Pursuing a career as a flight attendant is certainly not a straightforward task. It requires specific attributes that airlines seek in their cabin crew. However, these qualities can be cultivated and developed, provided you have the right mindset and approach. Let me guide you through the essential qualities you need to embody to realize your dream of becoming a flight attendant.
Physical attributes are just one aspect of the selection process; the considerations extend far beyond that. Given the flight attendants’ critical role in securing passenger safety and delivering an exceptional in-flight experience, there are several other essential qualities they must embody.
Ten important qualities to become a flight attendant
Good Customer Service
This is the most highlighted quality as being a cabin crew is also a customer-oriented job. Regardless of your experience at work or maybe in your past career, make sure that you can deliver exceptional customer service to every passenger, every day.
Team Player
Being a cabin crew isn’t about working on your own. Your colleagues will need to trust you to work effectively in a team — to provide passengers with a fantastic and efficient experience and ensure everyone’s safety. If you are applying to be a cabin crew, explain what you do that makes you such a good team player. Explain specific incidents that prove your credentials.
Communication Skills
You’ll need to be able to communicate with passengers from different languages. Don’t just say you have “good communication skills”; prove it. Your passenger must be able to understand you, especially during safety instructions. Cabin crew members are trained to speak clearly, and every passenger must understand them.
Creating a Great Flying Experience
What’s the difference between a great customer flying experience and an average experience? Sometimes, cabin crew members go beyond what is expected to turn a bad situation into good. This is a quality almost all airlines look for from applicants. They can go beyond the standards in delivering an unforgettable flying experience.
Friendly & Positive
You’ll be working long shifts, often starting and finishing your working days at unsocial hours. You will also be dealing with different passengers of different personalities. But no matter how you feel, you must remain friendly and upbeat. High EQ is essential to an effective cabin crew.
Caring & Understanding
Your passengers will have a diverse range of needs and issues. As a cabin crew, you must demonstrate that you can understand those needs and care for all your customers. It would be best if you had a genuine concern for your passengers; this is also a quality that all flight attendants possess.
Exceeds Expectations
The best airlines in the world don’t just expect you to meet the expectations of their passengers. Philippine Airlines did not just become a 4-star airline overnight. Their cabin crew were trained to be at their highest level of delivering their “buong pusong alaga” even beyond the airline standards, propelling them to gain another star from Skytrax.
Professional & Responsible
Cabin crew are primarily responsible for the safety of their passengers. It is a cumbersome task, and airlines want to ensure that their cabin crew are professional and accountable. Professional means they must be able to carry out safety instructions and remind passengers to follow them in a very polite and diplomatic manner. Applying as a cabin crew is essential because the job deals with safety and lives.
Dependable & Dedicated
Recruiting and training a new cabin crew member is a time-consuming and expensive process. It is very challenging and requires a lot of focus and dedication. On top of that, the airline will put you in 4 or 5-star hotels worldwide. They need to know that you are a trustworthy ambassador for their brand, dedicated to building a career with the airline.
Learning and Adapting
Cabin crew training is an adamant process. Trainees must be hungry for knowledge and more knowledge. They must also be able to adapt to a different working environment with varying workmates on every flight. When you apply for the job, you should be able to prove that you are always hungry to learn new things and you are eager to adapt to different working times, schedules, and people.
So do you have these important qualities to be a flight attendant?
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!
