Flight attendant

Flight attendants ( formerly: Steward or female stewardess in English: flight attendant or cabin attendant ) is the job title for service personnel in a commercial aircraft, care for the passengers traveling by air, and in addition provide emergency for rapid and orderly evacuation. In the European legal regulations EU -OPS 1 Subpart O, the flight attendants are in contrast to the flight crew, with the cockpit crew - referred to is meant as a cabin crew - that pilots and flight engineers. You are part of the flying personnel of an airline or a rare air force unit. The military designation is air transport companion.

In the early days of aviation, this activity was seen as a dream job for many young women.

History

The world's first steward on board an aircraft was on duty in 1912 on the transport airship LZ 10 "Schwaben" for DELAG. On 1 May 1927, Stewart appeared in the British Imperial Airways, the predecessor company of today's British Airways, the world's first flight attendant duties on board an aircraft on the flight London - Paris. The first German board Steward worked as a flight attendant for the German Luft Hansa from 29 April 1928 - initially on the Berlin-Paris aboard a Junkers G 31 The conceptual development for today's professional profile flight attendants goes to a service idea of the manager Boeing Air Transport, the predecessor company of today's United Airlines, in 1930 back, which took the view stewardesses would exert through their presence on board a calming effect on passengers, and thus the fear of flying before then still perceived as exotic and novel reduce transport aircraft. On May 15, 1930, the nurse Ellen Church ( 1904-1965 ) accompanied from the State of Iowa (USA) first flight attendant the flight of a three -engined Boeing 80 A of Boeing Air Transport. This was done against the resistance of the stewards and pilots as well as against the will of the wives of the pilots. Nelly servant became in 1934 the first flight attendant for Swissair and European awareness. The world's first mixed, that is, of men and women existing flight attendant group was used by Boeing Air Transport in June 1938.

In March 1937 were at the four U.S. carriers United Airlines, American Airlines, Trans World Airlines and Western Air Express 270 hostesses employed at Eastern Airlines and Pan American Airlines, however, male stewards were employed. At that time, there was a personal crisis of a special kind, as at United Airlines excreting 17 hostesses in just six weeks due to marriage. At American Airlines got married in March 1937 in a week equal to six flight attendants; usually the airlines five to six women walked throughout the year lost through marriage.

The senior flight attendant in the world is the U.S. americans Ron Akana, who worked 63 years for United Airlines, thereby laid back estimated 200 million airline miles and was included in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Tasks and functions

The main duties of cabin crew heard the guarantee of safety on board and care for passengers (eg the behavior of the loss of cabin pressure, slides and the use of life jackets). In an emergency, it is the responsibility of the flight attendants, within a very short time to evacuate the aircraft. You must be able to fight fires and immediately take appropriate action in an emergency.

In addition, duties of board service performed, such as serving of food and beverages ( airline food ), or the sale of ( duty-free for some international flights ) goods.

The most senior flight attendants, carrying the commander (Captain) over the responsibility for the implementation and coordination of the specified in the operations manual safety and emergency procedure for the passenger cabin by law, the Purser, AP 'or' PU ' [ feminine form: purser, also: chief steward ( ess) ]. It is the interface between the cabin crew and the crew of the cockpit in his capacity as chief cabin. In the European legal regulations EU -OPS is the Purser as a senior flight attendant, referred to in the English laws output as senior cabin crew member.

Flight Director or cabin services director are outdated names and common only in the English language on wide-body aircraft. In addition, there is the name Chef de Cabine (CDC).

The Assistant Purser comes with some airlines on large aircraft as head of a separate cabin area or a class to use and is subordinated to the Purser.

The number of flight attendants depends on the number of seats and the carriage of class. Up to 19 passenger seats, no cabin staff is required; from 20 seats a flight crew member is required. Then from every 50th passenger seat, another cabin staff should be used.

The flight attendant is a representative of the airline, which meets the passenger at the most intense and involved through extensive customer contact in shaping the public image of the airline. Therefore, for most airlines in the training and the onset of cabin crew a major importance is attached to. In a broader sense flight attendants are also " ambassador " of the country in which the airline is based. Therefore, the uniform clothing often based on typical traditions. In the German Lufthansa, for example, are some cabin crew during the Munich Oktoberfest in specially designed for Lufthansa Dirndl in use. At the baptism of the second delivered to Lufthansa Airbus A380 on the name " Munich " some of these Dirndl were represented.

In passenger aircraft of the military (eg when the flight readiness ) to take especially soldiers or rarely own employees, the flight attendant.

