CABIN CREW STORIES: “Pursue your dreams and never give up!”
By Elishibah Muthoni – Former Qatar Airways Cabin Crew
Hello everyone! It’s such a pleasure to talk to each one of you through this cabin crew life experience platform.
First of all, always believe in yourself and never give up on your dreams. Secondly, don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you always wanted to. I was recruited to fly with Qatar Airways at the age of 31, after trying to join couple of other airlines without success – Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Air Arabia and, let’s not forget my country carrier, Kenya Airways. Most of the times I was turned down because of my lack of confidence, grooming and also because of being a walk-in. But these did not stop me from pushing that button of trying harder because I realized the passion for flying inside of me; no matter how long it was to take me getting aboard, I was ready to wait.
Having a hotel F&B background and experience, as I worked for 5-star hotels back in Kenya and U.A.E. (Dubai) like Laico Grand Regency, Grand Hyatt Dubai, Hyatt Regency and Park Hyatt, it helped me make my wish come true. My experience in customer services, F&B and hospitality in general, gave me the chance to showcase my abilities and capabilities to respect and serve multicultural nationalities without discrimination of race, color, gender, age and so on.
I believe that it was not a coincidence when choosing the cabin crew job. I always had a passion and a desire to serve people one day, up in the air. My dreams did not let me down; I pushed and prayed that one day I’d work as a cabin crew. The way I decided to join an airline and spread my wings was quite amazing. I remember that while working in a restaurant, I was serving a group of cabin crew who happened to have layovers in the hotel I previously worked for. Everytime I was doing the service, they truly appreciated my work; they found me kind, humble and welcoming. Most of them left me good tips and encouraged me to apply for a flight attendant job. They gave me the details of some airlines career websites, in order to submit my application.
I can say, I never took those chances for granted and therefore I looked for a cyber cafe to submit my applications. I was called to attend several interviews and I can say that every time I was very excited. Well, sometimes you can have all the qualities you think that fit well with a certain position, but on the other hand, the recruiters see most of the things differently. It’s good to be qualified, professional, ready, confident and to have all the other positive qualities, however the time and each ones’ fate counts, too. Some recruiters needed less information when we were attending the interview, while others needed too much. So again, every interview was different. Qatar Airways was among the simplest interviews I recall attending. The recruiters were calm, friendly and so down to earth. They always started by telling brief, motivating and touching stories. I felt this was a very good way of approaching the nervous candidates and made me feel prepared and confident enough to pass it successfully. Then the worst part came, when I had to leave my family back home, say goodbye to my colleagues from the hotel, relocate to the Gulf area and finish my studies abroad.
Working as a cabin crew felt like an achievement. I truly thank God for the amazing favor he did to me in meeting my dream job. I paid 100% attention to all my duties and loved every single day I worked within Qatar Airways. My devotion and hardworking promoted me step by step from F2 Cabin Crew (working in Economy Class) to CSD position (Cabin Service Director) during my term of service. I met different nationalities, learnt a lot of cultural differences and enjoyed the layovers after successful safe flights. Shopping was my great addiction, enjoyed all travel benefits with my family, the discounted tickets and considered each day a new life experience.
I would say this job changed my life, but not my character. I worked hard, saved and did a lot of investments. I also met my husband while I was a cabin crew and with the company’s assistance I managed to move in with my husband. Getting married did not stop me from flying, not even from doing online studies in Medical Assisting for two years, successfully graduating in 2016.
My life in Doha (the capital of Qatar) was amazing, easy and comfy. Crew accommodations were just great, with facilities such as: gym, swimming pool, laundry and others. Transportation to and from flights was always available, security and privacy made it even more convenient. The rostering office tried meeting every crew flight requests – most of the time I did get two to three favorite flights on the roster. I managed to travel all over the world for free and even had the opportunity to meet couple of celebrities on board.
Equality was maintained all the time; crew respected each other and always worked as a team. During the briefings, when I became supervisor I was highly recommending my colleagues to maintain a crew friendly environment, because everyone wanted to feel like being at home even if away. This kind of atmosphere also promoted successful flights and happy customers.
My advice to the young generation is to pursue one’s dream and never give up. Also if your passion is flying, then do some detailed research and if given a chance in your country carrier, take it while aiming higher. Take a step every day, be confident and always have a positive attitude.
Nothing is impossible in this world if you have the right attitude. Having a cultural awareness and respect for everybody, these will take you places!