Here we go - part II of the real face of Emirates.

As I mentioned in the previous post, Emirates Airline, for years, has been known as the jewel in the crown of the aviation industry, glittering with luxurious service and a reputation par excellence. However, under the surface, behind the gleaming facade and the immaculate uniform, there lies a sinister reality that is far removed from the glamorous image the organization so painstakingly tries to portray.

The flight attendants of Emirates, the brave souls that keep things running smoothly at 40.000ft have had enough. They have dared to raise their voices against the oppressive culture that pervades the airline. They have begun to share their experiences and to reveal the truth behind the polished exterior - the ugly reality that lies beneath the shiny veneer. They speak of an environment characterized by a monstrous attitude, suffocating atmosphere and traumatic experiences. 

The stories that have emerged are truly harrowing. They paint a picture of a company culture that is toxic, traumatic, and ruthless. A company that has been described as a 'flying hell', 'the worst', and a 'golden cage'. A place that has been likened to the infamous Guantanamo prison and where employees are treated like slaves. These are not isolated incidents, but a systemic issue that has been allowed to fester and grow unchecked.

Let me point out just a few examples from all the list of non-human, not fair, cruel and humiliating behaviors from the company to the cabin crew: 

Are you on a doctor-prescribed sickness leave and you have empty fridge, nothing to eat so to not starve you need to go to the groceries to get some food? Just be careful so nobody from the airline can see you - otherwise the company will be more than happy to take a disciplinary action against you and just fire you, because you're not rich enough to hire servants who would deliver grocery shopping to your bed and you dared to leave your accommodation and go buy it on your own.

Did you feel too dizzy on the flight or what's worse you fainted on board? Get ready to get your license revoked, they will be happy to punish you for it as it was your fault because no, you don't have right to get sick. You must be a robot. And no worries, nobody will even ask you what happened and if you had any health problems lately.

Did your eyes closed out of exhaustion and loss of the last piece of your soul by the end of 17h long flight? Man, if you ever become too human to bear the many times overtime and draining job, and you uncontrollably fall asleep in flight even for 1 minute - 99% sure it will be your last flight coz there's no place for human exhaustion, only robotic power and again - Emirates is just waiting to prove you how bad and weak you are, because obviously it's your fault, in any case not theirs. That's why so many cabin crew who feel they can't anymore, sneak into the lavatory and take a few minutes long nap where nobody can see.

Did you get injured, sick or whatever else that because of medical reasons you cannot fly for more than 60 days? Pack your stuff - you're about to be forced to leave or if you don't do it on your own - they'll fire you as now you're useless for them. Well, if the airline wants to be prestigious they need to stand out, right? Because in all the other airlines around the world you would be allowed to take time to heal and come back to work. Here you can forget and look for a new job.

Did you get pregnant and you're not more than 3 years in the company? Oh girl, they'll not only kick you out of work but also deprive you of your accommodation and send back to your country asap. And if you're lucky enough to be in the company 4 years or more, the only mercy will be that you'll be allowed to keep your job but also left without salary, without accommodation and without any support for the whole pregnancy time. And then? You have maximum of 2-3 months to leave a baby home and come back to work. But - only if you are perfectly back to your pre-pregnancy shape and weight and if you fit into your old uniform. If you have some additional kg left or your uniform got tight... You can get ready for being fired straight away or body shamed to the limits to force you to lose a lot of weight in a few weeks or to make you leave on your own. If you think that they care about your post-partum recovery or your baby's health, don't even bother yourself, they don't give a fuck. That's why so many ladies sued Emirates for discrimination and harm. Some cases were even taken to the press.

For the first 6 months in the company you cannot leave the UAE country out of work. If you do and they find out - you're fired + might be put in a lot of trouble.

If you're any other sex orientation than straight and you share your story in social media, most probably you'll get a disciplinary call to the office or even be fired without any warnings. This happened to multiple influencers, my favorite one disappeared years ago just after she published a video with her girlfriend. Emirates gave her a choice. Social media or work. With this company you'll always be censored.

