Flight attendant
Flight attendants or
cabin crew (also known as
stewards/stewardesses,
air hosts/hostesses,
cabin attendants) are members of an
aircrew employed by
airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard
commercial flights, on select
business jet aircraft,and on some military aircraft.
History
The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar positions on passenger ships or
passenger trains, but it has more direct involvement with passengers because of the confined quarters on
aircraft.
Additionally, the job of a flight attendant revolves around safety to a
much greater extent than those of similar staff on other forms of
transportation. Flight attendants on board a flight collectively form a
cabin crew, as distinguished from
pilots and
engineers in the
cockpit.
Heinrich Kubis was Germany's (and the world's) first flight attendant, in 1912.
Origins of the word "steward" in transportation are reflected in the term "
chief steward" as used in
maritime transport terminology. The term
purser
and chief steward are often used interchangeably describing personnel
with similar duties among seafaring occupations. This lingual derivation
results from the international
British maritime tradition (i.e.
chief mate) dating back to the 14th century and the
civilian United States Merchant Marine on which
US aviation is somewhat modeled. Due to
international conventions and agreements, in which all ships' personnel who sail internationally are similarly
documented by their respective countries, the U.S. Merchant Marine assigns such duties to the chief steward in the overall
rank and
command structure of which pursers are not positionally represented or rostered.
Imperial Airways
of the United Kingdom had "cabin boys" or "stewards"; in the 1920s. In
the US, Stout Airways was the first to employ stewards in 1926, working
on
Ford Trimotor planes between
Detroit and
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Western Airlines (1928) and
Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) (1929) were the first US carriers to employ stewards to serve food. Ten-passenger
Fokker aircraft used in the
Caribbean had stewards in the era of gambling trips to
Havana, Cuba from
Key West, Florida.
Lead flight attendants would in many instances also perform the role of
purser, steward, or chief steward in modern aviation terminology.
The first female flight attendant was a 25-year-old
registered nurse named
Ellen Church.Hired by
United Airlines in 1930, she also first envisioned
nurses
on aircraft. Other airlines followed suit, hiring nurses to serve as
flight attendants, then called "stewardesses" or "air hostesses", on
most of their flights. In the United States, the job was one of only a
few in the 1930s to permit women, which, coupled with the
Great Depression,
led to large numbers of applicants for the few positions available. Two
thousand women applied for just 43 positions offered by
Transcontinental and Western Airlines in December 1935.
Female flight attendants rapidly replaced male ones, and by 1936, they had all but taken over the role. They were selected not only for their knowledge but also for their characteristics. A 1936
New York Times article described the requirements:
The girls who qualify for hostesses must be petite; weight 100 to 118
pounds; height 5 feet to 5 feet 4 inches; age 20 to 26 years. Add to
that the rigid physical examination each must undergo four times every
year, and you are assured of the bloom that goes with perfect health.
Three decades later, a 1966
New York Times classified ad for stewardesses at Eastern Airlines listed these requirements:
A high school graduate, single (widows and divorcees with no children
considered), 20 years of age (girls 19 1/2 may apply for future
consideration). 5'2" but no more than 5'9", weight 105 to 135 in
proportion to height and have at least 20/40 vision without glasses.
In the United States, they were required to be unmarried and were fired if they decided to wed. The requirement to be a
registered nurse on an American airline was relaxed as more women were hired, and it disappeared almost entirely during
World War II as many nurses enlisted in the
armed forces.
[citation needed] In 1962,
Bona of Pisa, a 12th-century pilgrim, was canonised by
Pope John XXIII as patron saint of air hostesses.
Overview
The primary role of a flight attendant is to ensure
passenger safety.
In addition to this, flight attendants are often tasked with customer
service duties such as serving meals and drinks, as a secondary
responsibility.
The number of flight attendants required on flights are mandated by
international safety regulations. For planes with up to 19 passenger
seats, no flight attendant is needed. For larger planes, one flight attendant per 50 passenger seats is needed.
