How do I Become an Air Hostess or Flight Attendants in India? It has become one of the largest job categories of the growing travel industry. A new place every day, a wanderlust career, taste of a luxurious life style and chances to see the best places are few of the perks as a Cabin Crew. Flight attendants play a crucial role in helping passengers feel at home during aerial travel. Their role is not only to maintain the decorum within flight by being affirmative and attentive but also be of assistance to the passengers’ comforts and safety. The career requires good command over languages and formal education till 12th standard for minimum qualification to join related courses.
Promising career
The career gives a lot of chances of experiencing different cultures of cities around the world and meeting different people from all over the world. It is predicted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that by 2026, the country will become the third largest aviation market seeing the rate at which India is expanding its airline services. This is largely a female dominant profession but many men too have carved a niche for themselves.
Eligibility
There is of course a lot of pressure on looking good. One must be tall, young and physically fit with a good vision, excellent communication skills and hospitality skills. The age-bar for entry into the field is 25 years. Apart from these attributes, each airline may also have its specific list of physical attributes which they look for in their crew.
Courses to become an Air Hostess:
Lot of courses are available for joining to become a flight steward. Both males and females are eligible to take these courses.
There are three types of courses.
Certificate Courses:
Certification courses are after 10+2 studies.. Usually the duration of a course is 6 months to 1 Year but few fast track certificate courses can be just 3 -6 months long. The value of these fast track courses is not great.
• Aviation Management and Hospitality
• Aviation Customer Service
• Airlines Hospitality
• Air Hostess Management
• Air Hostess Training
• Cabin Crew/Flight Attendant
Diploma Courses
Minimum qualifications required are 10+2. PG Diploma courses can be also pursued but after graduation.
The duration of the course is same as certificate course.
• Diploma in Air Hostess Training
• Diploma in Aviation and Hospitality Management
• Diploma in Cabin Crew/Flight Attendant Training
• Diploma in Hospitality and Travel Management
Both certificate and diploma courses are available with individual institutes and accreditations can be dubious.
Degree Courses
Degree courses are of three-year duration and are the most important course out of all three. One must have passed 10+2 to qualify for these courses.
• B.Sc. in Air Hostess Training
• B.Sc. Aviation
• Bachelor of Hospitality and Travel Management
• Bachelor of Travel and Tourism Management
• BBA
• MBA
One can also pursue a distance learning course "Airline Cabin Crew Training" requiring 40-45 hours of self-study plus a 3-hour exam. This is offered by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Selection procedure and after:
A candidate has to successfully go through the screening procedure, written test, group discussion and personal interview. After the selection, the first part of the training covers grooming, hospitality and emergency procedures. Then in trainee flights the education to be an on-flight cabin crew starts. Several technical or non-technical aircraft-related subjects are covered from theory to practical. Rigorous training in in-flight services like serving meals, passenger psychology and handling, conversational and transactional analysis, emergency evacuation system, hijacking situation, emergency demonstration are covered. Many institutes also assist students in finding the right placement, but by spending some extra amount as an additional cost for the said purpose.
Mandatory requirements
There are certain mandatory requirements that need to be fulfilled. The list goes as follows:-
• Minimum age criteria vary from 18 to 21 depending on airline basis.
• Completion of 10+2 in any discipline before applying.
• Fluency in English as medium of communication with an additional knowledge of Hindi.
• Good vision-you must have at least 20/30 vision and contact lenses are accepted.
These are all about the career as a crew member and in some airlines they have walk-ins so keep your curriculum vitae, testimonials and photos ready if required.
Top Colleges/Institutes for Air Hostess Training
Air hostess training is not mandatory or essential to get into this profession. Self-preparation is needed. However, some institutes have come up in India and are offering training to develop basic skills required for the profession.
The Indira Gandhi Institute of Aeronautics offers a 1-3 year diploma in cabin crew services & hospitality management.
Best Air hostess Training Institute/Academies in India
1. Air Hostess Academy, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Delhi, Mumbai
2. Rajiv Gandhi Memorial College of Aeronautics, Jaipur
3. Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess, New Delhi and Mumbai
4. Universal Aviation Academy, Chennai
5. Rai University, Ahmedabad.
6. Air Hostess Academy, Pune
7. Avalon Academy, Dehradun
Skills & Attributes
Following skills are essential for an air hostess for a successful career:
• Sense of responsibility
• Pleasing personality
• Presence of mind and initiative
• Good physique
• Patience to work long hours
• Systematic approach towards duty
• Good appearance
• Communication and interactive skills
• Language proficiency
• Pleasant voice
• Team spirit
• Positive attitude
• Sense of humour
Placements:
Once the course is successfully completed, many airlines line up to hire the best.
The top airlines who hire in India are:
1. Air India
2. Alliance Air
3. Go Air
4. Indigo
5. Gulf Air
6. Singapore Airlines
7. Lufthansa
8. AirAsia
9. Malaysian Airlines
10. Vistara
International airlines salaries are better than domestic ones, though domestic air hostesses earn anywhere between Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 40,000. In senior positions one can be paid up to one lac a month, depending on the years of experience and caliber.
Process of hiring:
Each Airline company conducts its own entrance examination for recruiting Air Hostesses.
The entire selection process is divided into 3 stages.
- Written Examination: Written exam tests one’s aptitude and reasoning. The exam pattern is quite similar to other competitive exams with multiple type objective questions.
- Group Dynamics (GD): Second stage is Group Discussion where attributes tested are presence of mind, communication skills, team work, leadership quality and related skills.
- Interview: Final round is the interview. Once selected, the company provides training for six months.
Conclusion:
Air Hostess usually has an average career span of eight to ten years; however, in Air India, one can continue to be a flight attendant for more than 20 years or more. In other airlines, there is a move to the ground duties which includes Check Hostess, training positions and other administrative positions. There is volatility in this profession and sometimes employees are laid off without prior notice.
At the end, it is a very nice career for adventure seeking students, who love travelling and are comfortable with night duties. Salaries are good and life style is glamorous. Job can be exhausting at times. There is some gender bias for female students in some airlines; but jobs are in plenty for male students.
Summary of requirements :
• 18 - 26 years of age.
• 10+2 with degree in hospitality, or other graduate degree.
• Height of min 157.5 centimetres,
• Weight proportionate to the height.
• Eligible for an Indian Passport.
• Unmarried.
• Perfect eyesight.
• Good health
• Mastery in spoken English and other foreign languages as required.
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