Important steps to become a flight attendant

Many aspirants today ask, “What are the steps to becoming a cabin crew?” As a result, I’ll go over the essential steps to becoming a flight attendant.

I hope this information enlightens and educates all of our aspiring flight attendants, and that you take note of these steps to becoming a flight attendant.

What I’ll outline here are the general steps, as the application process varies by airline. However, one thing to keep in mind is that becoming a flight attendant is similar to applying for a job. Furthermore, qualifications may vary by airline. So, before we get started, here are a few things to keep in mind.

You don’t need to take any particular college course to become a flight attendant

While some schools offer aviation-related courses, airlines are not picky about the college majors of flight attendant applicants. There are  pre-med, accounting, business management, information technology, fine arts, and other non-tourism-related graduates who are now flight attendants. So it makes no difference what course you have completed or are currently pursuing. Everyone goes through the same cabin crew training program provided by the airline.

It is not a requirement to attend flight attendant school

While flight attendant schools are beneficial, airlines do not require candidates to first attend flight attendant school. You will still be subjected to the same recruitment and training procedures. Flight attendant schools, on the other hand, are typically owned by people in the aviation industry who employ flight attendants as instructors. As a result, attending a flight attendant school provides you with all of the necessary skills and information to become a cabin crew member. However, attending a flight attendant school before applying is not required.

Not all airlines accept undergraduates

While all local airlines accept undergraduates, I strongly advise you to complete and finish your education if you have the opportunity. If you can, go get your diploma. It has a lot of advantages!

Steps on how to become a flight attendant

Do your research

The first step is to always conduct research. Don’t just look at the title when we say research. You must read everything thoroughly from beginning to end. Investigate the airlines that are hiring. We do occasionally list them here, but we recommend that you conduct your own search outside as well. Check the qualifications, especially the height. While many airlines have minimum height requirements, others, depending on the airline, require a minimum arm reach of 212cm.

So, don’t forget to do your research and figure out which airline you’d be best suited for as a cabin crew.

Create your resume and go apply in airline companies

Go out and apply now that you’ve done your research. Another option is to participate in open days or open cabin crew recruitment days. Look for airlines that are currently hiring. I post job openings. You can also check Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia’s official websites to see if they are hiring.

Go through the recruitment process

Okay, the recruitment process is time-consuming in and of itself. Each applicant usually goes through a multi-stage process. These may or may not be among them:

• Pre-screening and checking of requirements
• Medical exam
• Initial interview
• Group dynamics
• Impact interview
• Executive panel or final interview

While these may vary by airline, you must be prepared for all of them. Some airlines even require two medical exams as well as an IQ or written test. Now, why is it critical to prepare for the hiring process? The attrition rate is 90% or higher. In other words, less than 10% of all applicants make it through the recruitment process. More than 100,000 people applied to be flight attendants at Delta many years ago. Only 1,000 applications were accepted. Only 3% to 7% of applicants are accepted in the Philippines.

If you make it through the recruitment, you will undergo the cabin crew training of the airline

You must now complete the airline’s training program, regardless of whether you are a tourism graduate or a flight attendant school graduate. If you thought the recruitment process was difficult, this one is three times as difficult. Have you ever considered compressing a full college semester into 30 to 70 days? Yes, that is how time-consuming airline flight attendant training is.

The training period lasts 30 to 70 days or more, with the primary emphasis on the following:

• Aeronomenclature or general terms and parts of an aircraft
• Safety equipment on board
• Safety features of the aircraft
• Emergency procedures
• Dangerous goods
• First aid
• Survival training
• Firefighting
• Customer or passenger service
• Grooming
• Personality development

You will have exams almost every day, with a passing grade of 90%. There will also be practical drills, check rides, and wet runs. 70% of the training focuses on safety, as flight attendants’ primary responsibility is to ensure the safety and security of passengers on board.

Here’s a detailed article on flight attendant training. If you want to learn more about what it takes to be a flight attendant, read this article.

You graduate as a full-fledge flight attendant

If you make it through training and pass all of your check rides, you will be awarded your diploma and wings name-plate. The wings are similar to a police badge. They are a sign that you have completed your flight attendant training. Typically, airlines hold a “graduation” ceremony or “pinning of the wings” where trainees are pinned with their wings, officially making them flight attendants.

However, most, if not all, airlines have a 6-month “probationary period” before hiring you as a regular employee. Flight attendants must also go through “recurrent training” every year in order to keep their wings and active flying status.

So I hope this gives you the general steps of how to become a flight attendant!