My life as a full-time flight attendant

Waking up at 3 a.m. with the rest of the world sleeping takes a toll on your body and degenerates your circadian rhythm, more commonly known as the “body clock”, beyond the point of repair. To the world, a dolled-up girl in a beautiful yet formal uniform smiles. But on the inside a flight attendant is a drained woman suffering from lack of sleep, cramped legs and corny feet trying hard to fake a grin and make it look natural.

These days flying being the easiest way to get from one place to another and travel being an important affair the number of passengers choosing air travel over other means of transport are increasing on the constant.

But people travelling by air hardly know of what their flight attendant does behind drawn curtains. Most people we come across think serving them would be the most challenging part of a flight attendant's job. A flight attendant is trained for some very extreme situations though they wish they never have to face any. They are professionals who have undergone a series of trainings and attained a license to fly. In India they have to score an 80% in written and oral examinations held by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Very little have we ever heard of the behind the scenes of a well put up show from the chocks off to the chocks on of a flight. Once the aircraft is airborne till it's back on the ground flight attendants are trained to take care of every unfortunate situation one can think of, from a fire on board to a bomb on board and from a heart attack to child birth — believe it or not these men and women can handle it all and with a lot of poise and glamour.

Flight attendants are trained first-aiders and fire-fighters, they can put a bomb found on board in a Least Risk Bomb Location known as the LRBL if needs be. They are also trained in self-defence and can safeguard passengers from a disruptive passenger, they are trained to handle a hijack situation fearlessly. Their only motive is passenger safety even if it means hampering their own safety.

Once an aircraft door is shut the show begins. Flight attendants start their day with arming the doors for emergency situations so the doors can immediately be opened to deploy the slides attached to them and help passengers slide down and evacuate. The Federal Aviation Administration explains aviation flashover phenomenon as a ball of fire that engulfs the fuselage of an aircraft within 90 seconds of a crash. Cabin crew is trained to evacuate all passengers within 90 seconds with only half the doors operational. Flight attendants can evacuate passengers on priority in an emergency risking their own lives, they are expected to be the last ones to leave the aircraft and shout commands drawing the attention of everyone towards the exits till the last person leaves the aircraft, after which they must take emergency equipment from their respective zones of working and evacuate. On a regular day once the doors are armed for take-off they secure the cabin asking passengers to straighten their seatbacks, fasten their seatbelts and open their window shades.

After take-off they are seated till the seatbelts signs go off after which a regular round of services is carried on till the “NO PED” signs which indicate portable electronic devices must be turned off and the phase of descent has started. Flight attendants start securing all objects in the galley and all the passengers in the cabin for landing, once they have given a landing cabin secure check to the pilots they take their respective jump seats for landing and are seated in their brace positions till the aircraft reaches its parking bay and comes to a complete stop.

Flight attendants fly in various flight patterns which means that at the end of a regular day at work they may or may not be home. They have certain flights that lead to a layover in a different city in a luxurious hotel with all the facilities one may need. One of the only things that attracts the youth to choose flying as a career are the perquisites of the job. They have seen more of the country or the world than anyone doing a regular nine-to-five job or most other dynamic professions could offer. But as good as it may sound, many a time they really want to be home curling up in their most comfortable blanket and not in a hotel room at the end of a tiring day. They miss very important events and occasions because of their hectic flight schedules, diversion and delays caused by bad weather, revised schedules, air traffic congestion and other technical problems. Flight attendants are prone to back pain, loss of memory, headaches and loss of hearing.

Every take-off gives a flight attendant a new story to tell. Their lives are more eventful than most other people working for a living. They are extremely patient in a lot of day-today situations that would make most people panic to find themselves in. They have friends in various cities although they don't meet all of them very often. They are extremely approachable and try to at least understand your problems if not empathise with it.

Flying is indeed an addictive job profile. Flight attendants being overqualified for their day-to-day work still love to do it and do it with a smile. The perks not being the only thing getting them hooked. Seeing a smile on a passenger's face when he reaches his desired destination safely is priceless. All your flight attendant needs is may be a little respect. So the next time you fly, smile and be nice to your flight attendant as she's probably had a rough day too but, you'll still find her, as ever, smiling at you.

To the world, a dolledup girl in a beautiful yet formal uniform smiles. But on the inside, a flight attendant is a drained woman suffering from lack of sleep, cramped legs and corny feet trying hard to fake a grin and make it look natural.