Peek into rich and famous

‘If Only Airports Could Talk’ welcomes you to the world of high-flyers and big spenders, writes Samantha Joseph

THE voice behind If Only Airports Could Talk is gossipy and mischievous. The book is a tell-almost-all by Hafsah Mohd Ali, a former passenger relations officer (PRO) with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) in Singapore.

Her journey began when she was almost 20 and the inaugural MAS fleet had its place at the Paya Lebar Airport. She later went to Changi when MAS moved there.

As PRO, Hafsah oversees the wellbeing of VIPs and CIPs (commercially important people), and therein lies the meatiness of this tale. Her interaction with Datuks, Datins, wealthy entrepreneurs, foreign dignitaries, lecherous businessmen and bitchy colleagues is the reason why you pick up this book. And as a tell-all, the book is not bad.

As several (wealthy and lascivious) men have observed, Hafsah is a bit of a tease. She provides details that are just enough to tantalise your tattling tastebuds but stops short of naming names. While some may decry this as a party pooper ploy, it is quite fitting with the character of Hafsah herself who emerges in the book. She observes, censures, approves or disapproves but there is little malicious judgment involved.

Personally, I would have liked a Daily Mail sort of dirt-dishing but in this case, Hafsah would still like to maintain her dignity. Rightly so.

SCANDALS AND THE RICH

One of the expected revelations in the book is the number of wealthy folk who cheat on their spouses. While this in itself is not very surprising, the situations Hafsah finds herself in with regard to these philandering families are, at times, comical and pathetic. She recounts scenes of expatriate wives demanding entrance to the private lounge to confront their husbands who are often cowering inside with their lithe young girlfriends, the times she acted as marriage counsellor to a Datuk who took a girlfriend to keep up with the Joneses but later regretted it, and a Datin who found a boyfriend online only to discover he was stringing her along.

In her position, Hafsah is privy to the lives of the very rich, their lavish dinner parties and overseas shopping sprees. She is an accessible introduction point for readers to dive in because she comes from a more or less average background. For her, many of these excesses were startling and I was quite happy to devour the fantastic descriptions, such as a member of royalty whose chauffeured Mercedes had a hue that matched her yellow kebaya.

In its lighthearted way, Airports warns against the vices of excessive wealth and greed. Hafsah talks about former colleagues who agree to be mistresses to the rich in exchange for condominiums and expensive gifts, only to be left out to dry when the wives find out. And the lonely Datins ignored by their husbands.

Throughout the book, the voice and values of Hafsah’s father shine strongly. In a way, the fact that Hafsah adheres to conventional values is what makes the book relatable. Because you, Hafsah and I will not participate in drug-fuelled orgies with expensive social escorts, we can pass moral judgment on those who do, and come to the same conclusions.

This is, by no means, a serious book. The writer clearly had fun writing it, and reading it makes for a few entertaining hours. It is a very human thing to be captivated by the folly of others, and If Only Airports Could Talk delivers on that account.

Hafsah talks airports

AS bubbly in real life as she is in her book, Hafsah Mohd Ali answers a few questions about her often stressful, often wonderful and always interesting career.

She sits across from me, a small woman with a headscarf that matches her lime-green glasses. Chatty and cheerful, her revelations (some too spicy to be printed) are accompanied by a healthy dose of advice and a cheeky smile.

The public view is much like your father’s perception of working in an airline—based on Coffee, Tea Or Me. What sort of catty gossip did you come up against when you worked with an airline?

Because I used to dress well, they (Hafsah’s colleagues) thought that I was being kept by a rich man. I was driving my sister’s brand new Honda Civic because she was away. So one day my supervisor called me, saying that word had gotten all the way to Kuala Lumpur (those days there was no SMS but it was still pretty fast) that I was being kept by a Datuk. I told him that I must be pretty stupid and that if I were really being kept, I’d ask for a Porsche and a condo on Orchard Road. People will perceive you as they like.

What were the best and the worst parts of your job?

What I disliked most was when the rich refused to pay, when they took advantage of their position. And the ordinary person would just pay for excess baggage, no question.

The most heartwarming was when I helped a passenger and they said thank you. This made me very happy. And, like in my book, the girl who didn’t have a hotel room. I took her home. It was a risk but she turned out to be very nice.

You often mention your father as a cautionary voice throughout the book. How important are the values he taught you?

My siblings and I have values because of my father. I can talk about him for hours. He was a gentleman. The most important thing he taught me was self-respect.

I was in a shop in Singapore, talking to this guy. And he said, “Your voice is so familiar. I have a friend, Faridah…” She was my sister. He said, “Oh, so you’re one of the Alis.” So my sisters and I have the ‘Ali’ chop.

What’s your advice to young people out there after interacting with people from all walks of life?

I made a lot of friends because when I talk to the passengers, I don’t talk to them thinking they’re VIPs. So I can really talk and laugh. For example, Tunku Abdul Rahman, whenever he saw me, would call me to come over. “Hafsah, dok sini, dok sini” he would say, in his thick Kedah accent.

I suppose you’ve got to be sincere. Whatever you do, be sincere, be honest. People can tell.

 

Peek into rich and famous