Correction. I went all the way to Beijing just to buy a mobile phone! ... Kidding 😅 Obviously I am talking about Huawei brand and I do use it for many years now! I happened to need a new mobile phone just the same month I had PEK on my roster, so I thought: let me go directly to the source! And so I did. I saw a new fancy model from my Taekwondo master, a purple/blue electric Nova3 and I decided I will go for the same, just a little cheaper because bought directly where it is produced.
I did all my research before the flight, knowing that Google and everything related is blocked in China, even with the VPN (at least with the free versions that I was using around the world during layovers). I went to the Huawei shop that my Chinese colleague advised me and it took me about 1h to complete the purchase, by using google translator, because nobody in the shop was talking not even a word of English! But hey, not only I made it, I also got a lot of extras for free (Huawei selfie-stick, 2 covers, LCD window shield) and I payed less than the cost everywhere else in the world, so it was definitely worth it and I am still using it!!! My Chinese colleague helped me out with the settings from Chinese to English and everything is cool.
Huawei Nova3, selfie stick and covers
Well this was the boring side of the story. Let's jump up to the exploring instead! Myself with a Crew girl from Mexico and our Captain from Spain went for the Great Wall tour: what a blast it was! In the morning we took a driver from the hotel, but forgot to ask at the reception what was the pickup time for our flight back that was happening the same late evening! So we tried to ask the driver to use his mobile phone (of course ours wasn't working), but again he didn't speak a word of English, so again google translator helped us out, except at the certain point it translated I LOVE YOU instead of something else and the driver was quite puzzled and maybe flattered? Who knows! At the end we made it to contact the reception and plan our time accordingly.
It was an 1h30' drive and finally we got to the Wall. After the visit of the museum, we started climbing. And right there I thanked God that I am training Taekwondo, a Korean martial art involving legs more than other body parts. I had a steady trekking, but people around me were stopping frequently to rest, had heavy breathing and were frequent drinking or simply giving up. Ok, maybe the fact it was August didn't really help with staying fresh, but hey, once in a lifetime you'll make that effort, right?
Dollyo-chagi
Crew
Endless panorama of green mountains, nature and this endless wall full of mysteries.
Who knows how many stories it inspired, how many feet have walked on it, how many lives were given to defend it and how many romances it was keeping in store?! The tradition, the history, the architecture: it all has a sort of timeless magic. No wonder it is one of the 7 wonders of the world, right? Wonderful!
Cableway
The Great Wall of China
safehouse
A new entertainment on the Great Wall is the 3-5min slippery slope for whoever is not afraid of the speed. You are by yourself on the metal slide sitting comfortably with your legs in the front with a joystick in the middle that is used for braking. I had a misfortune to have in front of me a 60 years old Chinese lady that was kind of afraid of the whole sliding (why didn't she take the stairs?!!?), so we were going quite slow. But she was creating a long queuing line, so I had to shout to her and ultimately push her myself. It involved a lot of laughing with my Crew and at the end we all had a lot of fun. Here's the video!
Ola! Buenos dias! Whoever visited Spain in their life, knows how relaxed the lifestyle is. Siesta says it all! And I love it 😻 I visited Barcelona in a few layovers and every time I have seen so much that besides counting hundreds of photos, my mobile phone counted around 17km of walking each time! From the architecture to the Mediterranean weather, atmosphere on the streets, music and good smell of food, it is an inexhaustible source of inspiration and energy!
Sagrada Familia
It is very easy to move around in the city: by walking, cycling, metro or bus. Just careful about the pickpockets in the metro, it is quite famous for the fast hands! There are many museums to visit, so you will definitely need a lot of time here. I would advice to stay outdoors when the weather is good and leave the indoors visiting in the wintertime.
Passeig de Gracia
Who is the notorious architect of Barcelona, the greatest exponent of Catalan Modernism? If you haven't heard about GAUDI', you have surely seen some of his works, they are all around the city: Sagrada Familia, Casa Batllo', Park Güell etc. His works are colorful and quite recognizable.
Park Güell
Park Güell
Park Güell
La Rambla is the famous and most visited street where you can shop and find a lot of entertainment. That is where La Boqueria is, the colorful food market where you will want to come back again and again in order to try a bit of everything.
La Boqueria
You will never get bored just wandering around the streets and discovering hidden treasures. There are so many beautiful churches, my favorite is the gothic style such as the Cathedral of Barcelona.
Catedral de Barcelona
At the sunset time I am usually looking for water, because the reflection of the sunrays and the open view are just splendid and extremely calming, heartwarming, besides romantic. The seafront is full of restaurants with any kind of cuisine, as well as entertaining shops and playgrounds.
