Cabin crew

Before a flight you could:

• attend a staff meeting about the route and schedule
• check onboard supplies and make sure safety equipment is working properly
• greet passengers and check documents
• demonstrate safety and emergency procedures

During a flight, you would:

• make sure passengers are comfortable and respond to any requests
• check dietary needs, serve food and drinks, and sell duty-free items
• make announcements
• give first aid and reassure passengers in the event of an emergency

At the end of a flight you'll:

• make sure passengers leave the plane safely with all luggage items
• complete a flight report and details of any incidents
• add up payments for food and drinks orders, and duty-free sales

• customer service skills
• excellent verbal communication skills
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• to enjoy working with other people
• knowledge of public safety and security
• sensitivity and understanding
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

You'll also be expected to:

• have a valid passport with no restrictions for the countries the airline travels to
• live within 90 minutes of your base
• have good written and spoken English

Many airlines ask that you're able to swim up to 25 metres.

There are also rules about height and weight, which vary between airlines. As a general guide, most look for people between 5ft 2in (157cm) and 6ft 2in (188cm), with weight in proportion to height.

You can get into this job through:

• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• applying directly

With experience, you could progress to cabin crew supervisor or a senior air cabin crew role.

You could also work in a ground-based job, like cabin crew training, recruitment, passenger services, marketing and sales.