The Crew

The crew are the men and the women who work on an aircraft when it is flying from one city to another. They can be divided into two groups:

1. those who fly the aircraft

2. those who work with passengers.

The first group consists of two or more people who work on the flight deck. They are the captain and the co-pilot. The senior pilot is called the captain. He shares his work with a co-pilot. Two-man crew is common now.

The people who work with the passengers are called cabin crew. The senior member of the cabin crew who is responsible to the captain is called a purser. Those who work under the senior member are called stewards or stewardesses by the public, but they should be correctly called cabin attendants or CAs for short.

The minimum number of cabin attendants working on a flight is determined by the number of passengers and the aircraft type and its number of emergency exits.

Answer the questions:

1. What is the name of the group of people who work on an airliner?

2. Who is the most senior person on an airliner?

3. Who does he share his work with?

4. Where do pilots work?

5. Who is the senior member of the cabin crew?

6. How are cabin attendants called by the public?

7. What is determined by the number of passengers and the aircraft type and its number of emergency exits?

The Role of the Cabin Crew

Vocabulary

to be required

law

an airliner

safety

routine

a responsibility

to ensure

to watch out

a behavior

drunkenness

to cause

a staff

an impression

a job

enough

a politeness

a respectfulness

foreign

to be built

a manufacturer’s manual

to refer

to be given

The cabin attendants are required by law to work on an airliner for reasons of safety. As well as their role in an emergency, they have routine responsibilities for safety. They must ensure that passengers fasten their seatbelts and do not smoke, as required by the captain. Cabin Attendants must watch out for any behavior by the passengers such as drunkenness which might cause a dangerous situation.

The cabin attendant is the member of the airline’s staff who has the most contact with public. The passengers’ impression of the airline will depend largely upon how well the cabin attendants do their job.

You must be able to communicate with passengers in English. Your language level must be high enough to show politeness, professionalism and respectfulness. You may need English to speak to SAFA inspectors at foreign airports. Many airliners are built in English-speaking countries and you may want to refer to the manufacturer’s manual. In some countries training may be given in English. It is the aim of this course to help you in these ways.

Answer the questions:

1. What are cabin attendants required by law to do?

2. What are their responsibilities for safety?

3. What can cause a dangerous situation on board?

4. Who has the most contact with public?

5. Why should cabin attendants do their job well?

6. Where you may need your English?

7. What is the aim of this course?