Joining Cabin Crew - Next best thing for CPL Holder ??

[alpha_victor_romeo]

Hey ppruners,
I was just wondering if there is any CPL Holder in this forum who joined any airline as a cabin crew and would want to share his/her experience.

Also just wanted to strike a discussion of Pros and cons about the idea of joining as a cabin crew in an airline.

Is it the next best thing you could do preserve your passion for flying ??

Please write your opinions.

Any inputs are welcomed and appreciated.

Thank you,

AVR

[JMEN]

Good point you make.

If you can't get a job why not get a foot in the door? Pick a company you want to fly for and go for it.

Your doing the right thing asking the question, I have no real idea or experience but it sounds to me like a great idea.

Just try to keep ya flying current with a fly a month or sumtink!

[Left Wing]

working as a dispatcher / flt ops dept. will give a lot more exposure compared to cabin crew.
It will also teach how the daily operations functions at the airline..

[CAT3_DUAL]

Cabin crew is the best option because as a professional pilot if getting bothers you very deeply this is it.
you will be able to see your dream cockpit everyday interact with pilots which will boost your morale in this tough time.
thiss is the best option according to me

[av8r76]

Agree with left wing. Did the cc gig for five years before my break. Yes, you are closer the deck but not really learning anything relevant to your ultimate profession. Try dispatch or anything operation related. In the long run, you will have a more holistic view of airline ops, which will make you a better crew member

[Stallone]

Disagree

CC serve the passengers. u don't learn much work related to flying as a pilot.

[vdaff]

When we are unemployed then we should take anything on our way

Last year I applied with AI express and jet airways for CC position, (yes I am an unemployed CPL holder for nearly 3 years) but got rejected without any reasons

[alpha_victor_romeo]

Thank you all of you for your inputs.

I shall consider the option of working as a dispatch too. Could some one shed light on how to get a dispatch licence and what exactly is the pay scale.

I found out from my crew friends that a cabin crew earns atleast 30-35k (which is not bad at all for unemployed CPL holders - no offence !!;) ) plus you get to fly for free and not to forget you get to sit in the cockpit !! :cool:

And....

You never know...... that dream most of us have.. when we fly as passengers.. that the pilot gets in capacitated and crew asks for any cpl holder on board... lol (atleast I think about it... ;))

Lets see whats in store for future....

AVR

[King Julian]

Not to disappoint you mate, but going down the CC lane has its own consequences. I personally know this 9W pilot who used to be a CC with AI. He finished up his flying and when he wanted to apply for flying jobs, AI refused and he had to do a lot of legal battles to get out of it.

Secondly there is definitely going to be a bond if a company hires you as a CC and gives you initial training, which means you cant leave the job half way if a flying job comes by. All you'll be doing is beating your head against the wall.

So give a good think about it.

I am NOT saying its a bad means to start your flying career, but its a rough sea only a few are daring to cross. At the same time, I'd like to recommend you what LEFT WING has said. Flight dispatcher/working for flight ops is a great way to start your aviation career.


Hope this helps.:ok:
KJ

[AVIATROZ]

can anyone plz shed light......about the qualification that i flight dispatcher needs for the job......Is the commercial pilot license enough for one to get hired by an airline as a flight dispatcher..............

thanks

[sonsal]

i personally believe joining as cabin crew or as dispatcher is way better than siting at home and waiting for vacancies. you Go out and make some connections and who knows you might get a job as deck crew somewhere....

If you join as Cabin crew you'll get some time to study but joining at dispatch wont give you much time to study for airlines entrance exams.
dispatch is hectic but better than sitting at home.

[Cactus225]

Worked as a Cabin Crew before, trained as a pilot since the last three years and now working as a dispatcher.

So I think I have covered all the three aspects under consideration here.

NOTHING COMPARES TO A BIG FAT LOGBOOK WITH A THOUSAND HOURS IN IT OK. and even thats not enough at times..

a dispatcher is a dispatcher and a hostie is a hostie. neither of them are learning anything about being pilots.

So if you want to travel while u wait for a pilots job- be a cabin crew. Dont worry about any bond. It would just be a INR 50,000/- bond which is worth paying for if you ever get a pilots job.
Being a dispatcher isnt easy.. the DGCA is even more difficult with a dispatcher than with the pilot licenses.

IN SHORT- you cant be a dispatcher unless an airline recruits you and trains you for the job. No self sponsored dispatchers in the market. There is a particular CAR for dispatchers.. look for it.

