S'pore girl, 2, dons kebaya to become youngest & cutest SIA stewardess for a day

A stewardess in her elegant sarong kebaya waving and welcoming passengers as they board is a common scene for any traveller who has ever taken a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight.

A closer look at this stewardess on one Shanghai to Singapore flight, however, reveals something a little more unexpected.

This particular cabin crew member looks a little shorter than usual:

Dressed in a miniature SIA kebaya, the almost two-year-old Kiarrah Alexandra Tan waved excitedly and beamed at passengers — the picture-perfect example of service with a smile.

By the time the plane landed in Singapore, her charm had already taken off online.

@mothershipsgCutest stewardess in our hearts ❤️ “I felt incredibly proud seeing her so comfortable interacting with the crew, and grateful for how confident and mature she is for her age,” her mother, Sharon, said. She added that they were touched by how friendly the crew was, and how a simple moment became such a special memory for their family. Credit: @sharonsadventure, @uzentan and @kiarrahalexandratan♬ original sound - Mothership

An idea takes flight

The October flight home marked the end of a nine-day family holiday in Shanghai for Kiarrah and her parents, Sharon Phua and Uzen Tan.

It was also a milestone as it was Kiarrah’s last flight before she turns two, after which she’d need her own seat.

Knowing this, the family decided to commemorate the occasion in style.

“I’ve always seen little girls wearing the SQ kebaya and knew I wanted my daughter to have that chance too,” Kiarrah’s mother shared.

Coming from a Peranakan family, Kiarrah had worn a traditional kebaya before and felt right at home in it.

“She’s at the stage where she loves dressing up, especially as Disney princesses, so she was genuinely excited to wear it,” Phua said with a laugh.

In the air

In the clips that have gone viral online, Kiarrah can be seen interacting with and melting the hearts of the crew.

“It was Kiarrah’s sixth flight with SIA,” says Sharon, “but our first in business class as a family. We wanted to commemorate it with something special.”

According to Kiarrah’s parents, they were hyping her up for the flight by showing her videos of SIA and letting her see the kebaya she would wear.

“The stewardesses were so delighted to see her! The other passengers were too and even commented how adorable she was in the kebaya.”

While Kiarrah has expressed her ambitions to be a vet, this did not stop her from giving world-class service to the passengers on the plane.

Here, she can be seen testing the plane's stability.

Kiarrah also remembered to patrol the aisle, alert for any call lights from passengers that may require attention. After all, a dutiful stewardess is always on watch while everyone is asleep.

Safety in mind, she also made sure all the latches in the galley were closed for landing. Wouldn’t want any carts rolling around!

In the course of her duty, however, she sustained a small injury.

Luckily, the other crew members were there for her.

“Kiarrah scratched a mosquito bite and it bled a little,” her mom shared with us.

“I asked a steward for a plaster, and he went the extra mile — cleaning the wound, applying cream, and then carefully putting on the plaster for her.”

In the spirit of team bonding, Kiarrah had also apparently grown very attached to the flight crew, asking her mother “where's jiejie?” whenever the stewardesses walked away.

Finally, as the plane touched down, she waved off all the passengers as they disembarked to the familiar SIA announcement that always plays upon landing:

"And to all Singaporeans, a warm welcome home."

Netizens melted

“I felt incredibly proud seeing her so comfortable interacting with the crew, and grateful for how confident and mature she is for her age,” Sharon told Mothership.

Netizens seem to agree as well as they gushed over how adorable she was in the iconic uniform and how she was a pro at her job.

Others playfully joked over how she might have skipped a few duties here and there, and over the amount of “work experience” she was already racking up at such a young age.

“It was quite surprising to see such a simple, sweet moment get so much attention,” Phua commented. “But it also made me really happy knowing it brought smiles to so many people.”

She was grateful for how such a simple family moment had turned into a memory that they would cherish for life.

“Her enthusiasm, and how unafraid she was to mingle with everyone. I loved seeing her interact so warmly with the cabin crew, and I hope she carries this respect and kindness for service staff throughout her life.”

“Most of all,” she added, “I hope she never loses the spark and confidence she has now, so that she grows up into a wonderful, fearless adult who embraces life with the same joy, curiosity, and wonder she showed that day.”

Top images courtesy of Sharon and Uzen