Career options: A job as Air Hostess can be a lucrative one

New Delhi: The most important aspect of air travel is to make the journey of passengers as much comfortable and safe as possible. It is here the air hostesses play a great role. They are the people who welcome passengers aboard an aircraft. They help them in their seating arrangements and arranging their hand baggage in the proper manner. They ensure the safety-belt arrangements and demonstrate the use of emergency equipments. They make the necessary announcements inside the flight. Air hostesses and flight stewards have to be on duty throughout the duration of the flight for looking after passengers in general, and taking special care of air-sick travelers, sick children and babies; and elderly people or very young who are traveling alone. Eligibility and Course Areas Educational: Eligibility for an airhostess training programme is plus two or a graduate degree with a diploma/degree in Hotel Management or Tourism Management. The aspirant must be eligible to hold an Indian Passport and should be below twenty-five years of age with a minimum height of 157.5 centimeters. The weight should be in proportion to height. Further, one must be unmarried, with normal eyesight of 6/6 uncorrected vision in each eye. Fluency in English, Hindi, and knowledge of an international language is an added advantage. A flight purser, male counterpart of the airhostess has to be a graduate below 26 years, and have a minimum height of 163 cm with proportionate weight. The applicant should be physically fit with a pleasing personality and clear complexion. After the initial screening of applicants is completed the airline company calls them for a written examination, usually of the objective type (multiple choice). Those who qualify in the written examination have to appear for a group discussion followed by a personal interview of successful candidates. If selected you will be on training for 2 to 3 months in which time you learn about service, grooming, safety and first aid, after which you are initially put on trainee flights. The training covers several topics, each of which deals with technical or non-technical aspects of the aircraft. Beginning with the history of aviation, the candidates are made to learn In-flight Service, Passenger Handling, Passenger psychology, Service of meals on the Aircraft, the art of conversation, Transactional Analysis, Emergency Evacuation System, Personal Grooming and Hygiene, First Aid, Confidence Building, Handling of visually impaired passengers, Making announcements, Emergency demonstration etc. Personal Attributes Common sense, sense of responsibility, initiative, friendly outgoing personality, politeness, physical stamina and the capacity to work for long hours on one's feet, ability to react quickly in times of emergency and a presence of mind, systematic approach, unruffled appearance, a well-modulated pleasant voice, and a proportionate figure with a graceful carriage. Job prospects With privatization and foreign collaboration increasing every day, the future is bright for an air hostess. Most airline offices are looking to increasing their fleet and there is a demand for air hostesses. They can find employment with private owned domestic and international airlines namely Sahara, Singapore airlines, Jet Airways etc and government air services like Air India and Indian Airlines. Ads for recruitment normally appear in all major newspapers. Career options An Air Hostess has every chance to be promoted to the post of Senior Flight Attendant and then Head Attendant. Career as an Air Hostess would last for about eight to ten years, after that she could move on to the ground duties including the job of a Ground Hostess, Check Hostess, training of airhostess or work in the management level. One can also diversify into any one of the other departments in the airline industry. The duty of an airhostess last throughout the duration of the flight. The job of an air hostess begins long before the arrival of the passengers. It starts with safety check on the aircraft, where she has to check the safety equipment, blankets, pillows, magazines, plates, napkins and medicines, etc. as well as the cleanliness. After the passengers board the flight the job includes assisting passengers to settle down. Special care is needed in the case of sick travellers, VIPs, babies or children or elderly people traveling alone. Once all the passengers are seated it is the duty of the airhostess to go about ensuring that safety arrangements are in proper condition and demonstrate the use of emergency equipment. They has to provide first aid if such a situation arise. Her responsibilities also include serving meals to passengers. In case of an emergency during the flight, she need to take responsibility and determine the most appropriate steps to deal with the situation. In short she has to work continuously with presence of mind and must be on call all the time. Remuneration In the beginning, depending on the airlines you are getting into, your salary and other allowance may ad up to Rs.16,000 to Rs.35,000(approx) or more per month. The maximum you can earn as a senior airhostess is about Rs.75,000 per month in Air India or Indian Airlines. Domestic private airlines pay more. In foreign airlines, pay for a senior airhostess can cross Rs.3 lakh a month in Indian currency. Courses » Advance Diploma in Airline Cabin Crew and Hospitality» Airhostess/ Flight Steward Training » Cabin Crew Training» Diploma in Air hostess and ground handling » Diploma in Airline Cabin Crew » Certified Professional in Cabin Crew Services