Aircraft Flight Attendant (Cabin Crew)

Although the majority of flight attendants (cabin crew) are employed by the airlines, the Air Force and some charter operators also require flight attendants, on a free lance basis.
Flight attendants, both male and female, are primarily safety officers who assist passengers in case of emergencies. Next, they have to look after the comfort of the passengers and, as such, are very much the ambassadors of both the airlines and the country they represent.

Personal checklist
You will need
* intelligence
* the ability to give sympathetic attention to passengers, especially the elderly, babies and children
* a friendly, spontaneous personality
* efficiency
* an attractive appearance
* the ability to give sound advice in a friendly way
* patience
* previous experience in working with the public and fluency in more than one language are advantages.


Training
An initial training course covers simulated safety and emergency procedures (e.g. evacuating an aircraft full of passengers), first aid and aviation medicine.

This is a very important aspect of a flight attendants job, as the safety of the passengers is largely in their hands. In addition you will be taught deportment and make-up, catering, and the finer details of attending to passengers.

The course usually extends over about eight weeks and may begin with a fourteen-day training period in ground duties, including reservations, ticketing and international travel requirements.

Once you have successfully completed the training course, you will go on to practical flying training for two to three months, when you will be expected to put your theoretical knowledge into practice. During this period, instructors or co-ordinators will fly with you to evaluate your practical ability and, if successful, you become a fully-fledged flight attendant.

Aspects of the training for flight attendants are carried out by the respective airlines. The safety & emergency procedures training is often provided by specialist training centres


Prospects
There is always a demand for flight attendants. With time and experience, flight attendants are promoted from serving in the economy class on domestic flights to the first class on international flights, with the possibility of being appointed senior cabin controller. He or she is in charge of all flight attendants and, after the pilot-in-command (captain), is responsible for the safety and welfare of passengers.

Watchpoints
The life of a flight attendant tends to sound quite glamorous. However, negative aspects include being away from home for long periods, irregular hours, and the tiring nature of the work.

If you are career-minded, you may become frustrated, as there is limited scope for promotion and after a few years you may no longer find the work challenging. For this reason there is a high turnover of flight attendants. However, the work provides an excellent introduction to other careers that involve dealing with people (e.g. public relations).