The majority of flight attendants for most airlines are female,
though a substantial number of males have entered the industry since the
1970s.
Responsibilities
Prior to each flight, flight attendants attend a safety briefing with
the pilots and lead flight attendant. During this briefing they go over
safety and emergency checklists, the locations and amounts of emergency
equipment and other features specific to that aircraft type. Boarding
particulars are verified, such as special needs passengers, small
children traveling as unaccompanied or VIPs. Weather conditions are
discussed including anticipated
turbulence. Prior to each flight a safety check is conducted to ensure all equipment such as
life-vests,
torches
(flashlights) and firefighting equipment are on board, in the right
quantity, and in proper condition. Any unserviceable or missing items
must be reported and rectified prior to
takeoff. They must monitor the
cabin for any unusual smells or situations. They assist with the loading of
carry-on baggage, checking for weight, size and
dangerous goods. They make sure those sitting in
emergency exit rows
are willing and able to assist in an evacuation and move those who are
not willing or able out of the row into another seat. They then must do a
safety demonstration or monitor passengers as they watch a safety video. They then must "secure the cabin" ensuring tray tables are stowed,
seats
are in their upright positions, armrests down and carry-ons stowed
correctly and seat belts are fastened prior to takeoff. All the service
between boarding and take-off is called
Pre Take off Service.
Once up in the air, flight attendants will usually serve drinks
and/or food to passengers. When not performing customer service duties,
flight attendants must periodically conduct cabin checks and listen for
any unusual noises or situations. Checks must also be done on the
lavatory to ensure the
smoke detector
hasn't been deactivated and to restock supplies as needed. Regular
cockpit checks must be done to ensure the pilot's health and safety.
They must also respond to call lights dealing with special requests.
During turbulence, flight attendants must ensure the cabin is secure.
Prior to landing all loose items, trays and rubbish must be collected
and secured along with service and
galley equipment. All hot liquids must be disposed of. A final cabin check must then be completed prior to
landing. It is vital that flight attendants remain aware as the majority of emergencies occur during takeoff and landing.Upon landing, flight attendants must remain stationed at exits and
monitor the airplane and cabin as passengers disembark the plane. They
also assist any special needs passengers and small children off the
airplane and escort children, while following the proper paperwork and
ID process to escort them to the designated person picking them up.
Flight attendants are trained to deal with a wide variety of emergencies, and are trained in
First Aid.
More frequent situations may include a bleeding nose, illness, small
injuries, intoxicated passengers, aggressive and anxiety stricken
passengers. Emergency training includes
rejected takeoffs,
emergency landings, cardiac and in-flight medical situations, smoke in the cabin, fires,
depressurization, on-board births and deaths, dangerous goods and spills in the cabin, emergency
evacuations,
hijackings,
water landings, and sea, jungle, arctic, and desert survival skills.
[citation needed]
Swiss stewardess serving orange juice
Cabin chimes and overhead panel lights
On most commercial airliners, flight attendants receive various forms
of notification on board the aircraft in the form of audible chimes and
colored lights above their stations. Typically, the following chimes
and colors are used:
- Cabin interphone call from cockpit or another flight attendant station - high-low chime, pink or red light.
- Call from passenger in seat - single chime, blue light.
- Call from passenger in lavatory - single chime, amber light.
Some Airbus aircraft also add a fourth color (green) to indicate a
cabin interphone call from another flight attendant station,
distinguishing it from the pink or red light used for cabin interphone
calls from the cockpit.
Chief Purser
The Chief Purser (CP), also titled as Inflight Service Manager (ISM),
Flight Service Manager (FSM), Cabin Service Manager (CSM) or Cabin
Service Director (CSD) is the senior flight attendant in the chain of
command of flight attendants. While not necessarily the most senior crew
members on a flight (in years of service to their respective carrier),
Chief Pursers can have varying levels of "in-flight" or "on board"
bidding seniority or tenure in relation to their flying partners. To
reach this position, a crew member requires some minimum years of
service as flight attendant. Further training is mandatory, and Chief
Pursers typically earn a higher salary than flight attendants because of
the added responsibility and managerial role.
