Famed Barcelona Footballers Will Only Fly With Female Flight Attendants

By Peter Kenyon

Published September 18, 2012 at 10:21 AM EDT

Lionel Messi (second from left) and some of his Barcelona teammates during a match last weekend.

For the past few years, Turkish Airlines has been the official airline of soccer's FC Barcelona, home to such famous footballers as Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta. Well, apparently the Barca boys haven't been happy with the service.

Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News reports that Barca has told Turkish Airlines that it wants only female flight attendants in the cabin from now on.

Now, those old enough to remember the 1967 work (of fiction) Coffee, Tea or Me? The Uninhibited Memoirs of Two Airline Stewardesses, may have their suspicions about this request. But rest assured, the article tells us, it's just that Messi and co. are tired of the male flight attendants pestering them for autographs, jerseys and the like during their flights.

According to the newspaper, the airline has acceded to the demand, and will provide all-women cabin crews for future Barca flights. It says "a handpicked crew, made up of 20 female flight attendants," has been chosen.

(NPR's Peter Kenyon is based in Istanbul.)