Starting over from the first aviation book that I've red which is "Coffee, tea, me?", are you one of those people that still think aviation is about being a high-mile waitress? Nothing against waitering on ground of course: been there, done that too.
But when you're up there in the air you only have yourself and your team. So there are couple of more skills you need to have in order to save the day. From safety, security and medical point of view, besides the most obvious one, which is service.
As a matter of fact flight attendants are a bit of everything!
👉Nanny: they use child activity pack and a lot of patience to help families with children, for everyone's sake.
👉Entertainer: if you come to the galley in between the service, you will learn a lot about the crew life and have some fun too. Galley FM is the funniest radio on board!
👉Translator: flight attendants often speak at least 2 or more languages.
👉Interpreter: sometimes you just don't know what you want. But your flight attendant will probably figure out your needs before you start talking.
👉Fire fighter: who's gonna extinguish that fire you caused by trying to smoke in the lavatory? The whole team of them.
👉Hero: yes, in case of emergency that person who saved your life is the face you'll remember for the rest of your days on ground, but especially in the air.
👉Nurse: they are first aid trained and have medical equipment on board, that they're licensed and able to use correctly.
👉Psychologist: they will patiently listen to your stories and even offer you a shoulder to cry
👉Trip Advisor: first hand experience from all around the world, you better start listening!
👉Moderator: when passengers start fighting among each other, somebody has to keep the situation under control, someone with authority and savoir-faire. That's right, it's your flight attendant.
👉Seller: they have duty free on board which they promote and sell with nonchalance.
👉Chef: I know, the food is pre-cooked on ground and mostly doesn't taste great. But in First Class you often might find a real chef who cooks for you! Still always remember, you're in the air in a transportation machine, not in the restaurant.
👉Bar tender: Cabin Crew know how to get creative and try to reinvent cocktails and mocktails with what's available on board. Wanna give it a try? Just keep in mind that 1 drink in the air equals 3 drinks on ground, due to altitude and pressure. Do not exaggerate.
👉Cleaner: no airline is flying staff qualified just for cleaning. That's your flight attendants task too. So try to imagine yourself at home, yes relax and enjoy and also do not throw thing on the floor. Leave the lavatory as you would like to find it. Teach your children not to be messy too.
👉Technician: problems with your in-flight entertainment system? Guess who knows how to use that technology from bottom to top? The same people that will reboot the system if its is frozen and find practical solution to the temporarily broken equipment in order to make you enjoy your journey as much as possible.
I've red many other books since that first one and realized that every airline has its own rules, terminology, hierarchy and service flows. It is all same same but different.
Since the very beginning in 1930 when the first ever female flight attendant Ellen Church was recruited and appointed as a head stewardess in a small team of 8, the main requirements were nursing and safety, besides helping the passengers with luggage and pilots with refueling and moving the small airplanes to the hangar. There were some strict style and image requirements too, but that changed over the years, according to the spirt of the time.
Modern flying is maybe less glamorous than in the past, both for the passengers and the flying crew. But it is still a hell of a lifestyle, different from any ground one! And so so so much more than "Coffee, tea...and me!"
But when you're up there in the air you only have yourself and your team. So there are couple of more skills you need to have in order to save the day. From safety, security and medical point of view, besides the most obvious one, which is service.
As a matter of fact flight attendants are a bit of everything!
👉Nanny: they use child activity pack and a lot of patience to help families with children, for everyone's sake.
👉Entertainer: if you come to the galley in between the service, you will learn a lot about the crew life and have some fun too. Galley FM is the funniest radio on board!
👉Translator: flight attendants often speak at least 2 or more languages.
👉Interpreter: sometimes you just don't know what you want. But your flight attendant will probably figure out your needs before you start talking.
👉Fire fighter: who's gonna extinguish that fire you caused by trying to smoke in the lavatory? The whole team of them.
👉Hero: yes, in case of emergency that person who saved your life is the face you'll remember for the rest of your days on ground, but especially in the air.
👉Nurse: they are first aid trained and have medical equipment on board, that they're licensed and able to use correctly.
👉Psychologist: they will patiently listen to your stories and even offer you a shoulder to cry
👉Trip Advisor: first hand experience from all around the world, you better start listening!
👉Moderator: when passengers start fighting among each other, somebody has to keep the situation under control, someone with authority and savoir-faire. That's right, it's your flight attendant.
👉Seller: they have duty free on board which they promote and sell with nonchalance.
👉Chef: I know, the food is pre-cooked on ground and mostly doesn't taste great. But in First Class you often might find a real chef who cooks for you! Still always remember, you're in the air in a transportation machine, not in the restaurant.
👉Bar tender: Cabin Crew know how to get creative and try to reinvent cocktails and mocktails with what's available on board. Wanna give it a try? Just keep in mind that 1 drink in the air equals 3 drinks on ground, due to altitude and pressure. Do not exaggerate.
👉Cleaner: no airline is flying staff qualified just for cleaning. That's your flight attendants task too. So try to imagine yourself at home, yes relax and enjoy and also do not throw thing on the floor. Leave the lavatory as you would like to find it. Teach your children not to be messy too.
👉Technician: problems with your in-flight entertainment system? Guess who knows how to use that technology from bottom to top? The same people that will reboot the system if its is frozen and find practical solution to the temporarily broken equipment in order to make you enjoy your journey as much as possible.
I've red many other books since that first one and realized that every airline has its own rules, terminology, hierarchy and service flows. It is all same same but different.
Since the very beginning in 1930 when the first ever female flight attendant Ellen Church was recruited and appointed as a head stewardess in a small team of 8, the main requirements were nursing and safety, besides helping the passengers with luggage and pilots with refueling and moving the small airplanes to the hangar. There were some strict style and image requirements too, but that changed over the years, according to the spirt of the time.
Modern flying is maybe less glamorous than in the past, both for the passengers and the flying crew. But it is still a hell of a lifestyle, different from any ground one! And so so so much more than "Coffee, tea...and me!"