Speaking about censorship... Yes, Emirates controls social media of their employees. There's a whole bunch of people who's job is spying on the crew activity on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and all other kind of social platforms and to give you some hint, these officers get promoted if they put crew in trouble, ideally if they make them fired. What's more, the company has a big special department of social media control = long story short, if you wanna create a content openly saying that you're a flight attendant of Emirates, you must first send it to the company for thorough checkup and approval. So, forget about freedom. Otherwise if you post something and someone friendly gives a whisper to the company, in the best case you'll get a warning, in the worst, if you post or speak anything about the real situation inside the airline, you'll just get fired as this is a top secret taboo. Therefore all the always happy cabin crew ladies covering Emirates with glitter in social media always promote them as much as possible - because first, they are under control and approved by the control and second, they're being paid for it. So once again - don't trust social media as it's infiltration and fake bubble at its best.

Warnings ah warnings... Don't worry about being too free and relaxed being a member of Emirates... There you can get a warning literally for everything, starting from jokes being found "inappropriate" to your body shape. The fun fact is that rarely the reports come because of the seriously safety/security reasons (what is the only real reason someone should be reported and the procedure all the airlines around the world follow), and 99% of the reports appear because of personal reasons, hatred and mobbing/bullying. And many of them are fake accusations. Of course the company never asks you for verification or lets you prove it's not the case, they just make your file dirty, because why not. Another fun fuct - if the supervisor is creative, even one warning can get you fired and you might never find out what really happened behind your back. 

Important to know that the reporting culture within EK is huge. What comes with it - the more someone reports and harms another crew member, the sooner they get upgraded to the higher class cabin. The reports are almost never verified. And you almost never have a chance to clarify the situation. So, even if you don't get fired, you lose a chance of being upgraded. So the circle is closed, people report other people to put them in trouble and block their growth = speeding their own career up.

What's more, half of Dubai is Emirates cabin crew so my darling you cannot feel safe anywhere as people love to report their colleagues for situations from the time and places out of work, however the airline is happy to see it and accuse you of "putting shame" and "destroying a good name" of the company, while you're just having fun at the party or dress something in their opinion "inappropriate" and then post it on Instagram for example.

If you don't look like extremely underweight person, have bigger breast than 99% of the employees, small waist and big buttocks, you'll most probably at some point start being bullied, reported and flooded with mobbing from the image and uniform officers and supervisors while your tiny colleagues will have a happy life. Real story that happened to me and more than ten other girls that I know in person.

If you are a colorful, crazy and independent person who doesn't wanna adjust to the royalty od the company and keeps being yourself in every situation - look at the points above, juicy bullying is waiting for you until you give up on yourself or leave the company.

If you faint or feel sick during the briefing, forget about getting any help. They'll put blame on you and give you absence at work which is exactly the same as you would be too lazy to show up at all. In general all your health problems are always and forever your fault and it's not allowed to have them, otherwise sooner or later you'll become useless.

Because of mobbing and harassment, many cabin crew members fall into anxiety, depression, insomnia, mental health problems and are literally scared to go to work, lose all the joy of flying and living in the bubble-trouble Dubai. Some even start having suicidal thoughts or in the best case end up in the psychotherapist office.

Security officers, ah officers... How many times happened that they broke into someone's accommodation saying that there was something happening when there was absolutely nothing and of course they couldn't prove it? Also, coincidence that they mostly see the "accidents" in the female accommodations huh? Happened to me too, at 4 in the morning, when I was half naked sleeping after 11h flight, food poisoned and half alive. Apparently, I opened a fire, did they ever prove it? No. Was there any fire or smoke? No. Was there a violation and violence? Yes.

Did the customer complain about you even though all the fellow crew members from this flight stand by your side confirm that the story didn't happen? The airline doesn't care, they'll put you in trouble without hesitation, even though everyone states it's not true. Because you and your clear records through years of work don't matter.

If you report sickness, there's a big chance the officers will accuse you of being lazy and looking for any reason to not come to work, and give you no show, even if the doctor confirms the health problems. This was the final red flag for dozens of crew who decided to leave soon after.

Have you been physically abused and expect the airline to act accordingly? If it was done by the other cabin crew, then yes, they will take your back. If it happened from the "hand" of someone higher by rank than you, then you're left all alone and the subject becomes a taboo like it never happened. How it impacts you and your mental health, if you carry a trauma until the end of your life - doesn't matter at all.

