The recruitment company Meccti invited young women to an interview in Spain. A job as a flight attendant at Kuwait Airways beckoned. But what happened next is disturbing.
The day ended pretty quickly for three men. Like around 60 women, they had applied for a job advertisement on social media. They therefore drove to the Meliá Barajas on November 5, 2022 after registering in advance via a website and receiving confirmation. The recruitment company Meccti had invited to the hotel near Madrid airport to find new flight attendants for Kuwait Airways.
However, the men were sent home immediately. They were told that the airline from the emirate on the Persian Gulf would not hire any foreign flight attendants. But the day did not end well for the approximately 60 women either.
As a 23-year-old Bianca, who already works as a flight attendant, told the newspaper El Diario, one candidate was singled out even though she speaks perfect English. The reason was that she was already 37 years old. Another woman, who speaks seven languages, was sent home because she had a tiny scar on her eyebrow.
Another was told she was unfit because of the moles on her face. Another was told she was a bit chubby, according to the report. In addition, the candidates were insulted right from the start, three women told El Dairio, who, according to the report, gave the same information about the job interview. “We don’t like your smile” or “Your body is like a roller coaster” are comments that have been made.
Meccti – Middle East Cabin Crew Training International – was founded in 1977. The recruitment company is based in Istanbul and specializes in airlines. As customers, it lists Etihad, Flydubai, Flynas, Gulf Air, Indigo, Saudia, Watanya Airways and Qatar Airways, among others. It selects cockpit and cabin crew for them. It is also active in education.
According to its own information, Meccti is mainly active in Albania, India, Indonesia, Korea, Kosovo, Malaysia, Nepal, Romania, Thailand, Slovakia, Tunisia, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. In the coming weeks, Meccti will also be recruiting in Austria. And in Spain. And there, in the Hotel Meliá Barajas, the ordeal for the young women continued last November.
The selection continued. Eventually, the remaining candidates were called into a room in alphabetical order. “The first girl came out crying and told us that she was forced to remove almost all of her clothes except for her underwear. It was her first job interview. The others came out and said the same thing,” explained Bianca El Diario.
After entering the room, she was first asked about her date of birth, her weight, her height and any visible tattoos. Then a woman asked her to pull up her dress. “I pulled it up a little, just below my knees, and she pulled it up to my panties,” Bianca says. She had to pull the top down to the waist and stay in the bra. The woman said she wanted to make sure she had no scars, birthmarks or tattoos. “She kept turning around to give me an exaggerated look at my body,” Bianca says.
The other women interviewed by the newspaper experienced exactly the same thing. They all found the process degrading. On top of that. They were also told that if they were accepted they would have to pay 1900 euros as a deposit. The money covers part of the costs of the training, the trip to Kuwait and the first accommodation.
aeroTELEGRAPH has attempted to obtain comment from Meecti and Kuwait Airways. However, by the time the article appeared, none had arrived. El Diario was also unsuccessful – despite attempts to get an answer via the Kuwaiti embassy.
This article was written by Stefan Eiselin
The original of this article “Applicants for airlines must present themselves half-naked” comes from aeroTelegraph.
