Most of us stagger off a long-haul flight feeling decidedly groggy, and looking as bedraggled as if we’d spent the journey perched on the wing of the plane. And yet, the flight crew are still smiling sweetly and look immaculate, with not so much as a hair out of place. How do they do that?
Well, for one thing, it’s their job to look glamorous.
“It’s impossible to look that good without some good old-fashioned taking care of yourself,” explains Linda Celestino, Etihad Airways’ vice president of guest services, who began her own high-flying career as an flight attendant 33 years ago. “Very early on you realise it’s boring, but the secret is early nights, staying hydrated – lots of water on the flight, not too much coffee, no fizzy drinks – and don’t eat a lot of heavy food on the aircraft because you don’t want your feet to swell. And nothing too salty.”
However, Celestino admits that even when sticking to those rules, flying can still take its toll on the body.
“At 38,000 feet in a pressurised cabin, your ... heart beats faster, and your organs perform faster. Doing that for long periods means you’ve got to have real resilience.”
Jetlag
Ever wondered what the cabin crew are up to behind those screens once the lights dim and the passengers are all snoozing? Same as us, it turns out.
“On long flights when we have bunk rest, we literally get into our PJs as soon as we can, so we can get as much time laying horizontal as possible,” says Emirates stewardess Raychel Holt. “It’s a matter of wiping off the lipstick, pulling the hair out of the bun and getting in the bunk.”
British Airways stewardess Chrystal Goulding adds that once you’ve had your shut-eye, the key to limiting the effects of jetlag is movement.
“You get cramped in a seat, so you have to make sure you get about, stretch and keep active,” she says.
Etihad and BA provide in-flight videos with tips on staying active en route. Etihad’s recommendations include foot and arm-circle exercises, meditation and seated yoga positions.
BA pilot Aoife Duggan (below) might have the longest commute of anyone living in Dubai, as she is based out of London’s Heathrow Airport. She strongly recommends passengers pass up the offer of alcohol when airborne. “Alcohol further dehydrates you, and people don’t realise that the effects of alcohol are much stronger at altitude.”
Ultimately, though, Holt says there is simply no way to prevent jetleg.
“It usually hits me when I fly from Dubai to the [United] States,” she says. “Sometimes you just have to listen to your body – sleep when you’re tired and eat when you’re hungry.”
At least the effects of jetlag are not as severe after flying on most modern aircraft. “We don’t get as much jetlag on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A380,” says Goulding. One possible reason suggested for this is that the 787 has a better air-filtration system that adds more humidity than those in older planes, so you are less likely to land with chapped lips or dried skin and nasal passages.
What is in their hand luggage?
Etihad provides cabin crew with a stylish iPad-sized handbag (matching their uniforms) to cram in a stash of beauty supplies, so even when they do not feel glamorous, they can still look the part.
“Especially on longer flights, when you’re hopping into a bed for an hour, you need to make sure you have everything you need to come back looking fabulous,” says Celestino. “Some crew members take bag-packing to the extreme, bringing buttons and safety pins for the whole crew.” But just like us normal folk, cabin crew face restrictions on what they can take on board – such as liquids.
“I buy miniature perfume bottles that I can store my favourite perfume in and keep topping it up,” says Goulding.
One peril that air hostesses dread is unsightly ladders in their tights (lucky for Duggan, female pilots get to choose trousers over skirts). “We have that problem pretty much every single day,” says Goulding. “I always make sure that I keep at least four pairs of tights in my bag, just in case. I also carry clear nail polish to put on when I get a little hole, which stops the tights from ripping further.”
More hazardous than laddered tights is every air stewardesses’ worst fear – a popping button. Goulding admits it has happened to her.
“I stretched to reach up for a canister when we were doing the meal service in the galley and the button on my shirt popped off,” she says. “It was a big surprise to me and everybody else.”
Although cabin crews keep a sewing kit on board for such emergencies, Goulding admits she is not much of a seamstress.
“I quickly attached a safety pin in its place, then got my Mum to sew the button back on when I got home,” she says.
Staying healthy
A common complaint among passengers is that they getting a runny or blocked nose after flying. However, Etihad’s style and image trainer, Aisha Amina, who also works as cabin crew, says she doesn’t get any more colds or sniffles now than before she started the job, three years ago.
To protect against germs, Amina keeps a bottle of hand sanitiser close by.
“You touch a lot of surfaces on a plane and it’s good to have something to keep hands super clean,” she says.
