Flight attendants greet passengers, explain and demonstrate safety procedures, check the general condition of the aircraft cabin, ensure that all necessary supplies are on board, attend to the safety of passengers during takeoffs, landings and emergencies, serve food and beverages to passengers and make flight announcements. Always a demanding job, in these turbulent days they also have to know how to deal with Deportees, Reporting Device Interference, Animals in the Cabin and Prisoners and Escorts. The work environment consists of long hours “on your feet” in confined spaces under varying conditions, including turbulence. There are varied and changing work schedules and shifts, which may include on-call demands, time zone changes, extended time away from home, and work on weekends and statutory holidays. This is not a job for the faint-hearted: candidates are warned that, despite having to look poised and neat at all times, the position requires strenuous physical work and that they must be able to lift, push and pull heavy items or equipment. We took a look at what it takes to be an Air Canada Flight Attendant. Air Canada sees its Flight Attendants as ambassadors of the customer experience on board each flight. Flight Attendant roles include safety professional, caregiver and service provider – they need to be able to effectively handle diverse and challenging situations with poise and diplomacy.

Minimum Requirements to be an Air Canada Flight Attendant:

• Must be safety conscious
• Must accept assignment at Toronto In-Flight Service base
• Must possess a valid Canadian passport
• Minimum age – 18 years High school graduation diploma or equivalent Must be able to meet medical standards
• Must be able to obtain Transport Canada’s Security clearance Must be well groomed and self confident Must successfully complete seven-week initial training program
• Priority will be given to candidates completely fluent in English and French. Fluency in English or French and one or more of the following languages will be considered an asset: Japanese, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Italian, German, Arabic, Hebrew and Portuguese.

Abilities:

• Learn, retain and apply technical and procedural information
• Show enthusiasm, pride and commitment to airline and its products, services, policies and procedures
• Sell airline products on board
• Interact and work effectively with people, sometimes under difficult and stressful circumstances

Training:

Air Canada is large enough to conduct its own Flight Attendant training courses. This covers various components including government rules and regulations, emergency procedures, security regulations, airline policies and procedures, aviation first aid, and customer service. To become a Flight Attendant, the candidate undergoes intensive full-time paid training for seven weeks. Training includes pre-course assignments as well as written and practical examinations requiring many hours of study. Once candidates have successfully completed the Flight Attendant Initial training, they must successfully complete an annual recurrent training program and any other training initiatives.