Travel attendants and travel stewards

Travel attendants and travel stewards ensure the comfort and safety of passengers, serve meals and beverages and render personal services, usually on aircraft and onboard ships. They may plan and coordinate housekeeping and social activities on ships.

Tasks and duties

• Greeting passengers entering aircraft or ships, checking tickets or boarding passes, and directing passengers to their seats or berths
• Announcing, explaining and demonstrating safety and emergency procedures, such as the use of oxygen masks, seat belts, and life jackets
• Assembling and serving pre-prepared meals and beverages
• Selling duty-free and other goods
• Taking care of general needs and comfort of passengers, answering inquiries, and keeping cabins clean and tidy
• Directing and assisting passengers and following prescribed procedures in the event of an emergency, such as evacuating an aircraft following an emergency landing
• Verifying that first aid kits and other emergency equipment are in working order
• Administering first aid to passengers in distress
• Attending pre-flight briefings concerning weather, altitudes, routes, emergency procedures, crew coordination, lengths of flights, food and beverage services offered, and numbers of passengers
• Preparing passengers and aircraft for take-off and landing
• Determining special assistance needs of passengers such as small children, the elderly, or disabled persons