There is another beautiful park where in the summer time events such as concerts are organized: Parque de la Ciutadella. It has a rich flora and many centenary trees. A perfect place to relax with a book, take a walk or enjoy the ludic activities. There is a monumental Cascade, a Zoo and also the Parliament of Catalunya.
Parque de la Ciutadella
And as the journey is coming to an end, the Crew hotel happened to be quite attached to another architectural wonder worth seeing nighttime: Torre Glories, a high tech skyscraper made by Jean Nouvel intended to recall the shape of a geyser rising into the air. Indeed it does, geyser or not, it definitely is an explosion of altitude.
The first time I've visited Amsterdam was during my Erasmus exchange stay in Germany, Frankfurt. With a group of students we rented a car and drove all the way. It was the craziest time ever! My first introduction to the "haram" world tout court: red district, night clubs, high muffins and the whole weed menu. Weed menu? That's right! You could smell it just walking on the streets! Never heard about the high muffin? Well since weed is so famous in the Amsterdam-land, if you don't like smoking, you can still have it by eating it. Results are granted. 😁 Besides a small incident with the rented car (somebody broke all the windows, but found nothing of value), the whole experience was quite smooth and smoky, you know what I mean. After all, my friends were Spanish and while I was visiting museums, they were visiting a selection of coffee shops where again, the specialty is not the coffee, but 🌿🍃 the greenery.
When you are Crew you can only dream about the high muffin and careful if you walk those streets because it can still enter your system. If you result positive on the drug test, that's a direct kick out of the flying world! And the tests are random. It is useful to know that marihuana stays in the system for about a month, so don't even think about it during your vacation!
Into the wild Netherlands
Needless to say that all my visits to Amsterdam as a Crew were strictly "halal". On that mission I had a company of an old friend of mine who supported me all these years in my traveling around the world. She even came to visit on my layover in Dusseldorf, but that's a story that I will leave for the next time.
Waffle factory
She took me to the famous waffle factory where I could try the hot freshly made waffles! I also bought some famous Gouda cheese from the traditional street caravan sellers. Make sure to pronounce it well: it's H-A-U-D-A!
Chilly walk
We went for a walk and it was damn cold. At least for me!!! I was freezing with a double coverage of hat and hoody. She was boldly smiling to the wind: the usual Dutch weather, no problem.
Sweet Kolita girls
And finally back at her home, we warmed up with this delicious sweet she made. Why are we called Kolita girls? Nothing to do with Spain, but with Italy! I met this girl in 2007 while working in a touristic village in north Italy as an entertainer. We were colleagues and our task was to take care of the kids, make them play, learn and have fun. And "mueve la Colita" was the catchphrase of the Summer 2007. Do you remember that?
If you have any funny stories in AMS, feel free to share!
In order to make this list as exhaustive as possible, I decided to split the article in two parts, so that you can actually take in all the information. 🧠 So let's move on from letter M!
MILE HIGH CLUB is a slang term for people who have had sex during a flight. As simple and straight as that. Mile alludes to the frequent flyers program, high refers to the altitude of air traveling and club to the rarity and exclusivity of the act itself. Once upon a time it was kind of a must, today it is more difficult to perform since Cabin Crew are patroling the whole aircraft at all times, lavatories included. If you decide to be brave, be also prepared to meet the police at the arrival! MINIMUM CREWis the minimum mandatory number of crew on board the aircraft. Every aircraft type has a different requirement of Crew according to the number of the doors on board and general rule is 1 door=1 Crew.
MINIMUM REST is minimum legal time for rest in between the flights that has to be granted to the Crew. It is important to know the regulations of your company in order to alert the Crew Control about the possible discrepancies. Legalities depend also on flight time departure/arrival (morning-day-night flight) and the length of the flight itself. In between the turnaround and medium haul flights minimum rest is around 12h. In between the ultra long haul flights there must be a minimum break of 48h. But again, every company has their own rules about this (even though they should follow Civil Aviation Authority) and the above mentioned numbers are already over-stretched to maximize the Crew productivity. In other words, the good old times of a week long layovers are gone. 😭
NO-SHOW is when the Crew doesn't show up for work. It might be lateness or sickness, or any other unpredicted event, but the result is the same: they will get off-loaded from that flight and another Crew will be assigned to replace the missing Crew.
OFF day is a day when the Crew is free of work and it cannot be called for duty.
OFFLOAD is when the Crew or a passengers gets removed from a flight. It can be for sickness, lateness, rudeness or any kind of disruption to the standard operating procedures.
ON DUTY is quite intuitive: Crew on work, flying, operating a flight.
OPERATE is a synonym of working, flying. It is used to differentiate when the Crew is deadheading or staff traveling, so still on board, but not working, off duty.
