Pre-flight Duties
Air cabin crew, also known as cabinattendants, air stewards, air hostesses or flight attendants, are primarilyresponsible for smooth running of the cabin and are specially trained to dealwith security and emergency situations.
Prior tothe embarkation of the passengers,the whole crew attend a pre-flight briefingheld by the captain, during which air cabin crew members are assigned theirworking positions for the upcomingflight and are also informed of the flight schedule, weather conditions, and ifthere are passengers with any special requirements, such as diabeticpassengers, passengers in wheelchairs, the number of infants, vegetarians or certain religious groupswith special dietary requirements onboard. Before boarding, they are required to carry out a multitude ofduties. For example, checking the safety equipment, ensuring the aircraft isclean and tidy and that information in the seat pockets is up to date and thatall meals and beverages are stockedon board. Shortly before the airplane takes off, they are supposed to positionthemselves to meet and greet the passengers at the passenger door, at the footof the airstair and in the aisles as the passengers board the plane and directthem to their seats, including assisting any passenger with specialrequirements, arranging seats and helping with storage of luggage if necessary.They will then demonstrate theaircraft safety procedures and equipment required in the event of an emergency such as how to fasten the seatbelts,how to put on the life vests and the oxygenmasks. After that, they will check every seat to ensure that all passengershave had their seatbelts fastened and their seats kept in an upright position,and remind the passengers to turn off electronic devices (including laptops,mobile phones, etc.).
All theseduties are conducted in the aim of creating a satisfactory state of service forthe passengers.
New Words and Expressions
air cabincrew 空乘人员
embarkation [ˌembɑ:'keiʃn ] n. 登机
briefing [′bri:fiŋ ] n. 简报
upcoming [′ʌpkʌmiŋ ] adj. 即将来临的
dietary ['daiətəri] adj. 饮食方面的
a multitude of ['mʌltitju:d] 大批的，众多的
demonstrate [′demənstreit ] v. 展示
in the eventof 当……发生时
oxygenmask 氧气罩
Task 1 The pre-flight briefing is important.Put these reasons in order of importance and discuss your answers with yourpartner.
a. to get to know eachother
b. to be told aboutthe duties
c. to find out theorder of service
d. to check safety andemergency procedures
e. to hear aboutanything special about the flight
f. to hear about theweather en route
Task 2 Talk about the following questionsafter reading the material and do some extended discussion.
1. Who attends the pre-flightbriefing?
2. Who speaks at the briefing? Do theflight attendants only listen?
3. What is the most important task forthe air cabin crew right before embarkation?
4. Has there ever been a flightattendant who left a deep impression on you? Talk
about him or her.
Learn more professional terms for your further study.
sick bag 呕吐袋
checklist [′tʃeklist] n. 清单
ground crew 地勤人员
purser [′pɜ:sə(r) ] n. 乘务长
bin [bi:n] n. 储物箱，行李架
belt loader 传送带装载机
walkway [′wɔ:kwei] ] n. 登机桥，通道
folding seat 折叠式座椅
turbulence [′tɜ:bjuləns ] n.颠簸
flight engineer 飞行工程师
dispatcher [di ′spætʃə(r) ] n.调度员
airport traffic control 机场交通管制
