Galley Gossip: “Flight attendant” prostitution ring busted (in more ways than one)

by Heather Poole on

Sex sells. That’s a fact.

But did you know that sex stories involving flight attendants will sell even more? It’s true. Take for instance the flight attendant prostitution ring bust story that’s been making the rounds. The travel site Jaunted even asked me to comment on it. Honestly, I really didn’t want my name to be associated with a prostituting group of flight attendants, but then, knowing how the media loves a good flight attendant story, I decided to check it out and find out what was really going on. Ya know, in order to set the record straight, because whenever there’s a flight attendant story there always seems to be a record that needs a little straightening.

According to Jaunted, 200 of the women involved in the prostitution ring were students and flight attendants. As soon as I read that bit of information I thought, Okay, but just how many of the women, exactly, were flight attendants? I read on. Only two flight attendants are mentioned in the article, one who works for British Airways and another who works for Jagson, an Indian airline I’ve never heard of before. This made me think, But that’s just two flight attendants we know of for sure – Two!

Two flight attendants and it becomes a “flight attendant” story? Give me a break!

Google “flight attendant prostitution ring” and several links will pop up to a story entitled, Busted: massive flight attendant prostitution ring. Note the word massive. Just how massive you may be wondering? I wondered the same thing. Turns out it was so massive that the entire story is only two sentences long. In the article only a swami and a nameless flight attendant from British Airways are mentioned. That’s it. Which does not sound so massive to me! Would you believe Times Online and Fox News did the exact same thing by running their own version of the “flight attendant story” even though both news groups only mentioned two flight attendants in their reports.Now let’s back up for a moment. There are approximately 15,000 flight attendants working for British Airways. Big deal if a flight attendant is involved in a prostitution scandal. That’s a blip on the screen. Just fire the flight attendant and be done with her. Don’t bring the rest of us down!

When I asked Jaunted how one British Airways flight attendant could make “a flight attendant story,” I was told that there were many flight attendants involved in the bust. (Many? But how many is many? Does anyone know?) Then I was informed that most of the women worked for India airlines. What I found to be shocking was that they, the flight attendants from India, were not considered to be as newsworthy as the British Airways flight attendant.

Not as newsworthy, but why? I find that, in itself, to be very newsworthy.

A bigger story, in my opinion, is why so many women (how many, I still don’t know) at one airline who have what many consider a professional job would feel the need to prostitute themselves? Now that, I think, is what we should all be talking about. Am I wrong?

Which brings me to a little flight attendant pet peeve of mine, comparing US flight attendants to their foreign counterparts. Is it really so terrible that flight attendants in the United States are allowed to grow old, gain weight, get married, and have children? I know this screws up the whole hotness factor of the flight attendant fantasy that so many passengers can’t seem to let go of, but this is a country where women, even flight attendants, have rights, right? Honestly, I can’t get over how harshly some people judge flight attendants based on their looks alone – and this is 2010! Don’t believe me? Read this letter from Big Daddy.

Did you know that flight attendants who work for foreign carriers, the very same airlines that passengers have a tendency to rave about, don’t have the same rights as I do? In fact, if I worked for say Emirates or Cathay, I wouldn’t even have a job. In my thirties, I’m too old! Most foreign carriers won’t even hire a flight attendant over the age of 27, let alone allow the ones who are already employed to actually (gasp) age. Did you know that in the US, back in the 70’s when flying was considered glamorous and the majority of people couldn’t afford to travel, stewardesses averaged only 18 months on the job? This is because they were not allowed to get married or have children, as if only young, unmarried, and childless flight attendants could actually serve passengers the way they needed to be served. (Wink Wink)

Remember the “stewardesses” who seductively asked you to fly them, the ones who wore hot pants? Well they’re still around. In fact, that flight attendant wearing the coke bottle glasses who served you a drink on your last flight may have been the same woman wearing the go-go boots so many years ago. That’s right. Here in the US flight attendants actually had the nerve to stand up for their rights and put a stop to airlines using them as marketing tools that promoted their sexuality and little else. Yeah, I know, it’s such a bummer that US airlines were forced to stop exploiting women.

Today a majority of flight attendants who work for foreign carriers only average three years on the job. This is because they are offered short work contracts, zero retirement, and low pay. How else could the airlines overseas keep their flight attendants young, sexy and desirable? Now mix in a poverty stricken country or a country where women aren’t exactly treated with the same respect as men and you will find quite a few women turning to prostitution. Are we surprised by this? I didn’t think so. And that’s not newsworthy!

