BUDGET CARRIER Cebu Pacific has announced that it is hiring about 300 new flight attendants, which are needed to man the new aircraft the company expects to be delivered over the next four years.

In a statement, the Gokongwei-led carrier said it planned to augment its workforce in preparation for the expansion of its route network, in time for the arrival of four brand-new Airbus A320 aircraft. This delivery is scheduled from October 2010 until January 2011.

The company said it had scheduled a recruitment campaign in Cebu on Sept. 16 at the Cebu Midtown Hotel and initial screening in Manila on Sept. 20 and 27 at the Cebu Pacific Training and Development Center, Domestic Airport Road, and Oct. 6 at the Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila.

?We are scheduled to add more flights to Kota Kinabalu, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Seoul in time with our Airbus A320 aircraft deliveries, and we need more cabin crew to handle our additional capacity,? said Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog.

?This continuous hiring of cabin crew from all over the Philippines also contributes to nation-building by providing job opportunities. In the past, we have hired flight attendants from our recruitment campaigns in Davao, Cebu, Iloilo and Bacolod, among the many other destinations we fly to,? Iyog said.

Qualifications for being a Cebu Pacific flight attendant include ?a dynamic personality that embodies Cebu Pacific?s culture of fun.?

Female applicants need to be at least five feet and three inches in height, while their male counterparts need to be at least five feet and seven inches tall. Body weight needs to be ?proportional? to height. Applicants also need a clear complexion, good eyesight and good set of teeth.

?We have already successfully trained 120 flight attendants this year, and our 70th batch will soon graduate by the end of September. After rigorous training on safety and service, and competency checks, Batch 70 with 19 females and 9 males will be welcomed into the Cebu Pacific family,? Iyog said.

The company currently has a fleet of 10 Airbus A319, 11 Airbus A320 jets and eight ATR 72 turboprop aircraft. It expects to take delivery of a total of 24 brand-new Airbus A320s until 2014.

Cebu Pacific?s hiring spree comes amid difficulties faced by rival Philippine Airlines with its owned cabin crew who are members of the militant flight attendants union.