Cabin Crew Service Excellence

The assignment delves into the crucial role of cabin crew within the aviation industry. It emphasizes the importance of professionalism, communication skills, and prioritizing customer satisfaction. Topics covered include passenger interaction, safety procedures, task management, and the significance of a positive customer experience. The document also explores various aspects of customer relationship management (CRM) and its impact on achieving customer loyalty and a positive brand image.

Running Head: WORKING AS A CABIN CREW 1
Working as a cabin crew
Name

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Introduction
Cabin crew refers to members of an aircraft team who attend to passengers on board an
aircraft. Their main role is to give exemplary clients service whilst ensuring their security and
comfort while on board an aircraft.
Duties of cabin crew
The crew's role is physically challenging, therefore, must be ready to work most days of
the year whenever they are required. Their roles may include:
 Warmly greet and welcome passengers as they board and bid farewell as they exit the
plane at the end of the journey
 Serve refreshments and meals during the flight
 Provide and check the condition and of emergency equipment and information to the
passengers
 Attend to any emergencies
 Sell duty-free commercial goods and achieve targeted sales.
 May be required to make calls on behalf of the captain
 Write flight reports at the end of the journey.

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Roles and responsibilities cabin crew may have to undertake
Security: The security involves checking all the spaces in the aircraft that any person may have
access to. It includes seat pockets, toilets, wardrobes, storage spaceport, kitchen spaces, trash and
consumables compartment, emergency equipment compartments and cabin crew rest compartments
and hand over objects not required on the plane to the security team.
Safety of aircraft and passengers: Cabin crews are expected to carry out safety-related duties
mainly in the aircraft cabin during a specific flight. Once the cleaning and catering teams leave the
plane, the cabin crew will start their safety control by checking the doors, cabin equipment, galleys,
and toilets as well as the alarm systems and the jump seats. These duties are crucial to passengers’
safety and well-being as well their colleagues. They will from time to time during the flight
duration conduct cabin checks and listen to strange situations and noises and perform regular
checks in the cockpits to ensure the health and safety of the pilot in compliance with all appropriate
instructions and regulations set by the operator.
Knowledge of safety and emergency procedures: Cabin crew must know the location of the
emergency equipment on the plane and must ascertain the equipment is in good working condition.
It may include passenger seatbelts, instruction cards, extinguisher, life vest, emergency exit doors,
surviving kits, seatbelts for children, oxygen tubes etc. During boarding, they must make sure the
passengers on the emergency exit rows are fit, willing and can able to assist during an emergency
evacuation. The cabin crew must demonstrate to the passengers’ emergency equipment and
procedures or monitor passengers as they watch safety videos. Prior to take off must secure the
cabin by ensuring all the passengers are seated in upright position and all belts fastened carry-on
baggage well stowed as well as trays and armrests put down.

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First Aid and medical emergencies: Flight cabin crews are trained First Aiders and are able to
handle a wide diversity of abnormal situations. Training to handle emergencies may include cabin
smoke, births and deaths on-board, fires, hijackings and terrorism attempts and depressurization
among others. Medical emergencies that may arise during a flight may include shock, stroke,
epilepsy, heart attacks, emergency births, air sickness, asthma attacks, hyperventilation, choking or
gastrointestinal disturbances.
Standards of in-flight service and customer care Serving meals and refreshments to
passengers: Excellent customer service onboard ensures the customer has a memorable flight
experience while making sure all the passengers are safe and comfortable. They should pleasantly
serve refreshments and meals during the flight.
Teamwork and communication: Adhering to preflight roles and responsibilities ensures
teamwork among the crews whilst checking the intercommunication system, by making a short
announcement in the cabin and responding to the call coming from fellow crews.
Meet and assist: it is important for the cabin crew to make passengers are comfortable during the
flight. They must greet and welcome passengers during boarding and show them to their seats while
taking extra care for those with special needs like disabled and small children. They help the
passengers with the loading of baggage, checking the sizes, weights and any dangerous goods.
Customs: duty-free: Cabin crews sell duty-free items and advise passengers if there are any
restrictions and allowances enforced to avoid any inconveniences to the passengers and payments
of penalties at their destinations.
Immigration: Some destinations, passengers are required to fill up immigration cards before
disembarkation of the aircraft. It is the responsibility of the cabin crew to give the passenger
appropriate cards and if need be can assist those who cannot read and write.

