Cabin crew manager

A cabin crew manager

Description

Cabin crew managers are responsible for motivating the cabin crew team to surpass passengers’ expectations and for the application of safety regulations on board the plane.

Duties

Cabin crew managers typically do the following:

  • Address complaints and key concerns impacting staff morale and work performance.
  • Analyse customers’ needs to customise products and services.
  • Approve recommendations to enhance service quality or flight operations.
  • Conduct interviews of flight attendants and make hiring decisions.
  • Determine performance standards for the cabin crew.
  • Develop performance audit checklists for cabin crew.
  • Forge quality partnerships with airport agencies, authorities, customers or vendors.
  • Lead change management in the organisation.
  • Manage the allocation and administration of crew resources Gather crew resources estimations to meet organisational requirements.
  • Oversee overall cabin crew performance.
  • Propose initiatives to enhance productivity and innovation.
  • Recommend new products and services to customers.
  • Resolve passenger complaints and address disciplinary issues pertaining to cabin crew.
  • Review cabin crew work process flows, procedures and standards.
  • Work with diverse groups of stakeholders to meet the needs of multicultural customers.
  • Work with network planning department to assign resources for flights.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to cabin crew manager:

chief purser
cabin service director
head of cabin crew
manager of cabin crew
cabin service manager
cabin crew head
flight service manager
inflight service manager
customer service director

Working conditions

Just like other flight attendants, cabin crew members must look good and master several languages, they are the showcase of the airline and are in direct contact with the passengers. Because of their experience and seniority within the company, they are in charge of solving the problems faced by inexperienced stewards and flight attendants.

Cabin crew members must be in good physical condition, as they spend most of the trip standing up. It is mainly a supervisory job. They generally take care of first-class or brand name passengers. They must also be patient and attentive with the so-called โ€œdifficultโ€ passengers.

Minimum qualifications

Cabin crew manager is not an entry-level position. Generally, people need to acquire experience as steward/stewardess or flight attendant, before being promoted cabin crew manager.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Cabin crew manager is a Skill level 2 occupation.

Cabin crew manager career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to cabin crew manager.

flight attendant
steward/stewardess
container crane operator
ship steward/ship stewardess
bus route supervisor

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of cabin crew manager. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of cabin crew manager with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

air traffic controller
second officer
co-pilot
aviation data communications manager
helicopter pilot

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of cabin crew manager.

  • Airport planning: Know airport planning for different types of aircrafts; use that information to mobilise resources and people in order to handle the aircrafts while they are in the airport.
  • Air transport law: Know air transport laws and regulations. Due to the nature of aviation, knowledge of air transport laws partially overlaps with knowledge of international law.
  • Common aviation safety regulations: The body of legislation and regulations that apply to the field of civil aviation at regional, national, European and International levels. Understand that regulations aimed at protecting citizens at all times in civil aviation; ensure that operators, citizens, and organisations comply with these rules.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of cabin crew manager.

  • Communicate verbal instructions: Communicate transparent instructions. Ensure that messages are understood and followed correctly.
  • Provide first aid: Administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation or first aid in order to provide help to a sick or injured person until they receive more complete medical treatment.
  • Give instructions to staff: Give instructions to subordinates by employing various communication techniques. Adjust communication style to the target audience in order to convey instructions as intended.
  • Maintain relationship with customers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.
  • Deal with challenging work conditions: Deal with challenging circumstances in which to perform work, such as night work, shift work, and atypical working conditions.
  • Upsell products: Persuade customers to buy additional or more expensive products.
  • Execute flight plans: Listen to the briefing given by the captain or the crew manager; understand service requirements and apply the commissioned tasks in an appropriate manner.
  • Manage the customer experience: Monitor, create and oversee customer experience and perception of brand and service. Ensure pleasant customer experience, treat customers in a cordial and courteous manner.
  • Deliver outstanding service: Provide outstanding customer service by exceeding customer expectations; establish reputation as an exceptional service provider.
  • Inspect cabin service equipment: Inspect cabin service equipment, such as trolleys and catering equipment, and safety equipment such as life jackets, inflatable life rafts, first-aid kits, skiff emergency packs, emergency flashlights, and hand-held radios. Record inspections in logbooks.
  • Conduct full-scale emergency plan exercises: Conduct and mobilise all efforts, support organisations, resources, and communications within the airport, to carry out prevention plan exercises in order to prepare and train airport personnel for real-life emergency situations.
  • Handle stressful situations: Deal with and manage highly stressful situations in the workplace by following adequate procedures, communicating in a quiet and effective manner, and remaining level-headed when taking decisions.
  • Sell souvenirs: Exchange souvenirs for moneyย by displaying them in an attractive way and communicating with customers.
  • Prepare flight reports: Prepare reports showing flight departure and arrival locations, passenger ticket numbers, food and drink inventories, condition of cabin equipment, and potential problems encountered by passengers.
  • Handle veterinary emergencies: Handle unforeseen incidents concerning animals and circumstances which call for urgent action in an appropriate professional manner.
  • Carry out pre-flight duties: Check on-board safety equipment; ensure that the plane is clean; ensure that documents in the seat pockets are up to date; check if all meals and other required stock are on board.
  • Process customer orders: Handle orders placed by customers. Receive the customer order and define a list of requirements, a working process, and a time frame. Execute the work as planned.
  • Provide food and beverages: Provide people with food and drink during trip, a flight, an event, or any other occurrence.
  • Perform routine flight operations checks: Perform checks before and during flight: conduct pre-flight and in-flight inspections of aircraft performance, route and fuel usage, runway availability, airspace restrictions, etc.
  • Follow verbal instructions: Have the ability to follow spoken instructions received from colleagues. Strive to understand and clarify what is being requested.
  • Analyse work-related written reports: Read and comprehend job-related reports, analyse the content of reports and apply findings to daily work operations.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of cabin crew manager. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Geostationary satellites: Know about geostationary satellites and how they function; moving in the same direction as rotation of the Earth. Understand how they are used for telecommunication and commercial purposes.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of cabin crew manager. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Act reliably: Proceed in a way that one can be relied on or depended on.
  • Use different communication channels: Make use of various types of communication channels such as verbal, handwritten, digital and telephonic communication with the purpose of constructing and sharing ideas or information.
  • Show confidence: Demonstrate degrees of maturity by fully understanding one’s own qualities and abilities which can serve as sources of confidence in different situations.
  • Apply transportation management concepts: Apply transport industry management concepts in order to improve transportation processes, reduce waste, increase efficiency, and improve schedule preparation.
  • Provide information to passengers: Provide passengers with correct information in a polite and efficient manner; use proper etiquette to assist physically challenged travellers.
  • Have computer literacy: Utilise computers, IT equipment and modern day technology in an efficient way.
  • Be friendly to passengers: Engage with passengers according to the expectations of contemporary social behaviour, the specific situation, and the code of conduct of the organisation. Communicate in a polite and clear way.

ISCO group and title

5111 – Travel attendants and travel stewards


References
  1. Cabin crew manager – ESCO
  2. Chief Purser duties and responsibilities – Infohas
  3. Cabin Crew Manager | Job Role Detail – MySkillsFuture
  4. Featured image: By Firedrop – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
Last updated on November 3, 2022

Discuss this topic in our forum

Found this article helpful? Have additional insights or questions about this job description? Join the discussion in our dedicated forum and share your thoughts with the community. Our forum is a great place to connect with others in your field, ask questions, and continue the conversation.