Just joined up and can't work out how to "quote". Can anyone help?
Just wanted to respond to the line of thinking that is "anyone can do the job of cabin crew and crew should get over themselves" so-to-speak...
Yes, the training from a customer service perspective can be done in 5 days and has been in the past when need has arisen. The SEP side cannot, however, be curtailed and is around 8-9 days if you are talking 2-3 aircraft types. I guess 2-3 days is, therefore, the basic time required to train someone up on a single aircraft.
So let's say training could be done in 7 days.... It could be less depending on how many of these bolt-ons are obligatory: Av med, defib training, manual handling, data protection, food hygiene, dangerous goods, restraint training, diversity in the workplace...
You could be wearing that pin-stripe suit in a week from today!!
If you are talking about literally putting "cardboard-cut-out-crew" on board to get the flights from A to B, I would say it is doable. And I believe that this is what BA is hoping to do.
The "experience" side is, of course, something that comes with "experience"! Just like being a good pilot. Many of the personality traits required to excel at the job of cabin crew are inherent, just like many of the personality traits required of flight crew.
Personally, some of the best pilots I have ever flown with have worked as Cabin Crew in a previous life. If you fancy it why not give it a go!! Could be quite an eye-opener!