Who can become a flight attendant?

Text: Toomas Uibo, Nordica's Head of Communications Published: 19/07/2019

AVIATION has always been considered very glamorous: the sun-kissed faces of pilots and flight attendants, the crews glamorously walking though the terminal to their work stations, and the awe-inspiring skills of flying the passengers safely and quickly to their destination. There is definitely enough glamour to this occupation, but above all, the flight crews have a job, which demands extreme responsibility.

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As a passenger, we see the flight attendant mainly as a customer service representative and the business representative with whom we have the most direct contact. A pleasant and friendly attitude towards the passenger is definitely a vital part of the flight attendant's work, but behind the beautiful smile and neat appearance, there is also a great deal of knowledge and skills to operate in emergency situations and to ensure safety on board. Ensuring safety on board is a central task for the flight attendants, and their training largely focuses on that. Therefore, it is important to follow the instructions of the flight attendants without asking for explanations.

"A flight attendant's training focuses mostly on ensuring safety."

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Each job also comes with requirements for candidates. The requirement for good swimming skills, height limitations, and the prohibition of tattoos in visible places, are the most prevalent. Swimming skills are, of course, necessary to be able to handle emergency situations and to save lives. There are a number of cases in the history of aviation, where pilots have chosen a water body for emergency landing, as the risk of aircraft collapse is extremely high when landing in the forest or on uneven ground. This is why swimming skills and rescue skills of the cabin crew are very important. Depending on the type of aeroplane, airlines often set a height limit for the candidate, so then they would be able to comfortably work on the aeroplane. The height limit of 180 cm in Nordica is set because of the distance between the floor and the ceiling of the aeroplane type suitable for regional flights.

It is often asked why tattoos are not allowed- they are popular and quite common. I agree, but at the same time they can have a meaning/message. From the point of view of the company, in this case, a special committee should be set up to evaluate the compatibility of these messages with the values of the company. For the same reason, the flight crew members always wear a uniform. Just imagine if the captain of the plane would come to work in his favourite t-shirt with the slogan YOLO (You Only Live Once) in capital letters. Obviously, this message would give the customers with a vivid imagination something to be scared of. There is a similar concern with tattoos.

If you are interested in the extremely exciting possibility of becoming a flight attendant for a living, send your CV to cv@nordica.ee. Furthermore, as an employee of the airline, you and your family will receive great discounts to be able to travel around the world.