Traits That Would Make Someone A Great Air Hostess

1. Communication

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As an air hostess, having excellent communication skills is definitely one of the most important traits to have to be great at the job.  You see, you have to be able to communicate with a wide range of people from different backgrounds, and cultures, and who may also speak a different language to you.

2. Empathy

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Being able to show empathy is another important trait that would make you a great air hostess.  Particularly if you have passengers who are terrified of flying which is quite common, or even if a passenger has a problem that you need to help to resolve.  An empathetic ear will go a long way.

3. Problem-solving

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Problem-solving is also a really important trait that is essential for being a great and effective air hostess.  You must be able to use your own initiative to resolve any issues that you might have whilst you're in the air, from issues with the space for luggage, customer disputes, and even with the food and drink service.

4. Flexibility

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As a great air hostess, you also have to be incredibly flexible in your work.  This is because even though each flight will follow a similar structure, your passengers will rarely be the same and with different people, each time comes different challenges, tasks, and issues, so you have to be pretty flexible with your work.

5. Patience

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Sometimes flights are delayed, or passengers are challenging, so it is really important that you are patient and do not get too frustrated when you have to wait around.  The passengers will probably be frustrated on a delayed flight so it is your job to try to keep the calm.

6. Organization

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As a great flight attendant, you also have to be super organized.  And this starts with organizing your time so you can be as punctual as possible.  You also have to make sure you and your crew have everything you need for a smooth flight and that you complete all of your tasks in a timely manner.

7. Attention to detail

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It's no lie that airline passengers appreciate being waited on and treated well during their flight with you.  And caring about every little detail can really make you a great and effective air hostess.  This will keep your work to a high standard and provide you with further opportunities.

8. Ability to resolve conflicts

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It's nothing new that passengers get a little hot under the collar when they're traveling and it can be a really stressful experience for a lot of people.  So when it comes to passengers wanting to switch seats, or people putting their feet up, it's no wonder there's conflict quite regularly.  So you need to be ready to diffuse conflict as fast as it develops.

9. Cultural awareness

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As an air hostess, you'll be going all over the world on your flights.  So it's no wonder that you meet a wonderful array of people from different cultures.  So it's important that you have some cultural awareness and strive to stay curious and keep learning as much as you can.

10. Teamwork

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As a flight attendant, you're never going to work alone for long.  In fact, you'll be part of a close team of flight attendants and the wider team will be your captain and co-pilot.  So it's really important that to be a great air hostess, you are able to work effectively within a team.

11. Language proficiency

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When you are traveling all over the world as an air hostess, you're bound to meet lots of people who speak different languages.  So to be a great communicator and air hostess, it's useful to be able to have some language proficiency and learn as many new languages as you can.

12. Physical fitness

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It does also help you to be physically fit as an air hostess.  First of all, you spend a lot of the flights on your feet walking up and down the aisles of the plane.  You might also need to help people with heavy luggage too.  And there's also the slim chance that you might be in an emergency situation where physical fitness will benefit you.

13. First aid

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Learning and knowing first aid is also another key to being a great air hostess.  Obviously, in the air, you're not going to be able to ring a doctor or an ambulance (unless of course there's a doctor or paramedic on the flight!) so it is important that you have some first aid knowledge under your belt.

14. Positive attitude

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It's true that a smile goes a long way, and having a positive attitude, no matter how stressed you might feel, can also rub off onto the passengers and create a calm and positive atmosphere.  And staying positive also gives you that 'can-do' attitude so tasks inevitably feel much easier and successful.

15. Emotional intelligence

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A certain amount of emotional intelligence also goes a really long way.  Passengers will come to you with all kinds of emotions and you need to be able to read a situation and empathize.  There might be people who are stressed about traveling, angry about a delay, or even terrified of flying.

16. Customer service skills

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When you're an air hostess, you're ultimately providing customer service to your passengers.  And this covers serving food and drink, selling products, relaying safety information, settling disputes, and dealing with queries and complaints, so it's important that you have good customer service skills.

17. Multitasking

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There are many tasks that you will have to complete as an air hostess on a flight from checking the safety of the cabin, to dealing with queries and complaints, resolving disputes,  making announcements, cleaning the cabin, serving food and drink, and selling products to name a few, so it is important that you're able to multitask.

18. Staying calm under pressure

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You'll have a lot to do, and there also might be many anxious passengers on your flight who are worried about flying.  So it is important that you are able to stay calm under pressure, especially in the unlikely situation where you have to deal with an emergency.

19. Discretion

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As a great air hostess, you must have excellent discretion.  It is super important that you are able to maintain your passengers' privacy and confidentiality if the situation arises.  And it can be difficult if you are on a smaller flight, so you must make sure you have strategies to maintain this trust.

20. Safety consciousness

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When it comes to safety within the cabin, you cannot let anything slide.  You need to be conscious of passengers, your own, and your crew's safety at all times.  And this can be anything from making sure the emergency exits are clear from obstruction to checking the safety belts for the passengers.

21. Crisis management and communication

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Sometimes, passengers can get quite worked up, so it it extremely useful as an effective and excellent air hostess to take training in crisis management and communication.  Particularly if you are required to communicate with your passengers in an emergency situation.

22. Keeping your knowledge up to date

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Aviation policies and procedures are extremely important to know and make yourself aware of, but it is equally important to understand that these can change and be updated from time to time.  So it's important that as an excellent air hostess, you actively keep your knowledge up to date.

23. Presentation

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Personal presentation and grooming are also important for any customer-facing job and equally important as an air hostess.  So make sure your uniform is washed and pressed and your shoes are polished.  You'll want to look your best for this important job.

24. Adaptability

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Occasionally, you might be required to work on a different type of aircraft than you're used to.  And although you obviously get detailed training, you still need to make sure you're able to remain as adaptable as possible so you don't get any surprises when you're asked to do something different.

25. Punctuality

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To be a great air hostess, you HAVE to be punctual.  There's absolutely no getting around this one.  The plane will not wait for you and needs to set off at it's scheduled time where possible.  And you don't want to leave the rest of your crew short-staffed and overworked.

26. Initiative

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Now although you have to be a good team player, you also need to be able to work on your own initiative too.  It's so important that you can work independently because the rest of your crew will be busy with their own tasks and probably won't have much chance to assist you for long.

27. Professionalism

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No matter what happens in the cabin, as a great air hostess, you need to be able to maintain a strong air of professionalism.  This goes for any customer service job but because of the potentially higher levels of stress in the situation, you need to be at the top of your game.

28. Product knowledge

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As an air hostess, you're going to be serving food and drink and also selling products.  So if your customers have any questions about the products or even about the ingredients in the food due to allergies, it is really important that you are able to answer them correctly.

29. Confidence

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As a great air hostess, you really need to make sure you are confident in your ability to host and to communicate too.  Especially when you are trying to resolve conflict or relay safety information, having confidence in yourself will help your passengers to have confidence in you too.

30. Conflict resolution

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It's nothing new that tempers can get flared on a flight.  People are quite close together, having just been through the airport and stress levels are potentially high.  So conflict resolution skills can be your best friend and will make you an effective and excellent air hostess!