Spare tights, flight shoes and laughter: behind the scenes with the cabin crew
WITH the summer holidays well under way, families will be jetting off across the world from a number of airports including East Midlands Airport.
But as post-pandemic travel problems affect thousands of holidaymakers, it’s not just the passengers who are having to deal with disruptions. It affects flight cabin crews too.
So how has the job changed for cabin crews post-Covid, and what is a typical day like for them?
I went behind the scenes with TUI at East Midlands Airport to see what really goes down before the airliners take off. Here is what I found...
Cabin crew member Emily Napier, 31, said the role was her dream job and she had been working in the sky for the past nine years, where “every day holds a new destination”.
And the excitement does not end there – even the cast of Harry Potter is known to make an appearance now and then (mainly Oliver Phelps, who played George Weasley).
Emily was kind enough to let me try on an important part of her uniform – the flight attendant hat – in order to get the full experience. It remains perfectly perched in place from the moment she leaves the crew room until the aircraft doors are shut.
The same goes for her navy heels, polished to a shine, that I followed from the pre-flight briefing with the pilots and crew, all the way through to the minibus that dropped us right at the stairs of the Boeing 737 airliner to Rhodes.
TUI managed to run almost 100 per cent of its scheduled flights in June, with only 27 out of 4,091 plane journeys cancelled. The travel giant has recruited hundreds of new employees to provide extra customer support, a further three aircraft on standby in case of any issues and a day-before-bag-drop service at its busiest airports for a slicker check-in.
With all the extra steps taken to keep passengers happy on the business end of things, cabin crew members do their best to make sure customers are content.
I was impressed by the care and detail taken while discussing the boarding of vulnerable passengers
and the infectious smiles flashed to travellers as they boarded the flight nothing appeared to be too much trouble.
I listened in on the pre-flight briefing, which was full of laughter and camaraderie, before I followed the ladies through to security and on to the flight, where they carried out the equipment checks.
Each cabin crew member had a cabin bag packed with a spare uniform, tights (which are a must) and cabin shoes that they change into when they board.
After I took a picture in the cockpit and had a crack at the in-flight safety demonstration and I watched the passengers get on board chaos-free, excited about their travels.
The team provided the following tips to make sure anyone travelling with TUI is ready to fly.
■ Make sure your passport is in date and that the names on your booking match those in passports. If you’re travelling to the EU, check your passport is no older than 10 years and that you have at least three months left before expiry on the day you return to the UK – check FCDO travel advice.
■ Download the TUI app – it’s a onestop shop for everything to do with your holiday, from live travel updates, including your transfer to your hotel, and 24/7 chat so you can keep in touch every step of the way.
■ Arrive at the airport no more than three hours before your flight. You’ll still have enough time to get through check-in and security, but arriving any earlier can cause longer queues.
■ Check your destination’s Covid-19 entry requirements to find out if you need to organise any tests.
■ Keep your hand luggage to the 10kg allowance and pack the essentials needed for your flight. Remember, no liquids over 100ml.
Enjoy your flight, and have a great holiday!