Purser
The Purser is in-charge of the cabin crew, in a specific section of a
larger aircraft, or the whole aircraft itself (if the purser is the
highest ranking). On board a larger aircraft, Pursers assist the Chief
Purser in managing the cabin. Pursers are flight attendants or a related
job, typically with an airline for several years prior to application
for, and further training to become a purser, and normally earn a higher
salary than flight attendants because of the added responsibility and
supervisory role.
Qualifications
Training
Flight attendants are normally trained in the
hub
or headquarters city of an airline over a period that may run from four
weeks to six months, depending on the country and airline. The main
focus of training is safety. One of the most elaborate training
facilities was
Breech Academy which
Trans World Airlines (TWA) opened in 1969 in
Overland Park, Kansas.
Other airlines were to also send their attendants to the school.
However, during the fare wars the school's viability declined and it
closed around 1988.
Safety training includes, but is not limited to: emergency passenger
evacuation management, use of evacuation slides/life rafts, in-flight
firefighting,
first aid,
CPR,
defibrillation, ditching/emergency landing procedures,
decompression emergencies,
Crew Resource Management and security.
In the United States the
Federal Aviation Administration requires flight attendants on aircraft with 20 or more seats to hold a
Certificate of Demonstrated Proficiency. This is not considered to be the equivalent of an
airman certificate
(licence), although it is issued on the same card stock. It shows that a
level of required training has been met. It is not limited to the
airline at which the attendant is employed (although some initial
documents showed where the holder was working), and is the attendant's
personal property. It does have two ratings, called Group I and II.
Either or both of these may be earned depending upon the type of
aircraft (
propeller or
turbofan) on which the holder has trained.
There are also training schools, not affiliated with any particular
airline, where students generally not only undergo generic, though
otherwise practically identical, training to flight attendants employed
by an airline, but also take curriculum modules to help them gain
employment. These schools often use actual airline equipment for their
lessons, though some are equipped with full simulator cabins capable of
replicating a number of emergency situations. In some countries, such as
France, a
degree is required, together with the
Certificat de Formation à la Sécurité (
safety training certificate).
Language
Multilingual flight attendants are often in demand to accommodate international travellers. The languages most in demand, other than
English, are
French,
Spanish,
Mandarin,
Cantonese,
Japanese,
Arabic,
German,
Portuguese,
Italian,
Turkish and
Greek.
In the United States, airlines with international routes pay an
additional stipend for language skills on top of flight pay, and some
airlines hire specifically for certain languages when launching
international destinations.
Height and weight
Most airlines have height requirements for safety reasons, making
sure that all flight attendants can reach overhead safety equipment.
Typically, the acceptable height for this is 160 to 185 cm (5 ft 3 in to
6 ft 1 in) tall. Some airlines, such as
EVA Air, have height requirements for purely
aesthetic purposes. Regional carriers using small aircraft with low ceilings can have height restrictions.
Flight attendants are also subject to weight requirements as well. Weight must usually be
in proportion to height; persons outside the normal range may not be qualified to act as flight attendants.
Uniforms and presentation
Garuda Indonesia flight attendants uniform featuring
kebaya and
parang gondosuli batik
The first stewardess
uniforms
were designed to be durable, practical, and inspire confidence in
passengers. The first stewardesses for United Airlines wore green
berets, green capes and nurse's shoes. Other airlines, such as
Eastern Air Lines, actually dressed stewardesses in
nurses' uniforms.