Do you have a crisis any problems, struggling and think of using the peer to peer help and mental support or the anonymous red line? Haha, man... It is supposed to help, it is supposed to be anonymous but you know what it in real is? None of these. Dozens of cabin crew lost their jobs this way. Why? Because they confessed to the people who went directly to the management and the next days, all the crew who looked for help got, was a goodbye letter and ticket back to their country. This is how the company cares about and supports their flight attendants, who anyways, started struggling because of the company itself. 

There were also many suicidals but... Let's leave it for another post coming soon.

And obviously, if you look for help, you tell anyone from the company that you're in the edge, that there's something bad happening, that you're being bullied, that you are being treated in a bad way, that you're fatigued etc etc, the airline will just state you as a mentally ill and will put you down, mock you even more.

These are just a few examples and the list is much longer...

Manipulation, brainwashing and accusations are a daily routine pracitce. Combined with all of the ones I mentioned above, results with hundreds of Cabin Crew leaving Emirates every month. What's more, there are hundreds of flight attendants being fed up with this airline and resign after just a few months since the day of joining.

People from all around the world, flight attendants of different cultures, ethnicities, nationalities, habits, and experiences have echoed the same points. It's a universal chorus of discontent, a symphony of dissatisfaction that cannot be ignored any longer. The worst stories come from those who have had extensive flying experience with other airlines before joining Emirates or those who have left Emirates to spread wings on the more friendly board. The stark comparison between Emirates and other airlines is a clear indication that Emirates's problems run deep.

It's heartbreaking to see the number of people who were once thrilled to join the airline, who thought they were about to embark on a dream job, only to find their dreams turn into a nightmare. The dream of soaring in the sky, of exploring new places and meeting new people, quickly becomes a prison. The allure of the uniform, the prestige of the role, and the promise of a glamorous lifestyle become chains that bind them to a toxic environment.

The management's obsession with body shaming, bullying, and ignorance is a constant cause of anxiety for the crew. No one should have to work in an environment where they are constantly belittled, objectified, and disrespected. This is not the hallmark of a reputed company, rather it is the mark of a company that has lost its moral compass. 

The horrible state of affairs at Emirates is undeniable. Flight attendants are fleeing the company like rats abandoning a sinking ship. It's a mass exodus of epic proportions. And how does the airline respond? By desperately scrambling to recruit replacements in a desperate frenzy. They're holding recruitment events in every nook and cranny of the globe, accepting anyone and everyone who bothers to show up. It's a far cry from the pre-pandemic days when Emirates had rigorous standards and only the cream of the crop made the cut. Now, they're so desperate that they can't even maintain a stable workforce. It's a clear reflection of the situation inside the company. It's an absolute mess, and quite frankly, it speaks volumes about the scale of this problem.

As this airline now keeps hiring literally everyone who showes up on the recruitment day, the standards keep going down in the insane pace. Instead of taking care of the old good crew and making them stay, they prefer to hire people who would never have a chance to be accepted even by the low cost.

Many people were laughing at Ryanair (including me, my bad), the "poor" low cost that used to hire people without too big requirements but now looks like even Ryanair has higher recruitment standards than Emirates, as they don't accept everyone like EK does.

Fun fact my dear readers - Emirates loves to stand out so much, that to get as many new people as possible, lowered the standards so much that even last months gave up on the basic safety requirement - SWIMMING ABILITY, without which all other airlines and private jets around the world would reject candidates from the start. Unbelievable but true.

So, next time when you fly with this company think a moment that if something happens over the water, most probably nobody will save your life, as the newest crew cannot swim. 

It's high time that Emirates takes a good, hard look at itself. To continue down this path of ignorance and apathy will not only harm its employees but will also tarnish its brand. The shine of the gold can only hide the rust for so long. It's time for a change. It's time for Emirates to fly better, not just for its passengers, but for its employees too. 

In the end, the question remains: How long can Emirates continue to fly high with the weight of these allegations pulling it down? Only time will tell. Until then, the brave flight attendants continue to share their stories, hoping that their voices will be heard, and changes will be made. And for the sake of those who once dreamt of flying, we hope that change comes soon.

I said what I said. No taboo here.