Air Cabin Crew

Job Description:

Air cabin crew look after passengers on a flight, checking safety measures are in place and delivering customer service.

Job Category:
Automotive & Aviation

What you will do:

Before a flight you could be:

  • taking part in a meeting about the flight and its schedule
  • checking that there are enough supplies on the plane and that emergency
  • equipment is working properly
  • greeting passengers
  • demonstrating emergency equipment and procedures

During a flight you might be:

  • making sure passengers are comfortable
  • serving food and drinks, and selling duty-free items
  • making announcements
  • reassuring passengers in the event of an emergency, and making sure they
  • follow safety procedures

At the end of a flight you’ll often be:

  • making sure passengers leave the plane safely
  • writing a flight report, including about any unusual incidents
  • adding up and recording food and drink orders, and duty-free sales

Skills:

You’ll need:

  • knowledge of public safety and security
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

You’ll need:

  • customer service skills for working with passengers – a desire to help people and a friendly manner
  • sensitivity and understanding for dealing with customers’ needs
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations – the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • to enjoy working with other people (teamwork)
  • a polite but firm approach
  • number skills for handling money
Illustration of employee looking at workspace

Entry Requirements:

You’ll usually need:

  • to be at least 18 (21 for some airlines)
  • In the UK, GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) or equivalent, in English and maths
  • the ability to swim
  • a valid passport with no restrictions for the countries the airline travels to

You’ll also need clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

You’ll find it useful to have experience in a customer service role. It may also help if you can speak a second language.

You could also get into this job through an apprenticeship.

Working Hours and Environment:

You’ll work shifts that include weekends, nights and public holidays. The amount of time you’ll spend away from home will depend on the flight routes you choose to work on.

The work can be physically demanding, and you’ll spend time working in small spaces like the kitchen galley.

The airline will provide you with a uniform.

Career Path & Progression:

With experience, you could progress to cabin crew supervisor or a senior air cabin crew role.

You could also work in a ground-based role like cabin crew training, recruitment, passenger services, marketing or sales.