As one of the world's best-known airlines, Emirates needs to provide a high standard of service to stay on top.
With a fleet of 220 aircraft currently in active service, the airline needs 16,000 highly trained cabin crew to keep things running smoothly.
However, this elite team of emergency-sliding, fire-extinguishing medical responders do not just turn up to the recruitment drive with these skills. It takes weeks of training, practice, exams and recurring checks to ensure they keep their jobs in the sky.
So what exactly does it take to become part of the Emirates family?
The National spent the day at Emirates Cabin Crew Training College to find out.
Safety and emergency procedures
The first port of call for new recruits is a hands-on exercise where they learn how to operate the emergency doors on the aircraft and safely hurl themselves down the inflatable slide.
It is important to make sure everyone on the course can handle these aspects of the job as without them, they cannot secure their licence.
The ab initios, which is Latin for 'from the beginning' and which Emirates calls its new cohort of trainees, are taught on the only Airbus A380 built specifically for training purposes in the world. The trainees practise evacuating from both the lower and upper deck, just as they would have to do in real life. The distance to the ground is exactly as it would be on a real aircraft, too.
"This is the first stop for Ab Initios when they start their training with Emirates," said Flavia Nicolae, Safety Emergency Procedures Training Specialist.
"If they can get through the physical requirements of evacuating an aeroplane and putting out a fire in the galley as well as the formal learning session of Safety and Emergency, then they are good to go on and complete the rest of their learning journey."
Trained in groups of 15-20, the trainees form a tight bond with each other as they navigate the path to their first flight. Many remain close friends throughout their Emirates career and it is a friendship that flourishes under pressure, prompting the term 'batchmate'.
Jumping in
Dressed head to toe in black, the ab initios practise procedures for landing on water. The slides that propelled them to safety in the last section now disconnect to form life rafts. Together, life jackets inflated, the trainees learn how to survive the icy ocean waters.
Things are kept realistic and the water they must dive in to is kept at a chilly 17°C. After undergoing the process to keep themselves and their fellow batchmates warm, they are allowed to swim to dry land and exit the pool.
"This is my favourite part," said one shivering recruit having just emerged from the pool.
"After the classroom sessions, it’s nice to get out and be a bit more hands on."
Other training sessions include putting out fires on board, helping to find passengers when the cabin is filled with smoke, and dealing with medical emergencies from heart attacks to child birth.
The trainees must get to grips with the safety and emergency procedures to continue on the course, but they are given every opportunity to pass this section.
Exams have an 80 per cent pass mark and each person is given four chances to pass the practical side. If that is not possible, they can return to training and prepare again for the assessment. After this, they will have four more chances. However, if by this point they still cannot make the grade, then their training is over.
Fortunately for ab initios, this rarely happens.
Sparkling service
Once the rough and tumble of evacuation procedures are over, it is time to move on to the more refined part of the job.
Emirates prides itself on providing a level of service found only among the top airlines in the world and its training reflects this.
Retail services on board generate serious revenue for the company, so each member of the cabin crew is told about the qualities of everything for sale on board. This means they smell the fragrances and handle the jewellery so that should a passenger want to know more about a product, they are well equipped to help.
"We like to cater for the tastes and desires of our guests," said Kim Ho Shong, a Hospitality Learning Partner.
"That's why we now offer a healthier range of snacks, as opposed to something like a chocolate bar."
In a replica of the inside of an Airbus A380, we meet already qualified crew training to upgrade to a different cabin.
Practising on each other, they plate up food for first-class passengers and offer a selection of drinks and snacks. They also taste the food themselves so they know exactly what experience the passengers will have.
"It's very important that our crew know what it is they're serving and what kind of experience they're providing the guest with," Mr Ho said. "So, while half are having a go at serving, the other half are getting the customer experience."
The famous red lipstick
Around week five, the ab initios will arrive at the Image Station. This is a room with mirrored walls, impeccable lighting and an array of skincare and beauty products on show.
The women are shown a selection of six approved hairstyles, devised to suit all cultures and hair types, and the men are taught the importance of a good manicure.
A 60-page manual entitled 'Taking Centre Stage' is filled with rules and guidance on appearance, etiquette and deportment.
Emphasis is also placed on keeping the body fit and healthy — and the skin protected from the sun.
“Ab Initios are given the tools to ensure they are representing the brand to the best of their ability,” said Sally Cayzer, Hospitality Learning Partner-Image & Uniform.
“During their training we include topics such as nutrition, the importance of maintaining a good skin care routine while travelling the world and make-up application techniques.”
To finalise the look, Ms Cayzer demonstrates on her colleague exactly how to wear the internationally recognised Emirates red hat with white veil.
"The seven pleats represent the seven emirates of the UAE," she says, expertly folding it in half twice and draping the veil in line with the V of the jacket. After tucking the tail of the material around the back of the neck and out of sight, the look is complete.
After all, when representing a multi-billion-dollar brand, it is important to look the part.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Midnights'
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
Honeymoonish
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The National in Davos
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All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.
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When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT
Bayer Leverkusen 2 Bayern Munich 4
Leverkusen: Alario (9'), Wirtz (89')
Bayern: Coman (27'), Goretzka (42'), Gnabry (45'), Lewandowski (66')
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Autumn international scores
Saturday, November 24
Italy 3-66 New Zealand
Scotland 14-9 Argentina
England 37-18 Australia
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2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
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2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
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