CABIN CREW: DUTIES BEHIND THE SCENES

It might come as a startling surprise to  many that the first female cabin crew of the world- Ellen Church- was someone who convinced the Boeing Air Transport that the presence of a nurse (a cabin crew) like her would placate the fear that a passenger might have while flying. Such are the histories, the responsibilities and workings of a cabin crew that are generally hidden from public view: “Behind the Scenes” might be another way of putting it. 

There are all sorts of things ranging from an innocuous greeting to explaining how to use the emergency exits that Cabin Crew are involved in. And there’s also the serving of the food, the most blatant of the responsibilities, that has earned the labels such as “Sandwich mechanic” that is so unjustly labeled to Cabin Crew.

So let’s take a look at what the pre-flight and post-flight duties of a cabin crew are, how they manage to complete them, so that we get some measure of how they are more than people who simply greet us or serve food. 

Cabin Crew is not Simply Glitters and Glamour

Cabin crew go through rigorous training to carry out their job. They are trained to handle a wide spectrum of emergencies such as emergency landings, medical emergencies, fire and smoke in the cabin, birth and death on board, dangerous goods, emergency evacuations, and post evacuation survival training. 

And in many airlines, they also have to undergo a small examination (mostly verbal) before they are deemed fit to  be a flight attendant. 

Pre-flight Duties of Cabin Crew

Cabin crew carry out pre-flight duties before boarding passengers on an airplane. This consists of reporting for duty, pre-flight briefing with the operation staff at the airport, pilots, and other cabin crew members.  This requires a cabin crew briefing regarding work assignment for the flight, flight schedules, flight details, information about passengers with special needs such as handicapped passengers, sick passengers, infants on board, and VIP passengers among others.  

Pre-flight duties of cabin crew on board comprises safety and security checks to see if there is any unusual or suspicious item and assessing whether a situation is not normal. Safety and emergency equipment checks are carried out to check the availability and condition of first aid kits, torch lights, life jackets, oxygen masks, firefighting equipment, etc. 

Cabin crew also ensure the aircraft is clean and sanitized, make sure that food and beverages are on board, and safety instructions cards are in the seat pockets along with air sickness bags and other in-flight entertainment resources such as magazines or newspapers. 

Post-flight Duties of Cabin Crew

The post-flight duties of a cabin crew start as soon as passengers deboard the plane. First of these is the cabin security checks in order to ensure that passengers have not left any luggage or personal belongings behind. This also involves checking if any part of the airplane interior has been damaged. 

Any cabin defect is reported to the pilot in command who then corresponds with the maintenance department for the defect to be rectified at the earliest convenience. Cleaning crew come in to take care of cleaning and sanitizing the aircraft while the catering department is responsible for gathering and if necessary, restocking the meal carts and other catering items under the supervision of cabin crew.  

After all is said and done, cabin crew finish paperwork and submit flight reports to the concerned staff on ground. If there is another flight scheduled immediately after that, cabin crew conduct their pre-flight duties again to prepare for the next flight. If not, they pack up and bid adieu to the rest of the crew and head to their accommodation.  

Conclusion

All in all, there’s more to being a cabin crew than meets the eye of a passenger. Preparing for a flight is not easy and keeping a calm head while doing repetitious, mundane activities is not easy. And keeping a smiley face, acting as poster boys/ girls for airlines despite sometimes crumbling inner lives is although not heroic, nothing to be taken lightly either. 

Article By : Miss. Natasha Limbu 

Cabin Crew manager – Summit Air