“Ladies and gentlemen, the use of mobile phones and electronic devices is prohibited for the full duration of the flight as these items might interfere with the navigational and communication equipment on this aircraft.” This safety announcement, or a similar version of it, is repeated by air hostesses again and again and again throughout their career in the aviation industry. It is announced during every single flight, so you would be forgiven for expecting the air hostesses to know the most basic rules of flying by now.

One air hostess on board a flight jointly operated by Shandong Airlines and Air China was sacked when she was caught using her phone during flight SC4912 from Urumqi to Yinchuan on October 13. When the airplane levelled after take-off, one passenger on board noticed that the air hostess and a first-class passenger both switched on their cell-phones despite the safety announcement – which specifically told passengers not to use cell phones – just a few minutes earlier. According to the passenger, who uploaded a photo of the culprits online for evidence, both people were using their phones for around 30 minutes.

After landing at Yinchuan Airport, the passenger, who uses the name @扣脚女汉 online, asked the above mentioned air hostess whether the CAAC allows the use of cell phones during flights to which the air hostess responded, “Absolutely not.” “Then why did you use your phone during the flight,” the savvy passenger quizzed, rendering the air hostess dumbfounded and speechless.

After posting the situation on Weibo, the passenger’s post got a lot of attention; so much attention in fact, that Shandong Airlines issued the following response on October 14:

“After investigation and verification, the cabin crew member on board flight SC4912 admitted to using a cell phone during the flight and that the passenger’s claims are correct. The crew member was in violation of civil aviation safety regulations as well as the rules and regulations of Shandong Airlines’ in-flight cabin crew service. As a result, the company has grounded the crew member in question and will further investigate and handle this case.”

 

Source: sina.com.cn

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Keywords: air hostess suspended Shandong Airlines air hostess