Photos courtesy of fisserman and Plamen Stoev

Catfighting flight attendants put a stop to Delta Connection flight

by Laurel Miller on

A Delta Airlines connection flight was cancelled last Thursday, after two female flight attendants engaged in a catfight. According to the Associated Press, Rochester-to-Atlanta-bound Delta Connection Flight 887 was forced to return to the departure gate after one of the passengers fell ill. Memphis-based Pinnacle Airlines spokesman Joe Williams states that there was no physical contact between the dueling attendants, merely a “verbal disagreement.”

Passenger Steve Mazur contradicts Williams’ statement, saying that the women, “Apparently got into a fistfight. The pilot decided to kick everyone off the plane.” Fellow passenger Corey Minton adds that they were ordered to disembark because “stewardesses were fighting.”

Delta damage-controlled the situation by finding alternate travel arrangements for passengers, but likely won’t be able to erase the salacious image of flight attendants scratching one another’s eyes out. Both women have been put on leave until an internal investigation can be done. Says Williams, “The activity described is not acceptable.”

How to pack for back-to-back trips

by Annie Scott on

Sometimes, the stars mis-align and you have to take two trips right in a row, with 72 hours or less in between. It seems it would almost be easier on a body to stay in a hotel in the interim, to avoid that wrenching “I’m home, I’m traveling, I’m home, I’m traveling” feeling. Still, there are cats and dogs to be snuggled, people who miss you, and some things about the quick turnover can be great: you don’t have to tell anyone you’re back and you can use the time for yourself, and the flip also gives you the opportunity to change out some clothes so you don’t have to check a bag.

As someone with a background in entertainment, which includes out-of-town gigs and touring, I can offer some advice about living in and out of a suitcase efficiently. Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to wear your underwear inside-out.

Don’t overpack
While the temptation may be to pack for both trips and be done with it, as I mentioned above, your break can be used as an opportunity to travel lighter. Though you may have a borderline neurotic compulsion to wear something different every day (I do), keep in mind that at your second destination, they haven’t seen the outfits you wore at your first destination. If you’re a woman and there are formal events, two dresses are definitely in order (photos, people), but other than that, try to pack clothes you know you can re-wear. An example of this is a sweater that you normally wear over a t-shirt. When you’re home in between, switch the t-shirt.

Keep dirty clothes separate
Hotels usually have laundry bags. Steal them. Keep your dirty clothes in a laundry bag in your suitcase. The t-shirt above, for example, doesn’t need to get re-worn. When you get home, you’ll have a suitcase of neatly folded clean clothes and a bag (also in the suitcase) of dirty clothes for the hamper. Use a plastic bag when possible; this keeps the dirty clothes from stinking up the clean ones.

Prep your replacement clothesWhen packing, keep in mind what you know you’re only going to wear once and prepare a replacement. That way, when you get home with your laundry bag, you can just dump it and throw your neatly-folded-and-waiting stack of clean replacements in the suitcase. Done. If you pack creatively, and make sure most items match each other, the only thing you really might not have enough of is underwear or socks. The good thing is, you can buy underwear and socks almost anywhere for not too much money. I’ve certainly had to pick up a five-pack here and there on my journeys. It’s healthy, it reminds one that buying new socks and underwear is okay.

Air things out
Nice clothes don’t like being in suitcases. You should give your nicer things as much of a break as you have. Suit jackets, trousers, dresses, and anything cashmere, linen or that will wrinkle should be pulled out of your suitcase immediately and hung. Use wrinkle releaser for good measure. When you arrive at your second destination, hang it all up again, especially anything that’s going to be re-worn.

Don’t settle in
As good as it feels to be home, settling in is a trap. When you’re airing things out, for example, you should hang them in the open, where they can breathe, not in your closet, which will inevitably cause you to forget at least one item. Unless you only have one cell phone charger, keep it in the bag, along with your passport, your travel documents, your camera and anything you don’t absolutely need to unpack. Enjoy being home — the food, the shower, the bed, coffee with a friend, the exact angle of the television from your couch, but keep yourself in the mindset of traveling and stay packed as much as possible. If you unpack that suitcase and put your things away, leaving again will feel like a monumental pain-ridden task. It doesn’t have to be that way.

The short stop home can be a brief relief from that “always on” feeling of traveling, and a soul-replenishing chance to hug the ones you love. If you follow the tips above, it will make your trip easier, and have you looking fresher.

Air Repair for your travel-weary skin

by Annie Scott on

Air Repair Skincare is a relatively new collection of TSA-friendly products for men and women developed by Denise Spanek, a skincare expert with 25 years of experience in the beauty industry. I was lucky enough to receive a set of the products to try, including Rescue Balm (lip balm and hand salve), Facial Mist, Facial Cleansing Milk, Eye Cream and Beauty Balm (face lotion). I took them from NYC to the UK and Austria — there they are in my plastic baggie atop my un-unpacked suitcase — in lieu of any of my usual products.

