In recent years, we’ve become accustomed to seeing airlines celebrate International Women’s Day with all-female airline crews operating special flights, but have you ever heard of an airline celebrating International Men’s Day with an all-male crew of pilots and flight attendants?
That’s precisely what Helsinki-based airline Finnair did on November 19 on flight AY1331 to London Heathrow when it arranged a special all-male crew featuring Sampsa, Tommi, Jyrki, Ari, Joonas, Tom, Arttu, Nathaniel, Jarkko and Matti.
It’s important to note that International Men’s Day isn’t meant to compete with International Women’s Day, but its intention is to draw attention to male experiences, especially those related to mental health.
International Men’s Day was first introduced in 1992, but the popularity of the day quickly waned before it was picked up by Caribbean communities in the late 1990s. Since then, it has gained popularity in a number of other countries, including Australia and the United Kingdom.
The aviation industry has long championed increasing gender diversity in the flight deck as well as other traditionally male-dominated roles like engineering, but we rarely hear how airlines intend to address gender stereotyping in the cabin.
At Finnair, the airline admits that only 10% of flight attendants are male – a situation that the airline hopes to change in the near future.
Unfortunately, while some carriers like Finnair recognize the need to improve gender diversity amongst cabin crew, other airlines show little willingness to challenge gender stereotypes.
In India, it is still common for airlines to have ‘female-only’ hiring policies for cabin crew, while it’s widely understood that Persian Gulf carriers have strict quotas over how many male cabin crew they will recruit to ensure the majority onboard are female.
What’s good for the goose , is good for the gander. HURRAY for this.
Based on my experience, older male cabin crew are an absolute delight in the cabin. The attention to detail and the ability to converse respectfully and politely with passengers is noticeable and appreciated. All the British carriers (scheduled, low cost and charters) are very lucky indeed to have these brand ambassadors. I pity the airlines that only open applications for females between 20-30, the absence of more senior cabin crew is obvious in the overall cabin experience.