"As our plane was struck by lightning 19 times." Interview with hostess Svetlana Demakovoj

Svetlana Demakova a flight attendant for seven years. During this time she had to visit dozens of countries and get thousands of followers in Instagram, telling about their own everyday life. We talked to the hostess of the Arab airlines and find out what steps have to go through to become a flight attendant, to get rid of aerophobia and why pilots always fed different food.

"You do not like selfish"

- What did you do before you became a flight attendant?

- I was born in Ukraine and graduated from the Kharkov Polytechnic University. After studying the situation in the family has developed in such a way that I needed urgently to buy an apartment for his mother: she is more than two years living in a rented. All around solid about jobs in Dubai because fly there, unlike in Europe and the US, is quite simple. I decided to perform the duties and hostess at the restaurant for five months.

- At what point decide that you want to work in the sky?

- In the restaurant I had only one day off per week, and by Dubai standards, also a very modest salary - $ 500 per month. I knew that such income will have to work 10 years to buy an apartment, so I decided to leave. Many friends want to be in the air, because the flight attendants a good schedule and a decent salary. I decided to try, and everything turned out.

- What are the requirements put forward to the future of flight attendants?

- In my case, you must be fluent in English, do not have tattoos on the visible parts of the body, to bring high school diploma, be over 21 years old and above 158 centimeters. In some companies, the flight attendants should be a little higher. In Dubai, the medical-lotnaya Commission is not as strict as in Russia or Ukraine. Much more important is how you show yourself at the interview.

- And how it went for you?

- Candidates are beginning to evaluate more until they entered the study. Matter how politely you communicate over the phone and with other members of the selection, smile or sit serious. Any little things can make a difference.

First we went light tests in arithmetic and English: it was necessary to insert the words in the blanks and write an essay. Then we waited for two group assignments, where candidates evaluated from a psychological point of view. Each group member asked a question to which there is no right answer. Let's say, on board a pregnant woman, a woman with a child and a VIP-person. Who do you transplant in business class?

During the discussion it is important to show that you are friendly, polite and can be part of the team. If you start to convince everyone that only your position is correct, most likely, the job will be sunken: here do not like selfish.

After each stage of the people screened so at the time of interviews tete-a-tete is still about 10 people. Asked various questions: from motivation to become a flight attendant and finishing reasons for choosing a particular airline. You may be asked to tell about their own shortcomings. In this case you need to call the qualities that are actually advantages. For example, you are responsible too, and so do not love be lateThat sometimes come an hour before the desired time.

- How is your week?

- The graph is very different from the Russian airlines. I heard that "Aeroflot" flight attendants get a list of flights for a week before the start of the next month, in addition he is still not final. In such circumstances, it is difficult to think of a personal agenda. We are all easier: two weeks before the beginning of the month send the final graph, we can advance to influence.

Flight attendants divided into groups whose priority is changed. Sometimes I'm one hundred percent probability can get any flights that I want. The same goes for the weekend, which I define yourself. However, each month includes other priority groups, so sometimes your request can not meet.

On average, each month I have 15 flights. In summer and winter there are more, because everyone goes on vacation. In November, I have only four flight, and the other days - the weekend, but this is not always the case. The maximum journey time at my airline - 6 hours and 30 minutes, so very long flights do not happen.

- How do you prepare before departure?

- Be sure to try to get some sleep. If the front of a night flight, then force myself to lie down for at least a couple hours. Then, just a 60 minutes time to collect the suitcase, freshen up and make up. Now I am in Tanzania, so I took things in accordance with the weather conditions at the point of arrival. If you know that flying in cold Prague can capture from Dubai warm sweaters.

Important point: 12 hours before the flight to finish drinking alcohol - can check. At the airport, you have to be an hour before departure.

- Regular flights affect health?

- I have been working for seven years in the aviation industry, but I feel fine. However, the girls know who leave after a year, because the sick, lose weight, or, conversely, are fattening. To me this is not happening.

Of course, it is stressful for the body, because the pressure is constantly changing, but we do not have long flights over long distances, as in other airlines, so I do not have health problems. The time difference in another country, in our case a maximum of 3 hours, so jet lag I also do not bother.

"This work is like a drug"

- it believed to be a flight attendant is cool, because it is possible to see the world. How often in the mission turns out to see the city in which you arrived?

- Everything depends on the time and place. There are short trips of 11 hours, which is only enough to stay in the hotel, and sometimes we stay in the country for four days - this was in Bratislava. Free time can be used as it would be desirable: to take an excursion to visit a nightclub or go to the observation deck. Some colleagues stayed in the hotel because we were in the country many times, or just tired, but I try to see new places, to make interesting pictures in Instagram, or find cool cafes.