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Police: Working with the local police help the cabin to control disruptive passengers and avoid bad
incidences. They may observe the weird behavior of passengers on board and alert the police, this
helps to deter crime. In cases where emergency evacuation is necessary, the police coordinate with
the cabin crews and another department for positive outcomes.
Different types of duties the cabin crew may be scheduled to undertake, including different
types of standby
Rostered duties: Is the planning or scheduling of flights of the crew and any miscellaneous
duties that may be assigned to them like working at the office of the base station
Positioning: The transfer of non- operating cabin crew members from one place to another like
passengers at the command of the operator airline for the performance of a flight.
Product training: Cabin crews are the face of the airline. Whenever any new products are
launched by the airline, staff including the cabin crew are trained to have an in-depth
understanding of the product
Refresher courses: this is offered to cabin crew who have had a six month or longer breaks
from work
Recurrent training: Is training for cabin crew aimed at ensuring their proficiency and maintain
their skills, expertise, and knowledge in emergency and normal situations.
Promotion training: usually with many years of flying, cabin crew may apply for higher
positions as onboard manage either within the airline or in another airline. This means increased
responsibility. In keeping with the quality of standards of the airline, they cabin crew promoted
as trained about their new roles and responsibilities.
Short notice training: Few days training for cabin crew that in most cases will be required on
flights that are not usually scheduled for private clients like looking after royalties, so may be

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required to be available for work at a very short notice.
24-hour standby: A notice of duty given to cabin crew in a period of not less than 24hours to
cover for a fellow crew who may not be able to work for various reasons like a sickness.
Chain of command of an Aircraft
Captain

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Has the full authority of safely operating an aircraft. His duty is to make the toughest of
decisions when need and has final say in all decisions.
First Officer
Is the second after the captain in the chain of command of an aircraft. He helps in
decision making.
Flying Pilot
This can either be the captain or first officer. Flying Pilots sets the aircraft to autopilot,
programs the system of flight management and performs the takeoff, guiding the flight routes
landings and take-offs.
Non-Flying Pilot
This can either be the captain or first officer and their responsibility is communicating to Air
traffic control, setting of plane speed, altitude bugs and heading and altitude bugs for the flying
pilot when the autopilot is off.
Flight Attendants
Their main duty is to ensure the safety and comfort of the passengers on the flight. They
play a vital role in also abnormal situations - they may bring to the attention cockpit with details
if something is wrong.
Roles of the ground crew staff the cabin crew interacts with
Baggage handlers: Baggage handlers load and offload luggage, any other freight or airmail onto

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the aircraft. They ensure the baggage is loaded on the right aircraft to get to the destination. They
may help the cabin crew take oversized and heavy hand luggage at boarding times and may
hand special luggage to the crew to pass to the destinations
Aircraft dispatcher- dispatcher’s role is to produce a flight plan with the best routing, observes
weather situations and reports forecast conditions to the crew via a radio uplink.
Cleaners: Ensure the aircraft is clean and hygiene is maintained in the aircraft cabins while
providing reading materials neatly and making sure all the toiletries are provided for. They play
help the crew in portraying a positive image and maintaining the standards of the airline
Caterers are in charge of preparation of meals the cabin crews serve on board the plane. They
directly affect service delivery of the crew in that they should avail meals specific to passenger
needs, this makes the experience of the passengers and crew pleasant.
Engineers Are responsible for the maintenances and servicing of the equipment. They ensure the
safety of the equipment to the passengers and crews. They promote crew interaction during the
flight by making sure audio radios are in good working conditions and the Inflight Entertainment
system. This makes it easy for the crew to meet the expectations of passengers.
Passenger Service Agents: They handle ticketing, reservations, check-in and any other activities
needed to board and deplane the passengers. Good customer service by the passengers will lead
to an easy time for the crews during the flight.
IATA CODES

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is an association of airlines in the
world by trade, whose role is to promote reliable, safe, economical and secure air travel. The
IATA came into being because of the ease identification of locations by the pilots. They are used
in the travel industry for identification of the airline, its traffic documents and the destinations for
cargo traffic and passengers (IATA, 2017).
Airline codes
City City Code
1.London Heathrow LHR
2. London Gatwick LGW
3. Manchester MAN
4. London Stansted STN
5. Glasgow GLA
6. Birmingham BHX
7. Luton London LTN
8. Glasgow Prestwick PIK
9. London City LCY
10.East Midlands EMA
Passenger codes

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Passenger Codes Codes
1.Infant without a seat INF
2. Passenger Name Record PNR
3. Seaman SEA
4. No Show NOSH
5. Child 1 Year C01
6. Stretcher Passenger STCR
7. Unaccompanied child UNN
8. Passenger Occupying 2 seats OTS
9.Passenger who is completely immobile WCHC
10. Blind Passenger BLIND
Phonetic Alphabet
A- ALPHA O- OSCAR
B- BRAVO P- PAPA
C-CHARLIE Q -QUEBEC
D-DELTA R- ROMEO
E- ECHO S- SIERRA
F- FOXTROT T- TANGO
G -GOLF U-UNIFORM
H- HOTEL V -VICTOR
I- INDIA W- WHISKEY
J - JULIET X- X-RAY

