When a flier evaluates a particular airline, the disposition
and performance of the cabin crew plays a major role in the final verdict. It
wouldn’t be wrong to say that the cabin crew is the face of the airline. The
role they play goes beyond just serving and attending to the passengers; they
are in fact responsible for the comfort and safety of their passengers
throughout the flight. Another fact about this line of work is that it is
short-term; one cannot plan of retiring as cabin crew at a ripe old age. Following
the short window within which one can fly, they have to either switch careers
or join the ground staff roster.
Linda Mellocastro has been a part of Air India for 16 years
and retired at the age of 37. “I enjoyed every flight very much as I got to
meet different people and experience different cultures. Flying with Air India,
I had the opportunity to meet VVIPs on duty. When we travel to different
countries, we get to learn how the country is managed, their living conditions,
importance to detail, hygiene, etc. Sometimes, when I used to travel back, I
used to wish that my country was like that,” says Linda.
Speaking about long term goals, Linda says, “Everyone should
have a long term goal, whether flying internationally or domestic. After
leaving the job or completing their term, many cabin crew members start
training cabin crew or go in for management training. I am training in
personality development in one of the cabin crew training institutes.”
She further adds, “When I was working, the job was very
exciting, and we had sufficient rest after each flight. If we had 12 flights,
we had seven days off. However, the rules for weight and medical tests were the
same. We had to be efficient on board.”
Liza Dias started her career working with IndiGo before
moving to Etihad Airways after completion of term. Enjoying every minute of her
travelling experience, she feels that she has more options with her second job.
“Etihad is a national carrier and we can be there until retirement. The job,
which allows us to travel around the world, is so enjoyable that hardly anyone
wants to leave. One of the few reasons female cabin crew leave is to settle
down and start a family,” says Liza, who is just back from a flight.
“Once a cabin crew, always a cabin crew,” quips Liza,
adding, “It gets difficult to settle into a regular office job after a stint in
the air. After retirement, people usually go in for creative jobs like make up
artists, styling or fashion designing; more solo jobs, I think. Within the
airline, they can opt for a ground position and maintain their flying license
by flying once in six months.”
When it comes to maternity leave, the cabin crew
are given a two-month break and are offered a ground job within the ticketing
office to make it less stressful, physically as well as mentally. “Some cabin
crew members are offered jobs of ground managers where they attend to ground
issues for cabin crew like passenger complains or schedule intimation,” she
adds.
