t takes more than just looks to wear the iconic AirAsia India Cabin Crew uniform and deliver best in class onboard service in the industry. Some of the qualities that this job requires are good communication skills, resilience, patience, compassion, open mindedness, teamwork, good time management, and adaptability. You need to be able to understand the perspective of varied guests and cater to their requirements onboard. These guests may come from different walks of life and are bound to have different belief systems and requirements. A simple gesture from the cabin crew may brighten their day and make small wins. In simple words, the cabin crew should be approachable, humble, friendly and fun!

The beautiful transition of a candidate from a trainee and finally to a cabin crew starts with the process of identifying raw diamonds through a well-structured recruitment drive. Every airline has a specific criterion for height and BMI, based on the type of fleet they operate. A lot of the aircraft’s safety and emergency equipment are stowed in overhead compartments or at the back of deep stowages and the cabin crew must be able to reach the equipment, should the need arise. This is why you are required to have an extended arm reach that enables you to access these equipments comfortably and swiftly. Other parameters to get your wings are a pleasant personality and deportment. In India, the candidate must also have good communication skills in both Hindi and English.

The training is the second phase. Here, these raw diamonds that have been selected to be a part of the airline industry are polished. In the training (that may differ from 2-6 months depending on the airline), the trainees go through rigorous training covering aviation subjects like Grooming, Service, Aviation security, awareness on Dangerous goods, First aid, Safety, Emergency procedure, Safety Management and Crew Resource Management.

After clearing the written examinations and viva for all the above-mentioned subjects, the trainees finally receive their license to fly high. The cabin crew work tirelessly and passionately with the values of being fun, caring, hardworking, passionate, safety conscious, and upholding integrity. We create memorable experiences for guests on board and give them memories to cherish forever like their first flight, surprise birthdays, school trips, without compromising the safety standards at any given point of time. The hard working, glamorous and handsome cabin crew are trained to the highest standards in emergency and standard operating procedures, first aid and of course keeping our beloved passengers happy with our inflight service. AirAsia India is a dream factory that has empowered many Allstars to chase their dreams with several stories of how cabin crew have transformed themselves into Managers, Pilots and more.

With my growth in AirAsia in the last ten years, I have realised that if you are committed and consistent in your work, you will achieve your dreams. This is one of the reasons that AirAsia values like Make it happen, Dare to dream and People first are very close to my heart and I try my best to live up to these values every day.

I am in love with my workplace that is 35,000 feet above sea level. This affair started 10 years back in 2011 and is still going on strong. I started flying in Malaysia back in 2011 and then in India from 2018. I was one of the 2 females the selection panel shortlisted from a crowd of 2000 plus candidates appearing for a cabin crew job in AirAsia Malaysia. Started my innings as a Cabin Crew, got promoted to Senior Cabin Crew within two years. After six years of active flying, I got selected as an Inflight and Cabin Auditor and within two years of becoming an auditor my managerial and leadership skills were recognised and I got an opportunity to Head the Cabin Crew Department in AirAsia India. I am leading a team of 700 plus cabin crew. I am humbly obliged to be the only head of cabin crew in India, who flies as a cabin crew at times to understand crew and passenger issues which helps the organisation to address them proactively.

Working in AirAsia India has given me the opportunity to travel extensively and explore new destinations during my annual leaves and days off that I only read about in my geography classes in school while looking at that blue globe in the library.

My fondest memory of flying is when I was operating a flight from Trichy to Malaysia and I had an old lady on my flight. She could barely speak in Hindi or English and was going to see her daughter who was about to deliver her grandchild. She was in a wheelchair and needed assistance throughout the flight to use the washroom. Along with my crew, I took care of her as though she was our granny and my crew even took the initiative to feed her the online pre-booked meal. After an overnight flight and four hours when we arrived, she called me with her hand gesture and gave me a 10 rupees note and kept her hand on my head with a gesture of blessing me and my crew. I touched her feet and the accomplishment of guest feedback was beyond words. Till date that 10 rupees note stays in my wallet as a reminder to treat all my guests as family and a reminder to be humble, patient and treat all my guests as I want to be treated.

– By Megha Singhania, Head – Cabin Crew, AirAsia India.