The Truth About, CABIN CREW - Time to rebut

Dearest all,

I'm referring to my entry dated March 16th, 2005 - headline "Coffee or Tea for you? The truth about cabin crew".

I've been receiving a lot of comments both on my blogpage here and also personally through my email. Thank you so much - really appreciated the comments. Menunjukkan ade la jugak org baca dan komen.

Mek bukan nak rebut komen2 itiew. Cuma mek nak jelaskan bahawasanya - heeheh bahawasanya nih! Ok, anyways, mek nak jelaskan bahawa, DIFFERENT PEOPLE DIFFERENT PERCEPTIONS. Lain org lain ragam. All I wrote dalam entry itiew was basically how I felt about the work and about being a cabin crew. Like, I meant when I said don't you think for one minute the job is simple and glamorous and boom, every 25th of the month, your pay is out. No no no no. You have to take pride in that job yang SOME ppl claimed NOTHING if compared to Nurses and Teachers.

To that person yang claimed kejer crew nih NOTHING and compared it with nurses and teachers - 1 Q. Can you compare Orange and Apple? YES you can - but can u decide which one lagi sedap? NO u can't sbb kalau U say Orange lagi MASAM dan Apple sedap, ape pulak pendapat orang yang SUKA masam dan tak suke sweet apples? Get the pic tak? I hope you do when you claimed keje crew nih NOTHING compared to nurses and teachers. Challenges nye you said tak seberapa jadik nurses and teachers - true. You can compare them. But that doesnt give you the every right to say keje crew nih NOTHING? Sbb why - ade pernah u rasa how penat buat short international flights with HALF of the entire aircrafts' oven in the galley rosak, with full load of pax and minimum crew? You can never imagine.... so don't go telling me and other readers like you know it all been there done that. Seriously, memang MOST of the time its like routine work - keje dah leh prepare, dah tahu dah A to Z dari KL sampai London - but the unexpected scenes dalam flight? Ado can we prepare? Addinch - nan-ado.

And about comment pasal crew2 semuanya prefer layan Mat Salleh dari layan Asian. I wanted to write about that also tapi takut sensitive maha sangat. Reason we alls crew layan mat salleh more, senang - these ppl tak fussy sangat2 and the fact that they are more friendly dah tak kerek. Asian kita nih majority, I SAID MAJORITY not all ek, so jgn salah paham lagik dengan konsep ayat mek. Asians majority sensitive, ade yang some hyper-sensitive. And dah la sensitive, hidung tinggi. Macam mana crew tak sentap? Duduk Economy, tapi demand melebey lebey dari first class pax. Cam mano? I know I experienced A LOT of Asian pax yang baik hati gile2 punye lah. Siap compliment letters kasik mek, siap borak2, kasik jaga anak2 diaorang lah itu la ini, gelak2 - TAPI ade jugak Asian pax yang mek layan - KITE KASIK SALAM, pergh - buat dunno nih - Aha! First impression org Mat Salleh VERY good. Naik2 jer kapal terbang, mek bukak mulut jer "Good morning Sir/Madam" - nyeh - diaorang leh greet kita balik, and siap2 borak2 sampai ke seat diaorang. Asian kite, dah la ade kalanya tu jawab salam pun idak *kononnye dalam hati* tapi, dah greet tu, pandang straight jer. Tgk muka kami pun dinch. Awat, jijik sangat ka? Nak pandang, tak mau cakap - SENYUM pun jadik lah. Ini tak - naik kapal je, masaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam jer. Ha - now u tell me, cam mana kami tak rasa lebih seronok nak serve whites?

