What comes to one's mind when asked to name a true Singapore brand? It would definitely be SIA, simply because of her reputation as a top commercial airline who has put us on the global scene as justified by her numerous acclaimed awards, and all the prestige and pride in maintaining her integrity. If given a chance, who wouldn't want to be employed under SIA? The generous bonus given out, free/discounted travel on our national carrier and a wide range of benefits.


In view of the recent news revolving around SIA, there is certainly more to be desired from the management side as well as the public. I chanced upon this Asiaone forums discussing the slapping of a cabin crew(cc) and the alleged bad attitude of a lead stewardess. http://forums.asiaone.com/showthread.php?t=9136


http://forums.asiaone.com/showthread.php?t=8805


These 2 threads alone drew a whopping 75 pages of comments and more than 130,000 views from netizens! And the amazing thing was, I managed to scroll through all the pages yeah. What spurred me on to finish reading was the really heated debates between the 2 extreme groups namely pro-SIA and anti-SIA, supplemented with non-stop flaming, downright accusation, and personal expriences onboard SIA.




I am really amazed by what some Singaporeans are capable of, in this case, blowing out of proportion a simple case of being not granted a 80 cents Straits Times onboard a plane for valid reason, into 48 pages of comments with a plethora of opinions, and having the vice president to make a public apology. I believe cc had to undergo intensive training before they are allowed to serve onboard, especially SIA, which demands the best from its crew. And mind you, being a cc is not just about performing the job of a waitress on air, it also requires one to do PR(public relation) with pax, attends to different dietary needs of pax, recognises the faces of PPS and biz pax and to endure/retaliate against the physical/sexual abuse by pax.( I can testify this on personal account of my relative, a ex-cc) Which normal guy won't feel high when a hot stewardess bends down forward to serve u food..lol

What I am trying to bring out is that people are usually judged by their wrongdoings, albeit all the good deeds. A cc could probably bring her service standard to the apex by attending to the needs of all pax, but a single negligence easily sets the flame ablaze. Another point of contention brought up was the preferential treatment of caucasians over Asians pax. I don't know whether to believe this or not because from my experience onboard SQ and other national carriers including no-frills flights, I have not encountered any of such treatment. Blame it on my indifference towards my surroundings onboard as I only care to indulge in my in-flight entertainment and that occasional sly look at that hot stewardess. Sometimes, people do not judge you by your skin colour, but the way people are made appreciated makes the difference. A typical westerner, who is more open to expressing his gratitude than a Asian, would certainly leave a greater impression on the cc who in turn, is more willing to provide better service. There are always appreciative pax and service-oriented cc, just as there are suckers who stretch their dollar and get value for it, and SPG Stewardess suffering from colonial hangover.




What about the rich tai tai who laid her palm on the cheek of the poor stewardess? I sympathize with the latter because she had to fork out her own legal fees to bring the accused to justice. SIA could simply provide more assistance to its crew instead of labelling it as a personal matter. I wonder any actions will be taken by SIA if it were a normal pax instead of the wife of a CEO. Quite a dilemma for the management team yea...to protect the pride and dignity of its cabin crew and to preserve its business with influential pax at the same time...sensible and political thing to do is of course to take a neutral stand with a declared zero tolerance for abuse of crew. Right now they are probably more interested in securing a stake in China Eastern and delivering the A380 to the world.


I think I shall not go further into such sensitive issue. Although I have full respect for SIA in handling its affairs and flying the national flag high, there is still room for improvement. With so many pairs of eyes fixed on SIA over the years, it is imperative to maintain a even higher standard as expected. We do not want to lose out to other 1st grade airlines like CX, emirates, Thai Airways..etc. I am sure our million-dollar ministers and perm sec. will not sit there and do nothing when that really happens.