Air hostess – a dream job for the girls with wings – check out Air Hostess Training, Courses, Qualification, Salary
Becoming an Air hostess, is one of the jobs that a lot of graduates dream to have. Air hostess, are also known as stewardesses/stewards, cabin crew, cabin attendants or flight attendants in the industry and the world. Heinrick Kubis, a German, was the world’s first flight attendant in the year 1912, while Ellen Church was world’s first female flight attendant in the 1930’s. Since, then the profession on air hostesses has come a long way. The charm of being able to travel to different locations, meet abundant of people, travel with business magnate or super stars is attractive to anyone who knows about this career choice. In the airline career, air hostesses is considered to be a prime profession. No matter how tempting or lucrative the profession may sound it calls for ample amount of hard work. Air hostesses, have be impeccably groomed and well dressed for all the flights. They need to constantly greet the customer, look after the passengers on the flight and take care of the pilots and the other staff members of the flying crew. They need to maintain a calm and composed composure in difficult time and with difficult flyers. All of the tasks performed by the Air hostesses, call for good set of communication and interpersonal skills. Overall no one can deny the hard work and skills of an Air hostess, may it be in comforting a distressed passenger or ensuring the safety of the passengers, crew and pilots.
AIR HOSTESS
The job profile of an air hostess is what actually test the skills and learning of the air hostess. Though the needs and the demands of the flights may change, the basic job profile of an air hostess, broadly consist of the following:
- Ensuring comfort of all the passengers and making them feel welcome.
- Being responsible for demonstrating safety instructions to the passengers.
- Responding to the calls of passengers during the flight.
- Providing on flight meal services and meals.
- Assisting with medical emergencies if required.
- In case of turbulence, conveying the message of the pilot to the passengers.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN AIR HOSTESS
The responsibilities of an air hostess begins even before the flight on ground and ends way after the last passenger has gotten off the flight. The different set of duties and responsibilities assigned to an air hostess is to ensure the ease of flying for passengers. Some of the responsibilities on ground, in flight and landing are:
ON GROUND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Ensuring the presence of emergency and medical kit in the aircraft.
- Before the passengers start the boarding ensuring that the toilets are clean and hygienic.
- Getting meals and beverages in the plane, depending on the number of people in flight.
- Greeting boarding passengers, checking their tickets and helping them load their luggage safely in the overhead bin.
- Making sure that all the passengers are seated with their seatbelts on, the windows are open and the eating tray is closed up, during takeoff.
- Demonstrating the passengers about the usage of emergency equipment’s in the flight and emergency exit.
- Informing the pilot when the plane is all set to take off.
INFLIGHT RESPONSIBILITIES
- Serving meals and beverages to the passengers, according to the fight.
- Selling duty free good like watches, headphones and more by taking orders on board.
- Making announcements on the behalf of the pilot.
- Checking that all the passengers have fastened their seatbelts for the takeoff.
- Assisting the passengers vacate the plane in case of emergencies.
- Being prepared for any medical emergencies during the flight.
LANDING RESPONSIBILITIES
- Keeping a check on the stock of duty free good.
- If any articles are lost and found, making a list for the same.
- Forming a list of cash and stock left after the landing of each flight.
SKILLS NEEDED
Becoming an air hostess requires specific set of skills to ensure that passengers receive the bets of the best during their fight time. The skill required include but are not limited to the following:
- A positive attitude
- Team player
- Good appearance
- Calm and composed
- Sense of responsibility
- Language proficiency
- Pleasant voice and personality
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- Working under stress
AIR HOSTESS – What are the Eligibility Conditions?
The candidate needs to have the following in order to be eligible to work with an airline:
- Age Bar: Between the age group of 18 – 26 years.
- Height requirements: A minimum height of 157.5centimeters is required with proportionate weight.
- Marital status: Unmarried or married (depends on the airline)
- Eye Sight: A normal vision of 6/6 or 6/24 is required in both the eyes
- Language: Should have mastery in spoken English and other languages as required
- Passport: Should be eligible for an Indian passport
- Medical fitness: Should be medically fit
- Complexion: Fair to clear complexion
- Education: Any graduate degree or a 10+2 degree in hospitality
AIR HOSTESS COURSES
There are various institutes which offer certificate course, diploma and degree programs which can take one, a few steps further in becoming an airhostess. These course focus on imparting a vast number of skill in field including emergency management, catering training, navigations skills and more.