My Face

For the sake of context: I have pretty good skin. I moisturize daily and use eye cream regularly. Facialists tend to tell me I have an oily T-Zone and dry cheeks (and try to sell me two different lines of products, as if.), but even with combination skin, I rarely get acne. I do, however, come off of most airplanes with clogged pores, which sometimes result in dreaded pimples. I don’t always travel with shampoo, but you’d never catch me without concealer.

The Experiment

To try out the Air Repair collection, I began on the morning of my flight to London by using the Beauty Balm (a “Complexion-Boosting Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid”) and Super-Hydrating Eye Cream. The Eye Cream went on smoothly and delivered a mild firming sensation. The Beauty Balm scared me at first; I thought the formula was too thick for the oily parts of my skin, but it turned out it’s just highly condensed (so the 2 fl oz tube lasts a long time), and when I massaged it into my skin, it was surprisingly light and natural. Neither had a scent. A+ so far.When I was on the plane, I started to get oily/dry as usual. I headed to the lav and reapplied the Eye Cream and the Beauty Balm. They felt fantastic, like a tall drink of water for my skin. I also applied the Rescue Balm to my lips. Unfortunately, it had a strong taste and odor somewhere in the family of Carmex (but different, more herbal/medicinal and less pungent), and I could taste it for quite some time. That part was less than pleasant, but it definitely softened my lips.

When I arrived in London, I reapplied. My skin felt pretty great, I have to say. During my layover (waiting for a flight to Manchester), I spritzed my face with Complexion Quenching Facial Mist. It felt nice — and was definitely part toner. The cool astringent feeling was very refreshing.

I eventually arrived at my final destination (Liverpool), and in the shower I tried the Soothing Facial Cleansing Milk with Chamomile and Arnica Extracts. I wasn’t sure my skin felt completely clean, but it felt soft.

Results

Throughout my various ensuing travels, I continued using just the Air Repair Skincare products. I’m now home, two weeks, seven flights and four train rides later, and pimple-free. I had just one blemish during the trip — but it was right at the beginning, meaning it was probably on its way before I started using the products.

Conclusion

On the whole, I give the collection a B+. The Beauty Balm and Eye Cream are phenomenal, and I will continue using them, even at home. They’re unscented and worked well on both the dry and oily parts of my skin. I’d recommend them for men and women. The Facial Mist is also an A-grade spray. The Cleansing Milk I’m torn about — it didn’t give me a clean feeling, but I didn’t break out, so it must have cleaned my skin as much as it needed to be cleaned. I did find myself exfoliating a little with the hotel towels, just to make sure it was getting into my pores. I give the Cleansing Milk a B. The Rescue Balm for lips worked, but tasted terrible. With my regrets, I have to give that a D+, which really pulls down the average — but there are a lot of better balms out there. I recommend Kiehls Lip Balm #1 with SPF 4 or CO Bigelow’s Mentha Lip Shine/Breath Freshener (mint balm that actually freshens your breath while you moisturize).

The whole Air Repair Kit is just $65, which is an absolute steal. If you just want the Beauty Balm ($28) and the Eye Cream ($29), which I highly recommend and will keep using myself, you can purchase them individually here and here. The Facial Mist is $12, so if you want that, too, it’s actually cheaper to get the whole kit.

Daily Pampering: Welcome massages in Puerto Vallarta

by Annie Scott on


Villa Premiere Hotel & Spa, a luxury boutique hotel in the paradise that is Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, is offering a few extra free perks to make their property stand out from the crowd. Our favorite? Complimentary welcome massages.

“Getting to paradise for a vacation can often be long and frustrating,” says a rep for the hotel. That’s why when you arrive, they hand you a welcome cocktail and give you a a relaxing anti-stress hand and neck massage. Then, you choose what kind of pillows you’d like in your room and decide whether or not you’d like butler service. The butlers will do everything from unpacking and ironing your clothes to making your dinner reservations and bringing you your morning coffee — just be sure to tip them well.

Complimentary yoga and meditation classes take place all year on the beach, so if you find yourself having a difficult time unwinding (it’s hard to let go of the stress of the work you did to get to your vacation), there’s help.

The AAA Four Diamond, Bahia de Banderas beachfront Villa Premiere Hotel & Spa has 83 elegantly appointed rooms and suites with Mexican art and furnishings, private terraces, generously sized whirlpool tubs and superb ocean views. Rates start at $270 (based on double occupancy). Click here to book.

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.