She looked surprised at my "Salamat po!" (honorific version of "Thank you"), and asked where I'd learned Tagalog. I told her that I'd been stationed there, and was going back on business. I added that my wife and business assistant – indicating Kelly – was going with me; her first trip outside the U.S. The flight attendant told us her name was Mhay, and that she would be happy to come back and visit with us. Kelly thanked her, and Mhay dimpled prettily before moving on to take care of some other passengers.

Kelly leaned over to whisper in my ear "She is such a doll!" then looking around and adding "They ALL are! Are all the women there this pretty?"

"Nope. Most, but not all. These are the cream of the crop, so to speak.

They don't have any problems there about hiring practices, so the airline is free to hire only the prettiest young girls they can find. A job like this – travel, good pay, plenty of chances to meet eligible men – is highly desirable, so they don't lack for applicants."

Kelly poked me in the ribs, and said "No, really, what are they like?"

"I just told you. Think about it – do you think a businessman on a trip wants to look at the guy that served US on the way to L.A., or somebody that looks like one of these? Then think about why the airlines would hire that guy anyway."

She looked at me doubtfully, but thought it over, finally telling me "Okay, I can see your point. You mean this airline can really do that? I mean, just hire the pretty young girls and no one else?"

"Sure. It's a fairly poor country, so the general attitude is that any job is better than no job; and nobody's inclined to fuss at the companies that have the jobs. Besides, it's their country and their rules. If you don't like it bad enough, don't go there."