CERTIFICATE COURSES for AIR HOSTESS TRAINING
These course can be taken for a period of one year after finishing +2 in any recognized field. These include:
- Aviation and Hospitality Services
- Hospitality Travel and Customer Service
- Night Rating
- Aviation Management
- Air Hostess/Flight Purser
- Aviation Hospitality & Travel Management
- International Airlines and Travel Management
- Private Pilot Training
- Commercial Pilot Training
- Air Ticketing & Tourism
- Airport Ground Management
- Air RT / Radio Flight Officer
- International Air Cargo
- Certificate Course in Fare Ticketing Virgin Atlantic/ GTMC Courses
- Certificate Courses in Personality Development
- Certificate in Aviation Security and Safety
DIPLOMA COURSES
Degree programs are for a period of one years, which can be taken up after 12th standard done in any field. These include:
- Aviation and Hospitality Management
- Air Hostess Training
- Aviation Hospitality and Travel Management
- Diploma in Professional Cabin Crew Services
- Diploma in Professional Ground Staff Services
- Diploma in Airport Management & Customer Care
- Diploma in Airlines Management
- Diploma in Airlines and Travel Management
- Diploma in Ground handling And Cargo Management
- Diploma in Hospitality, Travel and Customer Service
- Diploma in Air Cargo Practices & Documentation
- Diploma in Airport Ground Staff Training with On-job Training
DEGREE COURSES
These are the one which take up to three years after schooling, they include:
- Post Graduate Diploma in Aviation and Hospitality Services
- Post Graduate Diploma in Airport Ground Services
- Post Graduate Diploma In Aviation, Hospitality, Travel & Customer Service
- BBA (Aviation)
- MBA (Aviation)
INSTITUTES OFFERING AIR HOSTESS COURSES
There are plethora of colleges offering air hostesses and related courses to anyone who wants to join this primary field of airline work. Some of the best institutes that offer such courses are:
- Rajiv Gandhi Memorial College of Aeronautics, Jaipur
- Air Hostess Academy, Pune
- Avalon Academy, Dehradun
- Air Hostess Academy, Delhi
- Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training, Delhi
- Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training, Mumbai
- Universal Airhostess Academy, Chennai
- Jet Airways Training Academy, Mumbai
- Air Hostess Academy, Bangalore
- PTC Aviation academy, Chennai and Bangalore
- Indira Gandhi Institute of Aeronautics, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Ghaziabad
- Universal Aviation Academy, Chennai
- Institute For Personality, Etiquette, & Grooming (IPEG India)
- Wings Air Hostess & Hospitality Training, Gujarat
TRAINING AND EXAMINATION
Every airline has its own examinations for selecting their air hostesses. The selection process can be divided into three main stages:
- Written Examination: This exam tests the candidates reasoning and aptitude. It is similar to any other aptitude exam given in other fields.
- Group Discussions: This will be a test for your patience, team work and communications skills.
- Interview: The final and the most crucial stage is the interview with the airline, who will look for the adaptable personality.
Only after clearing the above round, the selected candidate will undergo a training of a period of six months (may vary according to airline), before beginning their job with the airline.
SALARY OF AN AIR HOSTESS
When it comes to an air hostess job, the international airlines tend to better than the domestic ones. In domestic airlines according to current salary standards, an airhostess, earn somewhere between Rs. 25,000 – Rs. 40,000. However, in senior level position, one can get paid up to, Rs. 50, \000 – Rs. 70,\000 in domestic fights. A private airline might also pay as high as Rs. 2 Lakh per month. The salary is directly proportional to how good and famous is the airline. Along with a good salary, some airlines also provide benefits like medical insurance, retirement plan, additional allowances and in house flight discounts to the employee (and their family members).
KEY RECRUITERS FOR AIR HOSTESSES
The market is filled with companies who are always on the outlook for a good air hostess. Some of the big names in the market are:
- Indian Airlines
- Air India
- Alliance Air
- INDIGO
- Go Air
- British Airways
- Qantas Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- Gulf Air
- Singapore Airlines
- United Air
- Lufthansa
- Cathay Pacific
- Spicejet
- Vistara
The growth and development in this job heavily depend upon the kind of experience that one gains through their career. After 10 years of a career as an air hostess, the airline might shift one to other positions like on ground crew or check hostess. The scope of the job is immense, but the job does call for a specific set of skills and personality. If one thinks that they fit the bill, then this is the profession to join and grow in.