Chapter 1

Heather has been waiting for news about her employer for several weeks. An experienced flight attendant, close to being promoted cabin head, she was overseeing passengers boarding the plane when airport officers arrived on the tarmac with lawyers representing banks and insurances to seize the aircraft. She had to ask passengers to take all their belongings with them and leave the aircraft. She has not received any money for 3 months and she could not find any other job since she left that aircraft. Her only options were as a bartender and she lives now on tight money. As she is still officially on the airline payroll, she receives information from them on a regular basis.

On this cold winter morning, she receives a message explaining that new investors took over the airline. They propose to have a meeting and explain the new ways of working. Employees not accepting these options are expected to leave the company. The new owners expect to resume operations as soon as they have certified aircraft and crews again. They also expect to introduce a new brand. Heather is summoned for a meeting in two days. She is curious about the next steps. She spends the days before the meeting trying to learn about her new bosses. Without success. She has worked for this airline for almost 10 years, and she cannot grab the slightest information about the investors who have now a great chance to rule her life.

The day of the meeting arrives. Heather meets several colleagues when commuting to the operational headquarter. Only cabin crews are present in the large meeting room hosting the meeting. Heather notices that only female staff is present, as if their male colleagues had been segregated to another meeting. She cannot find any reason for that segregation. There are not enough seats to accommodate all people in the room. Lots of them stand behind the rows of seats and wait for the meeting to start.

The chief marketing officer of the company and the head of cabin crews arrive in the room. Their faces are well known because these two women have been in the company for an awfully long time. The head of cabin crews had a successful career as flight attendant and cabin chief before joining the corporate headquarter. The head of marketing is now in her early 40s and oversaw several significant reforms in the airline, most notably the success with business class travelers and the introduction of premium economy cabins. They both join the reading desk and spend some minutes connecting laptops and microphones to display a presentation. The CMO starts the meeting.

“- Hello everybody, and welcome. We have organized this meeting to discuss together new orientations for our airline, and reforms in our ways of working...”

The slideshow presentation displayed on screen shows the name of the new owners and the new colors selected for the airline. They learn that they will use the aircraft formerly available in the airline, but also discarded Airbus 380 that have been leased and refurbished to accommodate new seats in the cabins. The CMO explains that they aim for higher levels of quality and service. The upper deck will be now entirely devoted to the business class, with spas and showers like those formerly available in first class cabins on airlines established in the Middle East. She describes that all aircraft will be fitted with economy, and high standards for premium economy and business class.

The head of cabin crews goes further with the presentation.

“- Ladies, there are counterparts to the preservation of our jobs. I do not want to turn around the problem any further. The new owners of our company have decided to join the kinky and sexual version of our industry. You need first to know that our male colleagues have been laid off. All of them. There is no room for our male colleagues in the new version of our airline. Our ways of working and uniforms will adapt, and the portfolio of in-flight services will be transformed. We will start with business class, and eventually expand towards premium economy in the future. We still do not know much about the uniforms to prevail when we are on the ground, but we have now a precise picture of in-flight activities. Cabin crews are supposed to flight almost naked when the company will resume flights. Cabin crews are also supposed to service our passengers. Final decisions have not yet been made about bonuses for the attendants who will perform such services, but this will not be performed for free.”

In the audience, the women are shocked. Whispers can be heard, but sideration prevails. At the reading desk, both women continue the presentation. They alternate to explain further the strategy and provide concrete details about the transition towards operations.

“- As the CMO of the company, I can testify here that our company has just made a step towards a new standard already implemented in some areas of the hospitality industry. You most probably noticed that greeters at the entrance of several famous chains of restaurants have started to work now in the nude, or that waitresses have been wearing always less and less clothes. You have most probably noticed that the signature ultra-tights orange shorts of a famous restaurant chain have simply been removed. For these waitresses, the standard uniforms only preserve sneakers and cut-off tops. The owners of our airline also have several chains of restaurants in Northern America. They have also modified the standard uniforms there. Waitresses have it now mandatory to work there with the skimpiest of uniforms: just a small apron leaving their sex bare, boots, and a chocker. At their golf courses, only nude female caddies are now available. They also expect to test the transformation of some family entertainment parks into nude parks. In their headquarters, they also started to offer significant pay rises to executive assistants and secretaries who accept to work in the nude. The airline will become the flagship for their new orientation.”

“- You know that I am one of you. I transitioned to the headquarters more than ten years ago. At my age, I do not wear the uniform anymore, but I have been flying for more than 20 years. The business was much different when I was flying myself, and I cannot tell whether I would have accepted such a contract myself. I was quite wild and daring when I was spending all my time flying the world. I cannot guess what I would do if I were in your situation. Whatever decision you take, I am not here to be judgmental about you. I have directly negotiated myself the terms and conditions for you with the new owners. We are here to offer contract extensions and adaptations to those of you who accept to stay in the company and who will adhere to these new rules. If you prefer to leave, the airline will pay you a compensation covering the last couple of months during which you were left without salary and without flying. From the 1st of March onwards, you will be then free to look for another job. Your social security plans registered with our company will stop on the 31st of August. On behalf of our HR department, I have now to ask the ones of you who do not accept to work under these new rules to come to the main desk. You are expected to sign your name in the formular available on the table and give this paper to our CMO. When we have registered your decision, you will please leave the room and the facilities after giving your badge back. Personal belongings stored in your locker will be then returned to you in the coming days.”