Hey Spoilers, interesting subject!
I was what you call 'main crew' for many years before I made promotion.
The advantages of being main crew as opposed to Purser I see as follows:
- You can pass the buck upwards when pax get too difficult
- Your responsibilities are well defined and by and large 'doable'
- You can follow the boss when going to the bus/gate/check-in/hotel/bar/safari camp/car rental desk without having to think about it.
- You can be slightly disobedient when it comes to uniform rules and just count on the boss not wanting the aggro of telling you off.
- NO paperwork!!!!
After 6 years as Purser/CSD/No1 I know that I love that job and that there are many aspects that make it so excellent. Here's why, for me personally:
- Once the doors (cabin and cockpit) are closed, it's my 'show'. My actions decide the atmosphere on board; if I do good, everybody's happy.
No more suffering under lazy incompetent Pursers, YeeeeHa!
- When the sh!t hits the fan, I can consult with the Captain and suggest a plan of action regarding the passengers. Most Captains are very happy to let me get on woith it, so often get the chance to try a novel approach.
- Doing the pre-flight PA, I get the opportunity to set the tone for the pax and to make sure they know we're out to make them happy with the flight, we're not a bunch of automatons but a group of FAs who care about them. Having the pax smiling before take-off is half the battle won.
- If a boarding pax makes me feel uncomfortable, the only person I have to convinve to off load him/her is the Captain. No more dragging across half the globe with a drunk aggressive pax because the P was too weak to take action.
- I get the opportunity to coach new FAs, to lend a listening ear to FAs in trouble, to actually help colleagues who have to go to hospital down route, to make it all a bit less awful.
- When a colleague gets sad news from home; I will be the one to break it to him/her and that way can be there to soften the blow, dry the tears. lend a shoulder. That might not sound like an advantage, btu I consider it a privilege.
- When an angry pax ask for the boss, I can tell him he's speaking to her.
I have the authority from the company to make a wide range of decisions. When I f*ck up I will have to live with that. But at least I will be living with the consequences of my own mistakes, instead of having to live with the Purser's mistakes.
- I can stand up to pax who think they can abuse my FAs or their fellow pax, and tell them to shut it or face the cops after landing. Instead of having to grin and bear it because I don't know how the No1 feels about stuff like.
- More money on my bank account at the end of the month.
Errmm... well.... I could go on
but I guess you catch my drift?