Perhaps reflecting the
military aviation background of many
commercial aviation pioneers, many early uniforms had a strongly military appearance; hats,
jackets, and
skirts showed simple straight lines and military details like
epaulettes and brass buttons. Many uniforms had a summer and winter version, differentiated by
colours and
fabrics appropriate to the
season:
navy blue for winter, for example,
khaki for summer. But as the role of women in the air grew, and airline companies began to realise the
publicity
value of their stewardesses, more feminine lines and colours began to
appear in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Some airlines began to
commission designs from high-end
department stores and still others called in noted
designers or even
milliners to create distinctive and attractive apparel.
Flight attendants are generally expected to show a high level of
personal grooming such as appropriate use of
cosmetics and thorough personal
hygiene.
Flight attendants must not have any
tattoos visible when a uniform is worn. These requirements are designed to give the airlines a positive representation.
In several airlines in the
Islamic World, such as
Egypt Air,
Emirates,
Etihad Airways,
Iran Air and
Saudia, stewardesses' uniforms have added with
hijab to conform to the Islamic customs.
In advertising
In the 1960s and 1970s, many airlines began advertising the attractiveness and friendliness of their stewardesses.
National Airlines began a "Fly Me"; campaign using attractive stewardesses with
taglines such as "I'm Lorraine. Fly me to
Orlando." (A low budget 1973 film about three flight attendants,
Fly Me, starring
Lenore Kasdorf, was based on the ad campaign.)
Braniff International Airways, presented a campaign known as the "Air Strip" with similarly attractive young stewardesses changing uniforms mid-flight. A policy of at least one airline required that only unmarried women could be flight attendants.Flight attendant
Roz Hanby became a minor celebrity when she became the face of
British Airways in their "Fly the Flag" advertising campaign over a 7-year period in the 1980s.
Singapore Airlines is currently one of the few airlines still choosing to use the image of their stewardesses, known as
Singapore Girls,
in their advertising material. However, this is starting to be phased
out, in favor of advertising which emphasises the modernity of their
fleet.
Unions
Flight attendant
unions were formed, beginning at United Airlines in the 1940s, to negotiate improvements in pay, benefits and working conditions.Those unions would later challenge what they perceived as
sexist stereotypes
and unfair work practices such as age limits, size limits, limitations
on marriage, and prohibition of pregnancy. Many of these limitations
have been lifted by judicial mandates. The largest flight attendants'
union is the
Association of Flight Attendants, representing nearly 60,000 flight attendants at 19 airlines within the US.
In the UK, cabin crew can be represented by either Cabin Crew '89, or the much larger and more powerful
Transport and General Workers' Union.
In Australia, flight attendants are represented by the
Flight Attendants' Association of Australia (FAAA). There are two divisions: one for international crews (
long-haul) and one for domestic crews (short-haul).
In New Zealand, flight attendants can be represented by either the
Flight Attendants and Related Services Association (FARSA) or by the
Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU).
In Canada, flight attendants are represented by either the
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) or by the Canadian Flight Attendants Union (CFAU).
Discrimination
Originally female flight attendants were required to be single upon
hiring, and were fired if they got married, exceeded weight regulations,
or reached age 32 or 35 depending on the airline. In the 1970s the group
Stewardesses for Women's Rights
protested sexist advertising and company discrimination, and brought
many cases to court. The age restriction was eliminated in 1970. The no-marriage rule was eliminated throughout the US airline industry by the 1980s. The last such broad categorical discrimination, the weight restrictions, were eliminated in the 1990s through litigation and negotiations. By the end of the 1970s, the term
stewardess had generally been replaced by the
gender-neutral alternative
flight attendant. More recently the term
cabin crew or
cabin staff
has begun to replace 'flight attendants' in some parts of the world,
because of the term's recognition of their role as members of the crew.
