‘Don’t ruin our reputation’

New Delhi: In a new watch commercial, a pilot and an airhostess are seen making out in the cockpit of a plane, while it is mid-air. Starring cricketer Virat Kohli and actor Genelia D’ Souza, the racy ad has come under flak from pilots and airhostesses who feel it shows them in bad light. “It’s not funny to show that we don’t take our jobs seriously. That too, a job with so many lives at risk,” says Mohit Singh, 27, a pilot with Jet Airways, lashing out against the Fastrack ad. “The ad agencies should not ruin our reputation. People use such ads to spread gossip about us,” says Malini Sinha, 24, an airhostess with Go Air. “Being glamorous is important in our profession, but people think we are easy because of such media portrayal,” says Neha Banga, 25, an airhostess with Jet Lite.
It’s not just in India. Last year, the Flight Attendants Association Secretary of Australia protested against the portrayal of airhostesses as sex symbols, saying it put attendants at risk of exual harassment.
04/06/11 Namya Sinha/Hindustan Times