OTP on time performance or punctuality
PAX short for passengers
PED stands for Personal Electronic Devices
PILOT IN COMMAND is the one flying the aircraft on a specific flight. On the commercial airlines there is usually a minimum of 2 pilots on board (Captain and First Officer) and they take turns in flying, but never during the flight itself. Rather it will be that CP is flying on the first sector and the FO on the return sector, or the other way round.
PURSER is head of Flight Attendants, the supervisor on board. In chain of command it is the first point of reference for the Crew, after the Flight Deck obviously (CP and FO).
PUSHBACK is the first movement of the aircraft on ground and it is a car that is dragging (pushing or pulling) the aircraft from the parking position to the runway.
RED EYE flight is a night flight. Quite intuitive: on a night shift your eyes will get red. I had a looooooot of those and there is some appeal to it: they are silent and generally quite smooth, simply because pax are sleeping! No shouting and complaining and requesting and all that chaos happening during the day. But when you work all night long and hit the bed at 8am in the morning, you're most likely to lose the whole day sleeping and wake up just for dinner. Then your eyes might get an additional shade of red. 👀
REFUELING is simply loading gasoline into the aircraft tanks.
REJECTED LANDING/TAKE OFF or ABORTED landing/take off is when for some reason it is not safe to land/take off, so the pilots decide to abort it. If it's rejected landing, than they will do a GO AROUND and make a second attempt. After that diversion is possible. If it's rejected take-off, pilots will abruptly stop the aircraft until it is safe to do so.
RETURN TO FIELD is an emergency situation that occurred after the take-off, so it is advised to return to base for safety reasons.
REST day is a day free of duty dedicated to rest after a long duty time such as ULH flight.
ROUTEis the path selected to reach certain destination. Many factors will be taken into consideration when deciding the route, such as weather conditions, jet streams, vicinity to land and closed airspace.
ROSTER is the flying schedule and it usually comes out once a month. So that is the furthest a flight attendant can plan their personal life accordingly.
RUNWAY is that strip of land where aircrafts take off and land. Not all the runways in the world can take all the aircraft types. It depends on the position, length and material it is made of. SEATS FOR DEPARTURE/ARRIVALis a command given by the Pilots to the Cabin Crew before take-off/landing and it means that the aircraft is about to take-off/land, therefor even the Crew must be seated.
SECTOR/LEG is a flight from A to B. One flight = one sector.
SENIORITY on board is quite important because it will set immediately who is the leader and who needs to listen. It might not be so relevant in a normal situation, but it will be in emergency.
SERVICE FLOW is different for every single airline. They will decide, based on the length and timing of the flight as well as the destination and passenger profile how often and what will they be serving during the whole flight. Example: for flights going to or from India there are likely to be many Asian Vegetarian or Hindu meals requests, on Italian flights pasta, Korean flights congee, Chinese flights noodles, generally Asian flights rice and noodles. Got the idea?
SFS Senior Flight Supervisor is the second in command in the cabin, after the Purser.
SH/MH/LH/ULH short (up to 3h) - medium (up to 7h) - long (up to 10h) - ultralong (more than 10h) HAUL flights. So yes, it is about the length of the flight.
SLIDE RAFT is that device attached to the aircraft door that inflates in case of emergency. You will use it to quickly slide out of the aircraft on ground or in case of ditching it will be used as a floating raft/boat in the water.
SOP standard operating procedures. When these are followed, everything runs smoothly.
SPECIAL MEALS are Cabin Crew nightmare 😅 Just kidding, but when the number starts being significantly high it does cause some disruption, both to the length of service and to the patience of both pax and Crew. Oh I almost forgot... I'm talking about those pre-booked meals for special needs like gluten free, diabetic, non-lactose, child meal (these are never to high in number) and all kind of vegetarian, kosheer, raw, jain, blain etc.
STATION INFORMATION is the relevant information that Crew need to be informed about before going for a certain flight regarding the destination where they will be flying to.
STD is simply scheduled time of departure.
SUITCASE is the big Crew baggage that goes in cargo. You will wonder why the heck do they need a big suitcase for a 24h layover right?! First of all, the small trolley is most likely full with items that are mandatory to carry for work: manuals, spare uniform items, shoe polish, beauty case, thermos or a favorite mug, on board shoes for the ladies. But the suitcase is vital if you intend to go for shopping like all the Crew usually do, weather its fashion shopping in Italy, France, Spain or USA, cosmetics in Korea, fruits in Asia or grocery all around the world. Do you want gifts and souvenirs from your flight attendant friend or family member? It takes space.
