Tuesday Topic, with Christine Rutter

SEXISM is rife, even 35,000 feet up in the air.

Airlines have been accused of pandering to male fantasies by portraying their air hostesses as sex objects.

From Pan-Am's "I'm Mandy, fly me" type of advert in the 1970s to the exotic Eastern girls of today, the Barbie doll image of air hostesses smacks of sex appeal but little intelligence. It can even endanger passenger safety.

"Passengers are expected to trust and obey cabin crew instructions in an emergency. This image undermines women's dignity and damages airline safety," according to the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF).

What clouds ITF's blue skies is the fact that they believe airlines choose women for their looks as much as their ability.

Darwen girl Inga Holden - an air hostess with Airtours - attempts to explode the myth that air hostesses are all "bimbos."

Inga, 22, left Moorland School, Darwen, with eight GCSEs before working in a travel agents for four years to prepare for her dream of becoming an air hostess.

She said: "It is not just a case of looking pretty. The passengers' lives are in your hands and you have to be able to do the job, to deal with emergencies like crash landings. You cannot do that with a pretty face."

Refusing to side-step the issue of her own good looks - blonde hair, sun tan, green eyes and pearly teeth - Inga admits that her looks could be considered 'pretty' but believes they form none of the judging criteria by airline bosses. The reason? Because she was turned down twice for air hostess posts in the past.

But she does admit that an air hostess can often be the focus of some passengers' attention which can sometimes lead to verbal insinuations.

"You do get some passengers trying it on but I just don't take them on," she says.

"I just carry on with my job. I find it a bit embarrassing.

"Some air hostesses really love all the attention. I wouldn't say passengers think of us as sex symbols but I have no doubt that we can make some passengers' trip."

Most passengers treat the air hostesses with respect and view them as glamorous, elite professionals.

"Most see us in a glamorous job and respect us for our success. I love my job and am proud of what I do."

Inga, of Coniston Drive, was picked out of scores of applicants for her job and after an intensive training course is proficient in basic aeronautics, first aid, currency, passenger care and dealing with emergency situations.

Inga hates the air hostess tag "glorified waitress."

"People think we just serve tea and coffee," she says.

"The main reason we are there is for passenger safety and comfort."

The air hostesses have to deal with those with a fear of flying and arguing couples who have to be separated.

They have to turf "mile high club" hopefuls - couples who attempt to have in-flight sex - out of loos.

And they need to handle emergency landing preparations.

It is obvious that Inga's job needs tact, skill and diplomacy.

"We deal with all sorts of situations 35,000 feet up," said Inga.

Her tales come thick and fast. She talks of holding down a drunken man down who refused to stay seated on landing, and dealing with a pensioner who passed out in his seat, leaving his companion hysterical. Inga smiles as she recounts how British holidaymakers on one flight took so many ghetto-blasters they were stacked high in the aisles.

Inga started out on package holiday destinations mainly dealing with British holidaymakers on short haul flights to Europe but now works on long haul flights to places such as Australia and Singapore.

Her job is demanding. She works long hours, most weekends and completes both night and day shifts in a week. Even on her days off she is on stand-by.

But there are advantages. She has week-long stays with colleagues courtesy of Airtours during the winter season in places such as Barbados, waiting to accompany passengers on return flights, and she enjoys discount flights anywhere in the world.

But Inga surely doesn't want to catch a plane on her week off?

"Yes, I do," she exclaims. "I love flying and travelling. I just can't get enough of it!"

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.