MagdaleneAnne Blog ★: May 2021

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Most large, prestigious and long-distance airlines offer their passengers the possibility of flights in business class and first class. In the zone for people who want to feel more comfortable, have more space and privacy than in the economy class and highest standards of service on board the aircraft. After such a trip, people usually leave the plane relaxed, calm, full and in a good mood... This is from the perspective of our passengers.

And what does a flight in business class look like through the eyes of a flight attendant?

We all start working in economy class. There is no way to get around it or jump over it. The economy is such a foundation, the stage from which every member of the cabin crew begins their career. Only later, working in the good airline, you can be promoted to business or first class service, but nothing at once, everything takes time and experience.

Looking from the side, you could say that there is not much to do in business, there are fewer passengers than in the economy, and in fact these people just want to relax, work on the computer or read a book, and the flight attendant only occasionally gives something to drink or eat, so they don't work hard at all, because what an effort it is.

However, in fact it's not like that at all. It's not as easy as it seems. Working in business class, I also encountered many difficulties, with very specific passengers, and the work itself is not just smiling and looking after travelers from time to time.

To be able to start working in business at all, you need to undergo special training, learn luxurious service, preparing and serving meals, serving expensive alcoholic drinks, starters, desserts, arranging tableware, presenting the menu and many others, in accordance with all savoir vivre guidelines and maintaining the highest standards of service.

There are no plastics in business class. There are no cheap cups, plastic trays and cans. What matters here is elegance, class, top standard.

There is no chillout during the flight, there is no laziness, you have to work like a Swiss clock, constantly think two steps ahead, have everything buttoned up, perfectly prepared and arranged so that passengers can not only rest during the trip, not only to please the taste buds with meals, but also to satisfy the eyes of what is on their plates.

Before my first day in business, I was terrified. I was shaking like jelly, and my legs were made of cotton wool on my way to the flight. I felt that it would be a disaster, that I wouldn't be able to manage and that it would be a total failure. Luckily, despite my bad feelings and difficult start, everything was fine and with each another flight, when I was getting used to it - it was getting better and better.

Working in this zone gave me a lot of valuable experience, even though at first I felt lost like a little lamb and didn't count on ever finding myself there in a business class. There were many great moments, great memories, but I also didn't miss the unpleasantness of haughty, narcissistic stuffed shirts (read some passengers).

That bad? No. Not that bad. Yes, there were people from hell, celebrities and haughty people, but luckily not all of them. Such pearls happen everywhere, although it cannot be denied that here they are a bit more often than in economy...

I experienced everything, everything strengthened me, and most importantly... It opened the way for me to much better opportunities, which I hadn't even dreamed of when flying in business, and in no way I could imagine myself in the role for which the experience with silver class led me, for which now, in retrospect, I am extremely grateful.

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What do you see when you think about Dubai?

Splendor, wealth, luxury, the highest buildings in the world, or the fact that it is a city built in the desert, an entirely artificial creation that emerged from nothing growing out of sand like a tornado?

Dubai is a place that attracts not so much tourists from around the globe as celebrities, stars, influencers and other internet and red carpet characters. Famous faces like to show off in this city as it's one of the most luxurious regions in the world and one of the most instagrammable spots on the planet. After all, it's here that gold and the most expensive champagne flows from all sides, and the pleasure never ends. Generally - Dubai is a perfect advertisement for all kinds of stars and starlets, because it has everything you need to promote yourself in social media...

Jet set, great views, city of miracles, glass skyscrapers, ubiquitous beauty, wide beaches, artificial islands and... Well, artificial (almost) everything. This place from its very origin is totally unnatural, fake, as if locked in a glass ball. It is actually a hermetic bubble, a cocoon surrounding and pampering, where most of the people staying longer, unfortunately, very quickly turn into equally artificial dolls, whose priority is to strive for fame, recognition and being "someone" on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube. It's extremely easy to lose yourself here, forget who you were when you came, lose important values, go in the wrong direction and... Stop growing. Dubai is a city that embraces, caresses the ego, allows you to feel like a VIP, earn money quickly and well and even faster, not wanting to be left behind, to waste all your savings. It's a somewhat unreal land that is addictive. It's so addictive that the longer you stay in it, the harder it is to quit. And when that moment finally comes, there is often a brutal crash with the real world, where not everything flows with gold and roses and many Dubai "celebrities" suddenly lose ground, because they didn't expect that outside the bubble life is completely different. It's a life that they have forgotten and refused to remember.

I got the opportunity to live in Dubai thanks to a job as a flight attendant at one of my airlines, Emirates. Wow, a dream come true, dream city, amazing adventure for a lifetime. It's a fact. Dubai is an extraordinary place and has its own charm, there is no other such place. It has a lot of advantages, great living conditions, my beloved airline, good earnings, entertainment at every turn, delicious food, it's one of the safest and most modern places on earth, the largest communication hub, especially for aviation, it's rapidly developing, many new products are created etc etc.

However, this city also has one huge disadvantage - FAKE.

As I mentioned above, Dubai is an artificial creation itself. However, this is not the biggest problem, but that it perfidiously changes people for the worse. It changes their personality. It changes their worldview, life attitude, their priorities and values. It changes them all. Consciously or not, they become fake dolls, creatures with a huge push for popularity, recognition, online fame and recognition in the local community, never parting with their smartphone and taking selfies around every corner. They want to be on top at all costs, become more beautiful and better, and become narcissists like no other, not looking at "ordinary" people, seeing themselves as better than others. Of course, not all of them are like that, I know a lot of people who live in Dubai, who this glass jungle has not turned into artificial evil, who still remain themselves, but unfortunately, in most cases, kore or less, this city leaves its luxurious mark on people...

Dubai is a wonderful place, a bit like a fairy tale, it gives many opportunities and privileges, but... The artificiality I described above is something that burns my heart. I can't pass by indifferently. I can't accept. I hate fake people. Anywhere.

And there are tons of them in Dubai. A lot of people who even tried to persuade me to become a top model and celebrity, otherwise I will be nobody...