What are the job roles and responsibilities of an Airline Cabin Crew?

Working as a flight attendant for a major airline provides plenty of contact with people as well as opportunities to travel. The air cabin crew of a commercial airline share responsibility for the safety and comfort of its passengers. 

Duties include:

• greeting passengers as they board and exit the plane

• showing passengers to their seats and providing attention to the elderly or disabled

• serving meals 

• checking the condition of emergency equipment and information for passengers

• demonstrating emergency and safety procedures

• first aid

• supplying passengers with magazines, and in-flight entertainment

• selling duty-free commercial goods and pursuing sales targets

 Working hours may involve long shifts, and it may be necessary to work during public holidays. But on the other hand, many cabin crew members enjoy the chance to interact with a wide range of people and the opportunities to explore and enjoy global destinations are almost unparalleled. 

If you work on short-haul flights than if you work on long-haul flights, hours may be slightly more regular. If you work on long-haul flights, overnight stays may be required and there may be additional payments for this. 

Typical employers of airline cabin crew

Special recruitment agencies advertise roles on behalf of major commercial airlines from across the globe.

Qualifications and training required

A degree is not usually required to work as an airline cabin crew. However, a degree in travel, tourism, hospitality management, leisure or languages may be helpful. Personal qualities, appearance, and good health and fitness are normally more important than academic qualifications

Most airlines require cabin staff to complete a training course covering such things as safety procedures, legal/immigration issues and customer service upon entry to the organization. A range of preliminary training courses is also available, which introduces students to skills and recruitment processes.

Key skills for air cabin crew

• Good communication skills

• Excellent interpersonal skills

• The ability to remain calm in emergencies 

• Good color vision and hearing

• Good general health and fitness

• Assertiveness

• Employers often have physical requirements due to space restrictions within the galley; these may include minimum/maximum height requirements and proportionate bodyweight.