FAQ about the work of the stewardess

Hi, Habr! Colleagues from Tutu.ru sent your questions to the previous post , and I will try to answer.

- Who decides who will provide medical care? There are three flight attendants, two doctors and three police officers. Theoretically everyone can and should be able to do this?

The first priority is always at the doctor: he has the same education, great experience. Of course, we do not ask for a license, we always take our word for it. And any normal adult, it seems to me, if he does not have the appropriate training, he will not climb. If there is no doctor, then there is no priority between us and the same policemen. Most often, either who first started, he also renders, or very quickly find out who has more experience with certain procedures. We will have more experience with oxygen tanks than with police officers, and with injuries, rather, with them.

- How is the safety of people ensured that, during a descent and landing, they do, say, a heart massage and artificial respiration?

No This is a rare case. Depends on the situation. If the question of life and death - we will hold on to the next seat and stay on the floor with the passenger. But in any case, landing, as a rule, is not so strong and sharp that we flew to the other end of the cabin. Staying on the floor is real, especially since we are familiar.

- Is there an order of evacuation in the instructions: elderly, children, parents with children and so on?

There is no sequence, because it would be very difficult to organize everything, and even that would cause a waste of time. It will not be possible to say: “Miss the children.” The priority is partially set on the ground, for example, passengers with children cannot sit near emergency exits, with restrictions (for example, with a fracture): they can slow down the evacuation. If we are talking about a fire, then some planes burn in 90 seconds. If there is a child near the exit, there will be a loss of time. Even to open the emergency exit you need to have a certain power. Although there is a conductor near the exits, it usually has to open the emergency exit.

- The captain still leaves the board last, or for the cabin crew in general its evacuation procedure, and they do not intersect with the cabin (it seems like there is an emergency exit through the glazing of the pilot's cabin)?

Pilots have a “window leaf” with a rope, but the main way is through the emergency exit (that is, through the entrance to the bow, through which you usually enter the plane). They will use the rope only if the pilot's cabin door is jammed and they cannot get out otherwise.

- How are three delays accounted for in case of a job change and a company?

Only inside the company. In another take calmly. I have never heard that my work-changing colleagues had any problems because of this.

- How do ugly (aged) flight attendants write off on the ground? According to the medical board? Retirement (is she like you early)? Transfer to the ground with a raise?

I do not know. I would like to answer, but I really do not know. Most likely, according to the medical board, if there are age-related diseases. We have a lot of them. The most common problems are with the legs, hearing, pressure and cardiovascular system, oncology due to the environment and radiation. The plane is not the most pleasant place to live, but the environment contributes to the rapid development of various diseases.

According to impressions, elderly flight attendants became smaller. At the beginning of my career there were more of them. Perhaps the fact is that there is a large set. It is clear that the staff is updated, the overall age is reduced, a large routine. According to colleagues, about half do not stay more than two years. There are many elderly in Europe, yes, they have different requirements. They recruit not "the younger, the better," and there the older, the better. I heard that in Lufthansa they do not take under 35 years old as conductors. I can assume that this is because a person in 35 years more consciously approaches the profession, he is morally and emotionally more stable.

“It happens that we sit and hold the passenger’s hand almost until take-off: tactile contact is very important for many,” is it not abused? :)

Never was.

- How do you manage to combine personal life with such work? Or one of the two?

It succeeds. If the second in a pair is not related to our work, then there is a very big merit of the husband and parents who support. If the family understands, then manage to cope.

Recently, there are many families inside the team when both are flying. There is also a feature, because it is very difficult to see. The candy and bouquet period is skipped almost immediately, people immediately live together. Scheduled docks are complex, a maximum of five full days a month is obtained to be held together. People just do not lose time.

- Many airlines have now taken the fashion to deprive passengers of the romance of drinking beer on board. However, there are still strongholds of good and justice. For example, Lufthansa still offers beer. And it seems like in unlimited quantities. Realizing that the stewardess has the right to refuse the passenger in the next portion of the drink, the question still arises: if not to be completely inadequate, how is the decision to refuse?

It all depends on the degree of intoxication of a person. We have a recommendation: if we see that a person is drunk, he hardly reacts to our remarks and, in principle, does not assess the situation at all, then we must stop offering him alcohol. Only straight if clearly visible. We also calculate drinks from the norm per passenger, which are loaded on board, and they may simply not be enough.

There are a few more nuances about food loading. The food that remains is disposed of on earth. We are loaded with business class rations, separate trays with snacks and salads. But we are allowed to use what is not claimed (except for alcohol). Often there is a lot of ice cream, it's a pity to throw it away.

We eat both in the sky and on the earth when we are waiting for a reversal. The taste of food varies. The feeling is that in flight it tastes better than on earth. This is because at the height of changing the feeling of taste: it seems to be more salty and with more spices than usual. But it is better to ask the chefs.

- Is it true that the stewards are fined for the emergency ramp, and in the case of fires, they specifically pull up to the appearance of an open flame so that they will not be deprived of the prize?

For correctly issued emergency gangway or incorrectly released, they are not abused or fined. But if this is done in a regular situation and in violation of procedures, then they will fine or even dismiss them. Yes, there are difficult border cases where the decision is for the flight attendant. In each situation, the commission is usually dealt with. Usually, the pilot must give instructions for evacuation. If the plane is so damaged that the pilot is no longer working or the communication on board is not working, then it seems to me that it is unlikely that someone will scold the flight attendant for any decision made in difficult circumstances.

