ALL "Irritated" ABOARD!

After two and a half months, I'm finally back in Manila. But before I landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, I was able to experience rudeness during my flight, for the Nth time. 

 image source: http://media2.ph.88db.com/DB88UploadFiles/2008/07/30/83BBDAF5-3433-4D0A-AF3C-4299813718AE.jpg

Everytime we go to Japan and back, we choose to ride Philippine Airlines, the country's flag carrier...trust me, it's been years! But none of those trips has been worth it. They never seemed to have improved on their services. And based on my experiences, the number one reason for their poor service is having a bunch of impolite, disrespectful, and annoying Flight Attendants. Let me share my actual experiences that made me arrive to this conclusion.

Other than saying "Good morning" upon entrance and "Thank you" upon exit with a smile, there's nothing else polite about them. In my flight to Japan last March 2010, I remembered how those flight attendants just stared at my grandmother and my 7-year-old cousin drag their hand-carried bags to their seats. It was evident that the senior citizen and the minor find it hard to walk along narrow aisles carrying quite heavy luggage and no flight ATTENDANT actually attended on them. I wasn't able to help much 'cause I was carrying another luggage as usual, which I had to put at the cabin stowage.

In my most recent trip, which was from Narita to Manila last June 13 on PR 431, I experienced the same thing. Thank God that there's a guy FA who helped me put our hand-carried luggage at the cabin stowage. But still, they didn't help my 69-year-old grandma and little cousin carry their stuff even if it was evident on their faces that they're having a hard time.

Upon take-off, my cousin (seated by the window), and grandma (at the middle) were both asleep. Then since I was at the aisle, a girl FA approached me and said "Pa-open nalang po ng window shades." The window shade covered just around 1/5 of the window. And mind you, that was already that way when we got to our seats. I was trying to wake up my cousin or grandma because I couldn't reach the window shade 'coz of my seatbelt. Fasten seatbelt for take-off right? Until the FA told me "Abot mo naman yata e ikaw nalang magsara." And in my mind I was like, "WTF?!? Edi sana before kayo magsakay ng pasahero inayos nyo yan, e inabutan namin yan na ganyan na tapos uutusan mo ko without using polite words?!" But I stayed calm, I just did what she said.

Came meal distribution time, a girl FA approached me and said they'll distribute meals to kids first. She asked what my cousin would want, Chicken or Beef? So I said chicken. But my cousin was still asleep so we let his food stay on his tray table. Then when it's our turn, we were informed that there's no more beef so we had no choice but to accept chicken. It's not just my taste buds, but I never liked a single meal they served since I started flying PAL. Anyway, that's not the main issue. A guy FA came holding a box, and he pulled out an ice cream cup. Without saying a word, he gestured his hand holding the cup, swung it twice towards my asleep cousin in front of my grandmother's face, implying that "THIS IS YOUR GRANDSON'S ICE CREAM FOR DESSERT, SINCE I CAN'T F*CKIN' REACH HIS TRAY TABLE, I AM ASKING YOU TO PUT THIS THERE." He didn't even look at my grandmother's face! Again, in my mind, I was like, "What the hell are you doing?!? Swinging your hand in front of my grandma's face, asking her to pass that effin ice cream to my cousin without saying a word?!? Not even please?" I think he should've just said "Ma'am ice cream for the kid's dessert, please put on his tray." So again, I stayed calm.

Oh, and they were already collecting trashes when they haven't even served us dessert! They forgot! My grandma asked another guy FA (not the rude one) about the dessert so he immediately got some, handed it to us, then apologized. Oh, thank God for at least ONE polite flight attendant!

I understand that FAs should speak fluent English because of course, they'll encounter lots of foreign passengers. But I guess speaking FLUENT English is a whole lot different from speaking OA English. They're talking to OFWs in OA English when those OFWs were actually talking to them in Tagalog. Let me define that for you. OA English - too much twirls of the tongue, twangs, conyo-ish effect that it gets too annoying already. Anyway, I'm not so sure if they were trained that way so I'll just let it pass.

And lastly, when we're on our first approach to landing, one of the foreign passengers refused to tighten his seat belt. And when the girl FA gave up on him, she approached another FA, who that time was standing just right behind me, and said "May pasaway na pasahero dun, ayaw higpitan yung seat belt eh inexplain ko na nga, blah blah" then the other FA approached that passenger involved. Whatever happened next, I didn't know because I was too far from that passenger's seat. But in my mind I was like , "Hello? Are you really talking about that in the middle of lots of passengers? Do you really want us to hear how you curse irritating passengers?!?"

I don't wanna compare PAL with other airlines but I think I get better treatment on budget airlines, which usually cost me just 1/4 of what I spend with PAL. I guess PAL should do something about it because passengers deserve to get the kind of service they really paid for. Now tell me, is it just me, or have you experienced the same thing too? I've got a couple of friends who experienced the same poor service as well.

