When we board a plane, the posture of the flight attendants who greet us with their hands behind their backs may seem intriguing. Discover the message behind this gesture but also the other specificities of the profession of flight attendant.
Air hostess – Source: spm
Flight Attendants Keep Their Hands Behind Their Backs When Picking Up Passengers: Why Do They Do This?
Flight attendants (air hostess, steward) are the people who take care of the passengers throughout the flight and act as an intermediary between the pilots and the people on board the aircraft. They must comply with strict rules and show great concentration in each gesture. You may have noticed that at the entrance to the plane they are waiting for us with their arms behind their backs.
This gesture is neither related to hygiene, nor to safety, nor even to the protection of a valuable object in their possession, but is strictly a gesture of discretion with a very well defined objective. This posture in question is provided in the job description along with many other details and rules that you should keep in mind when traveling.
Flight attendants have a duty to count all passengers boarding the aircraft. In order not to make a mistake in the count, they use a special, very small device so that they can hold it in their hands, which they put behind their backs. Each time a passenger boards, they press the count button. It is better to keep your hands behind your back so as not to draw attention to this action.
Air hostess uniforms – Source: spm
Less common rules flight attendants must follow:
- Their dress code is extremely important. Clothing should be simple, elegant and comfortable in order to that they can move freely in an emergency. They must also have a specialized career in the job interview and possess many qualities such as dialogue in other languages or the ability to swim.
- You are not allowed to chew gum or communicate with your cell phone while wearing a flight attendant uniform.
- Foolproof hygiene should be adopted such as shaving or trimming nose, ear or armpit hair when wearing an airline uniform. According to American Airlines.
- You are not allowed to smoke while wearing a flight attendant uniform – According to the companies “Emirates, Etihad, Qatar”.
- All flight attendants at the start of the trip, without previous aviation experience, must be single. – According to the company “Jet Airways”.
- If you have a mustache, “United Airlines” requires you to keep it. A certain length is also to be respected.
- The length of the nails should not exceed the tip of the finger by more than 3 mm — According to the company “Hawaiian Airlines”.
- You are not allowed to have alcohol, cigarettes or pork in your home if you work for “Qatar Airways”.
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