BKK, once daily to Narita in Japan, but they were UA's best dam_n flight attendants. Now there's not a single flight attendant on the UA BKK/NRT who speaks Thai. And hardly any who do a good job.

I also can voice the same too.

Having flying UA from the US to BKK (flight 891) and back to the US on Flight 890 four days ago. I found all the flight attendants were mostly Japanese, except one was caucasian.

During the flight, I had a light conversation with the blonde ( she was hailed from Oklahoma), she told me that UA was short of help so they put her in this BKK/NRT/BKK route for two weeks. I asked her if she speaks any Japanese or Thai, not a word she said. Then she pointed to another female flight attendant telling me that ....she is the only one that can speak Thai and Chinese.

As for me as a passenge, if the service runs smoothly, meets all my demand, I'll be a happy customer even the cabin crew doesn't speak Thai or Japanese. No problem here.

Safety is my only biggest concern.

[Hanzkneez]

I usually have to fly Gulf air as they have the route to BKK I need - the past 4 months or so they have used Jet Air aircraft on the route and I have to say they are excellent, nice new aircraft - very comfortable seats, good entertainment and also excellent staff - and no Arabs on the crew - magic!

[sriracha john]

TWO former air hostesses of the Indian airline Jet Airways say they are among more than 40 former employees "unfairly laid off." They claim the airline failed to keep its promise of Bt100,000 each to the laid-off workers.

The Nation / 2009-07-26