Met a senior steward Tim (not his real name) this afternoon at a coffee shop. He was alone,drenched in the heavy monsoon rain. He placed his crash helmet on one of the vacant chairs. So I thought he must be riding a motor bike and couldn't continue his journey because of the inclement weather.
He lit a cigarette and as he started to smoke he took out his mobile phone and made a call. I let him finished his phone call and tapped him on his shoulder.Tim was surprised to see me. The last time we spoke was about ten years ago. We recognised each other and shook hands.
I got him a cup of coffee and we started to talk. As you may know, our conversation was about lives in the airlines. I had left the airlines about eight years ago and it was nice to meet someone who could tell me what's going on in cabin crew.
From the stories Tim told me I could tell there was helluva lot that's going on in cabin crew. As he related to me the stories of how hard he had to work to support his kids, I felt sorry for him. I could see the sadness in his eyes as he related the life he was going through. Life isn't as good as when I was there.
It's an "in" thing for most people all over the world to work harder to survive these days as compared to the past. Resources are in short supply everywhere and there are more inhabitants. The cost of living is rising with each day and people's earnings are being eroded by this thing call inflation.This is a hard fact of life.
Tim became more calm as he inhaled the smoke from his cigarette. As he sipped his coffee,he became more talkative. Tim told me about the various incidences of crew getting into trouble. Tim related to me about a chief steward who drank so much alcohol that he began to abuse a couple of stewardesses during one of the night stops in the Middle East. He also broke a couple of the hotel bar glasses. Since the hotel security could not handle the situation, the local police was asked to help. The case was reported to the company and now the steward is awaiting a disciplinary enquiry. If found guilty of misconduct and bringing the airline into disrepute, he could be fired.
There was another case of a chief steward who was charged for upgrading his colleague to a higher class during her positioning as a passenger. In addition, this chief steward was also charged for molesting a junior stewardess. Not to jump the gun but I think his days with the airline are numbered.
Tim also talked about a steward who went to his ex-girlfriend's department and create a scene. The manager was furious and lodged a report with the cabin crew division. The case is still pending and if found to be guilty of the charge, he would probably be demoted to a lower rank.
Tim also told me about other cases of misconduct and he said there would be more to come.
I asked Tim why there were so much misconduct amongst the crew. His answer was " they were frustrated and overworked" .
I told him to take it easy and don't create any mischief . He also loves alcohol and over indulging might get him into serious trouble during his night stops.
He was a little more positive when I told him that I heard William Koh is now the head of cabin crew. He could be another "Yap Kim Wah" who lifted up the morale and spirit of the cabin crew when everyone else failed in the 1980s.
Good luck Bill and I hope to hear more positive news from the crew about the situation in cabin crew. May the year of the Dragon bring good tidings for the airline as a whole.
