One of the very first Filipina to hold a position in Etihad, Melanie Limjoco shares her experiences rising from the ranks in the airline industry and how proud she is to be where she is now.

“What have you done today to make you feel proud?” The same message is being conveyed in the audio-visual presentation opening the cabin crew graduation of Etihad Airways—the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. It is a universal question of self evaluation and self worth which may be answered in several interesting ways. A mother might pride herself in teaching her child the ABC’s. A doctor might have saved another’s life. A lawyer might have won another grueling case. Whatever life we lead, there will always be something that makes everyday special—that is, if we learn to appreciate and love what we do.

One of the most popular occupations of choice for little girls in the Philippines is to be a cabin crew (or flight attendant/stewardess). They dream of being that tall, fair and graceful lass with a round-trip ticket around the world as a job description. Little girls look up to these statuesque epitomes of beauty and poise, wishing that one day, they too will be one of them. On the other hand, other people may think little of these in-flight professionals. Some misinformed individuals consider them as happy-go-lucky, performing no-brainer tasks on-board the aircraft and involving themselves with countless all-night parties and extravagant shopping sprees in every layover. But one Filipina knows there is more to being a cabin crew than the usual ‘service with flair.’ It takes a pinch of love of adventure, a dash of super-human complex and a sprinkling of humility. Take it from Etihad Airways’ Cabin Manager and Safety and Emergency Procedures Instructor, Melanie Limjoco.

‘CHICKEN OR BEEF?’ NO MORE
‘Coffee or tea?’ Sure, Melanie had her share of the front lines. Her initial venture in the airline industry was in Dubai, United Arab Emirates where she spent five good years of mastering the art of Customer Service at 40,000 feet. Her family, though, was not keen on the idea of her moving to a country then considered as an unwelcoming land especially to a Filipina. She is one of seven siblings of a very hard working couple who made sure that their children received a good education. Melanie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, major in International Studies from the De La Salle University-Manila. After much thought, Melanie decided to wander into a then seemingly uncharted territory for a Filipina professional. She was prodded by curiosity and the challenge of attaining personal and professional growth away from the comforts of home, and that inevitable ‘dependence on mom and dad.’ However, homesickness somehow got the better of Melanie after a few years of donning that smart beige uniform with the eye-catching red hat, so she flew back to the Philippines and had a short stint as a cabin crew safety and service instructor in Philippine Airlines. Brief as it was, Melanie’s influence as a trainer was etched in the memory of her PAL trainees, who had oftentimes referred to her as their inspiration. True enough, most of them have conquered international shores, proudly creating that admirable image of the world-class Filipino. Her touch base to home also yielded another life-changing pursuit: marriage to a Filipino cadet pilot. Although the marriage has ended, from it sprung a precious gift: Melanie’s son Matthew, who is now 8-years old.

It appears that Melanie always had that independent streak in her spirit. She returned to the United Arab Emirates and joined Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi, initially as a Safety and Emergency Procedures Instructor. The scope of her responsibilities covered cabin crew safety training where she taught them how to fight cabin fires, manage the oxygen systems on a decompression, evacuate passengers during an emergency in 90 seconds, survive on an ocean raft; as well as pilot training on the specific company-laid safety procedures to newly-hired pilots coming from different airlines. The latter task is admittedly Melanie’s most daunting challenge, considering that she had to deal with seasoned pilots of various nationalities and their ‘been-there-done-that’, ‘mightier than thou’ stance. But because of the way she carried herself, Melanie earned their respect and undivided attention. Now on her third year at Etihad, Melanie has been promoted to the post of Cabin Manager (known as Purser in other airlines). As such, she is in charge of the over-all condition of the cabin, ensuring that each crew member carry-out their duties the best way they can, with the well-being and safety of the passengers onboard as the top priority. “The ‘good’ part of the job is that I’m no longer directly involved with the chicken or beef, coffee or tea. As a supervisor, I monitor cabin crew performance so that they are aligned with the company’s service mantra and that my team adheres to the standards and procedures set by Etihad. The role of the Cabin Manager is that of a mentor who is tasked to motivate the crew in performing at their level best and utmost capacity. At the same time, I’m mindful about the fact that the required proficiency and competencies must begin with me. Lead by example,” she explains.

THE CONQUERING PINAY
She has, beyond doubt, conquered the skies whenever she is on board and on land, whenever she is supervising the cabin or conducting training. Melanie is proud to say that at the moment, the cabin crew from the Philippines is one of the top three in terms of numbers in Etihad, together with their colleagues from India and Romania. In fact, when asked if there is any Filipina graduating on the day of her interview, Melanie immediately quipped that there always has to be one in every batch. True enough; two Filipinas were among the proud graduates together with those from Hungary, Kenya, India, Korea, Belgium, Malaysia, Peru, Italy and the UK. It is in events such as this that Melanie would usually host and officially send off the cabin crew to their first Etihad flight. According to Melanie, being a Filipino in the airline industry is definitely a plus factor. “Gladly we have a very good reputation in this part of the region and in this industry. Most of the people I have met had warmed up to me straight away upon learning that I come from the Philippines, because they know us Filipinos to be very hard working, dedicated and resilient, meaning we can easily adjust to a given situation, in fact, to any situation, so much so that the word “impossible” is not part of our vocabulary.”

When asked how it feels to actually emcee the graduation of the multi-cultural crew, this is what she has to say: “Very proud. As you’ve witnessed today, the graduates are a mixture of many nationalities. In fact, Etihad employs more than a hundred nationalities drawn from 6 continents. That means many different accents, mind-set and sensitivities to contend with when you interact with them in the workplace, but nothing a Filipino can’t handle. It is truly a proud achievement for me to stand on the stage hosting the graduation, or to be in the classroom inculcating to the crew the safety culture that Etihad strongly promulgates, or to be in the cabin providing motivation to my crew members.” And a multi-faceted Pinay she is. Her list of affiliations is not limited to the scope of her job title because Melanie is also a trained volunteer of their airlines’ Critical Incident Stress Management Team, a noteworthy group whose members are hand-picked and given the responsibility of providing emotional and moral support to colleagues who are experiencing emotional distress caused by unfortunate incidents that they have encountered either at work or in their personal lives. Her other involvements in the airline, are with the Special Assistance Team and Quality Auditing Team. Outside of Etihad, Melanie is likewise supportive of the various activities spearheaded by the Philippine Embassy where she immerses herself into helping her fellow Filipinos encountering problems in the Middle East. It is in this light that a humble Melanie sings praises to the selfless assistance, through humanitarian projects, that the embassy provides under the tutelage of the indefatigable Ambassador Libran Cabactulan to her compatriots.

Aware of the huge number of individuals hoping that one day they become cabin crews themselves, Melanie has these essential tidbits of advice: “Primarily, you have to have a strong sense of adventure and an ardent yearning for spontaneity. This career is very good for character building because it creates a persona that enables you to endure all odds. At the same time, it is a humbling experience because it entails humility, patience and the mature acceptance that people behave and relate differently as dictated by their cultural background. I am what I am now because of this job.”

An OFW in the Middle East for years herself, she says one must always be proud to be a Filipino. We have created such a reputation by which we have earned respect from different parts of the world for being committed, diligent, reliable and sincere with our intentions. Other nationalities admire the quality of our work because they know that every thing we do sincerely comes from the heart. The people around us witness the uniquely Filipino touch in the quality of work we so passionately impart. Finally, Melanie need not to be asked what makes her proud to this day. Without hesitation and with delight she exclaims, “I AM PROUD TO BE PINOY.”