- You know, several years ago, when I had to fly a lot, the answer to one question was curious: why do Russian flight attendants (mostly Aeroflot) in a very large percentage of cases leave the impression that they had mechanically memorized all the rules of communication with passengers and in no case trying to prevent deviations from the pattern and the manifestation of some personal qualities? In the school of conductors punished for it, or what? For comparison: American conductors on domestic flights (Delta, United, AA) behave much more freely - they joke with passengers, allow themselves small tips, their faces are not stony, grandmothers conductors under 60 years old (!). Airlines of other countries left intermediate impressions, but here it was just like two opposite edges of the scale.

We have recommended phrases for communication in different situations. But here is a delicate moment. The recommended phrases are universal, and they help when you are in a difficult situation, are tired or the situation is close to conflict. Ordinary polite phrases - they are such that they simply do not remain silent in response. In fact, you need to respond "humanly", but not everyone can say something nice or answer in different cases. If a person has a head, can communicate normally, then it will be normal. In order to relieve us from making decisions, they give more standard phrases.

The mentioned airlines have a different attitude towards passengers, but there and in an emotionally difficult situation they will simply remove the passenger from the board, instead of trying to reason with him.

- I now wonder why during the demonstration of belts and waistcoats, before the flight begins, flight attendants each time read the instructions in a voice? At the same time, they read absolutely terribly, since for the thousandth time it is already difficult to read the same thing with an expression. And in English, so generally indistinguishable turns. What's the point? Why can't I hire a speaker with a good voice once, record and scroll? Themselves stewardess demonstrators, twisting the straps in their hands, you can leave, I just about the voice.

It depends on the aircraft. A lot, where it is recorded and played, then we just show the equipment. Or there is a video demonstration, and we do not even go out to show it to the salon.

There is also a manual in the back of the chair on paper. It duplicates what we tell, but we still have to tell (or show the video) by the rules.

With this instruction there is one more feature - you can take everything from the pocket of the chair in front of you (to fit the legs better, there is up to 3–4 centimeters free) and give it to us. But the instruction must be left. She is thin.

- There are no powerful ones on board? That is, in the case of landing on the belly in the middle of the desert, followed by a fire to anesthetize the burned passengers before the arrival of the rescuers - also valerian, and not, say, tramadol or morphine? Somehow unexpectedly unwisely for aviation, where it is better to be safe once again. Or is it still a legend for the townsfolk, so as not to beg for drugs without a serious reason?

Yes and no. That is, in the on-board first-aid kit there is really no, and this is not a legend for the average man. But there are still emergency first aid kits that cannot be easily reached from the passenger compartment. For example, when landing on the water on a ladder-raft, you can use a much more interesting first-aid kit than ours. It has, for example, special granules for desalination. And in general there are small reserves in case of landing somewhere far from civilization, for example, at high mountains.

- Is the aircraft in the conversation is not called "board"?

Yes, almost always say "board" among themselves. But passengers do not always understand.

“The interesting thing is this: everyone saw the boarding pass — it is in two parts, big and small. Why on boarding on different flights tear off (and even luggage labels are glued together) and give the passenger the most part, then the small one?

This is done by earthmen, more often they must tear off a large part. But depends on their rules.

- It happens that because of a cold (or other reasons) it is very painful in the ear, with pressure drops. Hell pain is simple. You can make it easier: take a plastic cup, put some napkins, pour boiling water on it, lean it against your ear (because something like a steam inhaler is obtained).

We call it “Cheburashka”, still heard “humanoid.” You can soak napkins or rags with warm water, put them in glasses, then attach the glasses to your ears. So it will be possible to save the pressure (or reduce the rate of its change), and if you manage to do everything before starting to drop when landing, then everything will be fine with the ears. At least easier. You can apply and just empty glasses, even it saves. If you fly cold or have difficulty landing, do not hesitate to ask for “Cheburashka”, we will help.

Sometimes flight attendants give children small chocolates before boarding. They come up, ask the parents if the child can have chocolate, get it and give it to him. The child is happy, the passengers think that it is very touching, but in fact the child will suck and chew chocolate and constantly swallow. From this, and he will be more comfortable to sit down, and the rest: he will not start screaming. But this is not an instruction, usually it is a personal initiative of a good specialist.

- If you lay your ears, you can swallow, gape, but do not close your nose and try to breathe out with force through it. It may cause injury.

We are told: yes, in a particularly bad case, the membrane may burst. But neither me nor my acquaintances had such a thing. It is better to use ear drops or warm the nasopharynx. But there are no ear drops on board, you have to buy them yourself on the ground.

- About the camera at every turn in the plane - right? I did not know that there are cameras in the cabin. Where are they?

Be sure to in the lobby, often - in the ceiling (in the aisle), and they are directed to the passenger compartment. The newer the aircraft, the more visible.

- I understand correctly that on airplanes on long flights, the toilets are washed by the same people who carry tea?

Yes. There is no separate person. We do it on our own in sterile gloves, there are special means for cleaning and disinfection. We do not wash 100% in the literal sense of the word, but we monitor cleanliness. If there is a nightmare there, then we close this toilet and do not use it before planting. Then it was the ground crew that washes it completely.

For questions thanks DGN , olekl , Smbdy_kiev , Geckelberryfinn , zxweed , ZuOverture , JediPhilosopher , Unxed , TimeCoder , Jeyko , amarao .

Like last time, we, the team of Tutu.ru, slightly changed (shortened) its answers in order to remove details that could disrupt the airline's NDA.