- How often are allowed to take a vacation?

- My airline offers 30 days of the year, but you can break them down as you like: double 15, triple 10, or six times in five days. I usually use the latter option, and add to holiday weekend, which I choose myself to priority months. Sometimes five days, thus turned into three weeks.

- All flight attendants look spick and span. What is the reason such a reverent attitude to appearance?

- We are the face of the airline, so it is important to match the brand and maintain the image. In our case, we allowed only brown tone in clothes and make-up, and in the Emirates more available and red. Moreover, bright lipstick for them an obligatory element - part of the uniform.

- What happens to the flight attendants, if they look a little stout, or not so presentable, as before?

- I love my airline, because here you will be given a different set of clothes, if you dial up the extra weight. From time to time I meet full of colleagues, and they work quietly. Some companies have the bottom bracket: to become a flight attendant does not work, if you weigh less than 50 kilograms. I think it is logical to introduce an upper limit and that all were about the same range. Such is the company Air Arabia: say some girls that are willing to take them, if they lose weight.

Age is also not a problem. With us fly women over 50, because in the United Arab Emirates on retirement leave in 65 years. Restrictions in our company there, but in the Emirates are inclined to believe that after 45 to work longer desirable.

While it's difficult to say when I want to leave the aircraft. Initially I thought that spent more than five years, but it's been seven, and I do not plan to stop there. This work is like a drug. You stay, because there is quite a lot of privileges.

- What kind of privileges?

- Nice graphics, a lot of weekends and holidays, and good insurance discounts. There is a special system by which you can buy a ticket for 50% or 90% cheaper for themselves or close relatives. However, if the flight is full, you will not take. However, this rarely happens, and the choice of airlines huge: more than 50 variants worldwide.

- What kind of emergency situations for all the work you have encountered on board?

- Most accidents happen during take-off or landing. Really terrible situation has occurred only once. Winter in Dubai stood out as the bad weather that hail. We flew in Africa and during the ascent were in a very strong turbulence. We shook, and the passengers who were sitting near the wing, saw a flash of fire. They thought that we burn, and began to shout.

Get out of the place, none of the flight attendants could not because the flight attendant on the rise, too, should be fastened - otherwise we will throw up. The only thing that remained - ask the passengers to remain calm.

We looked at each other in silence and simply prayed.

As a result, when the danger zone is behind us, the pilots reported the incident at the airport and we were asked to return to the art checked the aircraft. It turned out that our plane was struck by lightning 19 times.

- How flight attendants to manage such situations, keep your face? Did not you scared?

- We are taught how to behave in case of emergency, but in fact the response of the individual. It is one thing - to hear about incidents, sitting at the desk, and another - to see them with my own eyes. You never know how will react until you happen trouble. Panic can not be blamed, because in moments of terrible people forget more and act on instinct.

- Is it true that there is a code word for emergencies?

- Yes. We use it when you need to inform pilots of the presence of terrorists on board. The invaders will want to get them into the cabin, but we say the code word, and they realize that everything else is said under duress, and thus open the door in any case impossible. The task of stewards - to do everything that the pilots were safe.

- How to deal with the fear that the plane might crash, or something goes wrong?

- killed in a car accident a few tens of times more, so I do not have fear before the flight. Since the first flight in Hurghada in 2008. I fell in love with the sky, and since then I thought: "My God, what a beautiful flight attendant!" Now I try to keep a positive attitude. It seems to me that the power of thought, we attract both good and bad in your life. If you think about disaster, it really happens. Let fate decide if destined to be broken, so be it.

Some even can not get on a plane - in this case it is necessary to turn to a psychologist. Others come on board, but very experienced. If there's excitement, let the flight attendants about him. We will talk, will help soothe and distract from the negative thoughts. Another life hacking: occupy yourself with something during takeoff and landing time, so as not to listen to the engine noise. Most often it is frightening. But the main thing - do not drink alcohol. These drinks do not relax, but only reinforce the perception.

"Pilots should not eat the same food"

- Why all the applause after landing?

- Honestly, do that only Russian-speaking passengers. I myself do not understand where it came from tradition clap pilotsWhich are located in the cabin and did not hear anything. I try to transmit the applause and gratitude, if they were, but it's a little strange. In Europe and America, no one does.

- What the situation in the plane most enrage you?

- I am sure that many flight attendants annoying when the two options proposed dishes passengers choose the third. Suppose fish, which is not.

