Career Development

Promotion for air cabin crew is based on experience and performance. From the role of cabin crew member, it is possible to progress to purser or chief purser. The same responsibilities as the general cabin crew are still held but the purser is also given the management responsibilities of a certain cabin, such as first class or business class.

As the purser, you would ensure that all crew within your cabin deliver the highest level of customer service. You would also give feedback on their performance and try to boost sales of duty-free items. Most airlines require between two to five years of experience to become a purser.

From the role of purser you can progress to senior cabin crew. This position is also known at some airlines as cabin supervisors or cabin service directors. The role is very similar to that of purser except you have responsibility for all cabin crew on board, not just in one particular cabin. All cabin crew and the purser and/or chief purser would report to you. You would usually be involved with training and supervising new recruits and would have to ensure all relevant paperwork was completed at the end of the flight.

Some air cabin crew may also wish to move on to become VVIP cabin crew. This type of work is carried out with very important private clients usually on private aircraft. The clients are typically prestigious and may include government officials or royal families. Therefore, the highest level of service is expected and employers usually require at the very least two years’ experience of working in premium (business or first) class. Many VVIP positions are based in wealth areas of the Middle East.

Some cabin crew members may decide that they want to move into ground-based operations such as cabin crew training or recruitment, passenger services or crew controller.