What does a hostess do? All About Our Flight Assistants

In this article, we will focus on the subject of what a hostess does with the advantages of the profession and the higher average salary compared to other professions.

The stewardess, or cabin crew, is the person responsible for ensuring the comfort and safety of passengers on board. When it comes to the question of what the stewardess does, they are responsible for almost all the things inside the plane, apart from operating the plane. Hostess is mostly preferred by women, except for the first time. Male cabin attendants are called “hosts”. In fact, there are stewardesses not only on planes, but also on cruise ships, buses and trains. However, when one thinks of stewardess, the first thing that comes to mind is flight stewardship.

The history of this profession group is not considered very old. It emerged in the 1920s when air transportation began to increase. This profession, which was mostly performed by men at that time, started to be preferred more by women later on. After many years, stewardesses have titles such as “senior flight attendant” and “chief officer”.

What does a hostess do? What are their Duties and Responsibilities?

The question of what a hostess does is one of the most curious questions about this profession. The job descriptions of the stewardesses usually vary according to the flight distances.
One of the differences is assigned according to their place of duty. While the ground stewardess manages the process until boarding, the air stewardess is responsible for the order in the plane. For example, air stewardesses direct passengers to the aircraft, manage the landing and take-off processes, and provide in-flight service. There are certain duties to be fulfilled by the stewardesses in order to ensure the order of the aircraft, not to disturb the established order, to ensure the satisfaction of the traveling passengers and to ensure a safe flight. These tasks can be listed as follows:

• The stewardesses attend the pre-flight briefing and there they learn all the details about their flight, the number of babies on the plane, the passengers who are subject to special services, such as sick or wheelchair users. Following the instructions given in accordance with the rules determined in these pre-flight meetings is their main duty.
• Before the flight, it ensures that the seats and aisles are clean and tidy.
• It helps the flight to take place safely by controlling the security measures on the rear, right – left doors.
• The duties of the stewardesses in loading the necessary materials to the aircraft may vary from company to company. But today, this task belongs to the stewardesses.
• It provides the delivery, counting and preparation of the food and beverages to be served on the plane.
• Greets passengers and shows a smiling face when boarding the plane. He also wishes them a good trip.
• They check the tickets of the passengers during boarding the plane.
• They help boarding passengers find their seats and place their hand luggage in overhead lockers.
• They ensure that passengers fasten their seat belts and sit in the correct position during takeoff.
• Before the plane takes off, it reads the rules written on the safety card by animation and tells the passengers what to do in case of emergency.
• Hosts and hostesses are responsible for opening the emergency exit door in case of emergency. It informs the passengers traveling in the seats next to the emergency exits about the special place they are sitting. It helps passengers to apply the instructions that should be applied in emergency situations.
• The duties of cabin crew are considered valid for both normal situations and emergencies. They have to open and close the exit doors on the right and left parts of the aircraft in accordance with the instructions.
• Counts the passengers.
• When the plane takes off and reaches a level position, it starts serving food and beverage. He asks the passengers if they have any other requests.
• It takes special care of passengers with special conditions such as the elderly, sick, children and infants.
• The duty area of the stewardesses starts from the cockpit door and ends in the rear kitchen area. They are not responsible for the outside of the aircraft or inside the pilot house.
• Cabin attendants are responsible for fulfilling all the wishes and requests of the passengers within the limits of possibilities.
• It provides supplies such as pillows, blankets, food and beverages that passengers need during the flight.
• They ensure that passengers have a comfortable journey throughout the flight.
• In emergencies, they bring passengers to a safe situation.
• Making sure that the passengers comply with the rules they have to comply with,
• They report any medical problems that occur during the flight to the airline company.
• During disembarkation, it reminds passengers to prepare for landing, to wear seat belts and to have seats in an upright position.
• As passengers get off the plane, it ensures that they leave the plane safely.

What Training Do You Need To Become A Hostess?

Now that we know what a hostess does, let’s look at what training should be taken. Although being a hostess is difficult, it is a profession with a high level of entertainment. This profession also requires a great deal of patience and dedication. For this reason, it is important to have the ability to endure the difficulties required by this profession. Private training courses are also available. In addition to these special courses, the companies that will recruit employees are given the necessary training on hostess. To be a hostess, it is required to be at least a high school graduate. Many companies also offer the opportunity to provide vocational training to the hosts and hostesses they will accept. However, it is possible to enter the profession by graduating from the Civil Aviation and Cabin Services department of the universities, which is studied for 2 years.

