Its one year

Entry-level airline industry staff. Newcomers to the airline industry. Airline passenger service staff. Ground Handling Agents’ passenger services staff. Airport operators’ staff providing passenger services. Civil Aviation Authorities’ staff providing passenger services. Travel industry staff

Not at all, speaking additional language is not essential for becoming cabin crew/ Airport staff, although it is desirable. However, fluency in English and Hindi is a must for domestic Airlines. For international Air Carriers, Fluency in English is mandatory and knowledge of any regional or foreign language is an added advantage. Travel industry staff

The industry understands that not every prospective candidate excels at school, but has the required skills and qualities to fit in the requirements. If you did not manage to gain a distinction in your subjects, but have cleared higher secondary education or have customer service experience then they will still consider you.

The candidate will be required to live within a certain distance from the airport they are based at. The majority of airlines set a distance of maximum of a 60 minute travel time radius. This is mainly because the candidate can be rostered on standby which means that they may get called for work at a short notice. Apart from this, it is much better to be close to the airport as there is nothing more tiring than finishing a long hour shift and then having to drive a long way back home!

International Airlines

Flight Attendants/ Air Hostess

Rs 70,000- 1,50,000 per month(Initial 1-2 years depending on your performance, grade and duty hours)

Ground Crew

Rs 25,000- Rs60,000 per month

Hotel Executive

Rs 20000 onwards

Domestic Airlines

Flight Attendant/ Air hostess

Rs 30,000- 60,000 per month(Initial 1-2 years depending on your performance, grade and duty hours)

Ground Crew

Rs 12,000- Rs 25,000 per month

In addition to fixed Flying Hour remuneration, there are multiple allowances and bonuses. The string of cabin crew allowances and bonuses include:

Long haul bonuses, variable depending on destination

A daily overseas allowance per night

Nightly “incidental” allowance for costs such as laundry

Meal allowance

Excess time premium per additional hour

Telephone allowance

Commission on duty free sales

Commission on Sales on board

Stand By Allowance Note- (Allowances vary from Airline to Airline) Besides attractive perks, employees get free air tickets for themselves and family on the routes covered by the airlines.

Hotel Executive

Rs 8,000-Rs 20,000 onwards. Most hotels also offer allowances and tips among their employees and bonus for outstanding performance.

No, airlines and hotels are fine about recruiting people who wear contact lenses or glasses providing these correct your vision to 20/20. However there are certain restrictions for Cabin Crew applicants and corrective surgery is not entertained due to safety reasons on board the aircraft.

Having a qualification or training relating to the role of a cabin crew, ground staff or Hotel Executive is not mandatory. However, the airlines and hotels prefer to recruit candidates who have the basic knowledge of the role they are applying for and are well versed with the operating reservation systems used by the Industry. These training are provided by the respective Airlines or Hotels after recruitment but undergoing a course before applying boosts confidence and awareness and increases the chances of selection by successfully acing the interview .

Airline Industry- Traffic assistants, Reservation, Counter Executives, Air Hostess/ Flight Stewards, Sales Executives, Airport Duty Personnels and Call Centers e

Travel Agencies and Tour Operators- Reservation and Counter Executives, Sales and Marketing Executives etc

Hotels- Travel Consultants, Front Office Executives/ Assistants, Reservation Executives, Restaurant Hostess, Relationship Managers etc.

To enrol on any of these vocational courses, a candidate would need to be at least 18 years of age. However one must be aware of the minimum age set by the airlines when applying to them.

Recruitment drives for the airlines tend to be ongoing throughout the year. Some Charter airlines and Budget hotels recruit higher at the beginning of the year for the busy summer season.

During the 2 on 1 stage of an interview, the interviewers will ask relevant questions to find out a little more about the applicant. For this stage of the interview and to find out what kind of questions they may ask and how to answer them, read our interview questions and answer gui

Once recruited by an airline as a cabin crew member, the selected candidate has to complete a mandatory 6-12 weeks safety and emergency procedure training. During this time, candidate will be trained on:

Aircraft Evacuation

Ditching (landing on water)

Decompression

Fire Fighting

Passenger Management

Security Related Issues/ Bomb Threat, Hijack.

Extraordinary Situations

First Aid

Survival

After completion of the training, candidates have to appear for the written and mock examination conducted by DGCA for obtaining a legal permit and licence to commence a career in this Industry.

During the induction process of a Hotel staff, the candidate has to undergo training for a month or two in various departments ranging from Reception, F&B, Housekeeping and Reservation etc. This encourages a candidate to be thoroughly confident about the various operations and importance of coordination between these departments. After successful completion of the induction and evaluation by seniors one can start handling the department they have been recruited.

It is a personal decision that one has to make in selecting their preferred Airline. To find the right airline, it is best to do some research before applying. Factors for consideration are:

The size of the company - do you want to work in a small and friendly company or a larger corporate one

The destinations they offer - do you want to go for an airline that specialises in short-haul flights, long haul flights or an airline that offers both.

The incentives they offer to their cabin crew.

The career progression you can have within the company.

Normally, one can only re-apply to an airline after 6 months of first application. Many cabin crew who were not successful for the first time they applied, cleared their interview later after multiple applications. During the 6 months period it is advised to focus on building up customer service experience, improving your skills and knowledge on becoming a cabin crew member.