Trip in the open skies
Students of Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training being briefed aboard a flight as part of their in-flight exposure on Sunday.When children or youth go on an excursion trip, it is usual for them to clap in happiness when the bus or train starts for the destination. On Sunday, the same happened with the 150 students of the Frankfinn Institute of Air Hostess Training. Only that it was not an excursion. And, their mode of travel was neither a train nor a bus. It was a plane.For them it was a familiarisation trip that they would never forget. The chartered flight to nowhere and back for 60 minutes gave them a peep into the real life of an airhostess / flight steward.For the first time, the Coimbatore branch of the institute took its students for a trip in the open skies as an in-flight exposure.“More than 90 per cent of the students have never flown in their life. So, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. They get a chance to experience a flight trip as well as know the intricacies of working as a cabin crew”, said Roshni Nair, Centre Head, Coimbatore.
The pleasure and fear of a first experience could be detected from the “oohs” and “aahs” they made as the plane made its twists and turns in the air with the changes in altitude.The 150 girls and boys, all dressed up in full uniform turned up at the airport to experience their air travel.Most of them had their parents in tow who waited outside till their wards touched down safe.The captain welcomed the students and pointed out the landmarks of the city while in mid-air. They got a bird’s eye view of the Race Course, stadium, railway station and other such areas. Blessed with a bright day, they also got to see numerous cloud banks in pristine white.The faculty explained to them the various functions of the gadgets on the flight.
They got to see how the door opened, what was in the front and back galley, how food was stored, removed and served to the passengers. They also got a peep into the cockpit after the landing.At 13,000 ft, there were some who felt a little queasy, but that did not deter their spirit of adventure and curiosity. “Some who were not keen to become air hostesses have changed their decisions after the experience”, said Ms. Nair.C.L. Mohan Naarayan, National Head – Training, said: “In a normal flight with other passengers the students will get diverted and there is not enough freedom.In a chartered flight, they get to see the whole process of security, check-in, baggage, boarding, and on board they get to see how the air hostesses and flight stewards operate the various equipment and gadgets, without any distraction. This exercise was available in other centres in big cities. Now it will be routine affair in Coimbatore too.”
He said that with an open sky policy air travel had become cheaper and number of aircraft had increased. Customer service in aviation industry was the highest.Those who underwent this training need not necessarily become an airhostess or a flight steward. They could take up front office jobs in five-star hotels; or, become ground staff, guest relation executives or security department staff in airports.The institute trained them to develop the right attitude that would enable them to take up any customer-related job. The key word was “Customer”. Special trainers coach the students in handling people. The institute believed in moulding the students to become good people manager, Mr. Naarayan concluded.