Roles in emergencies
Actions of flight attendants in emergencies have long been credited in saving lives; in the United States, the
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other aviation authorities view flight attendants as essential for safety, and are thus required on
Part 121 aircraft operations. Studies, some done in light of
British Airtours Flight 28M, have concluded that assertive cabin crew are essential for the rapid evacuation of aeroplanes. Notable examples of cabin crew actions include:
September 11, 2001
The role of flight attendants received heightened prominence after the
September 11 attacks when flight attendants (such as Sandra W. Bradshaw and CeeCee Lyles of
United Airlines Flight 93, Robert Fangman of
United Airlines Flight 175, Renee May of
American Airlines Flight 77 and
Betty Ong and
Madeline Amy Sweeney of
American Airlines Flight 11) actively attempted to protect passengers from assault, and also provided vital information to
air traffic controllers on the
hijackings
In the wake of these attacks, many flight attendants at major airlines were laid off because of decreased passenger loads.
Other emergencies
- In April 1936, flight attendant Nellie Granger aided survivors after the crash of TWA Flight 1, then walked 4 mi (6.4 km) through a snowstorm to find help, before returning to the crash scene.
- Naila Nazir, Pakistani air hostess (employee of Pakistan International Airlines) who received 1985's Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) Heroism Award for her brave handling of tense and dangerous situation during 13 days of flight PK-326 hijacking ordeal.
- British Airtours Flight 28M,
the two forward flight attendants, Arthur Bradbury and Joanna Toff,
repeatedly crawled into the smoked filled and burning cabin to drag a
number of passengers to safety, and were subsequently awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal.
The two rear flight attendants, Sharon Ford and Jacqui Ubanski, who
opened the rear doors but were overwhelmed by fire and smoke were
awarded the same medal posthumously.
- Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751,
when cabin crew recognised an emergency landing was imminent and
commanded the passengers to "bend down ... hold your knees" to adopt the
brace position.
- Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529,
whose sole flight attendant, Robin Fech, provided emergency briefings,
brace and evacuation commands to the passengers when the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia
aircraft sustained serious damage to one of its engines and crash
landed. The NTSB accident report commended "the exemplary manner in
which the flight attendant briefed the passengers and handled the
emergency".
- BOAC Flight 712, where a flight attendant, Barbara Jane Harrison died saving passengers from an on-board fire and was posthumously awarded the George Cross.
- British Airways Flight 5390, in which a flight attendant was able to prevent a pilot from being lost through a cockpit window that had failed.
- Southern Airways Flight 242,
on which the cabin crew provided safety briefings to their passengers,
and on their own initiative, warned passengers of the impending crash by
commanding passengers to adopt the brace position. At least one flight
attendant is known to have assisted in rescuing trapped passengers.
- Air Florida Flight 90,
in which the lone surviving flight attendant passed the only lifevest
she could find to another passenger. She is recognised in the NTSB
report for this "unselfish act."
- TWA flight attendant Uli Derickson who protected passengers during the TWA Flight 847 hijacking by assisting with negotiation efforts.
- TWA Flight 843, when a TWA Lockheed L-1011
aircraft crashed after an aborted takeoff in 1992. The aircraft was
destroyed by fire. Nine flight attendants, along with five off-duty
flight attendants, evacuated all 292 persons on board without loss of
life. The NTSB in their after accident reported noted, "The performance
of the flight attendants during the emergency was exceptional and
probably contributed to the success of the emergency evacuation."
- On British Airways Flight 2069, cabin crew stopped the plane from being crashed by a mentally ill passenger.
- Crew on American Airlines Flight 63 prevented shoe bomber Richard Colvin Reid from blowing up the plane.
- Flight attendants on Qantas Flight 1737
prevented their plane from being hijacked by a passenger with mental
health issues. Two of them were taken to hospital with stab wounds.
- Aloha Airlines Flight 243 suffered a decompression which tore an 18-foot (5.5 m) section of fuselage
away from the plane. The only fatality was flight attendant C.B.
Lansing who was blown out of the airplane. Flight attendant Michelle
Honda was thrown violently to the floor during the decompression but,
despite her injuries, crawled up and down the aisle reassuring
passengers.
