Jaunted

Asian, as well as some Middle Eastern airlines are stuck in the 1950's in terms of their social attitudes. They are still allowed to hire only "model-type" females and force them to resign before their flower wilts at age 32. They pay pittance yet demand work days in excess of 18 hours where they must look "camera ready" at all times. Homophobia continues to run rampant in many of these cultures - many Eastern carriers still won't hire male crew members. Their focus is on appearance, perfectly pressed uniforms, and 18 hours of fake smiles. I prefer Western carriers. They care about service AND safety in equal measure. And speaking of equal, if you have the experience and education, it doesn't matter if you wouldn't make the cover of Vogue or if you were born a dude. I have serious doubts about 90 lb. Asian 22-year-olds having the strength to perform C.P.R. for an hour on a 200 lb. man in cardiac arrest. Can they really open and carry the 75 lb. over-wing exit, or the 150 lb. life raft? Can they rescue a non-ambulatory disabled passenger 1/2 way down the aircraft to the nearest usable exit in an evacuation? Perhaps some are, but the emphasis on outdated social norms is a detriment to the otherwise qualified candidates applying to those carriers, to the societies in which they work keeping prejudices alive, and to the passengers who experience medical emergencies, in flight fires, or worse who have 4 90lb Barbies between them and death.

Malaysia-based AirAsia may face some procedural problems in setting up an airline in India. The Aviation Ministry would follow the rules whether the airline forms its joint venture before or after the approval. AirAsia's plans to set up the airline in partnership with Tata Sons may be in for some rough weather based on the interpretation of the foreign direct investment (FDI) norms in the sector. The ministry is of the view that FDI should only be permitted in existing airlines, whereas AirAsia's venture is a new airline to be set up in partnership with the Tata group and Telespectra. AirAsia is in the process of seeking government approval for launching a new airline. The Malaysian airline, Asia's biggest budget carrier, proposes to have operational control of the new venture with a 49 per cent stake, while Tata Sons will be the minority investor with a 30 per cent stake and no operational role. The Tatas will be represented by two non-executive directors on the airline's board. The third partner, Telestra Tradeplace, will hold a 21 per cent stake in the venture. The airline will be based out of Chennai and will cater primarily to tier-2 and tier-3 cities. India's aviation industry, which has seen continued losses due to high operating costs and regulatory uncertainty, was opened to foreign investors in September last year. Foreign carriers are now allowed to purchase up to 49 per cent of local airlines. No foreign airline has bought a stake in a local carrier since India relaxed the investment rules. The UAE's Etihad Airways is in talks to buy a stake in Jet Airways, but no agreement has been reached. Sources previously said it makes more sense for foreign carriers to start an airline with a local partner so they don't have to assume the debt of an existing Indian airline. ----------------------------------- <a href="http://rorguru.com/">Ruby On Rails Developers</a>

No braces allowed! (Not even Invisalign?)