India's aviation boom gives cabin crew new wings

New Delhi: Thousands of young Indians are enrolling at flight attendant schools for a sky-high career that promises generous pay and a glamorous lifestyle.
Most of the students — from small towns and low-to-middle income families — have never been inside an airplane or traveled outside India.
“We heard this is a good career to get into. Our child will have a good future,” said Lal Gurg, a grocery store owner who borrowed from friends and relatives to get his 21-year-old daughter, Anju, into a flight attendant training institute.
India’s economy is booming as is the aviation industry, which officials estimate will attract investments worth $150 billion in the next 10 years. The travel market is also forecast to expand at more than 20 percent annually till 2010.
All of this has helped turn “cabin crew” into a desirable profession when 10 years ago, parents hoped their children would become doctors, engineers or civil servants.
Samire Walia of Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training says the modest academic qualifications required for the job, and its generous pay, has added to its appeal, especially among women who feel it empowers them in a male-dominated society.
With annual per capita income in India around $800 dollars, airline salaries offer young people from small rural towns a rare chance to join the middle class.
A flight attendant with no university degree pockets about 25,000 rupees ($640) a month, while a majority of graduates — except those from top engineering and business schools — would earn between 7,000 and 12,000 rupees.
But it’s not all smooth flying for the thousands of hopefuls who join training institutes such as Frankfinn. Walia said many students lacked language and communication skills and had to be taught basics like etiquette and grooming.
But those who do make it through the program, and get jobs, become instant stars among their peers.
05/11/07 Sunil Kataria/Reuters UK, UK