- Senior Purser Neerja Bhanot saved the lives of passengers and crew when Pan Am Flight 73
was hijacked. She was killed while protecting children from the
terrorists. After her death she received the Special Courage Award from
the United States Department of Justice and India's highest civilian honor for bravery, the Ashoka Chakra.
- Flight Attendants on Air Canada Flight 797
(Sergio Benetti, Judi Davidson, Laura Kayama) used procedures which
were not specifically taught in training such as moving passengers to
the front of the aircraft to move them away from the fire and smoke, and
passing out towels for passengers to cover their nose and mouths with
while the cabin was filling with smoke.
- Flight Attendants on US Airways Flight 1549
successfully evacuated all passengers from the aircraft within 90
seconds despite the fact that the rear was rapidly filling with water.
- Nine cabin crew members aboard Air France Flight 358
successfully evacuated the aircraft within 90 seconds after the
A340-300 overran a runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The
NTSB stated that the actions of the cabin crew contributed to the 100%
survival rate.
In popular culture
- 1933: Hollywood B-movie Air Hostess portrays a love story about a stewardess (Evalyn Knapp) and a pilot (James Murray).
- 1947: The Vicki Barr: Flight Stewardess
book series, in which Vicki's career "brings her glamorous friends,
exciting adventures, loyal roommates and dates with a hand some young
pilot and an up-and-coming reporter", sells well in the US.
- 1950: In Batman #62 (December/January) it is revealed that Catwoman is an amnesiac
flight attendant who had turned to crime after suffering a prior blow
to the head during a plane crash she survived. The name of the airline
she worked for was Speed Airlines.
- 1951: Hollywood production Three Guys Named Mike, tells the story of stewardess Marcy (Jane Wyman) who has to choose between three admirers and becomes an advertising icon.
- 1959: in the German romantic comedy An Angel on Wheels, Romy Schneider plays the guardian angel of a racing car driver who disguises herself as an air hostess.
- 1965: in the US comedy Boeing Boeing, Tony Curtis plays an American journalist in Paris who is simultaneously engaged to three different stewardesses.
- 1967: best selling memoir Coffee, Tea or Me?, by Trudy Baker and Rachel Jones recounts the romantic adventures of two stewardesses.
- 1996: Australian comedian Caroline Reid creates the character "Pam Ann" to satirise the stereotypical aspects of the job of the air stewardess.
- 1997: Seventies flim star Pam Grier plays a flight attendant in Quentin Tarantino's gangster film Jackie Brown.
- 2003: Come Fly With Us! A Global History of the Airline Hostess
by Johanna Omelia and Michael Waldock. Publisher: Collectors Press.
This history includes hundreds of images spanning more than eight
decades from more than 40 international airlines.
- 2003: British television series Mile High features a group of flight attendants working for the fictitious low-cost carrier "Fresh!". In the film View from the Top, Gwyneth Paltrow plays an ambitious flight attendant trying to escape her small-town existence.
- 2004: the hit single Air Hostess by Busted reaches No. 2 in the UK singles chart.
- 2007: British pop/bubblegum dance group Scooch, comes 22nd in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Flying the Flag (For You)", featuring flight attendants and including a liberal amount of sexual innuendo.
- 2011: the American period television series Pan Am, starring Christina Ricci, features pilots and flight attendants working in the 1960s.
- 2012: Transit Girl, a film by former flight attendant Miriam Thiel, premiers at the Berlin Film Festival.
- 2013: Come Fly With Us! Tenth Anniversary Edition A Global History of the Airline Hostess
by Johanna Omelia & Michael Waldock. Publisher Ailemo Books.
Softcover 180 pages, featuring stewardesses from 120 airlines and
hundreds of images and career history from 1930 to 2013. ISBN 978-0-9819224-2-3
TNI Angkatan Udara
