subject: What Does The Career Of Cabin Crew Entail [print this page] Airlines regularly conduct cabin crew recruitment, but this is not an easy job to land. It is a highly specialized job that can only be done by people with very special qualities, and airlines are really fussy about the people they employ in this field.
Cabin crew are not glorified trolley pushers or food and drinks servers. The job is far more sophisticated than this. They are the first point of contact on the plane between the passenger and the airline and piloting staff. They are the "face" of the airline and are representative of the type of quality service it provides its customers.
Many passengers have a fear of flying and these specially trained individuals have to take care of this. One of their most important key performance areas is the security and safety of passengers. They are trained to deal with emergency situations as well as on-board assistance, boarding and disembarking.
The cabin crew is briefed prior to every flight regarding a particular situation or variable that may be expected, such as weather etc. They also ensure that the cabin of the plane has been properly cleaned and is tidy and well stocked before the passengers' board. They check vital cabin equipment including emergency medical stores.
They also have to liaise with various other ground staff in matters pertaining to the flight, secure hand luggage and check that all passengers are safely belted in. The fun start right away with the demonstration of in-flight emergency and safety procedures! That always makes me smile, and I wonder how they keep a straight face. They offer duty free products to passenger which are for sale during the flight, see to their comfort, deal with scared and difficult passengers and help with immigration papers and flight reports.
The hours of a cabin crew are never the same, they depend on the flights and there is not such thing as a typical working day, week, or month. A rota system generally controls their shifts, but this could change at the drop of a hat.
Nights, public holidays, weekends are all grist for the mill of cabin crew and they have to be as flexible in their approach to their work as the airline is to their flights. Some cabin crew work short haul, others work long haul and some work both.
This is physically and emotionally demanding work and that is why you have to be special to want to do it. It is also a very exciting work environment where you meet new people and go new places all the time.
Salaries are not that fantastic, but they are good and experience crew earn well, and have the added benefit of allowances for various expenses such as meals, flights and extra qualification. They also get great travel deals, and seeing the world is expensive these days!
by: Tobay Dytham Swifft
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