A Day in the Life of a Stewardess

While most people under the misconception that stewardess jobs are all about the glitz and the glamour, catering to high profile business class travellers, seeing different parts of the world and meeting new people day in and day out; the reality of things is that there is a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to living the life of a flight attendant.

Training and Upgrades

Stewardesses are expected to go through rigorous training in several areas to ensure comfort and safety for their clients. Every flight attendant is expected to go through a rigorous training in emergency and evacuation procedures, activities pertaining to co-ordination with other crew members, first aid and other security procedures.

Pre-Flight Preparation

Before every flight takes off, they are required to interact with the captain of the flight to gain information on the estimated time of flight and weather which is turn is required to be accurately communicated to the passengers before any journey. This nature of this job demands that they are meticulous about security checks and ensuring that every passenger has harnessed the necessary safety devices. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the air hostess to ensure that the flight is stocked with sufficient supplies that will last them through their journey overseas.

Hospitality

It is the duty of the stewardess to play the role of a hospitable host that is able to effectively ensure complete comfort for all the passengers that board the flight. They first welcome passengers while boarding and then move on the check the tickets and guide them to their seats. If required, they are also required to help women, children and aged passengers with their luggage, coats and any other such requirement.

It is important for the flight attendant to develop a friendly and pleasant nature so that they are in the position to cater to the needs of all the passengers, serve them food, drinks and even answer all their queries with patience and a smiling face.

Safety and Security

It is mandatory for flight attendants to brief the passengers with all the safety procedures before the flight is about to take off. They must go around the flight to ensure that flyer is complying with the safety requirements with respect to the seat belts, the angle of the seat and the front trays.

The toughest part of the job of a flight attendant is their requirement to assist all flyers in case of emergencies. Though not all emergencies have to do anything with emergency landings, or fatal crashes, there could be smaller issues with respect to mechanical problems on flight, errant passengers who ask too many questions and demand too many answers, or simply a healthcare emergency while onboard.

A flight attendant needs to be prepared to handle all these situations with great ease without losing his or her cool.

Typically, the flight attendant works for about 10 - 15 hours a day depending on the route that they are assigned to. On top of that, their work hours are very erratic and they are privy to constant jet lags considering they fly to all parts of the world. While we tend to take their job for granted and are bedazzled by the smiling face that the put up while serving us, their tough jobs truly deserve a lot of respect.