STANDBY duty is a reserve duty when the crew needs to be ready in a short amount of time on call. It is like a lottery and you are most likely to get a shxxxy flight that someone called sick for. But sometimes you might get lucky and be sent to a tropical island. So you better pack everything in your suitcase: from winter clothes to the bikini! There is home and airport standby. During the first one you can sleep, watch movies or read, do whatever you like in the comfort of your home, as long as you answer that call (from Crew Control!). Airport standby is usually shorter and you go to the airport in uniform ready for duty and wait in the Crew lounge for a call. If you didn't get any call during the standby hours, the rest of the day is free!
TAXI is that on ground movement of the aircraft when it is positioning on the runway for take-off or exiting the runway to reach the parking position. No taxis involved! But you still need to REMAIN SEATED please.
TOC/TOD top of climb and top of descent is when the cruise starts/ends. It means that the aircraft finished climbing to reach the cruise altitude or is starting the descent for landing.
TRASH COMPACTOR is that device that smashes all the trash to make it compact and reduce size. Otherwise where are we gonna put all the rubbish collected after the services?
TROLLEY is the small carry-on bag taken on board.
TURBULENCE is the unsteady movement of the air that causes the aircraft to shake. It can be predicted and unpredicted. Pilots will tailor the route to avoid it as much as possible, so if you happen to have a severe turbulence, that was most likely unpredicted, meaning the instruments weren't able to detect and forecast it. Severe means that if you're not fastened, you are going to literally fly and hit the ceiling. That is why it is a good common use to keep your seatbelt fastened whenever you're seated and above the blanket, so that Crew won't disturb you if you are sleeping.
TURNAROUND is a ultra-short, short or medium haul flight when you will be coming back to base the same day. No layovers or fancy hotels, just a short stay on ground to allow to the cleaners to reset the aircraft, catering to load the food for the return sector and Crew to do the security search.
UM unaccompanied minor is a child under 18 who is traveling alone. Ground staff will hand the UM along with the documents to the Purser who will do the same reverse at the reached destination. UTC Universal Time Coordinated or GMT Greenwich Mean Time is internationally adopted as time of reference in aviation. It is referred to solar time at the Greenwich meridian. It is vital in the communication between the pilots and control towers in order to avoid misunderstandings. If Greenwich is 0, western European countries have gmt +1 in wintertime and gmt+2 in summertime. Some middle eastern countries don't change time through the year, so Dubai is always gmt +4. New York being behind the Greenwich meridian, is gmt -4 in summertime and gmt -5 in wintertime. Got it?
WHEELCHAIR and the Jetbridge Jesus: a funny closure to our journey through aviation terminology. What am I talking about? Specifically about those cases of people needing a wheelchair and highloader service to get on board, but at the end of the flight miraculously can walk, or better run and be the first ones out of the aircarft! How is that possible? Obviously it's a miracle, they have been touched by Jesus...but some haters would say they only requested the wheelchair service to skip the lines on the gates and airport controls and get that extra legroom seat. Who to believe?!
Dear readers, if you have any further questions or need more clarification about the aviation terminology, don't hesitate to contact me!
Even if you are English native speaker, in the aviation academy you might find yourself learning a lot of new terms and not understanding a word at the very beginning. Most of this terms are common to all airlines, but there are some slight differences from airline to airline, especially in commands. If you are a flight attendant wannabe, this article will come very handy!
ABP(able bodied passenger) is a passenger who can potentially help the crew in case of emergency.
AIRBRIDGE is that passage looking like a tunnel that you use to reach the aircraft from the gate. If you reach the aircraft by bus, then you will be using stairs instead.
ALL ATTENDANT CALL is an onboard call that all the minimum crew has to answer over the interphone. It is used to communicate some important information.
ALTITUDE is the height measured from sea level. In other words how high in the sky you are!
ARM/DISARM DOORS AND CROSSCHECKthis is a command at the beginning/end of the flight that means preparing the doors for the flight (arming) or for arrival (disarming). What exactly are you arming/disarming? Simply put, the evacuation system. What about crosschecking? Well since the action of arming/disarming is very important, the procedures require the Crew to check on each other, so that everything is done properly.
ATC (air traffic control) is a system designed to give assistance to the aircraft in order to manage aircraft flow and prevent collisions.
ATTENTION CREW AT STATIONthis is a command coming from the pilot and it is calling upon the maximum attention of the Cabin Crew in case of some abnormal event. The minimum crew shall all go to their respective stations and wait for further instructions.
BLOCK HOURS/FLYING HOURSare the effective number of hours spent in the air, excluding the working time on ground at the airport.
BOARDING COMPLETEDmeans that all the passengers are on board and it is also the right time for you to look for an empty seat around you! Even though in the Covid-19 era you are most likely to have it anyways!