Training

Flight attendants are in Germany formally as non -skilled workers, their work is not recognized as professional training, as the state criteria

• Minimum length of training
• Economic benefits
• Future perspective

Are not met in -house training of the airline. Flight attendants are trained theoretically and practically in a multi- week basic course. The knowledge based on criteria that are economically relevant for air carriers. The training ends with an internal company review without a state- recognized qualification.

Each airline trains their own cabin crew. Even with hiring an employee with years of flight experience basic training is done from scratch.

Professional benefits

• As an advantage, the activity is regarded that you traveled the world, has to do with very different passengers and can apply his knowledge of foreign languages ​​.
• Members of an airline usually come to benefit from greatly discounted flight tickets ( about ten percent of the commercially available full paying fare ); generally, it is also common for aircrew - receives worldwide touristic services offered (such as hotel, rental car, etc.) discounts and rebates - depending on framework agreements.

The work on the plane

The work on board

• In the car, a humidity of about 5% to 10 % (normal is 40% to 50 %),
• In the cabin air pressure. approximately an altitude of 2700 m above sea NN corresponds to
• Has an increased noise level of about 80 dB.

In addition, the aircraft cabin one in its consequences has not been clearly clarified and increased cosmic radiation and higher load is exposed to ozone. However, health risks, or side effects to humans have so far been detected in any study. Nevertheless, at least the German federal legislature has all governed by German law airlines required to record the resulting radiation doses and archive. Accordingly, each employee must have permanent access to these statistics. The flight -related effective dose of 20 mSv in a calendar year does not exceed, while the limit is for the working lives through occupational radiation exposure, whatever its origin, at 400 mSv. The rules for the protection of the Flying personnel from exposure to cosmic radiation are laid down in § 103 Radiation Protection Ordinance. Which came into force on 1 August 2001 revision of the German Regulation is based on the EU Directive 96/29/EURATOM.

Generally

The service is subject to exercise operational and legal requirements. All crew members are subjected to on a regular basis by various authorities to a background check. All safety-related practices as well as dealing with evacuation means and knowledge of dangerous goods must be controlled by the crew member at any time. To this end, they undertake regular refresher training.

For the members of the crew, the duties incumbent upon every employee shall, in particular to secrecy regarding official matters. The members of the crew are particularly true obliged at all times to behave in and out of service so that the reputation of an airline is not damaged. Crew members are strictly forbidden to ask for in terms of his functions donations of any kind ( gratuities, rewards, benefits in kind) of passengers, accept or be promised.

In Germany represents the Independent Flight Attendant Organisation ( UFO) as a trade union members' interests.

Physical complaints

As such occur:

• Jetlag
• Chronic sleep
• Back injuries
• Some flight attendants are prone to eating disorders, caused by irregular eating and drinking. Therefore, it is very important to be able to relax in his spare time and to eat healthy. Sporty compensation is strongly recommended.

Periods of service under German law

The maximum flight duty time / rest periods are regulated in Germany by the laws of the Federal Aviation Office and by collective agreements. The maximum allowable working hours of crew members is including regulated in Regulation standby time 2000 hours per calendar year. The monthly number of flight hours is, for example, at a large German airline 70-87 hours in mixed and intercontinental range and 69-89 hours in the continental area. Each airline has its own rules for the monthly maximum flying hours limit. Many airlines offer flight attendants also have the option of part-time employment. The number of flight hours is reduced within a month or some months of the year can remain employable free as part-time months. Flight attendants are not entitled to free weekends or holidays. With a large German airline, for example, the flight attendants are entitled to at least ten days off a month and 35 days off in the quarter in full employment.

• Stands for working on intercontinental flights partly a crew rest area available, but does not allow the profound relaxation.
• Multi-day absence from home due to the risk of isolation from the social environment, including the family.

Legal ( Germany )

Flight attendants may by order of the flight captain as pilot in command in the context of its powers of intervention under § 12 of the Aviation Security Act ( board powers ) also exert physical violence against passengers. To protect against terrorists fly partly in Germany with also plainclothes officers of the Federal Police, known as Sky Marshals, which - unlike the flight attendants - according to § 12 paragraph 3, page 3 Aviation Security Act, under the command of the board responsible aircraft captain ( commander) also the use of firearms is permitted.

Synonym

Saftschubse in Germany is a slang, derogatory term of the professional group of flight attendants. The word was included in the notice published on August 28, 2004 23rd edition of the Duden.