Flight Attendant Job Description
The job of a Flight Attendant involves ensuring personal comfort and safety of passengers in an airplane. Aside from greeting passengers and making sure food and other necessities are brought to their seats, a flight attendant also provides assistance during unforeseen events since they are trained in first aid and in aircraft emergencies.
Education/Experience Requirements for the job of a Flight Attendant: A successful candidate must possess a high school diploma and at least 2 years in college with a major in communications, liberal arts or a similar field. Flight attendants should also be at least 19 years old, have excellent vision, health and hearing, pass an exam and background checks and must be able to speak and understand at least one foreign language. They must also be tall enough to reach overhead bins and slim enough to easily walk in aisles. Once accepted into an airline, an attendant will undergo up to 8 weeks training to learn first aid techniques, company policies, flight duties and regulations, aircraft terminology, personal grooming and emergency procedures as well as receive certification.
Skills of a Flight Attendant include but are not limited to: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, advanced customer service skills; knowledge of diverse cultures; as well as strong judgment and analytical skills, among others.
Specific work elements of the job as a Flight Attendant include but are not limited to: Announcing safety or emergency procedures before flight; answering passenger questions about weather, routes, arrival times and other flight-related issues; assisting passengers in storing luggage; attending meetings with pilots and other airline staff; collecting money for beverages or meals; ensuring passenger comfort by distributing pillows, blankets, headphones, reading materials or other items; assisting passengers in times of emergencies; serving food; and administering first aid to passengers, among others.