Gary Ogden, Virgin flight-service manager, always flies with mouthwash to freshen his breath and kill bacteria.
“Cleaning your teeth and using mouthwash during your flight reduces the risk of you picking up germs like colds and sore throats,” he says.
Hair
Perfecting hairstyles so that every strand remains in place is an essential element of the training for cabin crew. One popular style among Etihad’s female flight attendants is “the doughnut” – which uses a circular sponge with a hole in the middle through which you can pop a ponytail and fix your hair around.
“If you’ve got too much hair for a doughnut, you can use a different style of bun, with a hairnet, or a French roll with a clip,” says Celestino. “Our African crew have hair that requires a different style of maintenance, so we allow hairstyles that reflect their background.”
Etihad’s hairstyles are designed to be quick and easy, so the company’s twist on the French twist is that it only takes five minutes.
“In our job, time is precious and while we need to look immaculate, we don’t want to have to wake up five hours before a flight to be able to achieve the look,” admits Amina.
Holt recommends GHD hairspray for a flawless feel. “It’s not the cheapest but it holds without giving my hair that ‘crispy’ look, it brushes out well and smells great.”
She also uses kirby grips to keeps wispy hair back.
“I use them upside down and cross one over the other in an X shape, so they don’t fall out.”
For the men
Image standards are also high for men on the crew, says Celestino.
“We share our beauty tips with our male crew, too, because men from certain countries tend to get a little darker under the eyes when flying,” she says.
Amina recommends eye cream to the men – “concealer would be their secret” – and a clean shave every day is essential.
“I go through shaving techniques with them, because not a lot of them shaved before this job. It’s very important they take care of their skin, because otherwise shaving can be damaging.”
Hands and feet
Well-presented nails are a must when hosting a flight. “Cabin crew are serving food, so it’s important that nails are kept tidy and clean,” says Celestino. “We have a range of shades kept in the cabin that are not too garish, and we don’t allow extremely long or false nails. The men should also have manicured nails with nice, tidy cuticles.”
Holt has her nails done every three to four weeks, usually opting for a gel French manicure. “It doesn’t chip, it just grows out. If my nails start to look like they need re-doing and I can’t get to the salon, I just paint over them in red.”
Holt has found the best cure for tired feet is a Bangkok foot massage.
“But I can go months without getting one of those flights, so I also use a foot scrub and keep them moisturised,” she says.
The skin
Duggan is aware of how much drier her skin gets after flying long-haul.
“The cabin air is recycled and you feel it in your skin, so a good moisturiser is a must,” she says.
She applies Evian mist spray and Clinique Moisture Surge during the flight.
Goulding splashes out on the Crème de la Mer face cream (available at Heathrow Terminal 5 for £160 [Dh725]). “It’s a luxury brand, but a small amount goes a long way,” she says.
Virgin Atlantic’s cabin service supervisor Leanne Baker recommends Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream on lips and feet. “It’s amazing on cracked heels,” she says.
After applying moisturiser, Holt takes steps to make sure her make-up stays in place.
“I also use Lancôme primer under my foundation, then a make-up setting spray on top of my make-up,” she says. “Spraying hair spray on my face works the same. And we’re constantly replenishing our lipstick during the flight.”
The perfect size
It’s no coincidence that cabin crew have enviable figures – in fact, it’s part of the job description.
“Different cultures have different body types and we embrace that, but it’s within a healthy height and weight range – more so because the job is extremely physically taxing,” says Celestino.
Etihad cabin crew who start to gain weight are supported with a nutrition programme.
“They have access to qualified dieticians, and all crew have access to gyms in cabin crew buildings,” says Celestino.
Etihad make-up
The intensive style and image training that Etihad recruits undergo at their Abu Dhabi training headquarters involves first working out which colour palette suits them.
“Our stylists will suggest five different lipstick shades that go with five different palettes, depending on whether you have olive-toned, fair or dark skin,” says Celestino.
The purple shades of the Etihad uniform – designed by Italian haute-couture designer Ettore Bilotta and inspired by 1950s Hollywood glamour – means the majority of the lipstick shades are also cool-coloured.
“There are pinks, pinky browns, purple colours in that range – if you’re very dark skinned, you need a colour with more pigment in it,” says Celestino.
“We have an affiliation with Mac, who do a lot of our style work with us. But we’re conscious that our crew are on varying budgets so we then recommend three or four colours from other brands that would fit within the same palette.”
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