Profession flight attendant

Flight attendant provide personal services to ensure both the safety and comfort of airline passengers during flight. Greet passengers, verify tickets, explain use of safety equipment, and serve food or beverages.

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Personality Type

• Enterprising / Social

Tasks flight attendant

• Attend pre-flight briefings concerning issues such as weather, altitude, route, emergency procedures, crew coordination, length of flight, food and beverage services offered, and number of passengers.
• Verify that first aid kits and other emergency equipment, such as fire extinguishers and oxygen bottles, are in working order, and check that food, beverages, blankets, reading material, etc. are on board in adequate supply.
• Greet passengers, check boarding passes and care for the storage of hand luggage.
• Close and open aircraft doors.
• Announce and demonstrate safety and emergency procedures, such as the use of oxygen masks, seat belts and life jackets.
• Prepare, following procedures, passengers and aircraft for take-off and landing, and check that all passengers have complied with safety regulations.
• Serve beverages, refreshments, meals and snacks, distribute reading material, pillows and blankets, and sell tax-free articles.
• Make flight announcements and provide travel information, e.g. about connecting flights.
• Determine passengers' special assistance needs, e.g. those of small children, the elderly or disabled, and administer first aid to passengers when necessary.
• Take action in the event of decompression, turbulence, mechanical faults, or unlawful acts by passengers, and keep passengers calm in such situations.
• Direct and assist passengers in emergency events, e.g. by helping evacuating the plane after an emergency landing.
• Complete paperwork, including a flight report, take inventory of headsets, alcoholic beverages and money, and report any lost and found articles, passenger medical problems and cabin equipment problems.

Related professions air transport

• Air traffic controller
• Air traffic safety technician
• Air transport operations clerk
• Aircraft loader
• Aircraft pilot, co-pilot
• Aircraft purser
• Aircraft service technician
• Helicopter pilot
• Radar observer

Knowledge

• Air transport law

  Know air transport laws and regulations. Due to the nature of aviation, knowledge of air transport laws partially overlaps with knowledge of international law.

• Airport planning

  Know airport planning for different types of aircrafts; use that information to mobilise resources and people in order to handle the aircrafts while they are in the airport.

• Common aviation safety regulations

  The body of legislation and regulations that apply to the field of civil aviation at regional, national, European and International levels. Understand that regulations aimed at protecting citizens at all times in civil aviation; ensure that operators, citizens, and organisations comply with these rules.

Skills

• Follow verbal instructions

  Have the ability to follow spoken instructions received from colleagues. Strive to understand and clarify what is being requested.

• Serve food in table service

  Provide food at the table whilst maintaining high level of customer service and food safety standards.

• Carry out pre-flight duties

  Check on-board safety equipment; ensure that the plane is clean; ensure that documents in the seat pockets are up to date; check if all meals and other required stock are on board.

• Comply with food safety and hygiene

  Respect optimal food safety and hygiene during preparation, manufacturing, processing, storage, distribution and delivery of food products.

• Manage the customer experience

  Monitor, create and oversee customer experience and perception of brand and service. Ensure pleasant customer experience, treat customers in a cordial and courteous manner.

• Handle customer complaints

  Administer complaints and negative feedback from customers in order to address concerns and where applicable provide a quick service recovery.

• Process customer orders

  Handle orders placed by customers. Receive the customer order and define a list of requirements, a working process, and a time frame. Execute the work as planned.

• Communicate verbal instructions

  Communicate transparent instructions. Ensure that messages are understood and followed correctly.

• Perform routine flight operations checks

  Perform checks before and during flight: conduct pre-flight and in-flight inspections of aircraft performance, route and fuel usage, runway availability, airspace restrictions, etc.

• Maintain relationship with customers

  Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.

• Handle veterinary emergencies

  Handle unforeseen incidents concerning animals and circumstances which call for urgent action in an appropriate professional manner.

• Execute flight plans

  Listen to the briefing given by the captain or the crew manager; understand service requirements and apply the commissioned tasks in an appropriate manner.

• Inspect cabin service equipment

  Inspect cabin service equipment, such as trolleys and catering equipment, and safety equipment such as life jackets, inflatable life rafts, first-aid kits, skiff emergency packs, emergency flashlights, and hand-held radios. Record inspections in logbooks.

• Analyse work-related written reports

  Read and comprehend job-related reports, analyse the content of reports and apply findings to daily work operations.

• Handle financial transactions

  Administer currencies, financial exchange activities, deposits as well as company and voucher payments. Prepare and manage guest accounts and take payments by cash, credit card and debit card.

• Provide first aid

  Administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation or first aid in order to provide help to a sick or injured person until they receive more complete medical treatment.

• Conduct full-scale emergency plan exercises

  Conduct and mobilise all efforts, support organisations, resources, and communications within the airport, to carry out prevention plan exercises in order to prepare and train airport personnel for real-life emergency situations.

• Greet guests

  Welcome guests in a friendly manner in a certain place.

• Deliver outstanding service

  Provide outstanding customer service by exceeding customer expectations; establish reputation as an exceptional service provider.

• Deal with challenging work conditions

  Deal with challenging circumstances in which to perform work, such as night work, shift work, and atypical working conditions.

• Sell souvenirs

  Exchange souvenirs for money by displaying them in an attractive way and communicating with customers.

• Upsell products

  Persuade customers to buy additional or more expensive products.

• Handle stressful situations

  Deal with and manage highly stressful situations in the workplace by following adequate procedures, communicating in a quiet and effective manner, and remaining level-headed when taking decisions.

• Prepare flight reports

  Prepare reports showing flight departure and arrival locations, passenger ticket numbers, food and drink inventories, condition of cabin equipment, and potential problems encountered by passengers.

• Give instructions to staff

  Give instructions to subordinates by employing various communication techniques. Adjust communication style to the target audience in order to convey instructions as intended.

• Maintain customer service

  Keep the highest possible customer service and make sure that the customer service is at all times performed in a professional way. Help customers or participants feel at ease and support special requirements.

• Provide food and beverages

  Provide people with food and drink during trip, a flight, an event, or any other occurrence.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB