the toxic hierarchy behind the scenes at this “Extremely Famous Airline” is absolute trash.
I was just two weeks away from clearing my probation as a cabin crew member when I flew a routine trip to China. The Inflight Manager (IFM) on duty was an old-timer who carried a massive, power-tripping “kowtow to me” aura, though the outbound flight passed without major incident.
The trouble started on the return leg during the standard crew gathering in the hotel lobby. With over 20 crew members waiting for airport transport, the usual efficient practice was to quickly snap a photo of the printed work-position sheet to avoid overcrowding the area. Unbeknownst to me, the IFM had strictly told another crew member that no photos were allowed. However, this random new rule was never passed down. When I walked down to the lobby and innocently took a photo of the paper, the IFM completely lost his temper, raising his voice and publicly humiliating me in front of the entire crew.
Despite immediately apologizing, the manager refused to let the matter drop. On the flight back, the IFM physically stationed himself right inside my galley, standing there like a roadblock just to micro-manage and spy on my work. I swallowed my pride, apologized a second time, and even offered him a drink to smooth things over. The IFM completely ignored the gesture, ghosting me entirely. Because I executed my duties flawlessly, the manager couldn’t find a single operational mistake before the flight landed.
The real damage landed the next day. I received an official company email revealing that the IFM had formally reported me. Having found zero errors in my actual flight performance, the manager resorted to picking on my appearance, claiming I had “a bit of stubble”. Based entirely on this and the lobby misunderstanding, the manager officially recommended that the company extend my probation due to an “attitude problem”.
Refusing to be falsely accused right at the finish line of my probation, I hit back by emailing management my own factual account of the lobby incident. I boldly stated that if there was a dispute, I was fully prepared to go down to the corporate office to clarify the matter face-to-face with the manager.
Instead of launching a fair investigation, the corporate “taichi” culture immediately kicked in. My ward leader called me directly, demanding to know why I had written an email defending myself. Rather than addressing the senior manager’s blatant bullying, the ward leader instructed me to write a follow-up email explicitly “thanking” the toxic IFM for his “teaching and guidance”. Once I submitted the forced apology to protect my career, management swiftly closed the case, burying the incident entirely.
Fk off sia, tio gan still must thank him.