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| India-Pakistan |
| Pak airline grounds ‘dull’, ‘scar-faced’ air-hostesses |
| 2007-02-15 |
| ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Supreme Court has asked national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to explain why it is forcing its air-hostesses to go on leave or retiring them at 45 because of their age and “dull and poor appearance”. The apex court took notice of the cabin crew's complaint that the corporation subjected them to “derogatory and insulting treatment”. They were being asked to go on forced leave for “biased and absolutely meaningless reasons”. Elucidating, the complainants said the basis of their retirement included “dull and poor appearance, scars on face, gap in the front teeth and the age factor affecting looks”. Deputy Attorney-General Nahida Mehboob Ellahi told Dawn newspaper that 98 women cabin crew members, through a complaint signed by six staff members, had invited the attention of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to the alleged discriminatory attitude towards them. The complainants have pleaded before the court to direct the PIA to withdraw the “insulting remarks” as well as the letters of forced retirement and call the women to immediately join their duties. They also complained that while they were being pushed out of their jobs at 45, in violation of earlier court rulings, the PIA was filling up the vacancies with crew from Japan, Thailand, Kenya, Russia and Greece. The foreign women are paid $5,000, compared to Rs 15,000-20,000 ($1=Pak Rupees 60 approx) being paid to the Pakistani crew. A majority of the foreign crew, they alleged, could not communicate in English and were thus unsuitable for the job. |
| Posted by:john |
| #9 Bout the same time that I flew them Icerigger. Mostly domestic (Karachi to Lahore and back) but did one international leg from Lahore to Frankfurt and it was quite nice. The allen prayer at the outset of flights in that region is a tad unnerving. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2007-02-15 20:18 |
| #8 I flew Pakistan International Airlines back in 89. Nice airlines back then. At the end of a long flight from New York the male flight attendants handed us a sandal wood Cologne. I thought it was someone else's and tried to give it back. From what I recall they had good tea. Times they have a changed. |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2007-02-15 18:57 |
| #7 They also complained that while they were being pushed out of their jobs at 45 Reminds me old joke about Soviet high end cabaret. Six months after opening managers have a meeting about the dismal attendance. They simply don't understand: they have best caviar in Russia, best champagne, best liquors, the best artists have deigned the decoration, Bolshoi choregraphers have designed the shows. The women? They are also outstanding: everyone has been a Party mem.eber for at least fifty years. |
| Posted by: JFM 2007-02-15 10:42 |
| #6 A majority of the foreign crew, they alleged, could not communicate in English and were thus unsuitable for the job. So I guess now they're qualified to become reservations agents for Delta... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-02-15 10:29 |
| #5 If this isn't an appropriate time for the burkha, then I don't know what is. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-02-15 09:45 |
| #4 I have to wonder if anyone's yet realised that calling on Allah did NOT help them? |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2007-02-15 09:16 |
| #3 John You must be very brave if you flied in a Muslim airline (specially in hardline Pakaistan). I have read a report about the contents of the black boxes in the Sharm el Sheikh accident. Every couple sentences the Egyotian pilots were uttering Inshallah or invoking Mo. But they miss to ask several impoortant parms to the aircontrollers and fail to hold the mandatory briefing where the acting pilot informs the non-acting pilot about the route just after takeoff and the plan in acse there is motor failure before they clear the surrounding mountains. What happenned was that after takeoff the pilot tried to switch on autopilot but failed and didn't check it was on (or noticed the absence of the buzz emitted when autopilot changes to active). Plane began banking. When crew noticed it tried to switch on autopilot but banking angle was now well beyond the autopilot limits so it didn't switch. And the crew continued trying, without ever thinking in forgeting the autopilot and doing things manually. Then the angles got beyong 90 degrees and the plane plunged towards the sea. Plenty of gooffings but don't worry the crew didn't miss an occasion to invoke Allan or Mo in every sentence. |
| Posted by: JFM 2007-02-15 08:30 |
| #2 If they didn't throw acid in their faces, their faces wouldn't be scarred. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2007-02-15 07:54 |
| #1 PIA is an interesting airline. One travel guide related how the sullen male flight attendants served food with cigarettes dangling from their mouths. There are islamic prayers recited by the pilot before takeoff. |
| Posted by: john 2007-02-15 06:43 |