Career as an Air Hostess- A Complete guide to your air Journey!

There is a woman on the flight who will meet her family after 2 years post shifting to a new city for a job. Sitting beside her is a boy excited to live his dream life in Newyork who will pursue his Master’s. 

A 60-year-old uncle is achieving his dream of boarding a flight for the first time while a 1-year-old boy on the next seat might not even remember his first flight. 

There is a to-be grandmom who is going to help her daughter in her first delivery while there is a daughter sitting beside her who is going straight to the hospital to check on her mother. 

These are the kind of contrary situations that an air hostess or members of the crew encounter on their daily flights. And despite this, they ought to maintain their calm and help their passengers. And establishing that though a career as an air hostess is not easy, it is a very lucrative career if you like problem-solving. Read further to know more about it- the qualifications, skills, job prospects, various roles, and much more! 

What does an Air Hostess do? 

A member of the cabin crew on a commercial airline, an air hostess is responsible for the comfort and safety of passengers during flights. Prior to departure and landing, air hostesses are in charge of inspecting the emergency plans.

The responsibilities of an air hostess include welcoming passengers aboard and giving passengers the appropriate instructions while they are in flight. Before takeoff, an air hostess must follow all safety protocols as part of her job. She takes care to make sure each passenger is relaxed and secure during the flight. Serving food and beverages to passengers from the trolley is another aspect of working as an air hostess or cabin crew. She helps passengers and listens to their worries about problems with their air hostess careers. In-flight sales of duty-free goods are handled by an air hostess, who also handles seating assignments.

Some specific responsibilities include: 

• Communicating safety procedures: It can be crucial for the air hostesses to explain all the safety precautions that passengers must take during the flight before the plane takes off. Before the plane takes off, it is important to explain these protocols, guidelines, and restrictions to the passengers and flight attendants. Passengers can benefit from safety processes by learning about emergency evacuation and safety measures.
• Managing: Managing passengers’ issues during flight is a key component of an air hostess’ job. She is in charge of making sure each passenger is secure and at ease during the journey.
• Providing assistance to travellers during boarding and landing: When passengers board, an air hostess greets them and directs them to their assigned seats. Additionally, they help passengers with their carry-on luggage and ensure that the items are stored safely. The passengers are thanked for their voyage and assisted in deplaning by the air hostesses when the plane has landed.
• Making Announcements: In order to keep passengers informed, air hostesses make a number of announcements on the pilot’s behalf over the course of a flight. Important information regarding flight duration, safety, or landing times may be included in the announcements. Additionally, pilots may ask hostesses to alert passengers of critical information like cruising altitude and the appropriate time to unbuckle their seatbelts.
• Serving food and beverages: Serving food and drinks to the passengers while the plane is in flight is a crucial responsibility of an air hostess. Air hostesses may stop by once or twice on shorter flights to serve passengers snacks and drinks. Air hostesses may offer passengers full meals, drinks, and other refreshments throughout the trip on long-haul international flights or local flights.

Job Roles for an Air Hostess  

There are many employment possibilities available nowadays, and air hostess job profiles are no longer just for cabin personnel. Some of the job roles for air hostesses and cabin crew are listed below:

• Air Hostess/Cabin Crew:
  They are in charge of managing all passenger-related matters both before and after takeoff.
• Airline Steward/Stewardess:
  A flight attendant’s duties include safeguarding passengers’ safety at all times and instructing passengers on what to do in case of an emergency.
• Ground Staff:
  The ground staff is responsible for a variety of tasks, including checking passengers into planes, giving passengers flight information, assisting passengers, answering all their inquiries, etc. 
• Crew Schedulers:
  Crew Schedulers are responsible for creating, managing, and planning the schedules for both crew and pilots.
• Cabin Crew Supervisor:
  A cabin crew supervisor is in charge of the team’s members and makes sure that they have received a pre-flight briefing on their duties. To prevent any mismanagement on board and delays, he or she is in charge of making sure there is no communication gap between management and the cabin crew.
• Senior Flight Attendants:
  They ensure passenger safety by demonstrating how to use safety and emergency equipment during flights.
• Crew Manager:
  The crew manager is in charge of the well-being of the entire airline’s staff.
• Trainer/Recruiter:
  They are in charge of organizing and delivering training to air hostesses and cabin crew members explaining their tasks during flights, security measures, and emergency protocols.

