Behind the scenes: How Etihad trains flight attendants

Most jobs require some form of specialized training, and become a flight attendant definitely one of them.

In principle, flight attendants must learn all about the detailed safety mechanisms and procedures on board the plane. From fire safety and emergency door operation to liferaft deployment and other procedures, budding flight attendants have a lot to learn.

That’s before considering mastering in-flight service procedures, which can be quite extensive for some of the world’s top airlines.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Etihad’s headquarters, just a short drive from the airline’s major hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) in the United Arab Emirates.

The office itself is quite appealing to any aviation enthusiast, with lots of model airplanes, aircraft parts, and aviation-themed memorabilia on display.

In addition to meetings with airline management, I also toured the on-site aviation training center.

Becoming a flight attendant starts in the classroom. That’s where you learn a lot of the basics before getting some hands-on experience at an aviation training center.

There are numerous lecture rooms on campus at Etihad’s headquarters, and they look like something you’ll find at a university. Sessions here cover many of the basics of aircraft safety, first aid procedures, and service, and they are often led by senior suitors and specially trained operators.

After completing the “core curriculum”, if you wish, it’s time to gain hands-on experience in various training simulators.

Of course, an airline could theoretically conduct this type of training using real aircraft at the airport, but that would be very expensive. Not only does the plane have to stay on the ground (and not fly with paying passengers), but it also takes a considerable amount of money to practice with its escape slides.

That’s because once you deploy a raft on a real plane, folding it up and putting it back on the plane isn’t as easy as packing an inflatable sleeping bag or an air mattress.

Instead, most major airlines have all of these mandatory service and safety procedures simulated at a flight training center. Smaller airlines may not have as many aviation training centers as Etihad, so the Abu Dhabi-based airline also leases time to other carriers at its facilities.

Building an entire plane at a training center would cost millions of dollars, so these training simulations are done on modules that replicate smaller parts of an aircraft.

Take an exit training course. Etihad has a number of different types of doors at its aviation training center, each of which is similar to the aircraft and door types it operates in its fleet. The Airbus A320 door trainer has three rows of seats with emergency exits on the wings, as well as standard exit doors at the front.

Here instructors can simulate any type of emergency situation and teach new hires how to safely operate the door in all conditions.

Behind this training module is a fire safety demonstration. It’s where flight attendants get hands-on experience with fire extinguishers and learn how to properly wear life jackets, shown on a dummy.

Some emergencies require the evacuation of a fully loaded aircraft within 90 seconds. This requires efficient use of slides and exits and is modeled like a gymnastics center.

Instead of beams and tunnels, there are two slides that escape to the ground on a cushion mat. Here, flight attendants learn how to effectively evacuate planes.

There is even a special version of this trainer designed for the Airbus A380, The world’s largest passenger plane. In spite of Etihad’s A380s is still permanently archived (no updates yet Will these planes be able to return to service?), the airline still has training modules for this jet’s whale.

Some emergency evacuations took place on land while others were on the water. Flight attendants learn about water landing in the classroom, then turn their learning into practice at the pool.

To simulate a water landing, Etihad’s training facility has a huge swimming pool with rafts deployed.

While covering mostly safety-related training, Etihad flight attendants also have a lot to learn in terms of service delivery. The carrier based in Abu Dhabi is considered one of the best in the worldthanks in part to the above-average in-flight service provided by the flight attendants.

To learn more about service delivery, flight attendants practice in cabin mockups at the aviation training center. Etihad has several miniature versions of its first, business and economy cabins for this purpose.

While the chairs themselves aren’t fully functional (because they’re not connected to the mains), these cabin models are a great way to practice delivering meals, taking drink orders, and taking orders. Operate trolley.

The showroom and kitchen are exact replicas of what you’d find on board. The airline has training cabins for the Airbus A320, as well as the Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner, which comprise the majority of its fleet.

After learning all safety and service procedures, flight attendants will complete a variety of ground tests to ensure competency for each key responsibility.

Assuming that they pass, they get their wings and start flying as interns on a few revenue flights.

Within a few weeks, they officially joined Etihad’s cabin crew and continued to return to the aviation training center for routine training and to learn about up-to-date procedures and instructions.

So the next time you hear that “flight attendants are here primarily for your safety,” you now have some insight into what that means – and how they learn to make sure. that.