Airline Flight Attendant Job Description

Airline Flight Attendants are responsible for the safety and personal comfort of airline passengers.

The Primary Objectives of an Airline Flight Attendant:

• The Airline Flight Attendant primary objective is to make sure that the passengers are kept safe.
• The Airline Flight Attendant next objective is to make sure that the passengers are kept comfortable while in mid-air.
• The Airline Flight Attendant next tries to make sure that all safety equipment is in good condition.

The duties of an Airline Flight Attendant vary by airlines and type of aircraft; many of their procedures are regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Airline Flight Attendant is usually briefed by the captain on emergency evacuation procedures, crew coordination activities, flying time and weather before each flight. The Airline Flight Attendant checks the passenger safety equipment and make sure the cabins are stocked with adequate supplies. The Airline Flight Attendants usually greet passengers as they board, check their tickets, direct them to their seats, and help them with their coats and small luggage. The Airline Flight Attendant does not need to check the passenger or their baggage as this is done before the passenger is permitted to go into the mounting area. The Airline Flight Attendant does make sure that the passengers are made comfortable and any carryon luggage is safe and secure in place. When the airplane takes off or lands the luggage must be secure or it could cause the passenger injury. This is a problem that the airlines have taken care of by having overhead compartments to hold carryon baggage or by having the Airline Flight Attendant place the luggage underneath the seat in front of them.

The Airline Flight Attendants normally show the passengers safety procedures and check their seat belts before the airplane takes off. While the airplane is in flight normally it is the Airline Flight Attendant who serves the passenger drinks, snacks or precooked meals. The Airline Flight Attendant distributes reading materials and answers passenger’s general questions. These functions are handled by the Airline Flight Attendant on a day to day basis as part of their job description. The real main reason that they are there is very important and that is to provide assistance during emergencies, from reassuring passengers to opening doors and inflating emergency slides for evacuation. The Airline Flight Attendants are also trained to provide first aid whenever it is deemed necessary.

Today most flights have between one and ten Airline Flight Attendants, depending on the size of planes and proportion of economy to first class passengers. Larger aircraft such as the Boeing 747 may have as many as sixteen Airline Flight Attendants on board during flight to help accommodate the passenger’s needs. Today it is found that the airlines wish to make flight a very pleasant experience in order to keep returning passengers and of course to generate new passengers. The Airline Flight Attendant must be a high school graduate and those with a college background or experience dealing with the public is usually the most preferred by airlines. The Airline Flight Attendant must be at least nineteen years old and in excellent health. The Airline Flight Attendant must have good vision and hearing and clearly speak. International flights prefer that the Airline Flight Attendant be able to speak two or more languages. The FAA requires that all applicants go through background checks. The Airline Flight Attendant must be tall enough to reach overhead bins, which contain emergency equipment, and their weight must be proportional to height. Most airlines require their Airline Flight Attendants to be clean shaven and have no visible tattoos, body piercings, or unusual hairstyles. They have a standard dress code that usually encompasses them wearing a uniform provided by the airlines that they are working for and any other pieces of clothing are not acceptable.

Most airlines provide their applicants training in schools that they set up for their new employees. Those who do not have a school usually will send the applicants to another airline school. The training for an Airline Flight Attendant usually takes between four to eight weeks. The training covers flight regulations and duties, aircraft terminology, company policies, first-aid techniques, emergency procedures, and personal grooming. The course usually includes practice flights to accustom the Airline Flight Attendant to flight conditions. Now that we have had such a scare with terrorist some schools are also teaching Airline Flight Attendants how to act in case of an emergency situation involved with a terrorist act onboard flight.

Degrees and Training to Become an Airline Flight Attendant

• Humanities Degree

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