The pandemic with the new coronavirus has affected us all, more or less. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs, others prospered. Several industries were affected, including aviation. And many of those who enjoyed various jobs in aviation before 2020 are now being retrained in other jobs.
Here is the story of a former Emirates flight attendant: Naila Hosni
Unlike her colleagues, Naila Hosni never dreamed of working as a flight attendant. With a university degree in marketing, Naila initially intended to become an interior design consultant. However, it seems that fate led her down the aisle of an aircraft.
After attending an "open day" recruitment event for an airline with no intention of getting a job, Naila was captivated by their presentation. Two weeks later, he attended another event - this time determined to get the job.
The story Naila Hosni started in Paris.
"At first I had no plans to become a flight attendant, but Emirates had a recruitment event in Paris, my hometown. […] I couldn't imagine being a flight attendant before, but then I realized it was something for me. ”, Naila remembers.
A few weeks after the day of the recruitment, she received the famous "golden" call from Emirates, inviting her to join the airline. And from here, Naila's life changed completely.
Shortly thereafter, he moved to the Dubai airline, where he spent two years traveling to exotic destinations and enjoying cultural diversity. However, the adventure ended abruptly.
"I lived [in Dubai] for two years and it was incredible. I really enjoyed interacting with people. This connection between the flight crew and the passengers was incredible. I was discovering new places and new cultures every day. Even though I've been to a certain country before, it was a new journey for me every time and I miss that feeling. I would say that I have been to over 20 different destinations around the world. It was an amazing life experience. ", said Naila.
Naila wanted to become a pastry chef
When the Covid pandemic began to devastate the aviation industry, Naila was fired from the airline and says she was more than shocked to hear the news. The former flight attendant was desperately looking for a job in other industries in Dubai, but her attempts were in vain due to the high number of unemployed at the time.
"The funny story is that my job at Emirates started in Paris and the last flight I had was to Paris. It was already strange on the way back, going to Dubai, while operating the flight with very few people on the plane. I didn't realize it was my last flight at the time. ", Naila shared her memories.
"I was so shocked after I lost my job! I was wondering why me? Why not someone else? What am I going to do? At the same time, I realized that everything made sense. Maybe it was meant to be that way. ”
Naila became a barista in Switzerland
Seeing that the situation in Dubai is not changing, the flight attendant assumed her backup plan and moved back to her hometown where she hoped to start her studies with the prospect of becoming a pastry chef. However, when the flight attendant returned home, she realized that she had missed the deadline for submitting applications to the university. So he found a job in Geneva as a bartender for Starbucks.
"In my current activity as a barista, I like to make someone happy by offering them the best drink I can make. I'm in a trial period and I don't think my coffee is better than the bartenders who have been working there for five years. But I always learn, I improve, I get better every day. And, just like on the plane, I love interacting with customers. A lot of people come to Switzerland and speak English and some of them have an accent that I heard on the flight when I was a flight attendant - I really like it. ”
"MY COVID STORY" - a brand project www.aerotime.aero which airlinestravel.ro supports and we are happy to take these stories further.