Anjuli Bhargava: A nation of air hostesses

OUT OF THE BLUE

But in India I find an air of optimism in at least one section of the industry. Even as airlines cut back on capacity and staff, air hostess and crew training institutes are springing up with gay abandon in all nooks and crannies of the country. In the last few months itself, a series of new crew training and air hostess training institutes have sprung up, all of which promise great careers and rewards to anyone willing to enroll.

 

Just last month, we saw the entry of Maples, which promises to train you not just for a successful air hostess job, but also a successful career ahead. It urges young girls to "not just stop at being an air hostess" but to "think ahead". In fact, it presents a three year bachelor's degree in aviation, travel and tourism. I'm taking their word for it but the advertisement claims that the three year degree is a "university approved degree programme". Which university, where, what kind of credibility will it lend and what kind of quality it will deliver is far from clear.

A few months prior to Maples' entry, I read of a new academy called Flying Cats, that announced a grand alliance with ŝ top international corporate giants" to provide a "unique training experience" to its students. It has signed a memorandum of understanding where the top three winners of the Femina Miss India World and Earth 2008 will visit all its centres to give them grooming tips. Flying Cats was launched in August 2006 by one of the