What Does a Flight Attendant Do? (And How To Become One)
A flight attendant is the face of the airline. It plays a key role within the crew, carrying out various duties, such as welcoming travellers, demonstrating safety protocols, serving food and beverages, and addressing passenger needs. In case of emergencies, the Flight Attendant is responsible for aiding passengers, ensuring their safety and relieving any discomfort throughout the flight. Flight attendants work with people, so they must provide exceptional customer service. They must have great communication skills, be warm, polite, and approachable, and possess a calm manner under stress. Usually, they deal with long, irregular hours and long days away from home.
However, it is a rewarding job since many people appreciate the opportunity to meet new people and interact with different cultures during their travels. There is an increase in the demand for air travel, which subsequently increases the demand for skilled flight attendants, resulting in more opportunities opening up in the aviation sector. With a flight attendant’s job, you have the chance to travel without limits. Dreaming and working may become the same.
In this detailed guide, we will look at the duties and responsibilities of flight attendants, the expected qualifications, the step-by-step guide on how to become one, and the salary they receive in India. This guide will help you prepare for a career as a flight attendant, outlining the essential steps.
Flight Attendant
Flight attendants, also known as cabin crew professionals or air hostesses, are responsible for ensuring that airline passengers are safe and comfortable throughout the flight. Flight Attendant Jobs is not limited to serving passengers meals and beverages; it involves several very important tasks that require training and expertise. Their core work activities include carrying out pre-flight safety checks, explaining safety procedures, helping passengers in an emergency, and ensuring the rules and policies of the airline are followed.
As opposed to ground staff, flight attendants work on the aircraft and interact with customers throughout the flight. In order to do their work, flight attendants require great personal presentation, intelligence, and creativity, as well as good listening and verbal skills.
Flight Attendant Jobs: Role And Duties
A flight attendant’s job is more than just being polite. As the name suggests, it’s a mix of hospitality and safety. Their top priority is keeping passengers safe. After that, they focus on making the journey smooth and enjoyable.. Below is a short list of the routine responsibilities of an air hostess.
Pre-Departure Tasks
During the pre-flight briefings that attendants must attend with the captain and other crew members, important messages relevant to safety procedures, flight plans, and equipment status onboard are communicated. These sessions also allow certain questions to be clarified if needed.
Passenger Safety and Emergency Procedures
Along with numerous other passengers on board, the Air Hostess are also responsible for crew member briefs, and they also need to ensure that as many safety measures are taken as possible. The Air Hostess are in charge of providing complete safety instructions and fastening seat belts during emergencies. The Air Hostess are also responsible for the proper securing of oxygen dispensing masks and life jackets and outlining the emergency procedures like bracing during the anticipated impact and evacuating from the aircraft. They need to be alert to serve their attentive duties and provide assistance or facilitate further help in the case of emergencies.
Preparation and Maintenance of Cabin
In order to provide the utmost comfort for the passengers, Air Hostess prepare the cabin before the boarding process. First, the flight attendants perform routine inspections of the aircraft to ensure that it is clean and in a good physical state. They also pay close attention to emergency equipment, checking that fire extinguishers and defibrillators are operational. Then, they confirm that there are no issues with seats, lavatories, and overhead compartments, as well as that all areas are properly cleaned.
Service and Hospitality for Passengers
One of the most critical tasks that an attendant performs is to attend to various passengers’ inquiries and requests. They help every passenger find their seat and properly place personal belongings into storage. Furthermore, Air Hostess ensure the comfort of passengers during the flight by serving drinks, food, and snacks as per the individual dietary needs of the passengers. In addition, they are available to provide any passengers who require assistance with aspects of the flight, including details about the flight or the destination, as well as other relevant information.
Conflict Resolution and Help with Specific Passengers
Another critical component of a flight attendant’s job includes addressing and resolving disputes with passengers. Both the coworkers and passengers whom they serve may have issues with one another because of personal differences. Therefore, Air Hostess take a more active approach when dealing with more sensitive cases, such as children flying alone and elderly or disabled passengers. This special category of people requires more assistance than others and merits further attention.
Security and Situational Awareness During Flight
In order to ensure all security protocols are followed, the cabin crew observe each passenger throughout the flight to check for anything suspicious. At the same time, they open themselves to threats so that they can act at the appropriate time to protect order within the aircraft.
Communication and Teamwork within the Cabin
The collaboration of the cabin crew with the aviation field is most important for smooth operations. They inform the captain of other turbulence, and the captain informs them of anything else that is needed. Furthermore, they work together as a single unit to better their processes and make the flight more enjoyable for travellers.
Responsibilities after the Flight
Flight attendants also have to carry out a ‘cleaning’ task after the passengers leave the aircraft, during which they check to ensure that all safety items are secure and that no belongings have been left behind. They can also have forms to fill out, such as incident reports or passenger comments. Finally, while bringing the passengers off the aircraft, they escort the passengers to help the process of getting off the plane orderly and securely.
Flight Attendant Requirements:
Along with stated criteria, each airline has its criteria. Here are the common requirements in India:
- Educational Qualification:
Most require completion of at least 10+2 (higher secondary education). Certain international airlines might prefer candidates who have hospitality, tourism, or something in that field.
- Age Limit Requirement:
Usually, between 18 and 27 years for Indian airlines, though many airlines are more flexible with their age limitation.
- Medical requirements include physical examinations.
The majority of airlines or aviation companies also have height requirements; height below 155 cm for females and 170 cm for males is usually not acceptable. Good physical fitness is required, and vision requirements might be specified as either corrected vision or uncorrected vision.
- Language and Communication Skills
Fluent English and Hindi speakers are preferred, along with advanced communication skills. Additional languages are a bonus for international airline companies.
- Requirement: Smart and personality:
Airlines expect well-smart flight attendants who have confidence and excellent relationship skills.
Flight Attendants: Types
In reference to the services rendered, as well as the airlines that employ them and the specific routes they operate, flight attendants are distinguished as follows:
