Do you want to become a flight attendant? But your age, height, education, weight, health, skin, teeth, scars, marks, and fear of flying are stopping you. However, these disqualifications designed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) disqualify you from being a flight attendant. This is a dream of many individuals who want to wander around the world and love to interact with different groups of people. So, this blog is written for individuals who are dreaming of being a flight attendant. In this blog, you will know what disqualifies you from being a flight attendant. Hence, read every part carefully.
What is a Flight Attendant?
A flight attendant is simply an aircrew member responsible for passenger’s safety and comfort on business, commercial flights, and governmental aircraft. They have many duties like:
- Safety of the Passenger
- Inspections
- Cabin Duties
- Aircraft Duties
A flight attendant should know how to communicate and have patience, and skills to be calm in hectic situations. Additionally, he or she should enjoy working with their crew members and know all the rules and regulations of public safety.
Factors that can disqualify you from being a Flight Attendant
Numerous factors can impact your skills to be a flight attendant. This includes age, height, medical conditions, education qualifications, background checks, and physical needs. So, you can check the factors below that can disqualify you from being a flight attendant:
Age Criterion
The age criterion put forward for the flight attendants is as follows to harvest the maturity level of the applicants. While most have a baseline for hiring a candidate, there is frequently no strict age at which a person is no longer considered employable by the airline. Rather, the focus is often shifted toward the candidate’s physical health and his/her fitness for the specific job of a flight attendant.
However, people of all ages want to become flight attendants but typically these start working between 21 and 35 years of age. As it has been mentioned before, airlines want professional candidates with sufficient emotional and mental maturity to address all the job demands. At the same time be open to what may be considered by some career perks. Additionally, this job demands physical well-being, flexibility to carry emergency equipment, pull carts, and remain on one’s feet for a considerable duration. These measurements provide criteria for the candidates’ ability to reach overhead compartments and move around the cabin.
Also, the attendant’s vision and hearing skills must be good so that he/she is able to make the necessary safety checks and communicate well with the passengers and team members, especially in the testing conditions.
Health and Medical Fitness
The Federal Aviation Administration has set precise health standards that would enable flight attendants to work, especially in critical events or even an emergency. However, they have to prove their physical and mental fitness because the airlines estimate their candidates’ general health. Additionally, physical ailments that might bar a candidate include poorly managed diabetes, seizures, and some forms of heart ailments.
All the same, if one has an untreated mental health condition or associated disorder, such as depression, anxiety, judgment, reliability, or stress management issues, he or she also stands disqualified. Another of the major reasons that can lead to the refusal of a potential candidate is the presence of a history of alcohol consumption, as it threatens, on the one hand, reliability, and the other – the lives of passengers.
Criminal Background and Legal Requirements
The job of a flight attendant requires that the applicant should not have a criminal record. Crimes of any kind, and sometimes misdemeanors may exclude the candidates since the position requires a rather high level of security. Additionally, the applicant must have all the legal authorization to work with the airline’s crew. However, those who work on international routes should check security clearances. Most airlines perform credit checks to check applicant’s reliability and responsibility. Especially, when they can manage all the onboard sales and transactions.
Training and Certification
Candidates must clear somewhat rigorous training procedures that entail safety practices, customer relations, and basic medical attention among other practices for the airline. This training must be completed successfully as a prerequisite to remain in this position. The majority of certification exams assess you in terms of how well you understand and measure up to the challenges that you are likely to come across out there on an aircraft. These exams are mandatory and if you do not pass them you cannot be given a chance to work for a flight attendant organization.
Personal Conduct Socializers are also professionally tenacious, especially when it comes to their employers like companies and airline suppliers. You are also likely to be disqualified based on other misconduct that you might have engaged in on personal social media accounts. Cultural sensitivity as well as flexibility are also important. Failure in the tests for multicultural tests or basic driver’s permits may lead to disqualification of the candidate.
Negative Airline Interviews
In interviews, it can be difficult to secure a job since the interviewer does not get the impression that you will perform well when, for example, working in a team, controlling people, or handling customers. Employment companies also consider the cultural fit of the candidates to their supply chain management companies. It should, however, be noted that compatibility can also be a factor that can lead to disqualification.
How To Become A Flight Attendant?
Now you know who a flight attendant is. The topmost question that arises for all attendants is how to become one. So, below are the steps to become a flight attendant easily. Go through the steps easily:
- Firstly the applicant must complete his or her education. You have to complete your school diploma or General Educational Development.
- The applicants have to gain relevant experience in this field. However, the perfect applicants will surely pass the starting phase of the interview. Although, accurate work experience can enhance your resume. Most airlines need approximately experience in customer service, and sales, or hospitality of 2 years.
- Applicants should prepare a quality resume that shows his or her skills. Many airlines open resumes for some time. So, get your resume in your hands so that you can submit it any time when they post to hire a flight attendant.
- To become a flight attendant you have to pass your interview. Hence, if you want this job, you must prepare for your interview.
- Applicants must complete the training program of their preferred airline. The airline’s training program will help you in achieving the job’s perks. Additionally, it will assist you in using airport codes, how to perform job duties, handling in-flight emergencies, and how one can make PA announcements. The applicant must pass the training program with 90% of grade points.
- Lastly, when you complete your training program, you will get your Federal Aviation Administration Certificate of Demonstrated Proficiency. Hence, to get your certification, you have to complete the annual training first.
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Final Thoughts
To sum up, you have to understand everything about a flight attendant. Now you know what disqualifies you from being a Flight Attendant. You can easily get yourself ready for your flight attendant job interview now. You have to be physically fit, have professional standards, and know almost everything about a flight attendant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some of the reasons that one can fail to join being a flight attendant are failure to meet age or physical qualifications, certain medical conditions, past criminal records of felonies, and failure to pass required training and certifications.
As a general rule, this means that unless there are exceptional circumstances, a felony conviction will immediately rule you out of the running for a basic flight attendant job because the position entails having to be highly trustworthy, which is a tremendously high-security clearance, even though the job does not necessarily entail interaction with passengers.
One’s criminal record could be an undesirable element for the airline they wish to work with as a flight attendant given the high-risk nature of their jobs means that the employers need to ensure that their employees have no criminal record.
If you have a broken arm, you have to fully heal and pass all the physical demands of the company for the amenities, carryable necessities of equipment, and emergency procedures to qualify for a flight attendant job.