My point of sharing this is not to humiliate PAL, but to call their attention so they can improve on their services, most especially, for them to train their flight attendants well. For them to pay attention not just on the safety of the flight but to the overall satisfaction of their passengers. I know that flight attendants undergo a tough training, but I just wish that special attention is given to their attitudes/manners because being polite and respectful is very important for anyone in that job. And with all due respect to PAL, its management, and employees, the airline you work for is our flag carrier. Let's not give foreign guests a wrong impression about Filipinos and our quality of service. And let's not disappoint our fellow Filipinos who choose to support by flying PAL.

Whatever It Takes...

...We'll keep trying!=)

That's the spirit! If you really want something, you gotta do everything to make it happen. In our case, it took us a plane ticket, a hotel accommodation and a little pocket money to move a bit closer to something we really want.

I am not actually referring to this as a dream because until now, I'm not really sure about what I really want in my career, or should I say, in my life? haha.=P But I think for those who were with me, what we're talking about is really a dream.

If only I didn't want a break from work, I wouldn't fly to Cebu. It was really unplanned. I just invited a friend to come with me and the moment she agreed, I immediately booked a ticket. I booked last Jan.19 for a roundtrip ticket (Cebu Pacific) dated Jan.23 (9:35pm) to Jan 27 (4:50am). I also announced to our forum in PEX that I'll be going to Cebu, that's why I got to join my fellow PEXers there.

It's actually my first time in Cebu and I almost missed the plane! I arrived at exactly 9am at the airport!!! Thanks to the help of the cab driver that it took us only 40 minutes from Marcos Highway to NAIA 3 haha! IF I came 5 minutes after 9, I think I wouldn't be allowed to board the plane anymore. It's the last trip to Cebu that day so I was really lucky to catch the plane before it's gone haha!=))

I stayed at Capitol Tourist Inn with my fellow PEXers. Though we're not all together in one room. One stayed somewhere else, while my friend who's originally with me stayed with her friend at another hotel since she's from a different flight.

We arrived at 9am at Marriott Hotel and there were already about a hundred girls in the room. The CV submission started after a few minutes. There were 3 QR representatives: one was a Chinese lady, one was a hot British guy (haha), and the other was Laura, the Argentinian lady whom I've met in Manila last Aug.'09 during the QR Assessment Day. There were also a lot of pretty girls from Cebu, Davao, Manila, and other nearby regions.

When it was my turn, Laura admired my suit in the photo, as well as the photo itself. She asked if I had it taken in Cebu, but I said it's from Manila. Well maybe it's just her way of finding out where I was really from. haha. She asked if it's my first time to apply in QR, but I said it was my 2nd time and that I've already met her during the Assessment Day. She asked what we did there so I answered that we had group discussions. I think she's verifying if I was really there haha. 

After me and my fellow PEXers were done. We had some pictorials outside the hall. haha. Only two among our group got a magic call, which meant that they're in for the Assessment the next day. However, they didn't manage to reach the final interview. But it's okay, we'll keep trying anyway. The most important part of our trip was spending the weekend together in Cebu, wherein we got to know each other even more, and we simply had fun!=) [I hope it shows in the photos haha]

Career Confusion

Now that I'm starting to love my job as a Marketing Officer in a construction supplies/solutions company, more opportunities of getting a higher-paying job are coming my way.

Before applying for the job where I am at right now, I submitted an application to JALways and I got shortlisted. Anytime in October, the employers from Japan will come and probably check on the application of the shortlisted candidates. Yikes, of course I wanna make it there because it would earn me a lot of money. However, it's gonna be hard to leave my current job.

I thought that was my only problem. But now, Emirates will finally be conducting screening in Manila this October. I really waited for this to come since EK has frozen its hiring for a couple of months. I really wanna apply but I'm kinda hesitant because I know how much my boss in my current job depends on me. He'll be very disappointed if I decide to leave the company.

Actually, being a flight attendant is not really my ultimate dream. It's just something I wanna do for the shortest time possible just to earn enough savings that I would use to prepare for a better future. Honestly, I don't wanna be bossed around and I'm not a very patient person that's why I'm not really that good at customer service. However, this is the kind of job that I think would earn me a lot of money for the shortest time possible, therefore after saving enough, I could immediately quit that job and pursue the career that i really love.

Well, I wanna be a boss. I wanna have my own business. I also wanna make a company grow. I wanna feel important and appreciated in an institution. I wanna be a well-known person in my field. And I want my actions to be significant in the success of a company. These are all the reasons why I wanna stay in my current job. This is where all the opportunities for a successful career are. But I am not sure if it would still be there for me when I leave now and work as an FA and come back after a year or two. Right now, I am fulfilled career-wise but not financially. But as always, I am now down to choosing between pride and money.

