Cabin crew are safety professionals. When a passenger collapses mid-flight. When smoke fills a cabin. When violence erupts onboard. When a security threat emerges at 35,000 feet. There is one group of workers trained to respond: cabin crew.
Cabin crew are aviation’s first responders: they are the paramedics, they are the fire fighters, they are the police, they are the nurses. There is no one else at 35,000 feet.
Despite saving lives on the job and keeping us safe every day, cabin crew still struggle to be recognised as the safety professionals they are.
That is why this cabin crew day the ITF honours the safety critical role of cabin crew in the aviation industry, and the strength we find in our unions.
Aviation's first responders
Every flight takes off with the quiet assurance that if something goes wrong, cabin crew will respond. Cabin crew are trained for this.
Medical emergencies, security threats, disruptive passengers, evacuations – cabin crew handle it all, calmly and competently, because that is their training and their responsibility as safety professionals. It is time the world recognised them as such.
A history of solidarity
The story of cabin crew is inseparable from the story of workers organising together to demand dignity, respect and what they deserve.
Cabin crew unions have fought hard – and won – throughout history. The removal of body weight and appearance restrictions that treated crew as ornaments rather than professionals. The right to marry, to have children, without losing their employment.
None of this was handed over. This history of solidarity is something to be deeply proud of. Every right cabin crew hold today was won by those who came before them, who stood together and refused to accept less than they deserved.
And in many places these fights are still being fought.
What we are still fighting for
There is still work to do — and cabin crew and their unions are doing it.
The right to join unions and bargain collectively. Safer cabins. An end to fume events that put crew and passengers at risk. An end to the fatigue crisis that could put lives at risk. Securing recognition for cabin crew that reflects the skill, responsibility and professionalism that this work demands.
The aviation industry may change. Aircraft may change. Technology may change.
But one thing will not: cabin crew are safety professionals.
Happy Cabin Crew Day
To every cabin crew member working a flight today or on some well-deserved time off to every union representative who has sat across the table and fought for their colleagues, to every worker who has ever stood in solidarity with their fellow crew: thank you.
You are safety professionals. You always have been. You always will be.
It’s time the industry recognises it.
Photo credit: Aviation Wire/AFLO via Reuters Connect
