Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Stewardesses redirects here. For the 1969 3D lm, see The Stewardesses. Cabin crew
redirects here. For the Australian dance music duo, see Cabin Crew. Air hostess redirects
here. For other uses, see Air Hostess (disambiguation).
The role of a ight attendant derives from that of similar positions on passenger ships or passenger trains, but
it has more direct involvement with passengers because
of the conned quarters on aircraft. Additionally, the
job of a ight attendant revolves around safety to a much
greater extent than those of similar sta on other forms
of transportation. Flight attendants on board a ight collectively form a cabin crew, as distinguished from pilots
and engineers in the cockpit.
Heinrich Kubis was the worlds rst ight attendant, in
1912.[3]
Origins of the word steward in transportation are reected in the term "chief steward" as used in maritime
transport terminology. The term purser and chief steward
are often used interchangeably describing personnel with
similar duties among seafaring occupations. This lingual
derivation results from the international British maritime
tradition (i.e. chief mate) dating back to the 14th century
and the civilian United States Merchant Marine on which
US aviation is somewhat modeled. Due to international
Flight attendant of Austrian Airlines directing a passenger to his conventions and agreements, in which all ships personnel
seat
who sail internationally are similarly documented by their
respective countries, the U.S. Merchant Marine assigns
Flight attendants or cabin crew (also known as stew- such duties to the chief steward in the overall rank and
ards/stewardesses, air hosts/hostesses, cabin atten- command structure of which pursers are not positionally
dants) are members of an aircrew employed by airlines represented or rostered.
primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passenImperial Airways of the United Kingdom had cabin
gers aboard commercial ights, on select business jet
boys or stewards"; in the 1920s. In the US, Stout Airaircraft,[1] and on some military aircraft.[2]
ways was the rst to employ stewards in 1926, working on
Ford Trimotor planes between Detroit and Grand Rapids,
Michigan. Western Airlines (1928) and Pan American
World Airways (Pan Am) (1929) were the rst US car1 History
riers to employ stewards to serve food. Ten-passenger
Fokker aircraft used in the Caribbean had stewards in the
era of gambling trips to Havana, Cuba from Key West,
Florida. Lead ight attendants would in many instances
also perform the role of purser, steward, or chief steward
in modern aviation terminology.
The rst female ight attendant was a 25-year-old
registered nurse named Ellen Church.[4] Hired by United
Airlines in 1930,[5] she also rst envisioned nurses on
aircraft. Other airlines followed suit, hiring nurses to
serve as ight attendants, then called stewardesses or
air hostesses, on most of their ights. In the United
States, the job was one of only a few in the 1930s to permit women, which, coupled with the Great Depression,
led to large numbers of applicants for the few positions
available. Two thousand women applied for just 43 po-
OVERVIEW
sitions oered by Transcontinental and Western Airlines The last such broad categorical discrimination, the weight
in December 1935.[6]
restrictions,[18] were relaxed in the 1990s through litiga[19]
Female ight attendants rapidly replaced male ones, and tion and negotiations. Flight attendants still must usuby 1936, they had all but taken over the role.[5] They were ally have weight in proportion to height; persons outside
range may not be qualied to act as ight
selected not only for their knowledge but also for their the normal[20]
attendants.
characteristics. A 1936 New York Times article described
the requirements:
The girls who qualify for hostesses must
be petite; weight 100 to 118 pounds; height
5 feet to 5 feet 4 inches; age 20 to 26 years.
Add to that the rigid physical examination each
must undergo four times every year, and you
are assured of the bloom that goes with perfect
health.[5]
2 Overview
The primary role of a ight attendant is to ensure
passenger safety. In addition to this, ight attendants are
often tasked with customer service duties such as serving
meals and drinks, as a secondary responsibility.[21][22]
The majority of ight attendants for most airlines are female, though a substantial number of males have entered
the industry since 1980.[24]
2.1 Responsibilities
Prior to each ight, ight attendants attend a safety briefing with the pilots and lead ight attendant. During
this brieng, they go over safety and emergency checklists, the locations and amounts of emergency equipment
and other features specic to that aircraft type. Boarding particulars are veried, such as special needs passengers, small children traveling as unaccompanied or VIPs.
Weather conditions are discussed including anticipated
turbulence. Prior to each ight a safety check is conducted to ensure all equipment such as life-vests, torches
(ashlights) and reghting equipment are on board, in
the right quantity, and in proper condition. Any unserviceable or missing items must be reported and rectied prior to takeo. They must monitor the cabin for
2.2
Chief Purser
3
in-ight medical situations, smoke in the cabin, res,
depressurization, on-board births and deaths, dangerous
goods and spills in the cabin, emergency evacuations,
hijackings, and water landings.