I am torn. I don't know what to pray for. For me to be accepted in JAL/Emirates or not? Right now I can't think of anything to pray for but guidance & peace of mind. I hope everything will fall into place. I know God has his plans for me and I'll just live by those plans.

on pursuing a new dream...

When I was in pre-school I wanted to be a teacher. When I was in High School, I wanted to be a lawyer. When I was in college, I wanted to be a diplomat or a businesswoman. But after graduation, I just wanted to build a stable career that would give me a sense of fulfillment and that would earn me enough savings before getting married on my late 20's.

I've been hunting jobs since late June. Most of the jobs I've been trying to get into are actually inclined in Advertising, Marketing, Business Development, and PR/Communications; because I believe that this is where I'm good at. So I've already attended a couple of interviews and I've also turned down offers from several companies since I didn't want to choose a job that I won't enjoy, whether it's paying good or not. Then I came across the ads of Cebu Pacific about their recruitment campaign every Wednesdays of June and July. I always planned to attend but it always had a conflict with other job interviews. Yeah, I prioritized the other jobs; not realizing that my plans would change.

It was just last week when a guy friend of mine convinced me to pursue being a flight attendant. I can't remember how the conversation (via YM) started but it had something to do with 'me still unemployed now aka bum'. Well not totally 'coz I do modeling jobs at times and he's also supportive when it comes to that, but what made him convince me was his mom being a flight attendant at Cathay Pacific for 16 years. He explained to me that I deserve such a glamorous job (oh yeah, not glamorous in duties/work, but in perks haha). And then I remembered my relatives from my mother's side used to convince me also since a cousin of my mom is a PAL FA. And another flashback was just last summer when I was with my Iloilo friend in Boracay who told me to email my resume to her FA friend in Oman Air 'coz they've got openings that time.

Right after all the flashbacks, plus my conversation with my guy friend, another guy friend talked to me (via YM) and I mentioned about my confusion. He then told me the story of his ex-gf who got rejected by PAL, Cebu Pacific, JAL, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, but eventually got accepted by Emirates through IPAMS! I was inspired by his story, plus the support he's giving me. So after all the inspirations, I searched for IPAMS' website and immediately found their advertisement on the upcoming Open Day Screening by Qatar Airways at the IPAMS Extension Office in New Manila. Then I consulted this with my grandma and uncle and they pushed me to do it so I called up my bestfriend and convinced her too to come with me. She actually didn't wanna try anymore 'coz she got rejected before by Oman Air, but I said, she must not give up her dreams, just like me.

It was already late when I learned about the Air Asia opening but I tried to catch it. I planned to come in their last day (last Friday), which meant that I had to wake up at 6am to arrive there by 8am. Unfortunately, my insomnia didn't allow me to have enough sleep so I woke up at 10am, and when I called the agency, they told me I can't catch it anymore 'coz the finals batch was already taking the exam at the time I was calling. So I said to myself, ok it wasn't for me.

But the Qatar Airways was still my priority. So I woke up early on the screening day and we arrived at 7:30am, only to find out that there were already 300 girls ahead us, and at 9am, there were already 400 girls behind us. I was shocked to see that a lot of girls wanted the same job that I want. Yay! I almost lost hope after seeing everyone, so pretty in their corporate outfits. My bestfriend and I we're done by 10:30am. We just passed our photos and resume to one of the three evaluators, and we were just asked a few questions such as "How are you? How old are you? Is this your number?"; and after that, "We will just call you." So it really left me puzzled on what could be their basis in choosing those who will be shortlisted.

We didn't expect to get a call anymore, but somehow we were hopeful. Anyway, we just had a buffet lunch at Guilly's in Glorietta 5, and we took a nap at my bestfriend's apartment. Then we had a meeting with our client somewhere in Mall of Asia, and a business meeting in Blue Wave.

The whole day was tiring yet really fun. On my way home, I had been praying to receive a call from IPAMS...and at about half past 6pm, i received the magic call! Unfortunately my bestfriend didn't but I told her she must not give up. But what I really appreciated most from her was her support. Also, my grandma was so glad to hear the news, as well as my friends who pushed me to apply. haha!

Come the second day of screening or the assessment. I belonged to the PM batch. We were supposed to be 39 but 1 girl wasn't able to come. So we got oriented about Qatar and the lifestyle of a QR Cabin Crew. We also had a reach test, English exam, and group discussions. And basically, the evaluators (who used to be QR FAs) just observed our actions, body languages, and our total package. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, not all names got called to advance in the final interview....and I was one of them.

Well, it was sad, yet not enough reason to lose hope. I've reached that stage during my 1st time of application in any airline and to think that there were more than a thousand who came there on the 1st day and I got shortlisted for the 2nd day was more than enough blessing. It even took about 4 times of application for others to reach that same stage, so I'm somehow luckier. There are still a lot of airlines out there. Just like the other, I'll keep on trying.

There is no way to give up when it comes to our dreams. Our own success is always worth fighting for.=)