There isn’t much known about flight attendants. In fact, many passengers still believe that the primary responsibility of cabin crew is to serve them at all costs. While service is required of flight attendants, it is not their primary responsibility. I will now go over some little known fun and interesting facts about flight attendants that passengers should be aware of.
I am writing these little known interesting and fun facts about flight attendants to further educate passengers and the general public about the job of a cabin crew.
Safety is primary, service is secondary
The primary responsibility of flight attendants on board is safety. Passenger comfort and service are secondary responsibilities. Safety is of the utmost importance in the aviation industry. So, 80% to 90% of flight attendant training is about safety, so that everyone on board is safe. Safety and emergency procedures and equipment, aircraft specifics (interiors/location of equipment, etc.), security, aviation medicine, landing on water or land, fire fighting, survival, and human factors are just a few of the topics covered in airline training. This is one of the most important but little known facts about flight attendants.
It is not their duty to lift passenger luggage into the overhead compartments
Yes, this is a fact that I want passengers to know. It is not a flight attendant’s job to lift your luggage into the overhead compartments. Your luggage are your responsibility. They may, however, assist passengers in lifting luggage who require it, including but not limited to PWDs, senior citizens, pregnant women, and those who are unable to reach the compartment. However if you are an abled passenger, your luggage is your responsibility and stowing it is part of your task, and not the flight attendant’s.
Even 5-star airlines forbid their flight attendants from lifting luggage unto the overhead compartment, which you can more here.
They have a required height or arm reach for safety reasons
Some claim that flight attendants must be a certain height to stow passenger luggage. That is completely false and misleading information. Cabin crew members must meet certain height and/or arm reach requirements in order to reach the safety equipment located in the overhead compartment. Flight attendants are not required to place passenger luggage in overhead compartments.
Flight attendants are protected by a law
Yes, cabin crew members are legally protected in order to carry out their duties, particularly as safety professionals. In the Philippines, there is a law that protects flight attendants. Republic Act No. 9497, Chapter XI Sec. 81 clause 9 states that “Any person who, while on board an aircraft, interferes with a crewmember’s or flight attendant’s performance of their duties, assaults, intimidates, or threatens any crewmember or flight attendant, shall be subjected to imprisonment from one (1) year to three (3) years or a fine of not less than Fifty thousand pesos (Php50,000.00) but not exceeding Five hundred thousand pesos (Php500,000.00), or both, as determined by the court;”
This simply means that if you become a nuisance or your actions interfere with a cabin crew’s duties to ensure the safety of the passengers on board, you may be charged criminally under that law. Every country’s aviation sector has its own set of laws to protect its flight crew. Passengers in the United States can face fines of up to $10,000 for assaulting a flight attendant.
Their smile is part of their uniform
Have you ever noticed how iconic a flight attendant’s smile is? Yes, that is one of the reasons they must have a healthy set of teeth. Their uniform includes a smile. It must be consistent, genuine, and welcoming. It must make the passenger feel at ease. Flight attendants have to wear a certain kind of lipstick to make their smiles look better. Despite the use of facemasks, flight attendants are still required to smile beneath because it can be seen in the eyes. This is one of those fun facts about flight attendants.
Flight attendants are profiling you as you board the aircraft
Passengers are profiled by cabin crew members as they board. That is also one of the reasons they scrutinize your boarding pass. They try to determine which passengers can help in an emergency, who may require assistance in an emergency, and so on. Those who appear to be helpful in the event of an emergency are usually seated near the aircraft’s emergency exit row.
So don’t get mad at your flight attendants if they ask you to present your boarding pass. It is part of their job.
Many flight attendants are professional degree holders
One of those fun facts about flight attendants. Many flight attendants have advanced degrees and come from a variety of professional backgrounds. Among those who choose a career in aviation are registered nurses, MBA holders, law students, architects, and financial managers. Some flight attendants go to school part-time to get bachelor’s or master’s degrees, and others train to be pilots. You might not know this, but the flight attendant who is helping you might have an MBA from a good school.
You cannot talk to your flight attendants during take-off and landing
Flight attendants are quiet in their jumpseats during takeoff and landing, looking outside and around the cabin. They are focusing on the situation so that they can respond quickly in the event of an emergency. They also review their mental health notes. They listen for unusual sounds and look around for anything unusual. This is why talking with flight attendants is forbidden during these phases.
Flight attendants are required to wear a watch
Every flight attendant, you may have noticed, wears a watch. This is due to the fact that, in the event of an emergency, they can accurately time everything, such as the minutes it takes to prepare the cabin, the minutes it takes to impact, and so on. They also require a watch to properly time their meal and beverage services, which is especially important on short flights. Airlines would prefer to avoid situations in which all passengers have not yet been served while the plane is on final approach. Flight attendants must normally sync their watches.
It is very hard to become a flight attendant
Typically, the acceptance rate for cabin crew applicants is less than 10%. 5% is not uncommon. This is because cabin crew applicants must meet extremely high standards. Recruitment is only the beginning. Training is even more difficult. Cabin crew trainees have sleepless nights almost every day due to exams, EP drills, check rides, and so on. The passing grade is 90%, and you can only fail three times. Another thing is to be on the line. You may encounter situations for which you were not prepared. As I always say, becoming a cabin crew member is only for the select few.
So there you have it, ten little known interesting facts about flight attendants that everyone particularly passengers must know.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
