What does it take to fly high?

Nov 23, 2009

ANGELA Bitete, an air hostess with Emirates Airlines, has lived up to her dream of attending to passengers on a plane. Out of the 40,000 people employed by Emirates Group worldwide, Angela is the only cabin crew member (air hostess) from Uganda. It was in

Angela Bitete, an air hostess with Emirates Airlines, has lived up to her dream of attending to passengers on a plane.

By Joe Nam and
Ssebidde Kiryowa in Dubai

THE chauffeur swerved the limo and headed straight for the Emirates building front entrance. He brought the glittering car to a halt, jumped out and gracefully opened the car doors for us. “Please walk straight to the reception, you will be attended to promptly,” he said, bowing his head. It was around 10.00am.

And sure, we received a warm welcome at the front desk. After a short while, Jonathan Hill, one of our hosts came smiling. “You are welcome to Dubai,” he said, then asked: “How was your night?”

“Wonderful”, we chorused, what else could a night’s rest at the Grand Hyatt Dubai be? After a short exchange of pleasantries, he took us through the programme for the next three hours.
We were here to meet Angela Bitete, the lone Ugandan cabin crew member in Emirates Airlines.

Out of the 40,000 people employed by Emirates Group worldwide, only 4,000 are Africans, that is 10%. Angela is the only cabin crew member (air hostess) from Uganda.

It was intriguing talking to Bitete.
Knowing what an uphill task it is for young Ugandan women to get good jobs in major world airlines, we had wanted to hear how she came to work for the world’s most awarded and fastest growing airline. Going through the security checks, Hill had led us to the Emirates coffee parlour where Bitete was waiting.

Upon seeing us, she stood and flashed the characteristic Emirates smile. We had seen that radiant smile earlier in the morning at Emirates Holidays Office were we had briefly bumped into her.

We wondered whether smiling was part of their training! Now Bitete was doing it. We wondered: Did they all train in smiling at the same school? It had such a disarming effect one could not help but smile back. “Glad to meet you Angela,” Ssebidde said, shaking Bitete’s hands, his mouth agape perhaps from the effect of Bitete’s smile.

Bitete, 25, who hails from Kabale, has worked for the airline a little more than two years. She is based in Dubai. As the story goes, in 2007, Bitete who had just completed a two-year course in hospitality, was an intern at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel where Emirates crew members lodged while in the country.

“I saw their attire, how busy, organised and happy they were and came to admire and respect them very much,” said Bitete.

“Then curiosity got the better of me, I started telling myself, I can work for Emirates, I have everything it takes, that is when I started surfing the Emirates website for job opportunities. One day, I found vacancies for cabin crew members advertised at the website, that seemed to suit me. When I saw the requirements, I realised that I qualified for the job, so I applied. We were invited for the interview in Nairobi.

After the interview, came the period of anxiety while I waited for the results, I prayed and kept hoping for the best, then one day I received a telephone call from Emirates that I had been given a job. I was overwhelmed by the good news, I broke down and cried.”
That was how Bitete’s life changed for the best.

“It was a challenge to adjust. Leaving the comfort of our home and country was not easy, however, I am very happy working for Emirates, I have met ladies like me from over 100 countries and we all work for Emirates. I have been to all the continents of the world, I have now lost count of the cities and places I have visited in the line of duty.”

Clearly, Bitete has done very well for herself. She did not reveal her salary, but said it was worth her while working away from home. Dubai is a tax-free zone so Bitete’s pay comes whole.

She advises Ugandan young women who intend to take up the trade that they need to be proactive and confident.

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