CRM Research - feedback as promised: scroll down.

[flyblue]

Thank you JetJockeyJim, excellent work

I find it very interesting that despite in our industry we are all (more or less, as it appears) CRM trained, as groups we tend to think that CRM should apply to other professional groups, but not to ours.

If pilots only push their reflexions to the consideration that CC are not reliable (as if it was a genetic illness and not the result of lack of training), it's only a superficial reading of the problem but it doesn't offer a solution.
If we stop it at this, it is a waste of resources that a generation of CC with more training on how pilots work (and vice versa) could provide.

The same applies to CC, who accept that pilots are "difficult" and prefer to keep to themselves to avoid problems and don't go as far as trying to understand how they could participate more effectively in crew dynamics.

This last CC trait is being made worse by the trend of the last two decades encouraged by cost-cutting airlines who try to turn a profession into a Summer job, providing only the bare minimum of the training required by law. Law made by an Authority sieged by airline lobbies who are constantly at work to try and set requirements lower and lower to cut training times and costs.
But the profession of CC is not simple, and requires a lot of knowledge, skills and experience.

At my airline, we started the kind of work you suggest a few years ago. We have been building joint CC-Pilots CRM courses based on reports (anonymous or not) of recurring Crew interaction problems. During the courses we analyze topics and do group exercises that make both Pilots and CC realise how the others work and what they need and when. Eg a pax is very ill on descent, what is the best course of action regarding information to pilots? Why do the pilots need this information, what are they doing with it? When is the best time to deliver said information? Etc.

The year we analyzed "Cabin Ready", we dropped from the 400 reports of the previous year to 90% less the following year. Showing that the work done together had been fruitful and had solved a few issues.

I find your final considerations very interesting and pragmatic, and really hope there was a change in that direction.

Now, all that we need is only that the people in charge of making things happen really understood what CRM is about