Any aviation job is worth it guys. You have already discussed the pros and cons for these two.

But let me just tell you- its not easy seeing other people fly while you sit aside and serve them their beverages as a crew or hand them their Flight plans and get off the aircraft after the preflight as a dispatcher.
swear I am going to die of jealousy soon else some perfectly good aircraft is going to crash cause of my jealousy... b:rolleyes:

Hope it doesnt come to that.. hope the industry kicks off soon and we all get back up in the skies.. hehe..

make your choice..

[captjns]

Dispatching will provide a wealth of knowledge to the budding aviator:ok:.

Both share in the duties and responsibilities of a flight ranging but not limited to FTLs FDLs, routing, crew qualifications, Flight Planning, Wt. & Bal., Wx, Mx, MELs, Permits, to name a few.

They also act as flight followers and advise crews, via ACARS, or other means when during flight of potential issues effecting the safety of flight, or advised re-routes do to weather as well as assists in diversions when required.

A true dispatcher is not a paper pusher as one may think. Unfortunately, some dispatchers have not come to that realization:{.

That said... is is a better alternative than to starting your career as CC. However, I've flown with excellent pilots who did start their careers as CC, and are now captains at major carriers. However their route to the cockpit was longer than those who started out as either dispatchers or engineers.

Good luck just the same.

[airbuscopilot]

For Men! Only CC options are Jet Airways, NACIL (A) and GoAir.

Pros:


You Recover flight training money - will boost your morale!
Gives you money to keep your licence current / Re-Current training etc.
You are employed and your brain does not wander and topple :8
You are connected to Aviation
You make contacts within the system
Your CPL is anyway valid for 5 years and can be renewed with $$ earned.
Whenever Any Pilot exam comes in, Jump and don't look back.
You end up collecting $$ for the Type Rating Costs which any airline now asks for!


Cons:


Its Not a Pilot Job.


My advice. Go Ahead. Earn and Recover. Avg start salary's are 35-40k!

[ReverseFlight]

In recent years I have come across a number of pilots who have tried the cabin crew route to network with other pilots, know HR better, stay in aviation etc etc but as far as I am aware, none of them have ended up working in the cockpit (yet).

[fernandeztv]

-/quoting alpha_victor_romeo
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And....

You never know...... that dream most of us have.. when we fly as passengers.. that the pilot gets in capacitated and crew asks for any cpl holder on board... lol (atleast I think about it... http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/wink2.gif)

Lets see whats in store for future....

AVR
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@alpha_victor_romeo - nice dream i would say but not practical! Atleast in my airline we have it in black and white that in case of pilot incapacitation we can only look for "company type rated pilot on board". Not even any type rated person on board is allowed to enter the flight deck. yes cabin crew are trained to read out checklist but that is not practical as we fly with a minimum complement of CC for the number of seats installed and so even they have to be in their stations for the landing phase.
Infact during one of my the line checks i remember doing a simulated pilot incapacitation exercise carried out on a high workload destination.

I have seen people who started out as cabin crew who later went on to get flying licenses and today are flying line but am yet to see a CPL holder join as cabin crew and then get hired as pilots. just my limited observation though...don't let me discourage you! Like you said the higher priority for you is to start earning something!

[alpha_victor_romeo]

I know and I agree with the policy of the airline of looking only for type rated pilots... but what if there aren't any?? isn't it better to have something (read :someone) better than nothing. ;)
But really appreciate all your inputs !!

Thank you.

AVR

[av8r76]

The cc gig is not bad. Different ways to the same destination. But please do not be deluded in the fact that you will have ample time in the cockpit or plenty of time to study. These airlines make you work hard 6 on 1 off. I have done it myself after my commercial...... No great shakes, you are still a cc with assigned tasks. You can't spend your whole time chatting up the pilots. Super busy during flights....
There really isn't any wrong route to the deck. But at least as a dispatcher you are working behind the scenes watching flt ops. On the other hand it is not an easy qual to gain. Plus your fellow dispatchers will give you a hard time as they know some day you will be on the other side. Things to ponder and consider. By the time you do decide to act, you should hopefully catch a break somewhere. Good luck

[alpha_victor_romeo]

Can you please brief on how to become a dispatcher ? just asking for the basic starting point and do you know if there is any airline recruiting right now. any help is appreciated

AVR