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The staff on an airplane can generally be divided into two groups: the flight crew and the cabin crew. The first are those who fly the plane while the second are those individuals who work in the passenger area.  The latter are referred to as the cabin crew and include flight attendants, stewards or stewardesses or air hosts or hostesses.

Airline cabin crew is responsible for the comfort, safety and welfare of passengers travelling on aircraft during flights.

Working as a flight attendant for a major airline is often perceived to be a glamorous and exciting job. However, the duties are mundane and down to earth and include:

• Greeting passengers as they board and exit the plane
• Showing passengers to their seats and providing special attention to certain passengers, such as the elderly or disabled
• Serving meals and refreshments
• Checking the condition and provision of emergency equipment and information for passengers
• Demonstrating emergency equipment and safety procedures
• Administering first aid
• Dealing with emergencies
• Supplying passengers with newspapers, magazines and in-flight entertainment
• Selling duty-free commercial goods and pursuing sales targets
• Producing written flight reports after completing a journey

The role can be physically and emotionally demanding; there is a high degree of responsibility involved and cabin crew are expected to deal with all passengers diplomatically even when feeling the effects of travelling through time zones and spending extended periods of time on their feet.

Many airlines require cabin staff to live within close proximity of a particular airport, since crew members may be called at short notice. Working hours may involve long shifts and unsociable hours and it may be necessary to work during public holidays.

📋Qualifications required

Graduate degree from a recognized university, or Plus Two/Equivalent with 3-year diploma in Hotel Management and Catering from a recognized institution. Knowledge of the national language and at least one international language (English) is generally essential. The applicant should be physically fit with a pleasing personality and clear complexion.

• Age: Below 25 years
• Height: Minimum height should be 170-180 cms (bare foot).
• Weight: Proportionate to height as per the company's standards
• Status (Marital): Unmarried
• Vision: Preferably normal eyesight without glasses; or minimum uncorrected vision (distant) should be 6/24 in each eye.
• Visible tattoos and piercings are strongly discouraged and staff is required to look smart often involving wearing a uniform.

Air cabin crew members have multiple career options. They can seek job opportunities in public sector airlines, like Air India. However, most cabin crew members prefer private airlines operating on domestic and international routes. Private airlines like Jet Airways, Spice Jet, IndiGo Airlines are some favored firms for cabin crews. With experience, they can become supervisors and assign and oversee the work of junior cabin crew members. Most airlines allow crew members to opt for other jobs within the airline, depending on their suitability for the positions available. Some airlines allocate routine administrative and other ground duties to senior flight staff members.

📋Top Training institutes for Cabin Crew in INDIA

As the job demands for cabin crew are increasing day by day, numerous training institutes in India offer various courses for them. Prominent institutes among them are:

Frankfinn Inst. of Air Hostess Training    (Multiple locations in India)   Web: frankfinn.com

Universal Aviation academy    (Chennai)    Web: uniavaiation.com

Bombay Flying club college of aviation    (Mumbai)    web: bombayflyingclub.com

Center for Civil Aviation training    (New Delhi)    Web: cae.com

Jet Airways Academy    Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata    

Indigo Training Centre  Gurugram    

Air Hostess Academy (AHA)    (Bangalore, Chandigarh, Delhi)    Web: airhostessacademy.com

Ifly Training Academy Indigo    (Gurugram)    Web: interglobe.com

Indira Gandhi Institute of Aeronautics    (Nagpur)    Web: igiaindia.in

Inst. for Personality Etiquette and Grooming    Chennai    

Wings Air Hostess and Hospitality training    Gujarat

All commercial airlines have their own walk-in interviews for cabin crew and they provide training as well.