BRACE BRACEif you hear this, well it's an emergency! Follow the Cabin Crew instructions, it is for your own safety! And do brace!
BRIEFING/DEBRIEFINGThe first one is the mandatory meeting that all the airlines have before the flight. Initially Cabin Crew and Flight Crew are talking separately, but finally they will join and discuss important matters like the route, altitude, weather forecast, station information, but also passenger profile, service and any relevant information for that specific flight. Debriefing is at the end of the flight and it only happens in case there was some special event like a medical emergency or any other kind of emergency.
BULKHEAD is a divider between the cabins. It is made of plastic and it is also holding the ceiling. Usually passengers with children sit there because a baby bassinet can be attached to that wall. It has extra legroom, so pax with medical condition can also sit there, as long as it is not next to the exit.
CALL BELLis the most hated button on board by the Cabin Crew 😅 The reason being is because too often it is overused. We are happy to help, but don't make us run up and down the aisle for silly requests such as dropping the empty plastic glass that perfectly fits in the seat pocket in front of you. Also if you have more than one request, shoot everything in one go. Preparing 3 cocktails at the same time is easier than 1+1+1 and going up and down for each. Get the point?
CCstands for Cabin Crew, or shortly Crew. It's a modern way of calling Flight Attendant.
CLEAR TO OPEN DOORSmeans that all the preparations for the disembarkation are completed: aircraft is in the parking position with engines off, airbridge or stairs are connected and the ground staff is ready to receive the passengers.
CARGOis the belly of the aircraft and that is where all the luggages are stored. Most of the airlines have airplanes that operate only cargo, which means no passengers on board.
CHARTERairline is a low cost airline operating generally short distance and by offering less service, the price is cheaper. The main cut is operating from smaller, peripherical airports instead of the main ones, choosing low peak hours that are less connectible to other flights and not giving free service on board.
CHIME is the sound of notification that you can hear in the cabin and it is mainly meant for the Cabin Crew. Interphone chimes, communication systems chime. Every chime has its own meaning, so that Crew can easily and quickly understand weather it is an emergency situation or it is a passenger asking for water. It's a selection of ding-dongs that on some flights can get quite disturbing if passengers abuse that call-button. It is important though for the Crew to keep their ears on alert at all times because they will understand a lot from every chime.
CHOCKS ON/CHOCKS OFF is useful in calculation the exact amount of hours spent in the air. From the moment the chocks are released (OFF) to the moment they are put back on (ON). Chocks are brakes on the aircraft.
COCKPIT/FLIGHTDECK is the small cabin from where the pilots fly the aircraft, at the very front of the airplane. It is the place on board with the best view, the #viewfromtheoffice kind of pride. It is also a place where Crew hide to take a 20 min nap on those airplanes that aren't generous enough to build in a CRC (see next). It is a perfect confessional spot, with the comfortable chairs, a blanket, snacks and pitch black if needed. If only the cockpit could tell all the stories it has heard and seen... PS- even though it might make you think about "a pit for fighting cocks", there is no known reference to any... cock fighting.
CRC(crew rest compartment). This is something you will see in your life only if you become a Flight Attendant because it is a restricted area for Crew only! And that is where the Crew are resting by taking turns on those never ending ultra long haul flights. And no, after a 17h long flight we do not flight back straight away. We are not robots. 👀 (just answering a FAQ)
CREW CONTROL is the office responsible for the flying schedule and roster changes. It is the most feared telephone call you can get 😅
CROSSCHECK means that every Crew duty linked to safety need to be double-checked by another Crew in order to stay safe at all times. It is a tiring job and we are not robots, everyone can make a mistake. Just think about how tired you are after a trip, even when going for vacation. Then think if you didn't get the chance to sit and rest, maybe not even eat on that flight. Then think about adapting to a different time-zone. Then think about going back (to base) after roughly 24h. Altitude, pressure, time zones, night shifts: it all messes with your body. Better get someone crosscheck your work.
CRUISEis that period spent in the air from A to B, climbing and descent excluded. It is the safest part of the journey so you might just seat back and relax.
DEADHEADINGNo worries, nobody is dead! It designates the Crew who is traveling as a passenger because they are most likely to operate on the return sector. This happens when there is an aircraft change due to the different load of passengers or when a crew is sick outstation, so they need to be replaced.
DECOMPRESSIONis a loss of pressure in the aircraft. From the moment all doors are closed on ground, cabin gets pressurized in order to allow us to breath normally at high altitude. If there is a loss of pressure, there will be an emergency descent to a level where it is safe to breath and a possible diversion to the closest airport.
DEICINGis a procedure that allows aircrafts to fly even in the winter time under the very low temperatures. Technically the wings get sprayed with a chemical that will prevent icing.
DELAY is any lateness in the airline industry.
DITCHING is an emergency landing on water. Remember the film Sully from the famous real case of landing on Hudson River? That is ditching.
DIVERSION is when there is an abnormal event that prevents you of landing on the scheduled airport of arrival, so a diversion is organized in flight to another nearest airport.
DOMESTIC FLIGHT is a flight within the borders of the country where the airline is based.
DOUBLE-ENDING, nothing weird! It only means that 2 crew are going to work on the same cart, helping each other and therefore being faster.
EASA →European Aviation Safety Agency
ENGINE FAILURE is when the engine stops working. Don't worry, the aircraft has a 3h autonomy to fly with 1 engine only, so you will most likely have a diversion to the nearest airport.
EQUIPMENT is any emergency and medical tools available on board: fire extinguisher, gloves, oxygen bottles, survival kit, medicines, automated external defibrillator, megaphone, emergency locator transmitter etc
ETA →estimated time of arrival
ETD →estimated time of departure
EVACUATEif you hear this, just think about saving your life. And your bags are not worth your or other peoples life. So drop everything and run out of the aircraft!
FEETnot the smelly ones, but the unit of measuring the altitude. Bigger aircrafts go up to 40.000ft
FERRY FLIGHT is a flight with NO passengers on board. It happens rarely, but I did get the chance to experience it and it is cool! Only Crew on board, performing safety duties, but no service, except among ourselves. In my case we had to return an empty aircraft back to base because we had a diversion due to lightning striking, but I'll talk about that more in a separate story.
FINAL APPROACHis when should be seated with seatbelt fastened and all your luggages stowed, seat upright, tray table stowed, armrest down, window blinds up. In one word, secured for landing.
FREQUENT FLYERis a passenger that flies often on the same airline, therefor has some perks out of it, like special discounts on duty free, possibility to collect miles and use them for an upgrade etc
GALLEYis the kitchen on board. That is where all the fun happens!
HATRACKis the overhead bin used to stow the luggages.
HOMEBASE/OUTSTATION. Homebase is the city where the specific airline is based. Wherever the flight is bound to, it will return to base. Outstation is any other station, in other words the destination you're flying to.
INBOARD/OUTBOARDthe aircraft is a quick way to designate the position of something in the aircraft. If it is inboard, it is where those middle seats are. Outboard is where the windows are. It goes without saying, it is only used on wide body aircrafts (the ones that have more than 1 aisle).
INBOUND/OUTBOUNDCrew are the Crew flying respectively back to the base and out of base.
INFANTis a child of less than 2 years. They need to be on parents lap during take-off and landing (secured with the special infant seat belt) and can use the basinet for sleeping during the flight.
INTERPHONEis the on board phone that the Crew is using to communicate among each other. It only works on board.
JUMPSEAT is a foldable chair where the Crew is sitting during take-off and landing. It is for Crew use only and it is located at every station/aircraft door.
LAYOVER is an overstay in the destination of arrival. Every flight longer than 5h has a layover, but in Covid-19 era these regulations have changed. The Crew go in the hotel and are free to explore for the duration of the layover that might be minimum (just enough to rest) or even couple of days long. Back in the golden age of flying layovers were sometimes a week long. Imagine that! A mini vacation every time you go for work!
LOCAL TIME is the actual time of the place where the Crew is, or the time of the destination the Crew is speaking about.
...to be continued!
PS - here is a fun video of some tips during the recruitment day and some more aviation terminology:
Over the years it has occurred to me that being a flight attendant is the most similar civilian figure to being a soldier. I am not kidding! See below all the incredible similarities these two have in common.
ON TIME PERFORMANCE
It is quite obvious that an on time performance is vital to the air traffic and to the customers satisfaction. Everything is pre organized in order to work smoothly, but there is always a human factor, as well as unexpected events that can delay the STD (scheduled time of departure). Lets focus on the human factor. Each crew is responsible of managing their own time and there is a say in aviation: if you are early, you're on time. If you're on time, you're late. It goes without saying...if you're late, don't even show up! 😅 Just kidding, you might still get a chance to get on board if you're fast enough to recover your lateness because in aviation there is always a buffer time. Still this should be an exception and every lateness will be recorded in your file. You will learn about perfect timing from the very beginning in the aviation academy!
TRAINING ACADEMY
As the military have a training academy education that trains you specifically for the soldier role, likewise flight attendants have to attend aviation academy that shapes you exactly for the role of Cabin Crew. You cannot become a flight attendant without attending the academy, even if you have years of hospitality experience on your file. You will only attend aviation academy if you want to become a flight attendant and no other role. Even though what you learn in there will come handy for a possible career change in the future.