4
tomer Service Manager (CSM) or Cabin Service Director (CSD) is the senior ight attendant in the chain of
command of ight attendants. While not necessarily the
most senior crew members on a ight (in years of service
to their respective carrier), Chief Pursers can have varying levels of in-ight or on board bidding seniority or
tenure in relation to their ying partners. To reach this
position, a crew member requires some minimum years
of service as ight attendant. Further training is mandatory, and Chief Pursers typically earn a higher salary than
ight attendants because of the added responsibility and
managerial role.
5
of Parang Gondosuli, the motif is called Lereng Garuda
Indonesia.[31] Malaysian. Singapore Airlines ight attendants wear batik prints in their uniform. Vietnam Airlines ight attendants wear red o di and Air India ight
attendants wear a Sari on all passenger ights.
Flight attendants are generally expected to show a high
level of personal grooming such as appropriate use of
cosmetics and thorough personal hygiene.
Flight attendants must not have any tattoos visible when
a uniform is worn. These requirements are designed to
give the airlines a positive presentation.
In several airlines in the Islamic World, such as Egypt Air,
Iran Air and Saudia, female ight attendants uniforms
have added a hijab to conform to the Islamic customs.
5 In advertising
Unions
ROLES IN EMERGENCIES
the decisive court case of Diaz vs. Pan Am.[16] The nomarriage rule was eliminated throughout the US airline
industry by the 1980s.[17] The last such broad categorical discrimination, the weight restrictions,[18] were relaxed in the 1990s through litigation and negotiations.[19]
Flight attendants still must usually have weight in proportion to height; persons outside the normal range may not
be qualied to act as ight attendants.[20] By the end of the
1970s, the term stewardess had generally been replaced
by the gender-neutral alternative ight attendant. More
recently the term cabin crew or cabin sta has begun to
replace 'ight attendants in some parts of the world, because of the terms recognition of their role as members
of the crew.
7 Roles in emergencies
6.1
Discrimination
7.2
Other emergencies
ation during 13 days of ight PK-326 hijacking
ordeal.[44][45]
7
The aircraft was destroyed by re. Nine ight attendants, along with ve o-duty ight attendants,
evacuated all 292 persons on board without loss of
life. The NTSB in their after accident reported
noted, The performance of the ight attendants
during the emergency was exceptional and probably contributed to the success of the emergency
evacuation.[50][51]
On British Airways Flight 2069, cabin crew stopped
the plane from being crashed by a mentally ill
passenger.[52]
Crew on American Airlines Flight 63 prevented
shoe bomber Richard Colvin Reid from blowing up
the plane.[53]
Flight attendants on Qantas Flight 1737 prevented
their plane from being hijacked by a passenger with
mental health issues. Two of them were taken to
hospital with stab wounds.[54]
Aloha Airlines Flight 243 suered a decompression
which tore an 18-foot (5.5 m) section of fuselage
away from the plane. The only fatality was ight attendant C.B. Lansing who was blown out of the airplane. Flight attendant Michelle Honda was thrown
violently to the oor during the decompression but,
despite her injuries, crawled up and down the aisle
reassuring passengers.[55]
Senior Purser Neerja Bhanot saved the lives of passengers and crew when Pan Am Flight 73 was hijacked. She was killed while protecting children
from the terrorists. After her death she received the
Special Courage Award from the United States Department of Justice and Indias highest civilian honor
for bravery, the Ashoka Chakra.
Flight Attendants on Air Canada Flight 797 (Sergio
Benetti, Judi Davidson, Laura Kayama) used procedures which were not specically taught in training
such as moving passengers to the front of the aircraft to move them away from the re and smoke,
and passing out towels for passengers to cover their
nose and mouths with while the cabin was lling
with smoke.
Flight Attendants on US Airways Flight 1549 successfully evacuated all passengers from the aircraft
within 90 seconds despite the fact that the rear was
rapidly lling with water.
Nine cabin crew members aboard Air France Flight
358 successfully evacuated the aircraft within 90
seconds after the A340-300 overran a runway at
Toronto Pearson International Airport. The NTSB
stated that the actions of the cabin crew contributed
to the 100% survival rate.
In popular culture
1933: Hollywood B-movie Air Hostess portrays a
love story about a ight attendant (Evalyn Knapp)
and a pilot (James Murray).
1947: The Vicki Barr: Flight Stewardess book series, in which Vickis career brings her glamorous
friends, exciting adventures, loyal roommates and
dates with a hand some young pilot and an up-andcoming reporter, sells well in the US.
1950: In Batman #62 (December/January), it is revealed that Catwoman is an amnesiac ight attendant who had turned to crime after suering a prior
blow to the head during a plane crash she survived.
