Travel Attendants
Provide services for the safety and comfort of passengers in aircraft, ships and railway sleeping cars.
A short flight on a full plane
You are a flight attendant on a full morning flight, responsible for the safety, comfort and calm of every passenger on board. It is 6:20am and boarding is underway. The plane is full, the weather is clear, and you have a short window to finish the safety checks before the doors close.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
I need to keep my phone on. My wife is about to have a baby and she might ring any minute. I'm not turning it off. Don't you dare tell me I have to.
Let him keep it on, because it is an emergency and he looks stressed and clearly means no harm
He keeps it in his hand through the safety check, and another passenger sees and complains. The rules about devices apply to everyone, however urgent the reason.
Tell him he has no choice and move on to the next row without another word, since boarding is nearly over
He turns the phone off but is upset, and the next row hears the whole thing. The rule is right, and so is a bit of warmth to go with it.
Be kind, explain flight mode, and promise to tell the ground crew about his wife
He puts the phone in flight mode and thanks you. You tell the ground crew about his wife's due date, and he is met at the gate with a phone charger. Being human and following rules can go together.
A man in row 8 looks very pale and he's sweating. He says it's nothing. We still have the drink service to do. Should we leave him be and carry on?
Check on him yourself, ask him how he feels, and tell the lead crew member
He says he has felt dizzy since the morning. The lead arranges for the cabin crew to call ahead, and a paramedic meets him on landing. Asking, and telling the lead, was the right pair of moves.
Leave him to rest and check back after the drink service in case he looks worse
Twenty minutes later he looks much worse and you have lost valuable time. A passenger who looks unwell deserves a check straight away, even when he says he's fine.
Send Rosa to check on him while you complete the drinks, and ask for a report
Rosa checks and reports back, but she's less experienced and misses some of the signs. It's sensible to share jobs, but a worry like this is worth looking at yourself.
This is my seat, I've paid extra for it. That couple are in it and refuse to move. They say they swapped with someone. I'm not standing here with all these people watching. Fix it.
Tell the couple to move, because he has the seat on his boarding pass
The couple moves, a bit angry, and then it turns out they had been moved by a gate agent. You solved the problem, but you did not check first.
Check the boarding passes, find out what happened, and offer options quietly
The gate agent did move the couple. You find Mr Singh an equal seat nearby and thank him. Everyone is seated by the time the doors close. A quiet check solves most seating disputes.
Ask the couple to sort it out themselves so that boarding can continue behind them
The argument gets louder and the aisle backs up. The delay costs the whole plane its departure slot. Seating disputes are your job to settle, and early.
How it went
The plane lands on time, the cabin is empty and you head for the crew bus. Being a flight attendant asks for calm, quick thinking and a good sense of humour, with real responsibility for everyone on board. Could you smile at a cabin full of strangers and still stay alert?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The boy with the tight grip
A fictional case set in the cabin of a fictional regional airline, flying short routes between country towns and the city.
The situation
On a morning flight, flight attendant Ayesha saw a nine-year-old boy named Oscar travelling on his own. He was gripping his armrests, white-faced, and kept staring at the window. Ayesha had a full service to complete in a short flight and a long aisle of drinks and snacks. His seat was at the back, and the usual practice was to check on unaccompanied children once at the start and once at the end.
What they did
Ayesha crouched down at his seat and asked if he would like a job. She asked him to be her helper and to tell her when he heard certain sounds on the plane, explaining what each one was and what it meant. She checked on him between every section of the service, and let the other crew know. When the flight began to descend, she asked Oscar to help her count the lights on the runway.
How it turned out
Oscar landed laughing, and a grandparent waiting for him at arrivals thanked Ayesha in tears. The crew agreed that a young flyer needs more than a single check. Ayesha started carrying a small activity sheet for children on every flight.
What would you do?
- Why did giving Oscar a job help him feel less afraid?
- How do you think Ayesha balanced his needs with the rest of the cabin?
- What do you think is the hardest part of making a stranger feel safe?