What exactly are airlines looking for?

The dream of traveling the globe as a flight attendant is one that is shared by millions around the world; people, like you and I, who truly enjoy learning about new places and new cultures. But, it takes a special person to dare to live out that dream. You see, for many the dream of being a flight attendant is only a daydream, wishful thinking, and without any real intent to act on it. 

You may not be a flight attendant officially just yet, but you know in your heart it's who you are at your core! And it's not just about getting to travel the globe, or having flexibility in your schedule, or walking the concourse with a confident air....you would do just about anything to live out this passion! 

If that's the level of passion you feel about becoming a flight attendant then I know without a doubt you belong in this industry. The competition today is greater than it ever has been in the history of aviation! You have to be willing to do what it takes in order to beat the competition and fight for your passion and achieve your dream.

So, let me let you in on what's currently going on in the industry and why it's becoming more challenging to get on as a Flight Attendant:

1. The commercial airline industry is ever-changing. In the regulation era, 1930s-1970s, the flight attendant was originally there for passenger comfort, but as commercial aviation grew the position morphed into passenger safety and comfort. 

In the post-deregulation era, 1978-2001, flight attendant duties became more and more focused on customer service as airlines, now in a free competition environment, did whatever they could to out-do each other. It was survival of the fittest.

With the industry-changing events of 9/11 and those trailing, commercial airlines, the FAA, ICAO, IATA, and other aviation associations throughout the world, became challenged with how to manage the continually changing needs that they were now facing every day in terms of security and safety and out of necessity, turned to cabin crew as a "last line of defense."

Today, the flight attendant position focus is spread across 5 primary areas: safety, security, threat-and-error management, critical thinking, and customer service. 

2. Airline carriers want people who already have experience in the aviation industry, and specifically the flight attendant position. A flight attendant has many hats they are expected to wear in their role on board a typical flight and airlines can't teach you all of them. They have realized that they have to find people who already have the qualities they need, and then they can teach those people the technical skills the FAA requires for the position - emergency and medical procedures.

Some of the qualities that are needed for the various roles are things that can't be taught, only gained through experience. Airlines also feel they can't risk the investment to pay to teach their employees these qualities and so they do what they can to recruit special, well-rounded individuals who have already acquired these qualities through various life, work, and education experiences.

3. Because of the ever-changing needs of the industry, airlines want people who know what they are getting into. They want you to understand and be okay with the fact that the work is unpredictable, that you have to work your way up through their seniority system, that you will work holidays and weekends and overnights as a regular part of the job, that you will be dealing with difficult passengers, experience disrupted body clocks, serving disgruntled customers and even colleagues.

The higher the standard for the flight attendant position, the stronger the applicants who are attracted to it, and the higher the caliber of employees an airline ends up with. This all means fierce competition. But all this competition is good and pays off for you as well. This higher standard helps the airline perform well, which strengthens performance, and results in increased salaries, and you end up with a better paying job, a good company to work for, and a solid career that is going places.

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