Wirraway
19th May 2006, 07:24
Wed "Melbourne Age"
Cabin fever
By David Adams
May 17, 2006
MELBOURNE to Sydney. Sydney to Perth. Perth to Adelaide. Adelaide to Melbourne.
So goes the life of Dimi Stavrou, a member of cabin crew with Virgin Blue airline.
Ms Stavrou, who lives in Melbourne but spends eight to 10 nights away each month, worked for three years at an international airline before joining Virgin Blue when it started six years ago.
The 32-year-old says it's the lifestyle - "every day is different" - and the constant contact with people that she most enjoys about the job. Not to mention the travel.
"Travelling and getting paid for it, basically."
Virgin Blue employs more than 1300 cabin crew who fly across the country on about 2000 flights a week.
David Rundle, recruitment and learning manager, says people applying to become a member of cabin crew need to have a customer service background, enjoy serving people and working in a team, and have an "eye for detail", particularly when it comes to learning safety procedures.
Mr Rundle, who is about to take up a new role as manager of cabin crew, says Virgin Blue also looks for people who "are quite comfortable with who they are and they interact with people openly and readily".
Virgin Blue holds four to six cabin crew schools a year with about 26 students in each school. The schools run for five weeks and cover everything a prospective cabin crew member needs to know with three weeks focused on emergency and standard operating procedures.
While many cabin crew applicants are fresh out of high school, others are changing careers and often come from a hospitality and service background, although Virgin Blue has also employed former nurses and teachers as cabin crew. About a quarter of Virgin Blue's cabin crew are men.
Mr Rundle says many people manage to balance the job with a family life but adds that it can be a physically tough career.
"It's a physical job where they've got early mornings, they've got late nights, they're working under pressure serving people . . . so it's physically a demanding job," he says. "But it's also very rewarding from a travel perspective and if you like people, you're with them all the time."
Cabin crew need to be at least 18 years old and some airlines have height requirements. They may require certification in first aid and the service of alcohol.
While many people apply directly to the airlines for cabin crew positions without any experience, there are training organisations which aim to help applicants get a competitive edge in the application process.
Brisbane-based Aviation Australia launched a 10-week cabin crew training course in February and had its first eight students graduate recently.
Pauline Caulley, cabin crew training manager, says the course - which covers everything from aircraft systems, first aid and galley service to interview techniques - was launched in the belief that there will be a growing demand for cabin crew qualifications within the aviation industry.
"There's been no entry level for cabin crew," she says. "So we developed a Certificate II in Transport and Distribution Aviation Flight Operations - Cabin Crew . . ."
Ms Caulley, a former flight purser with Emirates airline, says the course is aimed at increasing the professionalism of cabin crew and lifting the level of training.
"If you look at any initial training program for an airline, it can be anywhere from four to six weeks," she says. "We're giving these students 10 weeks and we're giving them everything that would be optimally required for an airline, so these students are as well trained as what you would get with an airline."
Ms Caulley says that, for her, the attraction of the job was the variety of people she encountered. "I was working with over 90 different nationalities, learning about different cultures, flying all over the world," she says. "I don't think there's one more place that I even need to visit - I've seen the world."
Contacts
aviationaustralia.net.au
virginblue.com.au
======================================================
Cabin fever
By David Adams
May 17, 2006
MELBOURNE to Sydney. Sydney to Perth. Perth to Adelaide. Adelaide to Melbourne.
So goes the life of Dimi Stavrou, a member of cabin crew with Virgin Blue airline.
Ms Stavrou, who lives in Melbourne but spends eight to 10 nights away each month, worked for three years at an international airline before joining Virgin Blue when it started six years ago.
The 32-year-old says it's the lifestyle - "every day is different" - and the constant contact with people that she most enjoys about the job. Not to mention the travel.
"Travelling and getting paid for it, basically."
Virgin Blue employs more than 1300 cabin crew who fly across the country on about 2000 flights a week.
David Rundle, recruitment and learning manager, says people applying to become a member of cabin crew need to have a customer service background, enjoy serving people and working in a team, and have an "eye for detail", particularly when it comes to learning safety procedures.
Mr Rundle, who is about to take up a new role as manager of cabin crew, says Virgin Blue also looks for people who "are quite comfortable with who they are and they interact with people openly and readily".
Virgin Blue holds four to six cabin crew schools a year with about 26 students in each school. The schools run for five weeks and cover everything a prospective cabin crew member needs to know with three weeks focused on emergency and standard operating procedures.
While many cabin crew applicants are fresh out of high school, others are changing careers and often come from a hospitality and service background, although Virgin Blue has also employed former nurses and teachers as cabin crew. About a quarter of Virgin Blue's cabin crew are men.
Mr Rundle says many people manage to balance the job with a family life but adds that it can be a physically tough career.
"It's a physical job where they've got early mornings, they've got late nights, they're working under pressure serving people . . . so it's physically a demanding job," he says. "But it's also very rewarding from a travel perspective and if you like people, you're with them all the time."
Cabin crew need to be at least 18 years old and some airlines have height requirements. They may require certification in first aid and the service of alcohol.
While many people apply directly to the airlines for cabin crew positions without any experience, there are training organisations which aim to help applicants get a competitive edge in the application process.
Brisbane-based Aviation Australia launched a 10-week cabin crew training course in February and had its first eight students graduate recently.
Pauline Caulley, cabin crew training manager, says the course - which covers everything from aircraft systems, first aid and galley service to interview techniques - was launched in the belief that there will be a growing demand for cabin crew qualifications within the aviation industry.
"There's been no entry level for cabin crew," she says. "So we developed a Certificate II in Transport and Distribution Aviation Flight Operations - Cabin Crew . . ."
Ms Caulley, a former flight purser with Emirates airline, says the course is aimed at increasing the professionalism of cabin crew and lifting the level of training.
"If you look at any initial training program for an airline, it can be anywhere from four to six weeks," she says. "We're giving these students 10 weeks and we're giving them everything that would be optimally required for an airline, so these students are as well trained as what you would get with an airline."
Ms Caulley says that, for her, the attraction of the job was the variety of people she encountered. "I was working with over 90 different nationalities, learning about different cultures, flying all over the world," she says. "I don't think there's one more place that I even need to visit - I've seen the world."
Contacts
aviationaustralia.net.au
virginblue.com.au
======================================================