Flight Attendants to Earn Gold Stars in Etiquette from Virgin Australia

July 30, 2012 at 10:48 AM | by jetflyboy | Comments (0)

Australia's cheekiest airline is about to get its act straight. In the quest to woo business passengers from its rival, Qantas, Virgin Australia is shipping its flight attendants straight off to etiquette class. To be more specific, these instructional classes are called "Elevate", and that's just what they're meant to do—elevate the service and impress travelers of all kind as they step onboard.

This isn't your run-of-the-mill Emily Post course; simple what-not-to-dos are only the beginning. Cabin crew will be trained in posture and body-language, wine-appreciation and grooming. A simple smile and "g'day" will no longer suffice.

One of the most noticeable changes for passengers is in how they're to be addressed. Use of the word "mate" is now banned and this quintessentially Australian term is not to be used unless otherwise specified on the customer's frequent flyer profile.

This isn't the first time we have heard of airlines training their cabin crew to be a bit more polished. Singapore Airlines send their aptly named Singapore Girls to "deportment classes" to ensure a top-notch passenger experience. Virgin Atlantic also recently trained their Upper Deck cabin crew to whisper at an appropriate level for business class passengers. Virgin Australia only continues what seems to be a slow return to the white glove service tradition once thought lost to the ages.

[Photo: Virgin Australia/Facebook]

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