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K- KILO Y- YANKEE
L- LIMA Z -ZULU
M- MIKE
N-NOVEMBER
Phonetic Alphabet
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) allocated the alphabet code words
to ease pronunciations and understanding used in voice exchange messages regardless of the
quality of channel of communication or language differences (ICAO, 2017).
Passenger codes using Phonetic Alphabet
1. AlphaDeltaTango (ADT) - Adult
2. AlphaGolfTango (AGT) - Agent
3. BravoLimaDelta (BLD) - Blind Passenger
4. DeltaIndiaSierra (DIS) - Disabled Person
5. SierraEchoAlpha (SEA) - Seaman
6. RomeoEchoFoxtrot (REF) - Refugee
7. GolfRomeoPapa ( GRP) - Group
8. CharliePapaNovember (CPN) - Coupon
9. AlphaSierraTango (AST) - Airline Staff standby
10. MikeIndiaLima (MIL) - Military Confirmed

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Airport codes using Phonetic Alphabet
1. Lima Hotel Romeo (LHR) - London Heathrow Airport
2. DeltaXrayBravo (DXB) – Dubai
3. DeltaMikeEcho (DME) Moscow –Domodedovo
4. NovemberCharlieLima (NCL) – Newcastle
5. KiloIndiaX-Ray (KIX) – Osaka Kansai
6. NovemberBravoOscar (NBO) – Nairobi
7. JulietFoxtrotKilo (JFK) - New York- John F. Kennedy
8. BravoNovemberEcho (BNE) - Brisbane
9. PapaEchoKilo (PEK) -Beijing
10. CharlieHotelCharlie (CHC)- Christchurch
Meal codes using Phonetic Alphabet
1. BravoBravoMikeLima (BBML) -Infant baby meal
2. DeltaBravoMikeLima (DBML) - Diabetic Meal
3. NovemberFoxtrotMikeLima (NFML) - No Fish Meal
4. OscarRomeoMikeLima (ORML) - Oriental Meal
5. RomeoVictorMikeLima (RVML) - Raw Vegetarian Meal
6. SierraFoxtrotMikeLima (SFML) – Sea Food Meal
7. CharlieHotelMikeLima (CHML) – Child meal
8. BravoLimaMikeLima (BLML) –Bland Meal
9. FoxtrotPapaMikeLima (FPML) - Fruit Platter Meal
10. AlphaVictorMikeLima (AVML) - Asian Vegetarian Meal

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Definition of key Industry Terms
Industry Term Definition
Cabin Crew Airline staff who attends to passengers in an aircraft
Flight Crew Airline staff responsible for operating an aircraft during a
flight
Stand By Period of time during which the member of cabin crew is
required to be available to receive assignment duty without
an intervening the rest period.
SEP Safety and Emergency Procedures
Location of equipment Exact location of emergency equipment on an aircraft
Short Haul Flight whose duration is under 3 hours

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Long haul Flight whose duration is from six hours to twelve hours
Passenger manifest/information List of all passengers on a plane
Seating discrepancy Seat duplication where more than one passenger's boards an
aircraft allocated the same seat
Headcount Actual number of passengers who have boarded the aircraft
Catering figures Refers to the total actual number of meals and beverages’
available on the aircraft per class of travel, including special
meals and crew meals.
Working positions Specific working area allocated onboard an aircraft
Specials Passengers needing special assistance
PA Passenger Announcement
Inbound A flight as it leaves an airport
Outbound A flight as it arrives into an airport
Turnaround An aircraft terminating a flight and subsequently originating
another flight after offloading, servicing and loading an
aircraft while on ground at a terminal gate of an airport
Night stop A brief stay in the course of the journey usually for the night
Split duty When free of all duties that count as duty, being less than a
rest period
Out of hours Period of time beyond maximum duty hours as spelled in
the contracts.
Duty hours Time the cabin crew reports for duty from when they check
in for the day to the time they are released for the day

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Tax free Exempted from paying tax
Duty free Goods that are exempted from paying duty
General declaration A list of crew names on international flights, their inbound
flight and outbound flight information
Crew room A room in the airport where cabin crew meeting for
preflight briefing and after the flight debrief.
Preflight briefing A short meeting of the flight crew members prior to each
duty time and whenever there is crew change, aircraft
change, flight time, destination and any other pertinent
information
Zulu Coordinated Universal Time formerly Greenwich Mean
Time
Aircraft configuration It is the internal layout of aisle, passenger facilities, galleys,
pitch and different seats of a passenger plane.
Roster Jobs assigned to cabin crew by an operating airline with the
date and time they are expected to perform them
Crewing/rostering Is the type of crew task allocation procedure for airline
crews that takes into consideration like crews requests
Inflight entertainment (IFE) Entertainment available to passengers onboard an aircraft
such as Television and radio.
Positioning Crew on flight as passengers either going to operate a flight
at another of returning to base station from another location
Full cart Is usually 0.3 meters wide, I meter tall and 0.75meters long

