Flight attendants, flight stewards, air hostess or even trolley man are known together as cabin crew. Primarily they are on board an aircraft for the welfare and safety of the passengers and secondly they look for their comfort. Even, in case of absence of foods and beverages, still there will be the presence of cabin crew for security. The service providers are legally bound to give the basic security to the passengers. As they are the face of the airline, they should fulfill well the true need of the customer service. They must always be enthusiastic, friendly and approachable with a fine sense of self-presentation. The job of cabin crew is physically demanding. The person will always be ready to work on any day of the year.
The typical work activities of cabin crew are as follows.
- They need to join a pre-flight briefing session when they are instructed about their respective positions for the upcoming flight. The crew gets to know, also, about some details of the flight, the information about any passenger with special requirements etc.
- They are required to carry out some pre-flight duties which involve examining the equipments for safety, ensuring the cleanliness of the aircraft, checking the information in the pockets of the seat, and also ensuring that all food items and stock are on board.
- Sending a welcome message to the passengers after boarding and directing each of them to the particular seat.
- Informing about safety procedures to the passengers and checking for the safe storing of the luggage.
- Announcing on behalf of the pilot and attending the questions of the passengers.
- Serving refreshments and meals.
- Selling goods free of duty.
- Providing first aid to the passengers if required.
Besides, there are some other additional duties which cannot be clearly defined. In fact, they should always bear the example of refined customer service. There are some cabin crew courses which will prepare the participants for working as a successful cabin crew.
If this type of job allures you highly, then it will be very simple to become ready to work at an entry level position in the aircraft industry. The responsibilities of these persons have increased a lot after the world famous massacre which is known as 9/11. They are now required to acquire more skill than before. They are now provided self-defense training which is optional. The cabin crews are now needed to study widely about hijacking and the pros and cons to tackle those emergency situations. The professional aviation management deals with these matters very well.
The interested candidates should fulfill some other basic requirements about height and weight. All airlines expect a candidate to be large enough so that he or she can easily reach the overhead cabins. But the candidate will not be excessively tall which will create problem while passing through the isles. If you think that the cabin crew training is right for you, then you must choose the right one after doing some preliminary research. Always take training from a professional institute recognized by the industry.
The author is a career consultant. According to him, if you are interested about professional aviation management, then you must go to the Applied Professional Training institute of Kolkata. There are some popular cabin crew courses.
