Air Hostess as Career

The most important aspect of air travel is to make the journey of the passengers as much comfortable and safe as possible. It is here the air hostesses play a great role. They are the people who welcome passengers aboard an aircraft. They help them in their seating arrangements and arranging their hand baggage in the proper manner. They ensure the safety-belt arrangements and demonstrate the use of emergency equipments. They make the necessary announcements inside the flight. Air hostesses and flight stewards have to be on duty throughout the duration of the flight for looking after passengers in general, and taking special care of air-sick travelers, sick children and babies; and elderly people or very young who are traveling alone. They serve meals to both the passengers and the crew. Many young girls as well as boys opt for air hostess as a career option, because of the exciting experience of flying, visiting different places, interacting with different kinds of people onboard, and very attractive pay packages. Liberalization of air policies has increased the private operation of air services and hence, has created immense job opportunities in this field.

Course Details
For admissions into air hostess training courses, the eligibility criteria may vary from institute to institute. However, most parameters remain more or less the same in most of the institutes. Courses like Advance Diploma in Airline Cabin Crew and Hospitality, Airhostess/Flight Steward Training, Cabin Crew Training, Certified Professional in Cabin Crew Services, Diploma in Air Hostess and Ground Handling, and Diploma in Airline Cabin Crew are offered in the leading institutes. The minimum academic qualification is 10+2 pass or graduate or diploma holder in hotel management. Age limit of the candidates is from 17 to 25 years. Also, there are certain physical criteria for enrolling candidates in this course, like 157.5 cm as minimum height, right weight proportionate to the height, normal eyesight, fair to clear complexion etc. Besides, air hostesses should be proficient in languages, such as English, Hindi and foreign languages, eligible for an Indian passport, unmarried, and have a pleasing personality. Admission is made through different stages of the tests conducted. After initial screening, a candidate has to qualify a written test, followed by subsequent group discussion and personal interview.

Career Prospects
After successful completion of the training course, budding air hostesses can check out the large-scale career opportunities waiting for them in the market. They can find ample job avenues in public and private sector airlines. With privatization, foreign collaboration, and open sky policies round the corner, the future is very bright for aspiring air hostesses. Most airline offices, which are planning to increase their fleet, have a number of positions open for air hostesses. They can find employment in public careers like Indian Airlines and Air India. Besides, better job options are also available in privately owned domestic and international airlines, namely, Sahara Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Jet Airways, Kingfisher, IndiGo, Spice Jet, Air Deccan, etc. An air hostess has every chance to be promoted as senior flight attendant and later as head attendant. However, profession as an air hostess lasts for just eight to ten years, after that she could move on to ground duties like ground hostess and check hostess, train air hostesses, or can work in the management level. The span of their flying career as symbols of hospitality may tend to be contractual, but experienced cabin crew are successfully absorbed in alternative careers in travel and tourism, hotels, and mass media, to name a few.

Top Colleges Offering UG/PG/Other Courses
Some of the renowned air hostess training institutes in India are Free Bird Aviation & Management Services, Trivandrum; Frankfinn Management Consultants (New Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Mumbai); Pacific Airways, New Delhi; SISI-CMTES Hospitality and Aviation School, Secunderabad; Air Hostess Academy, New Delhi; Livewel Academy, Mumbai; Aptima Air Hostess Academy, New Delhi; Flyers Inc, New Delhi; Appliq Airways Academy Pvt. Ltd., Agra; Global Institute of Flight Care & Management, New Delhi; Indian Aviation Academy, Mumbai; Sristy's School of Air Hostess, Hyderabad; Airsonic Training Academy, Panaji; All India Institute of Aeronautics, Surat; Asia Pacific Institute of Management, Ahmedabad; Astro Professional Academy Pvt. Ltd., Udaipur; and Avalon Academy in Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Goa, Indore, and Mumbai.

Remuneration
Air hostess as a career is highly remunerative and prestigious. Although salaries of an air hostess depend upon the airlines she is employed in, but the starting salary may vary from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 40,000 per month in domestic airlines. An air hostess working with international airlines receives higher salary as compared to the domestic airlines. The salary of a senior air hostess is about Rs. 60,000-80,000 per month in public sector airlines and Rs. 2-3 lakhs in private international airlines.