How far will one go to be an air attendant? For one 23-year-old, that would mean dressing up in counterfeit Batik Air uniform, complete with a fake badge and luggage in tow.
Khairun Nisya had previously applied to fly with the Malaysian airline but failed the interviews. According to various media reports, she had paid 30 million rupiah (US$1,778) to get a position with Batik Air via an unidentified person in Jakarta – who later vanished after the deal.
Not wanting to disappoint her family, Nisya flew to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport from Palembang on 6 January, before she got stopped by aviation security.
Palembang airport confirmed that Nisya had on her a valid boarding pass and cleared her passenger security screening – at the fast-track lane meant for crew.
She wore Batik Air uniform purchased online, had on a badge, and had planned to change out of the uniform before flying, but said she did not have time to do so.
The impersonation was only discovered mid-flight when actual attendants found that their ‘new colleague’ could not answer flight questions correctly.
Nisya has since issued an apology on TikTok to Batik Air and Lion Group.