When a journalist changes his profession for a while to get more information and write a report straight from the source, the column becomes very popular. Today 3 bloggers from Almaty will act as cabin crew of Air Astana aviation company and understand what it means to be a flight attendant.

It was decided to fly to Atyrau instead of Almaty to enjoy a longer flight and try to handle demanding oil workers.

Later the program was changed as it was decided to fly to Saint-Petersburg.

Attendant’s unform was stitched specially for the bloggers. Every attendant gets a new uniform every 1,5-2 years.

By its 10th anniversary Air Astana company will develop a new uniform. It will combine elements of traditional Kazakh clothes and European design. Right now flight  attendants’ uniforms have the color of the national flag.

The instructors taught the bloggers how to set a table during a flight, choose best wine and cheese, and answer VIP passengers’ questions correctly.

Those willing to become flight attendants will be interviewed and have to go through a medical examination.

Then they will spend 10 days on studying the basics and safety rules of flights in Kazakhstan. 4 other days will be spent in Frankfurt or Munich where they will have practical classes.

A journey to Germany is followed by 2-week theoretical and practical classes in Almaty that will teach them to be polite with passengers, render medical aid if needed, etc. Instructors will pay attention to their success.

By the way, the youngest flight attendant of Air Astana is 20 years old, the eldest one – 45 years old.

But later one blogger refused to fly because of some unexpected circumstances and the company offered them to fly later, but not to Saint-Petersburg with its severe frosts but to Kuala Lumpur with its sands, palms and seafood.

The bloggers were introduced to the rest of the crew.

Attendants change all the time and can’t choose partners they would like to fly with. The procedures are carried by the computerized system.

Baggage of the attendants goes through the scanner just like the one of common passengers. But unlike passengers, attendants don’t have a right to purchase goods at Duty Free.

The plane has arrived and bloggers are getting ready to greet the first passengers.

Passengers of the business class have a number of advantages as compared to others.They are offered a wider assortment of dishes, have more comfortable chairs and can carry larger baggage with them. Besides,they are very demanding about the service. Let’s see how our bloggers manage their new responsibilities.

However, the passengers were polite and any conflicts were avoided.

Passengers are not allowed to bring alcoholic drinks with them. If an attendant sees a passenger who is about to start a conflict he needs to settle the conflict first and if it is not possible the pilots can even decide to land and ask the passenger to leave the plane.

The people will be able to fly the same airline next time but attendants will be warned about their presence.

Passengers of the economy class can even be more demanding that’s why a lot of patience is needed here. For example, Indian passengers always ask for more water as their country lacks enough of it.

Kids are very special guests.Their number aboard is evenly distributed so that a plane would not turn into a kindergarten with numerous crying babies.

Choice of food depends on duration of flights, day or night and preferences of passengers. Every passenger can order a special menu at least 24 hours before the flight. There are over 30 types of special menu that correspond to any dietary, religious and ethical norms.

Members of the crew are not allowed to take the food with them.

Attendants don’t have time to sit for a while and have to move all the time. They feel very tired by the end of a flight.

Only one blogger of the three could stay awake till the end of flight.

After passengers leave the plane, flight attendants go to some good hotel to have a rest. Another crew is flying back.

Duration of rest between the flights depends on their frequency. For example, the flight Almaty-London occurs 2 times a week and attendants spend 3-4 days in the city. They have to follow internal rules of the company and go on sightseeing when they are free.

The bloggers are on the beach of a beautiful island where they will spend several days.

Their photoreporter.

via voxpopuli