I also do not like that people are sitting with headphones at a time when we ask for them. They carefully listen to you, do not understand anything, remove the device and asked to repeat. Really it is impossible to prepare in advance the conversation? Trolley with food since moving slowly. In such situations, we can only keep quiet and smile.

Some passengers pressed the call button and ask for water. You bring, and the man suddenly realizes that he wants chocolate. Then you have to go back 15 meters across the cabin, and to think, why can not we say all desires at once?

Enrages when a five-hour flight just before landing, passengers start to run to the bathroom, even though they were asked to buckle up.

It is for all the flight could not make their case? Moreover, we report on the preparation for landing 30 minutes before it started, but walking through the cabin start at precisely the moment when doing this already must not.

Oddly enough, when people start to grab bags and rush to the door immediately after landing. So often make on flights to India and Bangladesh. Why get up when board "fasten your seatbelts" not disabled? In addition, there is still 20 minutes away to the parking lot, and then a bus ride with them.

- The pilots and flight attendants to eat the same food that the passengers?

- No, we eat differently. The standard box with fruits, chocolate, sandwiches and hot food, such as rice with chicken or something vegetarian. It is important that the pilots should not eat the same food, so that in case poisoning one of them remained exactly in order. This rule is very strict.

- Faced with the drunken troublemakers on board?

- Personally, I was not like this, but the other guys talked about similar cases. In the salon you can not carry your own alcohol to the flight attendants could follow the passenger's condition and know exactly how much he drank. People still can smuggle a bottle of whiskey and empty it right into the plane. Then they begin to fight, to stick to the flight attendants, pilots to break. For such cases, there are special tools, which we tacked to the passenger seat. We use similar means rare, but sometimes it's easier to fix a man, so that he does not hurt anyone.

- Just recently occurred in RussiaThe Russians had sex in a chair and hit the aircraft on video a situation where flight attendants found the passengers on the plane intimate caresses. What do you do in such cases?

- I've heard from other flight attendants, that this is possible. Most often such situations occur on a long overnight flight, when the stewards are not around. Passengers can go to the toilet, but in our case, is always near the staff, so it will not work.

I was told that once on a Russian flight to the seats near the emergency exit, where legroom is more girl was covered with a blanket and pleasuring guy. Inside, there were few passengers, so that the cabin crew seems to have made the remark when everything was over.

I do not know what would have behaved in such a situation. Sometimes even have to stop kissing, because we have an Arab airline. Can sit next to the pair for which this behavior is totally unacceptable.

"Cool, you're not tied to the office"

- How many flight attendants earn?

- The exact figure will not name because wages depend on the number of hours that you fly. On average, it turns out approximately 3500 dollars. Emirates have more, but the difference is small - about $ 300 for economy class employees. In Russia, the salary is less.

- What services or applications use to simplify the work and life?

- We have a domestic airline app that allows you to track the schedule of flights. In addition, I often use offline maps for MAPS.ME travelers, service for booking Airbnb property, an application to search for a free overnight stay and familiarity with local Couchsurfing.

- what to do in your free time?

- I try to read, watch a movie or do their own blog in Instagram, where I talk about work and travel. Two months ago, I joined a sports club and now I go to yoga class, the pool and the gym. In general, I became involved in fitness and otherwise try to monitor their own health. Sport gives energy, and I like it.

- What is most like your job?

- I love the sky, and every time I go on a flight with a smile. I like the lifestyle's great that you are not tied to the office and constantly meeting new people from different countries. Previously I did not know what to Nicaragua and then flew with a guy who was born there.

Layfhakerstvo from Svetlana Demakovoj

• Drink lots of water before the flight and during it. This will help prevent dehydration. It is advisable not to replace it on the coffee, tea and alcohol, because they, on the contrary, contribute to dry skin.
• Dress comfortably. Short shorts, heels and a thin blouse is not the best option for the flight because the plane can be cold, and the blankets are not provided everywhere. Grab a warm jacket and a special pillow to sleep to feel good. And do not sit on the spot all the 5 hours to numb limbs do not.
• Think what you will engaged on board. Advance download your favorite music albums or movies you want to watch. In addition, the flight - the perfect time to perform the tasks you put off indefinitely.
• Fly without makeup. Tonal framework does not allow the skin to breathe. The best option - a mask and moisturizer. But the rose water, which the Council, many makeup artists, spraying is not necessary. It is very dry skin.
• If a long flight, select seats in advance. Most are close to the emergency exit, because legroom is more. However, for comfort will have to pay a little extra. If you are afraid of turbulence, remember: always in the plane shakes his tail and in front of the cabin is felt less.