About working in the skies, an interview with a steward

Working in the clouds is a great experience for life! It is an opportunity to meet a lot of people, see a lot of great places and spend unforgettable moments above the clouds! Maciej, who already has 3.5 years of experience working as a cabin crew member on board our aircraft, will tell us about the specifics of the job and the training process!

My sky adventure began somewhat by accident. At first, I worked as an attendant at the gate counters at the airport. The longer I worked there, the more often I started thinking about working as a cabin crew member. The job began to fascinate me more and more.

I work aboard Embraer 170/175/190/195 aircrafts, Boeing 737 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

At the very beginning, when the first commercial flights began, the profession was associated only with the female gender - and indeed it was. On the decks, only ladies worked as cabin crew. Today, on the other hand, I think it is not an uncommon sight. More and more men can be found on board as stewards, very often also with several years of work experience already, who started their sky adventure when I still could not pronounce the word "airplane". I have also had the opportunity to work with an all-male crew - pilots and stewards on board.

Aviation is a very dynamic field and there may have been several changes in the training process, while at the time I went through it, it lasted several weeks and was very intensive. Learning is usually six days a week, from morning to evening. This one day off is good to use to repeat the material and information learned. There is quite a lot of knowledge, especially if it is the first time someone meets the specifics of aircraft and aviation in general. It's good to be systematic, as new information comes up more and more. At the training we learn the basics of aviation knowledge, concepts, communication between different sectors of the airport operation and its employees. To this, of course, you must also include all standard procedures, safety and those related to the possibility of emergency situations. We also learn about the specifics and equipment of different types of aircraft. Meanwhile, there is training in service standards and soft skills, such as how to address passengers and how to behave in general. Finally, there is an exam that includes questions from each training section.

Working on board is working with people, so communication skills are important here, as well as the ability to work as part of the team that the crew forms during the flight. Various situations can happen on an airplane, which we are not always able to predict, hence the ability to make informed decisions and openness to new tasks and challenges is very important.

A cabin crew candidate may not have tattoos in visible areas.

I think not. Although you never know what can happen. Aviation is a very dynamic field, and you have to be prepared for everything, which on the other hand is also a huge plus - there is no routine in this job, and every day looks completely different, even flying repeatedly to the same places.

As I mentioned before, there is no routine, and each day brings a lot of new experiences. A huge advantage is the people you can meet on board. It is not uncommon to see people from the world of television, culture, film or sports. And above that, of course, the wonderful crews who, meeting each other for the first time an hour before departure, make it seem as if they have known each other for years! This job also provides great opportunities to see the world. For example, after doing a long-haul, or long-haul cruise to the US, the crew has a break to do all the cruises according to working time regulations. During such a stay, there is enough time for both rest and sightseeing of the place. There are, of course, also stays of several days, but usually after charter flights.

My favorite destination is the United States. In particular, metropolises such as New York. This city impresses the same every time! I really liked Singapore, although I was only once, it made a very positive impression on me! Also interesting are stays in European cities such as London, Tallinn, and Amsterdam. A beautiful place I had the opportunity to see was Cuba, and such a travel discovery of mine turned out to be Dubai, which I liked very much. In fact, there is something beautiful to see everywhere, and each place is unique in its own way.