Pastu ade comment dari sorang hamba Allah yang teringin nak join crew. Dek non - MAS memang employ stewards tapi they are not fussy sangat. Serious, luck u ade - ade lah position. Worry not. U tanye susah tak male nak jadik steward? Tak lah - steward by far sebenarnye dalam MAS kalau dlm flight - kadang2 ja dapat working position in the cabin, dealing with serving and pax. MOST of the time stewards akan kejer dalam Galley (dapur le kirenye). You akan incharge dalam galley itu, u la heat meal, u lah load meal. U lah coordinate services, you lah tukar silih berganti trolley/cart - u la transfer meal dari oven ke cart, u lah incharge transfer meal dari freezer cart ke dalam over utk dipanaskan. U lah transfer roti2 dari kotak ke dalam plastic oven and then chuk-it-into the oven for breakfast service. Semuanya you - tapi jgn bimbang. Once u dah familiar with only GALLEY LOADING and SERVICE CONCEPT - there's NOTHING to it. Ha - itu baru betul penggunaan the word NOTHING. Serious. You dah familiar dengan those two - buat la any meal services, you pasti tahu what you're doin. Susah tu memang susah tapi kalau u know what you're doin', it'll be a bit easier. No doubt memang MASIH susah but it wont be as hard as if u langsung don't know what you're doin'. Kalau u dah bebetul mahir - cepat dan smooth jer service you.

TAPI kalau THOSE yang intend nak masuk airline dengan KONSEP - ku ingin bergaji beribu, kerje SENANG, dan glamor dan leh travel the world to SHOP - buang dulu la niat nak jadik crew tu. DLM otak satu jer - U MESTI NAK JOIN CREW SBB U LOVE SERVING PEOPLE AND COMMUNICATING with them. Kalau kire nak gaji beribu, tapi tak take pride in work - tak guna. Kalau kire nak keje senang, MANA ADA KEJE SENANG tapi GAJI BERIBU!? Kalau nak kire glamor, TRUST ME - you WONT STAY LONG in the airlines. AND travel the world? Jgn kerana itu u jadikan alasan nak join crew! KESIAN yangthose yang memang LOVE TO SERVE PPL AND COMMUNICATE WITH 1001PEOPLE. Kerana YOU yang kerje dengan MAS BERMOTIFKAN gaji beribu, nak keje senang, glamour dan travel tu - org yang bebetul LOVE the work tak dapat keja. Faham dak? Errr - so - pikir la bebetul. DO what you like doing. Jgn MENGGUNAKAN kerja ni utk dapatkan apa yang u nak sedangkan u LANGSUNG tak minat. Mula2 ok lah - lama2 bila dah muak - mula u buat perangai. Tannak gi flight la, gi flight ala kadar la... ade tau manusia cam tu waktu I fly dulu. And kerana attitude cam tu, I feel sorry for them sbb tak dapat sedar betapa bestnya serve people and getting to know 1001 jenis ragam manusia, besides u learn a lot of stuffs in fine dining and also yes, the travelling part - when u love your job - ok, contoh. KUL - London. Kalau u hanya looking fwrd nak sampai ke London tu jer...you takkan rasa seronok kat dlm flight "Ish bile nak sampai London nih - mek nak gi sana gi sini.." Dah mula berangan - meal services ke mana apa ke mana. Ok then u sampai London - fair enuff. Happy la u ols in London. Tapi sehari sebelum departure? "Ala - dah nak balik dah esok! Dah la tu, 14 jam pulak stuck dlm kapal tu sebelum sampai KL! BORING!!!!" - haaaa... Jadik, trip London tu, boring dan bosan dan tak memorable sebenarnye. Not if u seronok keje dalam flight, happy jer - sampai London, meriah, happy pusing2, jalan2, then balik dari London
pun u're looking fwrd for ur work and also the fact that nak pulang ke tanah air - all the time happy, ha - it reflects in your work tau.

I guess all I'm saying here is that keje crew, bukan semudah yang u sangka dan keje crew nih, jgn u ols pandang sebelah mata - kononnya NOTHING compared to other professions yang lebih mulia tapi pulangan tak seberapa. We get what we deserve in life- but I admit some don't. It's a question of luck - and who's on your side. Government has always been on our side, crew. Our company realized the fact that its not easy for us to work with full load of 300 pax over in B747 on route to London. Our supervisors knows that we've done a great job on board - and must be really tired - so they let us take an extra half an hour rest more. So basically, don't jump into conclusions saying its nothing by being a crew, and don't worry much about being a crew, thinking its all that hard and tough - important thing here is that - work smart, enjoy work and take pride in the things you do, even when it comes to cuci jamban... :)



Sincere regards, with best wishes,

Nurlea Laurielle Lai Lee Abdullah