Air Hostess Overview

Sometimes it pays to be high headed. To be always in seventh heaven! No, we aren't being rude here. If you wish to be an air hostess, a profession where the sky is the limit for the kind of money you'll make, we have news for you. You could be a jetsetter in the true sense of the term. You could be an airhostess. So fasten your seat belts and here we take off…

 

First, let's clear your head of some glaring misconceptions. Airhostesses DON'T lead glamorous lives. Nor is it a cakewalk in the air. Your job profile ranges from passenger safety to good public relations. It's your job to make people feel comfortable during the flight and ensure their safety at all times. You got to be strong enough to lift heavy containers and slim enough to glide through the aisle and in between carts.

 

As an air hostess, your duty starts much before take-off. You have to reach the airport an hour-and-a-half before check-in time and undergo briefing by the senior flight attendant. Briefing includes a basic lecture on safety, take-off and service procedures during the flight. 

 

Flight attendants often spend up to half of their working hours preparing the cabin for flight, writing reports and doing other related work on the ground. Flight attendants need to have excellent communication skills, tactful, well groomed and enjoy taking a methodical approach to their work. While this is a mere formality as far as domestic flights are concerned, it is advisable to know your stuff thoroughly if you're flying international. 

 

That's not all. As an air hostess, you also have to run a safety check on the aircraft. This includes testing safety equipment, life jackets, mikes, etc. Ensuring that pillows, blankets, books, food, plates, glasses, napkins and medicines are in stock is also part and parcel of the job. The final check includes making sure that the aircraft has been cleaned and is ready for boarding

 

It's after boarding that your real duties begin. After handing over the boarding passes, the air hostess has to assist passengers and help them settle down in their seats. Then comes the most boring part of explaining safety procedures and building a rapport with the passengers as, after all, you will be serving them for the next several hours. 

 

However, it's not as easy as it sounds. Dealing with different passengers can be one hell of a trying experience. If you're lucky, you won't have more than two to three troublemakers on a flight.

 

The longest shift for a domestic hostess can be about 5-6 hours but international hostesses have to serve for 12-15 hours at a stretch. Phew! Now that can be really very tiring. Add to that an emergency like a medical problem or a hijack and you are left handling 200 passengers all at the same time. 

 

The highs in this career are worth talking about. Think of all the kinds of people you'll meet right from the businessmen to film stars and even VVIPs! Of course, as an air hostess, you'll see all the exotic destinations, stay in 5-star hotels and shop at some of the best malls in the world. And we haven't even spoken about the money yet. At the end of the month, you take home an attractive pay packet.