A group of flight attendants SWISSAir put themselves in an awkward position after a video emerged showing them walking, even waddling, 17 feet above the tarmac on the wing of a Boeing 777-300.
Unusual. Cabin crew members from Swiss International Airlines, who were killing time before leaving Buenos Aires earlier this month were filmed dancing and posing recklessly on the wing of a Boeing 777 shortly before the plane took off to Zürichreports Central European News. In particular, we can see a flight attendant and one steward strike various poses, flirtatious and extroverted, on the long-haul wing, for what appears to be an impromptu event accompanied by a photo session, which a priori was to fall on the social networks. This kind of behavior is of course strictly not allowed. The incident embarrassed the Swiss flag carrier, a chief of the cabin crew of the airline having told flight attendants in a leaked internal memo that he was “angry and disappointed” against the crew members involved.
It would be a passenger waiting on board the SWISS flight LX93 from Buenos Aires to Zurich who filmed the antics of the two flight members. To gain access to the wing, the flight attendants opened door 3 right, a door that would normally only be used in emergency as it leads directly to the wing and is not accessible by ground service equipment. The video begins with a female crew member posing for photos on the wing, before a male colleague joins her. A second part of the video shows other crew members posing for photos, including striking a pose for “Superman”.
Even other flight crew members, who withheld their names, were quick to criticize the actions of their peers. “I was like, ‘What the fuck? Is it real?” » said a 33-year-old colleague, adding that the uniform stripes indicate a purser was involved in the stunt. “In addition to the fact that it is of course extremely dangerous, it is simply not professional. » Another leader of this flight, a 39-year-old man, added that he had “ashamed of (m)his crew”.
In a public statement, SWISS denounced the actions of its own crew, saying the stunt was life-threatening. “What looks funny in the video is life threatening. The wings of the Boeing 777 are about five meters high”the airline said in a statement. “A fall from this height onto a hard surface can be devastating. This behavior will not be tolerated. The behavior of the employees in the video neither meets our security requirements nor reflects the high level of professionalism of our employees”. “We cannot tolerate this and have been in contact with the affected crew members. »
Martin Knuchel, cabin crew chief of SWISS, however, hinted that none of the flight attendants involved in the photo shoot would be fired, even though Knuchel demanded an end to the onboard videos on social media. An internal investigation is underway and disciplinary action should follow.
Earlier this year, British Airways also tightened its social media guidelines after seeing an increase in the number of pilots and flight attendants documenting their working lives on social media like TikTok And instagram. British Airways grew concerned after crew members began revealing sensitive safety-related information in a bid to gain followers and likes.
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