View Full Version : Is driving essential?
EZYJET2006
24th Apr 2006, 16:08
is driving essential in order to become a cabin crew?
wont you be tired after a long flight to drive for another hour or so?
wiggy
24th Apr 2006, 16:45
Well I'm not Cabin crew, I work on the other side of the door, but as far as I know being able to drive is not essential for either pilots or Cabin Crew. On the other hand, as with any job you've got to get to work somehow and how you do it is up to you.
As for driving after a long flight - yes it can be a problem, but most folks who do it have devised various coping strategies.
Getoutofmygalley
24th Apr 2006, 18:12
I am cabin crew and I live in the region of 1 hours drive from LGW where I am based. I had my ultimate test last month when I reported for duty at mid-day for an airport standby. On report I found that I was being positioned to another base to operate a 2 sector mainland Europe flight later on that evening and then after completion of the 2 sectors was being repositioned back to LGW.
To cut a long story short, I ended up driving home after having completed a 17hour+ duty period. I actually found that when I got back to LGW (having thought I would be shattered and concerned I may not be able to drive home safely) that I was wide awake as I was running on Adrenalin and had no problems with my journey home which was at about 05:30 in the morning when the morning rush hour was starting to get under way.
If you are concerned that you might not be fit to drive home after a long duty, then you should look at getting lodgings near to the airport you are going to be based at - or alternatively become very good friends with another member of crew who might let you bunk up on their sofa :}
EZYJET2006
24th Apr 2006, 20:00
I am cabin crew and I live in the region of 1 hours drive from LGW where I am based. I had my ultimate test last month when I reported for duty at mid-day for an airport standby. On report I found that I was being positioned to another base to operate a 2 sector mainland Europe flight later on that evening and then after completion of the 2 sectors was being repositioned back to LGW.
To cut a long story short, I ended up driving home after having completed a 17hour+ duty period. I actually found that when I got back to LGW (having thought I would be shattered and concerned I may not be able to drive home safely) that I was wide awake as I was running on Adrenalin and had no problems with my journey home which was at about 05:30 in the morning when the morning rush hour was starting to get under way.
If you are concerned that you might not be fit to drive home after a long duty, then you should look at getting lodgings near to the airport you are going to be based at - or alternatively become very good friends with another member of crew who might let you bunk up on their sofa :}
is it rare for cabin crew to share lifts or let you stay or even move in together?
wiggy
24th Apr 2006, 20:17
I think Getoutofmy galley gave you a pretty comprehensive reply but you give me the impression you think there are some special rules for crew when they are home....
As airline crew ( at least in the UK) as Cabin or Flight Crew, you are not signing up to join HM forces or similar, i.e. organisations with quite rigid regulations that apply to where you can live and what you can do, even when off duty. Crewmembers are just members of the general public who happens to fly for a living, so off duty they can do whatever they want as long as they don't break the law or bring the company into disrepute. So to answer your questions, yes, you can share lifts (but in general Crew generally scatter to all points of the Compass at the speed of sound once they are off duty at base), yes they can stay together, move in together...it's really that simple.
If you as an individual decide to live a long way from base (and a lot do, especially Long Haulers) then it's up to you to make arrangements to be rested before duty (some do indeed bunk down at a friends, otherwise you'll have to find a cheap hotel or B&B near the airport).
I am longhaul crew for BA at Heathrow, live in Aberdeen and have never taken a driving lesson in my life.
apaddyinuk
24th Apr 2006, 21:59
I wasnt aware that crew even needed to know what a car was in order to be crew????
How was the HKG Eddy???
How was the HKG Eddy???
Not bad matey, but I much prefer Singapore. HKG is just to busy (or atleast, Causeway Bay is - Kowloon, Central and Mid-levels seem better!).