The Federal Aviation Administration reports that approximately 50,000 aircraft transport 1.8 million people per day around the United States. Because of the high demand for air travel, safety is, naturally, a priority. All airlines in the United States mandate their staff to complete training programs before working as a member of the flight crew. The majority of safety training programs run anywhere from four to six weeks, depending on the airline.
In the event of an emergency, the flight crew must complete training on how to quickly evacuate passengers from the aircraft. Different aspects of evacuation training include teaching the flight crew to know the location of each emergency exit, understand the aircraft doors' mechanical workings and the appropriate evacuation sequence of passengers. While completing these tasks the flight crew must remain calm and stay in control of the emergency evacuation.
Securing the cabin for departure is another safety task that the flight crew must perform before the aircraft is pushed back from the gate. Securing the cabin must be completed before any of the aircraft doors are closed. The flight crew is trained to check that all overhead bins are locked and all carry-on items are stowed correctly. To complete this task the flight crew make sure that all carry-on items are stowed in the overhead bins or under the seat in front of them. The passenger's tray tables, seat backs and seat belts must also be checked to determine that they are upright and secured.
The training program instructs flight attendants to verify that all seating guidelines are followed. This is accomplished by completing head counts of the passengers, checking seating charts and determining whether passengers that are seated in emergency rows can perform safety tasks in the event of an evacuation. Finally, before the doors are closed the cabin crew must alert all passengers to turn off cellular telephones and other electronic devices in preparation for departure.
The cabin crew are required to know, relay and demonstrate all safety regulations to passengers before and during the flight. Each airline trains their employees on how to use safety equipment correctly. Before departure flight attendants will perform a demonstration on how to use seatbelts, oxygen masks and flotation devices, as well as pointing out the location of emergency exits, the safety information card and the aircraft's safety lights.
All flight attendants are then required to brief passengers with special needs. Unaccompanied children, parents with small infants and the disabled will be given individual directions as what to do in case of an emergency.
Cabin crew members are required to earn and keep current an advanced first aid and CPR training certificate. This ensures the safety of passengers and employees during a flight where medical attention may otherwise not be available. The airlines provide this first aid training and focus on a variety of illnesses or injuries that can occur mid-air. External bleeding, alcohol intoxication, oxygen deprivation, broken bones, abdominal pain, airsickness and heart troubles are just some of the emergencies flight attendants are trained to handle.
The airlines mandate that flight crews undergo training by participating in emergency drills. Emergency drills must be passed and retaken one time every 24 months. During training flight attendants are presented with different scenarios and are appropriately trained on how to manage each situation. Different scenarios include hijacking, emergency evacuation, in-flight fires and medical emergencies.
