Help me please!

[flapsforty]

Errrmm... I think I might be missing something here.
Did anybody force these people to become FAs?
Were they forced to apply to Long Haul?
Was BMI forced to start flying on Saudi Arabia?

When you decide to start working as international aircrew, should you really expect that the whole world adapts itself to your British customs? Or is it reasonable to accept the fact that countries and cultures differ, to accept that you make your money by flying to those countries and that you will have to adapt to local custom rather than the other way around?
They didn't invite you, YOU choose to become an international FA.
The world is different from the UK. If you can't hack that, get another job.


The Saudis don't want figures of animals & public practice of Christianity.
BMI has translated that into no crucifixes and no teddy bears. Probably to make sure there will not be any problems due to people like the one quoted in the article above. Smart BMI.I used to frequently fly the Jeddah route. Our company just quoted the general rules to us, so there was always at least one Fa who felt the need to let her abaya slip off her hair, wear a bare bellied Teeshirt at the hotel restaurant or any other form of childish rebellion, claiming that that was how SHE understood the rules. Which invbariably led to the kind of trouble BMI want to avoid.

And then that other old duck:

"It's outrageous that we must respect their beliefs but they're not prepared to respect ours."

What the heck does that mean? BMI wants to make money by flying to Saudi. Saudi has rules. So to make the money, BMI requires its crews to stick to the rules.
Nobody forces BMI t fly to Saudi, but if that's what the company wants to do, they have to make sure their crews stick to the local rules & regs.

The UK rules requires foreign airlines crews to fill out a ridiculous and never looked at customs-form. Since my company wants to make money by flying to the UK, we fill out the blasted form on the 35 minute hop over the channel.

We use metal cutlery fleet wide. The USA and the UK require us to use plastic knives. The pax dislike it, so do we, it costs the company extra money, but because we want to make the money flying to those countries, we comply with their (in our eyes stupid) rule.

After most trips, we have a drink of wine or jungle juice or beer in the crew bus. The rules in the USA forbid that, so we don't. Because we want to make money, we stick to the local rules.

In Northern Europe, women are used to sunbathing topless. We don't like 'headlights', so sue us. But in most countries of the world, this is an unacceptable custom. So at the pool in LA and on the beach in Ghana, we wear bikini tops and get on with life.
We adapt to local custom, even if we find it silly and restrictive.

I am pretty sure that Saudi airlines fill in the same silly UK customs form we do, and use the same stupid plastic cutlery.
They do it because it's the UK rule and they want to make the money.

What's this about the Saudis not respecting 'our' rules?? What rules don't they respect? The fact that the British Government does not impose any particular rules on Saudi crew's behaviour and dress, is hardly the Saudi's fault is it?

And as for people who can't do without booze or a shag for the few days of a lay over; why not take a long hard look at yourself and figure out why you are so needy and so little flexible?

If you want to be an FA on Long Haul, how about giving up your provincial tunnel vision? You want to fly, you gonna slip in countries that have different rules. They haven't invited you, YOU make money by going there.

If you can't live without wearing your crucifix for a few days, and can't sleep without your teddy bear, perhaps it's time to re-assess your priorities in life.