It’s not quite 007 levels of intelligence gathering – but cabin crew on Emirates flights are required to undertake a bit of spy work.
So reveals ex-Emirates flight attendant Marika Mikusova, who has written three Diary Of A Flight Attendant books about the five years she spent working at 38,000ft.
She told MailOnline Travel that every 30 minutes, the first-class crew is ‘required to “peep at” passengers’.
Why?
‘Just to make sure they are alive and breathing – literally,’ the 35-year-old explained.
‘This peeping applies only to first-class suites as they are little separate cubicles with almost total privacy.
‘The business-class seats are open so there is no need for such a special – though privacy-invading – treatment.’
She continued: ‘Crew are generally asked to be vigilant and know what’s happening in cabins during the whole flight.
It’s not quite 007 levels of intelligence gathering – but cabin crew on Emirates flights are required to undertake a bit of spy work during flights. So reveals ex-Emirates flight attendant Marika Mikusova (above)
‘For example, we have to scan/assess passengers right from the very beginning of the flight, when boarding, till the end.
‘It is to prevent any escalation of a possible problem – a medical case, drunk passenger and so on.
‘So we do it during service and throughout the whole flight, to see if passengers are alright.’
Did Marika see any frisky behaviour during her checks?
She replied: ‘Oh yeah. We had a couple that put on quite a show right outside our galley. We knew about it and kept an eye on them from a distance, ready to jump in any moment should the “frisky” behaviour get more friskier.
‘And it did! The male passenger was sucking on his lady friend’s lips and pressing her hard against the galley wall.
Marika reveals that first-class passengers on Emirates flights are ‘peeped at’ every 30 minutes, to make sure they’re ok. Above is a first-class suite on an Emirates A380
Marika, above in Dubai, says: ‘We had a couple that put on quite a show right outside our galley’
Diary of A Flight Attendant is a warts-and-all behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like to work at 38,000ft
‘We had to intervene and send them back to their seats. Then we kept a watch over them. From time to time, we’d walk by and discreetly check on them just in case they decided to continue under the blanket.
‘If you are caught, you can get in trouble for this, especially if you fly with Arabic airlines.’
Is this quiet part of the flight normally the most liked by flight attendants because there is less to do?
‘Definitely,’ said Marika, who lives in Prague. ‘We love it when the service is finally done and the passengers are well fed and ready to sleep.
‘Before the next meal service, we check and clean the toilets and check for obstructed smoke detectors and replenish toilet paper and facial tissues and so forth.
‘Then we walk through cabins with juices and water on our silver trays, giving them to whoever is not sleeping and is still thirsty.
‘Then we go and collect the empty plastic cups into our brown bags for trash. Repeat every 45 minutes till the next service or preparation for landing.’
Marika Mikusova’s book Diary of a Flight Attendant is out now. Click here to order a copy. You can find Marika on Instagram here.
