6.1: Weather Conditions & Aviation Interruptions
Precipitation, clouds, turbulent air, ice, volcanic ash clouds and other atmospheric factors contribute to flight delays. While it's the flight crew who are flying the aircraft, the weather elements will still play a crucial role in the job of the cabin crew.
Also note, with flight delays, not all airlines pay staff full salary benefits. Not all airlines are willing to pay for grounded time. That's money lost for you, but in terms of safety, it's also the cabin crew's duty to ensure they're up to speed on the conditions that may affect a flight, prior to it taking off. This is done as part of the flight briefing, when all crew will be advised of the wind speeds, and expected wind changes from a cold front to warm front, which will create a rough flying experience,which is known as turbulence. The flight crew often know in advance that the flight path is expecting to hit turbulent air.
6.2: Turbulence
Flight diversions for turbulence avoidance is rare, because while to the inexperienced flyer the rough patch can feel as though the aircraft's nose diving to ground at a breathtaking pace... in reality, the flight only ascends or descends by up to 40 feet The expected weather conditions are discussed during a pre-flight briefing, so you can be sure you know what weather to expect during the flight ahead. Airlines have sophisticated computer systems in use, which provide complex weather data directly from the Meteorological Office, and for international flights, other weather stations around the world will also be utilised for accurate weather forecasting.
The data is crucial for flight operations management, as flying in rough winds, or at a decreased altitude, will affect the fuel the aircraft can carry, and that can cause the flight to be diverted for refuelling of the aircraft. There are also going to be times when the plane hits turbulent air unexpectedly, and when it does, the flight crew will communicate with the cabin crew to ensure all passengers are in their seat and buckled in. This can include the cabin crew, as turbulent air can sometimes compromise their safety.
The last thing an airline wants is for a passenger to be coming back from the toilet, the flight hitting turbulence and a fall leading to injury. This can lead to a lawsuit due to the airline not having the seat belt light on in the cabins. The same applies to the cabin crew, as a fall could see you unable to work for months.
When the notifications come through to the cabin crew, it's their job to ensure that all passengers return and remain in their seat until the turbulence passes. Most airlines will advise the cabin crew to return to their seats and fasten seat their seat belt too. For the cabin crew, one of the biggest challenges is securing the entire inventory in the confined galley space. Rough weather and unsecured items don't bode well. Everything in the galley, as well as in compartments throughout the cabin, needs to be secured for the duration of the flight.
In other instances, when the weather takes a turn for the worse unpredictably, it can create extra hours for staff. That can lead to an unexpected layover anywhere you fly to. That could be in the event of a thunder storm, a snow blizzard, a high shift in wind speed and direction affecting the flight path, and reduced visibility in heavy fog.The weather will affect the work cabin crew do, and it will also affect the hours you work too.
Module Summary
Weather occurs everywhere, and it can affect a cabin crew member's role. One of the most famous examples of how weather has done this was the volcanic ash incident of 2010, which saw many flights grounded. Although such incidents are rare, it does not hurt to learn about them and how they can affect a cabin crew member's role. One weather challenge that all cabin crew members face is turbulence. In the event of turbulence, you must keep customers, yourself, and other members of staff safe. It is a common occurrence, and is rarely dangerous. However, there are still steps all cabin crew members must take to ensure a simple spot of turbulence does not become a threat to someone's life.
.svg)
