Comments
Becoming a cabin crew member extends beyond the glitz and glamour, along with a service-driven mindset. Behind the flawless hairstyles, stunning outfits, unfailing grace, and calm demeanour of the crew, are hours of training that emphasises soft skills and functional training, including –grooming, customer-centricity and communication, aviation security, handling dangerous goods, voice and accent training, safety and emergency handling procedures, practical drills for door operation, evacuation slides, ditching and fire drill, first aid and service delivery.
After clearing the written examinations and viva for all the subjects mentioned earlier with a minimum passing mark of 80 per cent, the crew finally receives their ‘wings’ to fly. There is an annual refresher of these modules to ensure that the crew is updated on the current trends and regulations. The cabin crew are confident individuals with bright personalities who can handle essential duties, including managing medical emergencies, security, and safety procedures, while being solution-focused and empathetic. A cabin crew is intended to provide guests with exceptional service. The job requires hard work, patience, grace and intelligence. But, with an ever-ready smile and charm, we parade along the aisle for endless hours with grace and poise.
Evacuation flights
The relief and evacuation flights were examples of when the cabin crew proudly prioritised our guests and safety and comfort — the most recent being Operation Ganga.
Flights were operated to neighbouring countries in Ukraine, including Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and Moldova. The sense of patriotism and national pride drove the cabin crew to operate these flights with only one thing in mind — to bring back our stranded guests who had been waiting in camps for days to board a flight to our homeland. Throughout the journey, receiving blessings from our guests, who were offered fresh hot Indian meals, was a feeling that words can’t describe.
Pride and Ownership
When we put on our uniforms, we feel a rush of pride and ownership run through our veins. We prepare ourselves physically and mentally to not only greet our guests with warmth, but also to put ourselves in the shoes of a firefighter or first aider and to be ready to evacuate every soul within 90 seconds of the aircraft, if necessary!
We are superheroes who wear an invisible cape. However, being a cabin crew member is not a job; it is a lifestyle and a life-changing experience.
July 12 was the International Cabin Crew Day
Meghana Singhania is head of the Cabin Crew Department, AirAsia India
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.