Virgin Australia staff ordered to stop calling passengers “mate”

Hoping for a friendly "Goday Mate!" from your flight attendant as you board your plane to Australia? Bad news: Virginia Australia cabin staff have been asked to stop calling passengers "mate," the Daily Telegraph reported. Flight attendants can now only use the term if an individual customer requests it, although asking a stranger to call you "mate" could make for an awkward conversation.

Cabin staff are also required to take etiquette classes, where they will learn how to improve their posture, language, and knowledge of wine and food, Agence France-Presse reported.

More from GlobalPost: When the BRICs crumble

The point of these changes is to make Virgin crew seen a little more high-end and classy. The airline currently has a reputation for sexy staff, the Telegraph said. “They want us to get away from that ’sex’ look that’s been attached to the company,” a stewardess told the paper. 

It's not the first time that the popular airline has tried to class-up its image. In February, the Telegraph reported that Virgin Atlantic crew were receiving lessons from a "whispering coach," so that they could learn how to talk without waking up the plane's first-class passengers. 

Will you support The World with a monthly donation?

Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you. We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.

Make a gift today, and you’ll help us unlock a matching gift of $67,000!