UNIFORM Both flight attendants and soldiers have uniforms. It helps identification both among themselves and for the "others". Especially in case of an emergency, you want to know who your crew is. Personally I find it both attractive and comfortable: no need to think how to dress every single day! Besides, some airlines adopt quite a military like uniform, while others prefer to be more fashionable. After all, it all started with the war back in the 30s: air force needed nurses on board and these first flight attendants would have a similar uniform to them!
Cabin Crew uniform
EQUIPMENT
Obviously I am talking about different type of equipment and here is the main difference between the civil role of flight attendant and a soldier. We are using fire extinguishers, fire gloves, oxygen bottles, portable oxygen devices, but also crash axes, radio transmitters and survival kits. No weapons on board please!
FIRST AID
Both roles are first aid trained, main reason being that we can only rely on ourselves and our team during the mission, I MEAN flight. 😁 Well yeah, some flights are mission impossible!
SELF DEFENCE Some airlines teach their Crew basics of self defense. As I previously said, you will not become an expert in martial arts, but you might just not fall from the 7th cloud in case someone attacks you. Incredibly that can happen!
HIERARCHY Very very important! The above mentioned uniform will differentiate seniority and that is more relevant for the army/aviation themselves rather than for the outside world. But in case of emergency the rank will be vital for the timely action, good organization and order. It can make a difference between a success and failure.
NUMBERS Until you reach seniority and a certain position in a hierarchy of a flight attendant job, you are most likely just a number for the company. And the numbers are sometimes big! You can be easily replaced, so you'll have to work hard to become more valuable.
TEAMWORK It is not about individuals, but about teamwork. Even the best of leaders wouldn't have made it by himself/herself. Leadership is important, but teamwork even more in these industries.
FLEXIBILITY This is a wide range characteristic that goes from accepting last minute changes of your roster, departure time, destination, colleagues, aircraft type etc to flexible timings like night shifts. Cabin Crew is expected to accept it with a smile, a soldier with a "YES, SIR"!
AVAILABILITY Except the night shift, you will be requested to work on weekends, holidays, birthdays and anytime the company needs you. Usually it is pre-settled, but sometimes it can be last minute arranged. It goes along with the flexibility. It is quite common for both flight attendant and soldiers to be missing on important occasions. What to do?
LONE WOLF Alone among thousands, that the usual Crew life. Either you learn how to be a lonely wolf or you suffer loneliness! Technically you are surrounded by people at all times and even too many people. But it is not YOUR people. That's the reason why Crew learn how to click among each other quite fast. Your Crew becomes your family. As for the soldiers.
PRESSURE It is vital for both roles to learn how to work under pressure. How to control emotions and ponder reactions. When everyone goes rogue, you shall be the calm one.
INSURANCE Being this both jobs quite risky, an insurance plan is covering both in case of injuries or death. There are some privileges to it and it is well deserved.
BENEFITS There are some additional benefits to both this roles like special discounts all around the world. For the flight attendants staff traveling perks go under this category!
TRAVELING THE WORLD Even though for different reasons, both this roles travel the world! Well I don't know how much a soldier gets to visit a station where they're bound for a mission, but a flight attendant definitely does! But nowadays layovers are getting shorter and shorter, so often visiting the city means cutting on your legal rest. Both after reaching the destination and before flying back to base. But its still hell of an adrenaline!
I am sure any of you have finished some school, weather it is ground or high school or university. This last one gives you the idea of how much you need to study in the aviation academy. And I am talking about Cabin Crew who generally have a 5-7 weeks of training. For pilots it is a different and much longer process. I'll focus on what I know better, since I've gone through it twice.
Your training will be divided in chapters and generally what you do on board on daily basis is what you will learn last. But it doesn't mean the rest is less important, quite the opposite!
After the initial familiarization and necessary medical checks, you will start with learning about SAFETY. In this chapter you will be taught about aircraft types you will be flying on, equipment used on board and safety procedures. Generally the aircrafts are Airbus and Boeing branded, but there is more to it: they both have different types in size, technology and general construction. You will need to know about every stowage and electrical functions on board (except all that buttons in the cockpit, that's pilots homework). The difference between different but similar aircraft types is also important because that second you are losing during an emergency to remember the difference might cost somebody's life. It is a good habit therefor to get prepared properly before every single flight, not only on a passengers profile and expectations on that particular flight, but especially about the safety part.
