Air Hostess
It’s the age of the jumbo and the jet-set. Everybody wants to be in the sky these days; from a statesman, to the family next door taking for their annual holiday. They fly in aircraft in which a high standard of safety and service are first priorities. Among those helping to provide service are the stewardesses, girls who combine the efficiency of a first-class secretary with the charm of a diplomat. Their job demands many qualities, including a capacity for hard work and an ability to keep calm in an emergency.
An Air Hostess is indeed the mistress of all she surveys inside an aircraft during flights. Inside the aircraft, she is the one who seems to be here, there and everywhere, greeting every passenger with a smile, elegantly guiding each to his or her seat, generously helping a passenger get settled, coordinating security personnel, giving directions to the caterers and doing myriad things. In most cases it is the girls who prefer this career although boys can do the same job as stewards.
However, for this promising career a girl must be smart and young. She not only tests the charm of flying but also gets the chance of visiting different places and countries and interacting with so many people from different walks of life.
The aspiring candidates should have few exceptional qualities within them – sense of responsibility, pleasing personality, presence of mind, initiative, good physique, patience to work long hours, systematic approach towards duty, good appearance, communication and interactive skills, language proficiency, pleasant voice, team spirit, positive attitude, sense of humour and so on.
Eligibility
More or less all airlines have their own set of selection criteria for Air Hostess. An Air Hostess aspirant is
expected to be proficient in the required languages (usually English, Hindi and one foreign language) and a graduate in any subject or diploma holder in hotelmanagement from a recognized university / institute.
The aspirant should be between 19 and 26 years of age, with a height of at least 157.5 centimeters, with weight proportionate to the height as per the standards set. Eligibility for an Indian Passport, unmarried status and perfect eyesight and health are other important factors considered as well as a clear complexion and a pleasing personality.
After initial screening, the candidate will have to qualify written test and subsequent group discussions and interviews. During training candidates are taught the guidelines and necessary procedures and for safety and services, etc.
Apart from the physical and other attributes mentioned above, the candidate should also have a lot of stamina, patience, common sense, presence of mind and the strength to keep her poised in the face of a crisis. An outgoingpersonality and a bit of luck always help.
The eligibility criteria can be summarized as below:
Age: 18 – 26
Qualification: Minimum +2 or a hotel management degree or a graduate degree
Height: 157.5 cms (without slippers or shoes)
Weight: in proportion with height
Marital status: Unmarried
Complexion: Fair to clear
Normal eyesight: No specs (6/24 - uncorrected normal vision (distant) in each eye)
Career Prospects
Starting off as an Air Hostess, you have to take progressive examinations for promotions and attend the refresher courses to keep abreast of the latest technology. There is every chance that you can then be promoted to the post of Senior Flight Attendant and then Head Attendant.
Your career as an Air Hostess would last for about eight to ten years, after which you could move on to the ground duties including the job of a Ground Hostess, Check Hostess, etc. or diversify into any one of the other departments in the airline industry.
With privatisation and foreign collaboration increasing every day, the future is bright for an Air Hostess. Most airline offices are looking to increasing their fleet and there is a demand for Air Hostesses. While it is a fact that most airline offices prefer to advertise when they plan to recruit, candidates may send their resume, along with a photograph, to airline offices on their own initiative.
Remuneration
The salary of an airhostess is generally high. An Airhostess working in an international airlines gets more salary as compared to the one in domestic airlines. The starting monthly salary of an airhostess working in a domestic airlines is somewhere between Rs.25, 000 – Rs.40, 000. An airhostess after serving a specific period of her job in a particular airlines gets promotion to the posts of senior flight attendant and, then, head attendant or similar positions. Sometimes, she gets the opportunities to diversify in to other departments in the airline industry. A senior air hostess can get a pay of Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 75,000 a month in public/private sector airlines. Foreign airlines pay more than Rs. 2 lakhs.
