There are many misconceptions about becoming cabin crew, and these misunderstandings can deter individuals from pursuing their dreams of becoming a flight attendant. It is essential for aspiring cabin crew members to understand the reality of this profession.
First and foremost, it’s important to recognize that becoming cabin crew is a job, a career, and a commitment. It is not simply a free ticket to travel the world, which is just one of the benefits, nor is it a means to boost your status on social media. With this clarification, let’s explore some common misconceptions about becoming cabin crew and why they are incorrect.
Becoming a Cabin Crew is Glamorous
Becoming a cabin crew member is far from glamorous. The primary responsibility of a flight attendant is to ensure the safety and security of all passengers. Emergencies can and do occur, including crash landings, medical emergencies, and other situations that may put passengers’ lives at risk. Cabin crew members are trained to take action to ensure passenger safety, such as evacuating everyone in under 90 seconds when necessary.
Sometimes, flight attendants may face situations that they were not specifically trained for. For instance, during the Delta Connection incident, a plane crash-landed in Toronto and ended up upside down. In a video shared on social media, one of the flight attendants remained calm and composed by the exit door while assisting passengers to evacuate from the inverted aircraft. This highlights the crucial role they play in emergencies.
While the job might appear glamorous on social media due to the travel opportunities, that is only a benefit—not the core of the role. The reality is that becoming a cabin crew member entails significant responsibilities, particularly concerning the safety of human lives. Additionally, I haven’t even touched on the more challenging aspects of the job, such as cleaning lavatories during flights and managing various passenger personalities.
Cabin Crew Only Serves Food and Drinks
“Flight attendants are often misunderstood as merely glorified waiters and waitresses in the sky,” and this misconception is entirely false. While food and beverage service is part of a flight attendant’s responsibilities, the majority of their duties focus on safety. Ideally, flight attendants would prefer that serving food and beverages is all they have to do on a flight; however, when that is not the case, it usually means there is an emergency—whether it be an emergency landing or a medical situation on board—where human lives are at stake.
Although flights may seem routine, it’s important to note that during takeoffs and landings—two of the most critical phases of a flight—cabin crew members are 100% focused on the situation, prepared for any unfortunate incidents that may arise. They run through their mental notes of emergency procedures to ensure they know exactly what to do immediately in the event of an emergency. More about this can be read here.
Flight attendants are also trained to handle various situations, including fires in the cabin and security threats.
Regarding in-flight meal service, cabin crew members do much more than just serve food. Their work is a well-coordinated effort among all crew members to ensure that every passenger is served without anyone being skipped. This is why being a team player is essential for anyone aspiring to become a flight attendant.
It is the Cabin Crew’s Job to Stow Passenger Luggage into the Overhead Compartments
This statement is completely untrue. In fact, some airlines even prohibit flight attendants from assisting passengers with stowing their luggage in the overhead compartments. If a passenger cannot lift their bag by themselves, it must be checked in.
Flight attendants typically offer assistance to passengers who genuinely need help lifting their luggage into the overhead compartments. This includes individuals with disabilities, senior citizens, people of shorter stature, pregnant women, and mothers with young children. However, there are occasionally passengers with an “entitled” attitude who believe that by purchasing a plane ticket, they have also purchased the services of the flight attendants. This is where boundaries need to be set.
If you are an able-bodied passenger, it is your responsibility to lift your luggage into the overhead compartment. In truth, it is not the flight attendants’ job to lift passenger luggage due to safety reasons, which can be further read here.
The Standards are Too High to Become a Cabin Crew
Yes, the standards to become cabin crew are high, but they are not so high as to be discriminatory. In fact, these standards were even stricter during the 1950s. Height and arm-reach requirements exist for safety reasons, primarily ensuring that cabin crew members can reach emergency equipment located in the overhead bins. With responsibilities that involve the safety of human lives, the expectations are indeed significant.
To reiterate, becoming a cabin crew member is fundamentally about ensuring the safety and security of passengers. All the requirements and qualifications are justified and are not discriminatory. They are achievable for most candidates.
It’s also important to consider the ratio of cabin crew applicants to the number of available positions within an airline. At times, there can be as many as 5,000 applicants competing for only 50 positions. Airlines operate as businesses rather than charitable institutions, which means they have specific requirements and standards to maintain for the role of cabin crew. Given that airlines can only open a limited number of positions based on their operational needs, they will select only the best candidates from the pool of applicants. This is why the standards may sometimes seem exceptionally high—it’s all relative to the large number of applicants for a limited number of slots. More about this here.
You have to be Pretty or Handsome
The idea that being pretty or handsome is a requirement to become a cabin crew member is a common misconception. First and foremost, beauty is subjective. However, as brand ambassadors for the airline and the first point of contact for passengers, cabin crew must be well-groomed, look respectable, appear sharp, and exude confidence.
Many industries have grooming standards, and these are not discriminatory. Passengers can be discerning; if you appear sloppy or disheveled, they may not be inclined to pay attention to you. This is why airlines implement grooming standards, which can significantly boost your confidence. You can read more of this here.
It’s also crucial to look smart because passengers trust you with their safety, and you need to convey that you are knowledgeable and capable as a cabin crew member. Being “pretty” or “handsome” does not equate to looking smart, confident, and respectable. Therefore, attractiveness alone does not guarantee that an airline will hire you.
These are some of the common misconceptions about becoming a cabin crew member that I aim to clarify. I hope this article encourages cabin crew aspirants to pursue their dreams while also understanding the actual responsibilities of the job, so they can align their personal goals accordingly.
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!
