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AVIA 2100 - Week 8

Human Factors and Cabin Crew


Cabin crew

• Cabin crew are an integral part of the aircraft operating crew

• Their role is primarily concerned with safety even though service may take up the majority of their time


Cabin crew

• Cabin crew are the public face of safety within the airline environment

• The actions and lead of cabin crew will have a significant effect on customer behaviour


Cabin crew as employees

• Cabin crew are employees working in a hostile environment

• On average, there are more lost-time injuries suffered by cabin crew than byJoggers

• Injuries to cabin crew are a serious issue for most airlines even when OH&S legislations does not cover their work environment



• Hazards encountered by cabin crew include

– Lifting injuries (pax, luggage, catering trolleys)– Burns and scalds– Turbulence related injuries– RSI– DVT– Food poisoning– Sunburn (lifestyle)– Violent acts by passengers



• Hazards can be mitigated in a number of ways:

• Procedures– No service during turbulence– Lifting protocols– Reporting systems

• Ergonomics– Design of lifting harnesses– Design of galleys– Design of uniforms– Design of repeatedly used equipment e.g. trays


Cabin crew as safety professionals

• Cabin crew have a safety role to play both in flight and in the event of an accident

• In flight, the safety role can cover passenger health as well as aircraft emergencies

• A level of medical training is given to all cabin crew and equipment is carried on board

• The changing demographics of travelers has placed new pressure upon this role


Cabin crew as medical experts

• All cabin crew are expected to be able to provide assistance to doctors on board or to 3rd party medical services such as MedAir

• Some airlines carry defibrillators for use by the cabin crew

• Cabin crew must also be trained to deal with the deceased

• Are cabin crew adequately prepared for this role?


• All cabin crew receive emergency procedures training both as ab intios and annually

• Key areas are the management of evacuations, firefighting, operating exits, teamwork and passenger management



• A number of accidents have highlighted the critical role that cabin crew can play in flight

• Lack of technical knowledge has been shown to be an issue



Cabin crew technical knowledge

• Cabin crew don’t know what they don’t know…


Cabin crew and CRM

• Many airlines now have either separate or integrated CRM courses for cabin crew

• For some carriers, this was a late development

• The two cultures could be very different and communication was often very poor or non-existent


Cabin crew and CRM• The flight deck door was generally

seen as a barrier to communication, or indeed an excuse

• The concept of a ‘sterile cockpit’ could be confusing

• Neither crew seemed to understand each other’s role and needs

• Increased security post S11 has had a negative effect on crew communication


The life of cabin crew

• Several human factors issues are associated with the lifestyle including;

– Party-hard mentality– Exposure to disease– Isolation– Unsociable hours– Pace of work– Sleep loss / disturbance– Workplace injury– Sexuality (STDs, discrimination, harassment)


Aircraft emergencies

• Up to 70% of aircraft accidents are now survivable

• Assertive cabin crew can expedite emergency evacuations

• Commercial pressures threaten crew complements (1: 36 to 1:50)

• Passengers look to cabin crew for their lead



• The ability of cabin crew to perform in an emergency is a function of:

– Training

– Preparation

– Crashworthiness

– Leadership

– Equipment

– Experience



• Experience of emergencies may be very limited

• Simulation facilities tend to be much less realistic than for flight deck crew

• Many airlines underestimate the need for training to de-sensitise crew


The future?

• Increased pressure from aging population and increased cabin crew to passenger ration

• Increasing threat of inflight violence

• Larger aircraft - more difficult to communicate

• Increase in survivable accidents?

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