How Cabin Crew Smile Through A High-Pressure Job

There’s a lot of hard work behind that cheery namaste or ‘welcome aboard’ that the cabin crew greet us with. Ashwini Phadnis provides the details

- Ashwini Phadni

Of all the professionals associated with operating a flight — pilots, engineers, maintenance people, and the check-in staff— the easiest job seems to be that of the cabin crew.

But if you think that all you need to be a successful cabin crew member is a pleasant personality and a people-friendly nature, think again.

The job involves a high degree of training, situational awareness, grooming and knowledge about a variety of issues. All this, after you have the requisite qualifications, including passing the 10+2 examination from a recognized board or university.

Besides, you have to be at least 18 years of age and be of a height that enables you to reach the safety equipment onboard an aircraft and also the overhead bins. You also need to have the right height so that you can place your feet firmly on the floor when seated on the jump seat in a brace position.

Equally important is passing all oral and written exams and undergoing training like water survival, emergency evacuations and door opening and closing. There are a number of institutes in the country that provide courses for cabin crew members.

Important though these qualifications and training are, what you do on every flight brings its own list of things to remember, things to check and how to prepare for emergencies where you also use situational awareness and think on your feet.

First things first

After you have been picked by an airline, you have a set procedure to follow for every flight.