Many airlines have strict application requirements for the role of flight attendant. According to The Travel Academy, airlines will require applicants to be of a certain height so they can operate everything on the aircraft. They may also have limitations on the number of piercings or tattoos a flight attendant can have.
However, there are some rules about being a flight attendant that appear to be unwritten, as TikTok user Angela (@angela.chaan) shares in a video with over 670,000 views.
According to Angela, she had applied for a job with Dubai-based airline Emirates and was invited to interview.
When she got to the interview, the interviewer asked her to “stand up and turn around.”
“So I did a 360 for her like Margot Robbie did in Bombshell,” Angela recalls. She was then asked to remove her shoes.
@angela.chaan #stitch with @kate✈️ how my in-person interview went with air emirates – i want to clarify that this experience was just a standalone incident reflecting the lack of professionalism of a specific interviewer. It does not, however represent the airline as whole. #airemirates #horribleinterview #flightattendant #angelachaan #storytime ♬ original sound – angela chan
In a follow-up video, Angela continues her story. After removing her shoes, Angela was weighed and her height was measured.
When all of this was done, Angela believed that she would be asked about her previous customer service experience. Instead, she was asked if she had modeling experience.
“She didn’t ask me any of those [customer service] questions,” Angela states. At the end, she adds, “I feel like they were looking for something a little different.”
@angela.chaan Pt. 2 of my in-person interview with air emirates – i want to clarify that this experience was just a standalone incident demonstrating the poor professionalism of a specific interviewer. It does not, however represent the airline as whole. #airemirates #horribleinterview #flightattendant #angelachaan #storytime ♬ original sound – angela chan
In the caption of both videos, Angela says that “this experience was just a standalone incident demonstrating the poor professionalism of a specific interviewer. It does not, however, represent the airline as [a] whole.”
That said, many commenters claimed Angela’s experience is incredibly common in the industry.
“This sounds very normal for cabin crew unfortunately,” wrote one user.
“Emirates literally has a model of who they hire. They are known to hire based off looks and body types because of the people they fly,” alleged another.
However, some noted that there may be an innocent explanation for the questions asked by the interviewer.
For the 360 turn and shoes off requirement, “It’s bc they need to see if you’ll fit between seated isles and shoes off to see how tall u are,” claimed one commenter.
As far as the modeling question is concerned, “they ask for modeling experience to know if the person has ‘spicy pictures’ out there which is unacceptable for them,” argued a second.
The Daily Dot reached out to Angela via Instagram direct message and Emirates via email.
Update 4:01pm CT, Apr. 15, 2023: In an email to the Daily Dot, Angela elaborated on the experience.
“In full transparency, some of the questions caught me off guard, or at least I would have appreciated more context on those questions,” she wrote. “For example, the question about my modeling experience, which at the time did not seem relevant to me during the interview, but later made more sense as some comments suggested the reason for this question could have been to potentially scout me as a model for their branding photoshoot or to see if there are any pictures of me out there that may hurt the company image.”
“However, I was surprised that the interviewer did not ask me any skill-related questions at all, such as customer service experience, etc.,” she continued.
She went on to detail other takeaways from the interview process.
“In my opinion, the airline should have made it more clear what to expect during the interview,” she stated. “During my research, I found that most other candidates attended an ‘open day,’ which is a group interview where they are grouped to work on questions/case studies that demonstrate an individual’s leadership skills, problem-solving, or logical reasoning, etc. This tradition of a group interview may have changed due to COVID, which might be why my interview was one-on-one. But regardless, I would have appreciated the heads-up if I had to take off my shoes or ‘spin 360 degrees’ for the interviewers. I think setting expectations and transparency is just as important for the business as it is for a potential candidate.”
All that said, she says she’s not ruling out a career with Emirates in the future.
“I’d never say never,” she explained. “We live in a world of constant changes, and there could be a day that I find myself in a position where working for Emirates is my dream job again, or perhaps when the company’s values align with my beliefs. A lot can change, I can’t speak for the future.”
