The Weekend Australian, February 26, 2005

To be up in the air, flight crew first need their feet on the ground, writes Lynnette Hoffman.

FROM watching babies being delivered to witnessing wedding proposals over the plane's PA system, and in some cases even providing complimentary champagne, flight attendants see just about everything.

Including, unfortunately, vomit.

Former ambulance officer Adam Joyce has worked as cabin crew for nine years on three airlines – jumbo-jetting off to exotic places such as China and Korea with Ansett International, hopping off to country destinations in tiny little planes with propellers for Qantas Link, and, in his current position, zipping up and down the coast with Jetstar.

Aside from caring for (and cleaning up after) airsick passengers, Joyce has often put his medical background to use. There have been mid-air asthma attacks, epileptic seizures, chronic chest pains, and, probably most commonly, passengers fainting and passing out.

So if there's one thing Joyce and other flight attendants want all passengers and would-be cabin crew to realise, it's that being a flight attendant entails a lot more than waiting on passengers.

"Our primary focus is for the safety of the passengers – it's certainly not to serve coffee and tea," Joyce says.

In fact, twice a year, flight attendants have to pass detailed tests to make sure they are absolutely familiar with all emergency procedures and equipment, says Leesa Lowery, another former Ansett flight attendant who now works four days a week as a casual flight attendant for Qantas.

"There are eight aircraft types and 50 pieces of equipment on them, and we have to know where every piece of equipment is and how to use it all. People don't realise the proficiency we have to have with that," she says.

Conflict resolution skills are a must. Especially when the weather is nasty.

"When flights are delayed you often have to calm people down," Joyce says. "Sometimes you have to cop the angry side of passengers, and deal with intoxicated passengers."

The job, Joyce and Lowery say, is fun and challenging, with great benefits and lots of variety. You get to meet interesting people and travel at heavily discounted, though not free, rates.

But it's not as glamorous as many people think.

"We always joke about that when we're eating breakfast in front of a toilet," Lowery says. And the hours aren't always to die for, especially when you're scheduled for the dreaded early shift – unless, of course, you enjoy waking up at 3:30 or 4am to get to work in time to prepare for a 6am flight. If you're not a morning person, you can't show it.

"You're working unsociable hours, but you have to be happy and energetic and friendly no matter what time of day it is. It could be the middle of the night and all you want to do is sleep but you still have to smile on the outside," Joyce says.

Lowery agrees: "When you get up at 4am and an hour later you're facing 300 people, keeping that positive attitude can be hard. It can be a stressful time, especially when you're trying to take a bag off someone," she says. "It can be difficult dealing with different personalities. Sometimes customers can get irate."

Still it is exciting, entertaining work.

When Ansett collapsed, Lowery thought she'd never find her way back to the plane.

"I absolutely love flying. I've done hairdressing, extra (acting) work, promotions, but nothing has been as enjoyable as this. It just gives you an awareness of other cultures, and there's a buzz about it. It's so hard to have a normal job on the ground after doing this," she says.

Joyce says the constant variety of working with different crew each day, the feel-good nature of helping people and sharing in their excitement as they head off for holidays, and the opportunities to spend time in new and different places are among the highlights of the job. Plus he gets six weeks of annual leave. And substantial discounts on flights, even to destinations which Jetstar doesn't serve (the only glitch is that the flights are "subject to space available" so there is a possible risk of getting stuck in a foreign country for a day or two).

"It's very competitive and it always has been because it's got pretty good benefits, the lifestyle is excellent and anyone can be a flight attendant. You can come from a background as a computer operator or a waiter or a painter, and still be a top flight attendant," says Vivienne Bennett, owner of Flight Dux, a company designed to help aspiring flight attendants land their dream jobs.

A veteran flight attendant of 22 years, Bennett certainly knows what it takes.

The number one thing airlines are looking for is customer service skills and people skills. Candidates don't need to be well-travelled or fluent in multiple languages for most positions, but they do need both a responsible service of alcohol certificate and an updated Level 2 first aid certificate. You've also got to be healthy. Once upon a time prospective air stewards and stewardesses were actually placed on the scales to make sure they fell within acceptable weight limits. That's been abandoned, but you still need to be slim enough to move around the plane easily.

"Flight attendants need to be quite agile. In an emergency situation they might have to actually push people out and they need to be able to manoeuvre over things, so it is really more of a health issue than an appearance issue," Bennett says.

You don't have to be tall, blonde and 20, but appearance does play a role. "The main thing is that you're neat and tidy and presentable. You could be the best looking guy around but if your nails are dirty and unkempt and your shirt is wrinkled you'll be eliminated," Bennett says.

And skin can be important as well: many Middle Eastern airlines won't hire people with bad skin for fear that it will flare up under the intense heat in that part of the world, she says.

At the end of the day, though, it usually comes down to personality.

"You have to be a people person with a fantastic sense of humour and a can-do attitude. If you're locked up in a tube and you're not in harmony with the other staff it overflows onto the customers, and that's the last thing they want," she says.

Interviews are extensive and often include psychological tests, group work and other techniques. Those who make it through the multiple rounds head off for specialised training that can last from two to three weeks for a small airline to 10 weeks for large airlines.

"It's extremely competitive but that shouldn't put people off," says Rohan Garnett, head of customer service at Jetstar. "We're looking for a fundamental proven track record and a genuine interest in customer service and hospitality."

Fortunately, with Australia's strong economy, people are still flying – and so airlines are hiring.