Japanese flight attendants 'sleep with pilots' to supplement wages

Flight attendants in Japan have claimed that some female cabin crews are regularly paid to sleep with pilots, according to a Japanese weekly magazine.

Unnamed flight attendants made the allegations in an article in the Shukan Post, claiming that the flight attendants earn between $450 and $650 for 90 minutes.

“Stewardesses who are willing to (engage in the activity) pass their number to a senior stewardess who is effectively a female pimp,” one cabin crew member was quoted as saying. “Other stewardesses outsource their services through companies, some of which specialize in offering air hostesses."

Salaries for Japanese stewardesses have fallen dramatically over the past decade ― according to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, yearly wages have been cut from $42,000 a year in 2004 to just $33,000 in 2013.

Another flight attendant added that pilots normally express interest to the hostesses with hand signals.

“Four digits raised to the nose indicate an offer of 40,000 yen ($340) for an overnight stay at a hotel,” the flight attendant said, adding that the “prostitution circle” began several years ago.

“But since then, the girls in the circle at the same time are still employed at the company,” she said. “I’m sure it still goes on even now.”