FLIGHT ATTENDANTS:
One of the long-standing challenges of the aviation industry has been how the image of those personnel who, arguably, proffer the last line of defence in the management of a terrorist or unruly passenger incident in-flight, can be transformed from that of a trolley dolly into one of a safety and security professional. Pilots are often portrayed as the guardians of security in the skies whilst, beyond the flight deck door, the flight attendants’ image is still that of a glorified waitress. Sherry Saehlenou discusses the problem and the solutions...
I
am on a plane as I write this. It has been a decade since 11th September 2001, the day that air travel, as we knew it, changed. Since that day the airline industry has made many important advances in closing loopholes in our security systems, enforcing strict regulations on air travel and increasing public awareness. Air travellers have become more ‘security minded’ as they arrive at the airport, walk though the terminals, go through the intensive security screening, board their flights and settle into their seats. But does our “security mindset” tend to stop there? Unfortunately, many times it does. What do you think of when I say ‘flight attendant?’ I’m willing to bet that the image of a uniformed safety professional wrestling an unruly passenger to the floor and handcuffing him/her to the seat leg
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isn’t the first thing that pops to mind. Who hasn’t seen the numerous in-flight videos on the internet featuring rapping, dancing flight attendants, nearly nude flight attendants (covered with head to toe body paint), or even fitness gurus, rugby teams, and little kids giving the in-flight safety briefing? As clever and entertaining as these marketing campaigns are, it’s no wonder that it’s sometimes hard to take the flight attendant’s security role seriously after all that. The sad fact remains that even after the heroic actions of those flight attendants who also lost their lives that September day in 2001, after all the talk about flight attendants being ‘the first line of defence,’ after the precision- trained cabin crew saved passengers’ lives on the Hudson, and after both the shoe and the underwear bombers’
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attempts were, in part, thwarted by cabin crews, flight attendants still have to combat the general perception that they are there to entertain and serve. To answer the question “Are flight attendants regarded as service providers or safety professionals?” it helps to examine the point of view of each group that makes up a part of the flight attendant’s working world.
Airline Passengers
With that question in mind, I set about to do some informal interviews of my own. I queried passengers sitting next to me each time I flew, I brought the subject up at dinner parties, and I asked my friends outside the industry. Each time I asked the question, the response was the same: a detailed description of a recent flight where the
December 2011 Aviationsecurityinternational
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