Safety: ditching
You will also need to learn how to use and where to find all the safety equipment. I am talking about fire extinguishers, crash axes, fire gloves, oxygen bottles, radio transmitters, megaphones, life jackets, flashlights, survival kits etc. There are many hidden stowages on board that only cabin crew know about and in case of emergency you need to be quick in getting what you need. That is why you wantto know where is what and how to use it. First of all for your own safety! Remember, when you are up there is the air you only have your knowledge and your team, that has been trained the same, to rely on. So better be prepared. SOPs or standard operating procedures are in place so that every Crew will be on the same page in case of emergency, acting fast and clean. We all have a different personality, different reaction to an emergency (and some Crew never get to discover it for the whole flying career, bless them: it means they never had serious emergencies) and especially different interpretation to different situation. SOP help Crew act in line with the company and country legal rules and regulations. Having a procedure in place that you can exercise on during academy helps you being ready on field when the emergency really happens. That is why the sessions in the simulator are extremely important.
Safety: fire fighting
Safety is usually the hardest part of the training because not only you will get a lot of information in a short amount of time, but also a lot of new terminology, even for the language speakers, whatever the language you're doing the training is!
SECURITY chapter might sound similar to safety and it is indeed linked to it closely, but it is more focused on the threat that people can pose, rather than things, unexpected natural events and technical issues. It will teach you how to behave in case of hijack, bomb threat and how to do your security search before and after every single flight. Unfortunately our little planet host some unstable individuals that pose threat to themselves and to others and if they happen to get on board the aircraft, Cabin Crew are the ones expected to deal with them while in the air. So once again, preparation is a key. Some airlines will teach you basics of self-defence and that might come very handy. Fair enough, you will not become Jet Li or Steven Seagal, but it will boost your confidence with unruly passengers.
AVIATION HEALTHis a chapter that will familiarize you with first aid procedures on board. You will learn how to attend to casualties, which medicines you can use and how to save life by CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Due to cabin pressure and altitude, what you knew was true on ground, might not work on board in the air (for example breathing in a bag in case of hyperventilation). You will also learn how to communicate with the global aviation health agency that helps airline Crew with medical consultations in flight. That will be your first point of reference, but you can also call for a doctor or nurse to help on board, if available. Same knowledge will be useful to yourself on board and on ground, pretty much for the rest of your life. 😊
First Aid
Service and delivery
And finally we're getting to SERVICE chapter! Every airline has their own procedures regarding this and if you are long enough in one airline, you might see many changes within the same company. That is because needs and expectations of the guests are constantly changing as the aviation industry itself. Also very often the people inventing the rules in the office might not really be frequent flyers, sooooo who knows what works the best on board? The answer is logical: the people working on board, the Crew! So here you will learn how to serve food, deny drinks, make cocktails, heat meals and arrange the galley (on board kitchen). It might look easy and straight forward, but actually you wont imagine what silly reasons people complain about on board and apparently some primary survival instincts come out when food is involved!
For the duration of the whole training, you will be waking up very early and having tests almost every day and homework for the next day. It is an intense training that will require all your focusing and attention. But you will also have a lot of fun and create some long lasting friendships.
Back to the classrooms: study study study
Only at this point you will be given your UNIFORM and well deserved wings, hooray! Take care of them, now you're a flight attendant!!!
Your first flights are going to be supernumerary flights (therefor you will be called a "suppy"). It means you will only be observing what your colleagues do and help out here and there. But you will not have responsibilities. That should happen once per every aircraft type that you will be flying on, so that you can familiarize yourself properly and gain your confidence.
You will get your monthly schedule called roster and there you go: the world is waiting for you! Breakfast in London, afternoon walk in Paris, siesta in Barcelona or aperitivo in Rome? How about a massage in Bangkok, shopping in Chicago and party in Kuala Lumpur? And more and more to come! ✈🌍✈🌎✈🌏✈
I did all my research before the flight, knowing that Google and everything related is blocked in China, even with the VPN (at least with the free versions that I was using around the world during layovers). I went to the Huawei shop that my Chinese colleague advised me and it took me about 1h to complete the purchase, by using google translator, because nobody in the shop was talking not even a word of English! But hey, not only I made it, I also got a lot of extras for free (Huawei selfie-stick, 2 covers, LCD window shield) and I payed less than the cost everywhere else in the world, so it was definitely worth it and I am still using it!!! My Chinese colleague helped me out with the settings from Chinese to English and everything is cool.
I did all my research before the flight, knowing that Google and everything related is blocked in China, even with the VPN (at least with the free versions that I was using around the world during layovers). I went to the Huawei shop that my Chinese colleague advised me and it took me about 1h to complete the purchase, by using google translator, because nobody in the shop was talking not even a word of English! But hey, not only I made it, I also got a lot of extras for free (Huawei selfie-stick, 2 covers, LCD window shield) and I payed less than the cost everywhere else in the world, so it was definitely worth it and I am still using it!!! My Chinese colleague helped me out with the settings from Chinese to English and everything is cool.
