The work

Air cabin crew are the people on aircraft who look after passengers. Their main role is to make sure they are safe during the flight. As passengers spend more time with them than any other airline employees, cabin crew play a vital customer service role.

Their day usually starts with a crew briefing about details of the flight. Then they board the aircraft to:

• check the cabin equipment
• make sure the plane is carrying enough food, drink and other supplies
• show passengers to their seats
• make sure that luggage is properly stored
• prepare and serve meals, drinks and duty-free, and clear up afterwards
• look after in-flight entertainment.

The cabin crew are responsible for making sure passengers understand and follow safety and emergency procedures. This involves demonstrating safety procedures like wearing and using life jackets and fastening and unfastening safety belts. In a real-life emergency, they have to ensure that passengers follow the captain's instructions, use safety equipment correctly, and stay calm. They might also have to deal with emergencies like cabin fires.

If anyone becomes sick during the flight, it is the cabin crew who give them first aid.

There are other parts of the job such as filling in flight reports, customs and immigration documents, accounts of duty free sales, and meal and drink orders.

At the end of the flight, they make sure passengers leave the aircraft safely.

There can be 14 or more cabin crew on a large aircraft, supervised by a senior crew member. As they don't work with the same colleagues on each flight, it's important to be confident and work well with new people.

Hours and Environment

Cabin crew must be flexible about working times as these can vary. They have to work weekends, overnights and public holidays. Flight delays and cancellations might mean they could be late for, or miss out on, nights out and parties.
Conditions are very restricted, and cabin crew spend a lot of time on their feet.

The amount of time spent away from home varies. Sometimes there is only enough time to catch up on sleep, with no opportunities for sightseeing. They may have to stop over in countries with difficult political situations, or high rates of infectious diseases.

They sometimes cross several time zones in one flight so jetlag is a problem.

Working under air pressure in a plane can be difficult. This can cause tiredness and sometimes health problems. And bad weather can make flying conditions uncomfortable, and even dangerous.

They have to wear a uniform and are expected to look smart and well groomed.

Skills and Interests

To be a member of air cabin crew someone should:

• be confident, friendly and good with people
• enjoy teamwork
• be calm and level headed under pressure and in emergencies
• be tactful but assertive with difficult people
• be sensitive and reassuring towards people who are anxious or upset
• be able to work quickly and efficiently
• be confident with money, including foreign currency

Entry

The minimum age for recruitment is usually 19. The maximum age varies, but there are unlikely to be opportunities for new recruits over 30. Many airlines have a compulsory retirement age of 50 or 55. In practice, because working patterns can make family and social life difficult, many cabin crew do not fly after their mid-thirties.

• Entry requirements vary from airline to airline, but they should be educated to O level/S grade standard. English, maths and a foreign language are useful qualifications.
• They should be physically fit with good eyesight, and there are usually height and weight restrictions. Some airlines ask for candidates who can swim at least 25 metres.
• They should be fluent in English, and some airlines expect them to speak a second language.
• Cabin crew often need previous experience in customer service, and nursing or hotel and catering experience can be useful.
• They must have a valid passport allowing unrestricted world travel.
• It is important to look smart and pay attention to grooming, and must not have visible tattoos or body piercings.

Training

Airlines provide their own training programme for new entrants. This usually lasts for four to six weeks. Areas studied include: security, safety and emergency procedures, first aid, customs and immigration regulations, customer relations and passenger care, currency exchange, galley management, food preparation and service, and personal grooming.

Following basic training most airlines have a probationary period of three to six months, during which performance is monitored by trainers or senior crew. Air cabin crew have to pass regular examinations to test their knowledge of safety and emergency procedures, and ensure official first aid requirements are met.

Opportunities

Air cabin crew are employed by airline companies, and the competition for places is very intense. They usually have to live near the airport where they are based.
Experienced staff may gain promotion to senior cabin crew. It may also be possible to transfer to ground-based employment with an airline.

Annual Income

Further information

Cabin Crew
http://www.cabincrew.com