The airline - rated the eighth best in the world by Skytrax in 2009 - is the national flag carrier of New Zealand operating flights to 26 international destinations.
This month the company, based in Auckland, released new manuals for flight crews so detailed they even cover where to buy armpit "sweat pads" for excessive perspirers, the need to avoid garlicky food, and how "sparkly, shimmery disco-type eyeshadow" is a fashion faux pas.
The manuals also provide cultural profiles of passengers - noting that Koreans expect good manners from staff; Tongans will want to drink the inflight bar dry; Thais will expect an airline souvenir and Samoans will appreciate a blanket for their knees.
"As for cabin crew being banned from using 'terms like bun' when serving passengers, the reasoning is something of a mystery. Perhaps it's too easily confused with 'bum', but whatever the reason staff must instead describe the different varieties of bread on offer."
On the unacceptable list is too much make-up, no make-up, blue or pink eyeshadow, bright red, pink, purple or orange lipstick, unnatural looking tans, scaly hands and smelly breath. Male staff get similarly precise advice - told to clean-shave neck hair, that pilots can't have beards (for safety reasons, apparently) and goatees must be trimmed 1.5cm (0.5 inches) past the corner of the mouth. Lips must be clearly visible.
3 comments:
Why don't they just use robots? They might have to resort to that anyway with the new uniforms in the pipeline, they're hideous!!! Can't see many staff wanting to wear them.
"Perhaps it's too easily confused with 'bum', but whatever the reason staff must instead describe the different varieties of bread on offer."
But what if it is a bun?
A "roll" (or "dinner roll")?
I'm wondering if this is a dialect thing, like if "roll" is the traditional NZ term, and "bun" is seen as Australian or American or something. If the dialect is changing and NZ'ers are starting to say "bun," I can see the airline wanting its staff to use the more NZ-isn term in order to appear authentic and/or quaint. I mean, it think it's weird, but not unimaginably so.
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