Another Career Door Slammed in my Face
I know it may be considered a tad late, but I still haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up.
However, apparently I'm not going to be an air hostess for KLM, no matter how much I crave this. And apparently I already can't be a pilot. Though, to be fair, having terrible eyesight and very slow reactions could have something to do with the pilot thing too.
The reason for the air hostess ban (and yes, I know they're called stewardesses now, but I just don't care, they won't let me be one so I'm sulking) is because I have Type 2 diabetes.
My brother Michael works for Radio Netherlands Worldwide (he lives in Amsterdam) and I found an article on their website which explains that all diabetic stewarda and stewardesses for KLM won't now be able to fly. Pilots with diabetes already can't.
Now, I can understand that if a diabetic pilot goes into a coma whilst flying a plane it's generally not going to be good: though actually, with today's good control of diabetes, it's really not that likely, especially for Type 2 diabetes.
But I think that it's just overdoing it to say that diabetics can't be stewardesses. Why on earth not?
Actually I don't really see why anyone would want to be one these days, so there. It used to be considered rather glamorous - - fly to Kenya, wait six weeks or so for the plane back again - - I suspect it's not like that now. To me it always seems to me like being a waitress in a very claustrophobic restaurant where you can't even get the manager to throw stroppy customers out. With the added possibility of an occasional scary incident where the passengers get restive or one of the wings falls off.
But anyway, that's it, apparently, my air hostess career is over before it began. Anyway, I'd hate the uniform and all that make-up they seem to wear.
So I'll go back to wondering what to do when I grow up, and I think my current favourite might well be looking after orphaned baby elephants, or rhinos, because I think they're very cute and I think I'd be good at it.
Your loss, KLM.
However, apparently I'm not going to be an air hostess for KLM, no matter how much I crave this. And apparently I already can't be a pilot. Though, to be fair, having terrible eyesight and very slow reactions could have something to do with the pilot thing too.
The reason for the air hostess ban (and yes, I know they're called stewardesses now, but I just don't care, they won't let me be one so I'm sulking) is because I have Type 2 diabetes.
My brother Michael works for Radio Netherlands Worldwide (he lives in Amsterdam) and I found an article on their website which explains that all diabetic stewarda and stewardesses for KLM won't now be able to fly. Pilots with diabetes already can't.
Now, I can understand that if a diabetic pilot goes into a coma whilst flying a plane it's generally not going to be good: though actually, with today's good control of diabetes, it's really not that likely, especially for Type 2 diabetes.
But I think that it's just overdoing it to say that diabetics can't be stewardesses. Why on earth not?
Actually I don't really see why anyone would want to be one these days, so there. It used to be considered rather glamorous - - fly to Kenya, wait six weeks or so for the plane back again - - I suspect it's not like that now. To me it always seems to me like being a waitress in a very claustrophobic restaurant where you can't even get the manager to throw stroppy customers out. With the added possibility of an occasional scary incident where the passengers get restive or one of the wings falls off.
But anyway, that's it, apparently, my air hostess career is over before it began. Anyway, I'd hate the uniform and all that make-up they seem to wear.
So I'll go back to wondering what to do when I grow up, and I think my current favourite might well be looking after orphaned baby elephants, or rhinos, because I think they're very cute and I think I'd be good at it.
Your loss, KLM.
posted by Daphne at 5:24 pm
7 Comments:
When I grow up I want to learn to cook as well as Jo.
You can come and strut round in your high heels and serve the meals.
You probably don't care because you can't be one but aren't they called Flight Attendants now? (Changed so as to be non-gender specific I suppose.)
I thought I couldn't be an air hostess because of height restrictions. My first full time job when I left school was at an estate agents and the other secretary there was a former air hostess. She wsa tall and maintained a hostess make-up obsession. Once she told me off for not wearing enough make up. I was 18 or 19 and thought I was too short to be an air hostess so didn't see why I should abide by an ex-air hostess's stipulations on wearing make up. I suspect you would also fail her make up tests.
I also don't know what I want to be when I grow up. On a pension is in the front right now though!
I am not allowed to be a flight attendant either. I think it has something to do with my penchant for telling people to sod off when they deserve it, or correcting their grammar. Or using the ever popular phrase 'are you out of your freakin mind???'
Dfo - - oh, I'd forgotten about the high heels. Will they accept trainers? - - Oh, yet another reason why I can't be one.
Ruth - would "I last wore make-up in 1980" fail the make-up test? - - Ah, probably.
Debby - hilarious! I want to be on a plane where you're the flight attendant! PLEASE!
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Try this cocktail sometime Daphne.
Take one Debby and add to a plane with French people on it.
It may be a simple cocktail but boy does it pack a punch !
I was going to say the same thing as ruth's first paragraph but she beat me to it. Since political correctness is now in the very air we breathe, steward and stewardess have been out for some time and flight attendant is in. Same thing with letter carrier (in) vs. mailman (out), chair (in) vs. chairman or chairwoman (out), and I'm sure there are many other examples. Even actresses are called actors these days, at least over here in the colonies.
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