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and weigh about 25kilograms when not loaded
Half cart Usually half the size of the full cart
Bar seals Security seals on the beverages in aircraft to ensure they
have not been tampered with.
Schedule Timetable of crew duties.
Charter A reserved flight usually not operated on regular schedule
that may be operated on and off regular routes and
contracted for carriage of a large number of people or
freight
Low cost Flights with slightly lower fares and fewer comforts without
traditional services like food.
Sector Part of a flight usually involving take-off and landing.
Aircraft type Is two or three to four ICAO alphanumeric designator used
for identifying the aircraft.
Phonetic alphabet Aviation alphabet that replaces letters with codes used in the
Civil aviation to increase the quality of communication
regardless of the language differences.
24-hour clock Time running from midnight starting from 00:00hrs to
midnight at 24:00hrs
Time zone It is global division coinciding with meridian at successive
hours from Greenwich in England.
Passenger codes The secret codes the airline staffs use to communicate
around the passengers without revealing any information.

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Importance of timekeeping by crew members
Timekeeping is very important as it creates a good impression, shows the level of reliability,
organization and gives the ability to plan ahead. It is crucial to keep time because:
 It helps in the crew to prioritize work attending firstly to the work that is time sensitive.
 It helps in the planning of time and as a result more is done in a shorter period of time.
 Keeping time by the crew make the airline's management to deliver on its promises.
 It keeps the cabin crew individually on track in achieving long-term career plans
 In keeping time by the cabin crew leads to better time management promotes good
relationships with colleagues’ thus forming good teamwork among the crew.
Importance of grooming and uniform standards
All members staff have to groomed well, be friendly, be sensitive the needs of others
and have a good personality. Self-grooming is a very important aspect cabin crew (Goodman,
2015). Real beauty has more attributes that are a reflection of their personality such as
confidence that eludes self-assurance no matter the situation especially when dealing with the
customers of the airline, being aware of others and paying attention to even small details of
beauty such as personal hygiene to avoid embarrassing situations.
Uniform standards
The appearance is the initial thing the customer notice and may have a lasting impression, When
you are in uniform, you are an airline representative whenever are. It is vital to portray a positive
professional image whilst in uniform

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Personal representation of cabin crew when on or off duty
Uniform should be worn only when on duty. While in uniform, you are the face of the
airline, therefore, must adhere to the set rules and regulations. Staff in uniform may not:
 Drink alcoholic beverages in public
 Attend or participate in any form of public demonstrations
 Eat from any public area other than the designated areas
Cabin crew will always be the ambassadors of the airline. During off-duty or during stopovers:
 Must not discuss company matters in the hearing distance of the public
 Should not make derogatory remarks of their airline or any other carriers or show
hostility
 Should be polite and cordial all times to the public
Task Management/ Prioritization
Prioritization includes completing and focusing on most urgent jobs at hand but not
neglecting others that are of less urgency by sharing tasks with colleagues. Efforts to promote
prioritization may include; avoiding unnecessary activities at critical flight phases like taxing of
the aircraft and keeping attention to signage like autopilot.
Importance of Customer Relationship Management
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is the methodologies a firm have put in
place to manage company’s relationships and interactions with their customers to improve
profitability (Schmid, 2011). A customer also referred to as client, purchaser or buyer is one who
gets goods, product or service from a vendor, seller or supplier for money or any other valuable
consideration
There are two types of customers:

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Internal customers: This includes staff members or outside suppliers to also contribute
towards the service given to other customers. This may include; colleagues, managers, staff from
other departments. Good customer service to fellow colleagues and staff from other team helps
establish good working relationships and makes the business to function effectively.
External customers: These are the people who use or buy the products or services from
the organization. As a service provider, there are various occasions to experience these
customers. It may be through:
 Enquiries of the products being offered
 Taking the orders or payments for the products
 Complaint handling
 Provision of after- sale service
Expectations of the customers apart from good customer service experience may include:
 Security and safety
 Accurate and clear information
 Respect of their legal rights
 Good suggestion procedures, inquiry and complaints mechanisms
 Take special need into consideration
Customer Satisfaction
It is an ultimate goal for sellers that their customers get satisfaction as they are assured that the
customers will buy again from them. To achieve customer satisfaction, the following must be put
into consideration:
 The service or product must be of superb quality to satisfy the customers.