To Make Up for Reduced Wages, Japanese Flight Attendants Are Allegedly Selling Sex to Pilots

Japanese magazine alleges stewardesses are engaging in prostitution with pilots to make up for reduced wages.

Are Japanese stewardesses serving more than coffee? According to the Daily Mail, a magazine printed in Japan alleges that prostitution among flight attendants may be a growing problem.

The Japanese-language Shukan Post, reports the Daily Mail, claims the extracurricular activities have been spurred by hard working conditions and a drop in median salary. Between 2004 and 2013, statistics from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare show the average salary of a flight attendant decreased by nearly $10,000. Quoting the Post, the Daily Mail report suggests some stewardesses are making up the difference in pay through prostitution.

The prostitution reportedly works in multiple ways. In some situations, interested attendants will pass their phone number to a senior stewardess who will allegedly act as a “madam” between pilot and attendant. In other situations, flight attendants are reported to line up for the pilot and first officer during pre-flight checks. Interested pilots may then use hand signals to indicate their interest. It’s also reported that some stewardesses utilize escort services in Japan specializing in flight attendant-related fantasies.

The Post report goes on to suggest that the prostitution can be lucrative, especially for younger flight attendants. Stewardesses under 30 are reported to charge between $450 and $700 for a 90-minute session.

Prostitution has been outlawed in Japan since 1956 and airlines are reported to actively fight the practice. An anonymous attendant reportedly told the Post that a prostitution ring was busted by an unidentified airline she began working for in 2007. The airline’s solution was to fire the stewardess in charge of the operation, but the unnamed attendant firmly believes the practice continues today.

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