The name of the airline she worked for was Speed
Airlines.
1951: Hollywood production Three Guys Named
Mike, tells the story of ight attendant Marcy (Jane
Wyman) who has to choose between three admirers
and becomes an advertising icon.
1956: Doris Day is the title character in the lm
Julie. It is also notable as potentially the rst lm
to feature the subplot of a ight attendant piloting
a plane to safety, later used in Airport 1975 (1975)
and parodied in Airplane! (1980). It is further notable for being technically accurate.
9
in 2012, Ron worked for United Airlines cabin crew
for 63 years, retiring at the age of 84.[57]
Rico Barrera of Pinoy Big Brother Philippines Season 1 and an actor who continues to y with Seair
Alex Best, ex-wife of George Best
Neerja Bhanot, was a ight attendant for Pan Am
airlines, based in Bombay, India, who died while
saving passengers from terrorists on board the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73 on September 5, 1986,
she went on to become the youngest recipient of Indias highest civilian award for bravery, the Ashoka
Chakra.
Regina Bird, Big Brother Australia 2003 winner
Deborah Burlingame, sister of Charles Chic
Burlingame III, pilot of hijacked American Airlines
Flight 77
Soraya Raquel Lamilla Cuevas, international awardwinning Spanish/English singer and songwriter
Gailen David, Host of TAKE OFF! with The Savvy
Stews, ight attendant activist, CNN Airport Network travel expert.
Nh. Dini, Indonesian novelist and mother of French
director Pierre Con. Worked as a Garuda Indonesia ight attendant during her early life
Betty Ong, was a ight attendant on board American
Airlines Flight 11 the rst of four hijacked aircrafts
on the morning of September 11, 2001. Ong is best
known for her actions that morning as well as her
calm and professional manner.
Madeline Amy Sweeney, was also a ight attendant
on board Flight 11, Sweeney was the rst to describe
the hijackers, and their actions.
Beverly Lynn Burns, American Airlines stewardess
class of 1971; rst woman Boeing 747 Captain in
the world July 1984
Terence Cao, veteran Singaporean actor
Ellen Church, rst female ight attendant in history
Uli Derickson, on duty during the TWA Flight 847
hijacking
Gatan Dugas, alleged Patient Zero for acquired immune deciency syndrome
10
Avis Miller, Playboy Playmate Miss November
1970
Jane McGrath, co-founder of the McGrath Foundation for breast cancer.
11
REFERENCES
Queen Silvia of Sweden, was briey a ight attendant before marrying King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
10 See also
Aircrew (Flight crew)
11 References
[3] Grossman, Dan (July 9, 2010). The First Flight Attendant: Heinrich Kubis, 1912. Airships: The Hindenburg
and other Zeppelins. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
Sharon Luk, 2005 Miss Hong Kong First Runnerup, artist with TVB
[5] Air hostess nds life adventurous. The New York Times.
April 12, 1936. p. N1.
[6] The air hostess carries on, The New York Times. April
19, 1936. Page XX12.
[8] Conrard, Don (November 16, 2005). Promoting Diversity. Alaskas World. Alaska Airlines. Archived from
the original on March 24, 2006. Retrieved November 7,
2011.
[9] Flight Attendants in Labor History
[10] Booneville Herald
11
of
Federal
Regulations:".
2007-08-01. Retrieved 2012-
[52] Crews training saved terror ight. news.bbc.co.uk. December 29, 2000.
[30] The worlds best airline is ... 5. Thai Airways International. CNN. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
Melbourne:
[56] Sullivan, Caroline (2007-03-20). Assume crash position. The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2007-05-14.
[31] Sight: Inspired by the Rich Textile Tradition of Indonesia. Garuda Indonesia. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
[57] Meet Americas oldest ight attendant who has been ying the friendly skies for 63 YEARS | Mail Online. Dailymail.co.uk. 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
12
13
Bibliography
Harris, Tom. How Airline Crews Work, HowStuWorks.com website, June 14, 2001. Retrieved
September 2, 2014.
12
Further reading
Barry, Kathleen (2007). Femininity in Flight: A History of Flight Attendants. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0822339465.
Vantoch, Victoria (2013). The Jet Sex: Airline
Stewardesses and the Making of an American Icon.
Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.
ISBN 978-0-8122-4481-6.
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External links
EXTERNAL LINKS
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14.2
Images
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https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Singapore_Airlines_
File:Stewardess,_circa_1949-50,_American_Overseas,_Flaghip_Denmark,_Boeing_377_Stratocruiser.jpg
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Denmark%2C_Boeing_377_Stratocruiser.jpg License: CC BY 2.5 Contributors: Photo by Chalmers Buttereld Original artist: Photo by
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14.3
Content license