Features That Cabin Attendants Should Carry

Although being a stewardess may seem like an easy job, it is actually quite a challenging job. Since he is in direct contact with the passengers, he must always remain smiling and positive. It is essential to have a patient and calm disposition to properly deal with some difficult passengers. In order to become a hostess, the personality structure should be suitable for the profession along with the education.
Hostesses, who have to be calm in the first place, should also be able to cope with urgent and stressful situations. Other required features are as follows:

• First of all, it is required to be a citizen of the Republic of Turkey and to be at least a high school graduate.
• In order to become a hostess or cabin crew, it is necessary to have certain training and qualifications. For example, people who want to be a stewardess on international flights must know at least one foreign language.
• The condition of living in the city requested by the applied airline company must be accepted.
• The criminal record must be clean and not have a criminal record.
• It is desired that the length range is between 160 cm and 180 cm. As a matter of fact, there is a condition that the weight ratio should be proportional to the height.
• A health and physical adequacy report from a predetermined institution is required.
• No disciplinary action should be taken from an airline company before.
• Age and marital status criteria may vary according to the demand of the airline company. Therefore, there is no specific rule in this regard. However, airline companies mostly prefer young candidates who are single and have a marital status in order to avoid travel barriers.
• Must be able to work indoors.
• There should be no problems with eye health
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and stress, especially in emergencies
• Since the stewardesses are in one-on-one communication with the passengers, their communication skills should be developed. At the same time, they need to be very careful and sometimes self-sacrificing.
• Must be able to adapt to flexible working hours
• Must have a friendly disposition,
• It should have a professional appearance.

What are the Requirements to Become a Cabin Crew?

In order to become a host – hostess, it is necessary to meet and fulfill certain conditions. The General Directorate of Civil Aviation (SHGM) publishes a list called “Minimum Requirements to Become a Cabin Attendant”. Along with this list, it is obligatory to pass the interview along with the written exams prepared by the airline companies themselves. The most important requirement to become a cabin crew member is to be over the age of 18. It is also necessary to be a high school graduate in the country or abroad and to have a psychological and physical competence certificate from a health institution authorized by DGCA. Some airline companies also offer the requirement to have a bachelor’s degree and to know 2 foreign languages besides the mother tongue.

• Since you are in one-on-one contact with passengers, the dress code required by the airline company must be followed. Personal care and appearance should always be taken care of. Flights should not be taken carelessly and in disarray.
• In addition to determining factors such as educational status, physical structure, age, marital status, certain psychological factors are also important. The stewardesses, who greet their passengers with a professional and attentive appearance and a smiling face, are more appreciated by the companies they work with and the passengers.
• It will be necessary to be able to communicate with passengers throughout the flight and be able to assist them when they need it. For this reason, it is very important to have advanced communication skills and to be able to persuade passengers with skills. In short, the most important personal feature sought in a good hostess-cabin crew is high communication skills.
• A stewardess works with the entire cabin crew. In order not to disrupt the flight order, teamwork must be fully fulfilled. For this reason, it will be a plus for people who want to be a hostess to be in a team-oriented character.
• Flights may sometimes be delayed. Sometimes there may be situations where the stewardesses have to wait long hours at the airport or on the plane. For this reason, people who are considering becoming a hostess should also have a dynamic and patient character.

What is the 2021 Hostess Salary?

In the airline sector, personnel are generally paid according to the flight hours. Flight companies usually arrange salary contracts as 50 hours. Those who fly more than 50 hours and receive bonuses are paid more.
If we need to make a generalization, companies offer an average salary of 3000-6500 TL to their cabin crew and hostess staff. In addition to salaries, companies also provide a lot of opportunities and fringe benefits to their employees.

Airline Stewardess Salaries 2021

• THY Hostess Salary: 5000-6500 TL
• Pegasus Stewardess Salary: 4000 – 5000 TL
• Sunexpress Hostess Salary: 4000- 4500 TL
• Onur Air Hostess Salary: 3000-4500 TL
• AtlasGlobal Hostess Salary: 4000-5000 TL

What are the advantages of being a hostess?

Although stewardesses have a good career, they can travel almost every part of Turkey and the world, get to know new places and gain new experiences. He can learn a lot from the people he meets during his journey, and even creates an environment for himself. They can have titles such as “chief officer” and “senior flight attendant” with the experience they have gained by working for many years.
Hostesses have a higher salary opportunity compared to other occupational groups. It is a profession group that has such good side rights and opportunities.

The profession gives them the ability to deal with difficult situations, crises and difficult people.
Working hours are relatively less compared to other occupational groups.
They can travel by purchasing discounted flight tickets.

What are the disadvantages and difficulties of being a hostess?

• You work on public holidays. In contrast to most other occupational group employees, there is a more intense work schedule on public holidays and holidays.
• It’s a tiring job.
• Jetlag should also be considered.
• If you are married, you may be away from your spouse/child for a long time. For example, commuting to China can sometimes take 1 or 2 weeks.
• Snow having to carry heavy items. Opening and closing the airplane door is a stewardess job, and airplane doors are very heavy.
• Your social life may suffer due to working hours. You have working hours that are different from other occupational groups.

This post is also available in: Türkçe