Air Hostess as a carrier

Is air hostess only about serving people in the air like a glorified waitress ? has to be a perfect good looking model ?. These are some of the most common myths we all have in our mind about being an air hostess. Well, people don’t understand that being a flight attendant is that they are a group of people who are responsible for 300-plus lives at 35000 feet!. They can become a doctor, nurse, paramedic, police officer, firefighter, bouncer, all rolled into one and can even deliver babies in mid-air. Survival training is one of the many skills in cabin crew’s toolkit. They know how to create a shelter, gather food, find safe drinking water and attract help in the Arctic, jungle, rainforests and deserts, bottom line- they are the person who are there to take care of you and make sure you have a safe flight.

India is the world’s third-largest civil aviation market. It recorded air traffic of 131 million passengers in 2016, of which 100 million were domestic passengers. The market is also estimated to have 800 aircraft by 2020. This would account for 4.3 percent of global volumes. According to

Airbus, India will be one of the top three aviation markets globally in the next 20 years. Being an Air hostess/ Flight Steward is considered to be one of the most lucrative and attractive career opportunities in India. You don’t need to be highly qualified for it or spend years in training to get an air hostess. A diploma from a reputed institute and a good personality is all you need. If you’re asking about the job prospects and other Information related to how the job is going to be then here you go-The job is going to get your passport filled with stamps. As aviation is booming industry, there is good scope and a lot of opportunities. An Air Hostess can be later promoted as Senior Flight Attendant and then Head Attendant.

Some quick and common pros and cons-

Pros-

1.Travel around the World and Meet New People, you quickly develop a large network of friends. Wherever you go, you will be able to find people to catch up with, or recommend great places or things to do all across the globe.

  1. The reason why the cabin crew job is one of the best jobs out there is because you learn so much. You are forced and thrown into situations that you normally would not deal with. Dealing with various situations and people 24/7 give people many important skills such as example: you’ll learn professional grooming, emergency medical aid, survival skills, etc. in your Cabin Crew training
  2. Exposure to the world- you get opportunities to grow, be smarter, stronger, abler, You develop your overall personality. You learn how to handle pressure and communicate with all kinds of people boarding the plane.
  3. International medical insurance, Discounted airline tickets for yourself, your family and friends, You don’t pay any tax on your salary are some of the common perks enjoyed by cabin crew.

Cons-

  1. The job of an air hostess is considered glamorous. It is definitely an interesting job as one travels to many places and meets different people, but there is also a lot of physical and mental stress involved.
  2. An air hostess experiences a lot of physical stress due to standing for a long time. She has to be on her toes throughout the journey, as the job responsibilities include assisting passengers to find their seats, informing them about safety rules, serving them food and drinks, retrieving bags or other items for passengers and so on.
    1. An air hostess needs to look pleasant and cheerful at all times, no matter what amount of stress she is dealing with. She has to remain calm and patient under all circumstances.
    2. Due to the hectic work schedule, there is less time to spend with family and close friends.

         Skills required:

    • Pleasing personality.
    • Presence of mind and initiative.
    • Communication and interactive skills.
    • Sense of responsibility.
    • A systematic approach towards duty.
    • Language proficiency
    • Positive attitude

    Some common eligibility criteria required-

    • 18 – 26 years of age.
    • Eligible for an Indian Passport.
    • Perfect eyesight
    • 10+2 with degree in hospitality, or other graduate degree.
    • Good health.


    Air hostess training is not mandatory or essential to get into this profession. Self-preparation is needed. However, some institutes have come up in India and are offering training to develop basic skills required for the profession.

    Some common courses example

    1.cabin crew

    2.Airport Ground Services

    3.Aviation Cargo

    4.Aviation Security Awareness Basic

    5.Hospitality & Customer Services

    1. Tourism industry


    Bottom line-

    Work is work and nothing about work is fun. But once you find something that you actually enjoy doing while getting paid for it, it makes it all worth it! There are both pros and cons to everything in life. This is just a small list of pros and cons about being a flight attendant. The list could go on and on forever if listed everything so we just stated the basics.

Bhanu Garg: