Flight attendants endure long, exhausting hours with little recognition from passengers, but the benefits of the job can often exceed the stress. However, being employed in the first place is a difficult task. Acceptance rates at elite airlines can be as difficult as winning the lottery, with numerous rounds of heavy interviews and weeks of training.
After all, the work entails far more than just throwing dinner trays and hanging coats. Applicants for the position of flight attendant must complete a series of written and physical exams that include everything from learning how to open and close doors on various aircraft types to leaping down slides and evacuating passengers in a pool to simulate a water ditch. They learn about diet, fitness, and remaining healthy while traveling; if recruited, they could be in Tokyo one day and Los Angeles the next.
They must be aware of airport regulations, cultural conventions, and these days, COVID-related obligations. We got a behind-the-scenes look at Emirates flight attendant training to learn what it takes to work for one of the world’s most opulent airlines.
Learning how to deal with any medical situation
The flight crew is extensively trained in first aid and can save lives in nearly any circumstance. In fact, they devote as much (if not more) time to safety concerns than they do to food and beverage service in the air. They learn how to perform CPR, recognize symptoms of various illnesses, and even deal with mid-flight deliveries during their training. In 2020, Emirates crews delivered three in-flight infants, the most ever—and in a year when the airline flew the fewest number of flights. Pregnant passengers were taken care of by flight attendants as more people rushed home before lockdowns or traveled between nations at the last minute. The mother of a baby was so appreciative of the crew’s assistance on a recent flight that she named her child after them.
If there are no passenger doctors or nurses on board, flight attendants can rely on a satellite link to the ground for backup medical advice. Emirates flight attendants made 16,337 calls to ground medical professionals in 2019. In the same year, flight attendants used an onboard defibrillator to save four lives. Cabin staff can put out fires, assist choking passengers, and even defend themselves against an attacker.
Perfecting service at 30,000 feet
Emirates crew members take pride in providing a high level of safety and service. When it comes to delivering food and drink on a plane, the cabin crew must master almost 500 procedures. Potential flight attendants begin their training in a classroom, then progress to a simulated cabin, and finally to a real-world situation where they serve meals to their classmates from functional galleys on the ground.
Most airlines undergo food service training, but Emirates has some unique luxuries that necessitate specific skill sets. On its Airbus A380 jets, first-class passengers can use an in-flight shower, and first- and business-class passengers can visit the plane’s bar and lounge. Flight attendants must learn how to set up these upscale amenities. For example, the bar involves displaying expensive bottles of wine, champagne, and liquor on the shelves. Cabin crews are taught how to build multi-tiered towers of tea sandwiches and sweets that are always available while customers rest in the lounge. The shower, however, is set up and cleaned by a separate attendant.
The right manner to hold a hefty beverage tray is also taught to new flight attendants during their service training. Emirates flight attendants offer refreshments from silver trays on all flights, even economy. Crew must hold the tray with the palm of their hand from the bottom up, regardless of cabin (like a server in a restaurant). Emirates trainers claim that it not only appears more professional, but it’s also more durable. The carrier’s emblem must always be facing up and in the correct position when placing a napkin or coaster on a passenger’s tray table. The crew also learns how to prepare and carry the tray of pre-takeoff drinks during training, albeit they practice with glasses of water with two drops of apple juice instead of genuine Champagne.
Even in the economy cabin, the airline invests in its wine list, and flight attendants are educated on the winemaking process, what to pair different wines with, and how to recognize inebriated passengers. The crew has its own system of green, amber, and red codes for drunk passengers, which is especially crucial at the in-flight bar. An amber signal suggests someone is slurring their speech and disrupting those around them, whereas a green code means someone is behaving pleasant and socially.
When the situation reaches code red, the crew must consult with a colleague to determine whether another drink can be served. They make use of a “4D” system (distract, delay, dilute, and deny). To avoid a refill, the method starts by distracting the passenger with talk (maybe about the destination or where they are from). If a passenger still wants another, the bartender may first try to weaken the drink with less alcohol before outright refusing it. To avoid more dramatic incidents with drunk passengers, crew members learn how to diffuse rather than escalate a situation.
COVID’s impact on flight attendant training
During the epidemic, all airlines made changes to their training procedures, and Emirates was no exception. Because passengers are required to wear masks throughout the flight, crew must learn new announcements to inform passengers on how to remove them and replace them with oxygen masks if a decompression occurs.
They must also learn how to read facial expressions, which is crucial in an emergency. Masks can mask feelings and panic, and the staff are working to bring everyone to safety during an emergency evacuation. They train how to force people out of the plane to safety if they panic and block an exit with a carry-on bag or because they are in shock. The priority at the time was safety, not hospitality.
During the pandemic, the airline, like the rest of the world, switched to online learning for parts of its training programs, but some seminars, such as those requiring aircraft evacuation simulations, were still held in person (class size was cut in half, however). Despite new versions and ebbs and flows in passenger demand, Emirates continues to hire, with 45 to 90 new flight attendants graduating from training every week.
Due to COVID concerns, crews are taught to perform extra chest compressions instead of delivering rescue breaths during emergency training. They can cover someone’s mouth with a cloth to supply air if necessary to preserve their lives.
It goes without saying that you should always be courteous to your flight attendants. They aren’t just pouring drinks and waving goodbye; they could one day save your life.
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