Flight attendant purpose

November 1, 2013

In class today, I finally realize that a flight attendant’s main purpose for existence is to ensure the safety and security of the passengers onboard.  So many people think flight attendants are simply there to serve food and drinks.  But if that were the only reason, couldn’t companies just  set up food/drink stations and let customers help themselves?   

No, Flight Attendants main duty is to be prepared for emergency situations and to help keep people safe and secure while on the flight.  Here are a few FA responsibilities that I never really considered:   

-         Handle in-flight medical emergencies

-         Fight fires

-         Protect and advise passengers if there is depressurization in the cabin

-         Direct you during evacuations

-         Evaluate the presence and usability of in-cabin medical equipment

-         Advise passengers to be seated securely when the plane hits turbulence

-         Deal with unruly or drunk passengers, keeping others on the flight safe

-         Deploy and man life rafts in case of a water landing

-         Deploy and manage evacuation slides

However you feel about flight attendants, whether you think they’re annoying for telling you to fasten your seat belt, pausing your entertainment to give you a safety demo, or telling you to stop a certain behavior, remember – your FA’s number one priority is to keep you safe.  So if you don’t want to be that person who is “accidentally” left behind during an emergency, remember, be kind to your flight attendant, she (he) may just save your life.