Career Paths to becoming an Air Hostess 

Becoming an Air Hostess does not require any mandatory subject requirements. Additionally, it is one of the rare careers where in you can pursue your diploma after the 12th and start working at the age of 18. Thus there are various ways you can pursue your career as an Air Hostess. 

PATH 1: By completing a degree in Aviation 

If you are very sure about pursuing your career as an air hostess, then you can go for pure aviation degrees like a B.Sc in Airline and aviation management or B.Sc in Aviation. These 3-year undergraduate degrees teach about Airport operations, human resource management, aviation hospitality, material and freight management, and customer service. 

PATH 2: By completing related undergraduate Degrees. 

If you haven’t really thought about being an Air Hostess then taking up related undergraduate programs like BBA in tourism or hospitality is a good way to start exploring the industry. These degrees will also provide you with a backup option of pursuing other careers if you end up deciding not to become an air hostess. 

PATH 3: Pursue diploma/certificate programs 

There are a lot of diploma courses available that help you become an air hostess in a much lesser time than going for a full-time undergraduate course. Institutions like Frankfinn Institute Of Air Hostess Training or PTC Aviation Academy offer courses ranging from 3 months- 1 year long wherein they offer specialized training in the field. 

To know more about the diploma courses or the colleges that offer the degree programs you can visit our blog on how to become an air hostess. 

Salary of an Air Hostess at different stages of Career 

Numerous things affect an air hostess’ pay. The table below explains the average approximation of the pay offered to an air hostess at each level.

Experience level	Entry-level	Median-level	Senior Level
Salary/ year	2,41,000	5,85,000	10,00,000

 However, a lot about the pay depends on the type of airlines you work for, your expertise and your confidence too! 

Skills required to become an Air Hostess 

1. Customer Service
   Giving the passengers outstanding customer service is one of an air hostess’s most significant duties. As an air hostess, you greet guests, provide for their needs, and help them in a number of ways all day long. Possessing a pleasant, outgoing personality and a helpful attitude can be helpful in carrying this through.

2. Communication
   You would engage with passengers on a regular basis as an air hostess, which would require you to have excellent communication skills. You should have a strong command of English and other languages, and you should be able to respond to passengers’ questions and concerns.

3. Interpersonal Skills 
   Interactions on board require the interpersonal abilities of air hostesses. They give off the impression of being amiable, helpful, and able to get along with anyone. When under pressure, they maintain their composure and have the diplomatic and polite skills to diffuse tense situations.

4. Organization skills 
   A profession as an air hostess frequently involves making announcements on the pilots’ behalf. She sees to it that everyone on the aircraft is secure and at ease while flying. As an air hostess, she must maintain organisation while managing several responsibilities at once. Passengers must be fed and her questions must be answered.

5. Flexibility 
   They may be required to work on early morning, mid-morning, afternoon, late afternoon, evening, night, or late night flights, depending on their schedule assignments. The air hostesses’ shifts could have them leaving their homes at various hours and altering their sleep schedules. The ability to adapt to these schedule variations is necessary for air hostesses to successfully carry out their duties.

6. Be the calm in the chaos
   It’s crucial for an air hostess to maintain composure under pressure in a crisis. Passengers frequently turn to air hostesses in these circumstances for advice and support. Additionally, air hostesses should be alert so they can guide and assist frightened passengers in an emergency.

7. Problem-solving 
   People who want to work as air hostesses must have the aptitude to handle issues that arise when the passengers are in the air. She must be able to provide emergency medical aid to passengers on a flight. She must take passengers’ questions and provide answers as part of her job as an air hostess.

Is becoming an Air Hostess a good career option? 

The career of an air hostess is highly competitive. The requirements of air hostess positions prevent the majority of aspirants from choosing them. Additionally, the restrictions on physicality make it a challenging profession as well. For instance, a profession as an air hostess is open to girls who are taller than 5.2 feet. For applicants or those under 5.2 feet tall, the career does not offer opportunities. 

There are also a number of grooming requirements for the job of air hostess, such as avoiding gaining weight or becoming fat after starting. His or her weight ought to remain stable for the course of their air hostess profession. Not everyone enjoys spending hours on end standing in high heels. Candidates that meet the bill can find many work options in the field of air hostessing. Over the next ten years, it is anticipated that the aviation sector would grow and create a large number of job opportunities.

Type of industries hiring for air hostess 

Contrary to past times, there are now a variety of job prospects for air hostesses/cabin crew outside of simply commercial airlines. Following is a list of some of the top industries that use air hostesses:

• Commercial Airlines
• Corporate Airlines
• Chartered Airlines
• Military Airlines
• Personality Development Institutes
• Air Hostess Training Institutes
• Airports

Top Recruiters hiring for an Air Hostess in India 

• Vistara 
• Indigo 
• Air India
• Alliance Air 
• Air India Express 
• Air Asia India 
• Go Air 
• Spice Jet 
• Star Air 
• Truejet  

Courses to upskill as an air hostess 

Usually, to become an air hostess, people go for diploma courses. However, there are certain online courses that you can try to upskill yourself: 

Certificate Courses	Institute offering the Course	Duration
Cabin crew Career: The Complete Introduction	Udemy	1 hour 34 mins
Cabin crew/Air hostess	One Education	4 hours 5 mins
Aviation: How to become an Air hostess/ Cabin crew	Udemy	2 Hours

Check out the JuniorMBA Technology program to further complement your skills.

Qualifications to become an Air Hostess 

Degrees in India 

As mentioned previously, there is no subject requirement to become an Air Hostess. However, there are certain other physical requirements that need to be met to become an air hostess: 

• Age: 18-26 years to start a career 
• Educational Qualification: 10+2 standard
• Height: 5 foot 2 inches 
• Clear skin 
• Perfect 6/6 eyesight 

UG Degrees: 

Other than these requirements, you can pursue some undergraduate degrees to become an Air Hostess: 

Undergraduate Degree	Duration
B. Sc in Air hostess training	3 Years
BBA in Tourism Management	3 Years
Bachelor of hospitality and travel management	3 Years
B.Sc Aviation	3 Years
Bachelor of Tourism and Management	3 Years

PG Degrees: 

Post-graduate Courses	Duration
MBA in Aviation Management	2 Years
PG Diploma in Aviation, Hospitality, Travel & Customer Service	2 Years

Degree Abroad 

Degrees abroad are also similar to that in India. However, their approach, structure, and curriculum might differ. Some of the degrees that you can check out include: a bachelor’s degree in Aviation, BA (Hons) in Tourism Management, BA (Hons) in Hospitality Management

International Hospitality and Tourism Management BA (Hons). 

Some of the Masters’s courses that you can try include MSc Aviation Management, M.S. Aviation – Airport Development And Management, and MS in Aviation and Transportation. These courses might take 1-2 years to complete, depending on the country you apply to. 

Entry into these courses will require you to give language proficiency test scores of IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, SATs, etc along with an SOP (Statement of Purpose) and LORs (Letter of Recommendation). Want some help with SATs? We have got you covered. Read this blog to know more!

Want to know more? Check these out: 

Some of the books that you can check out include: 

• Confessions of an Air Hostess- Marisa Mackle
• Air Hostess Diaries- Cyrus Gonda and Smrity B.
• 10 Steps to Become an Air Hostess- Vijaya Lukose
• Cabin Fever: The Sizzling Secrets of a Virgin Air Hostess- Mandy Smith and Nicola Stow

Thus, becoming an air hostess or a member of the cabin crew may seem to depend on appearance and a nice demeanour. There is however more to it! It necessitates a tremendous lot of effort and a good outlook. Sometimes the reality of the job is to smile and assist the customer despite having only gotten an hour of sleep. The career is still the most paid one with the best potential of advancing more quickly.

FAQs- Frequently Asked Questions about the Career as an Air Hostess