See inside a flight attendant training center where aspiring crew members learn how to evacuate an airline and provide customer service

Taylor RainsOct 23, 2022, 19:10 IST

Taylor Rains/Insider

The airline industry is in need of thousands of flight attendants to keep up with post-COVID demand.
Aspiring crew members must go through vigorous training to learn things like slide deployments and medical treatment.

The airline industry is quickly getting back to pre-pandemic levels, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicting an industry-wide recovery of 103% by 2024.

Empty airline seats.Getty Images

The airline industry is quickly getting back to pre-pandemic levels, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicting an industry-wide recovery of 103% by 2024.

As demand grows and carriers continue to add new routes and planes, they will need more flight crews to work them.

Airline pilot walking through an airport.Taylor Rains/Insider

A significant labor source for airlines is flight attendants.

Flight attendant at Denver International Airport.Robert Alexander/Getty Images

Consumer and market data company Statista says the North American aviation industry will need 170,000 cabin crew members over the next 20 years to keep up with demand.

Tunvarat Pruksachat/Getty Images

To become a flight attendant, new hires must go through a long, intensive training course before working an actual flight.

Singapore Airlines' crash simulator and safety training equipment.Marielle Descalsota/Insider

Training includes everything from emergency procedures and self-defense to customer service and medical treatment.

Singapore Airlines water landing simulator.Marielle Descalsota/Insider

To get a glimpse into the world of flight attendant training, I toured Air New Zealand's Academy of Learning in Auckland — here's what I learned.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Arriving at the center, I was impressed by the size of the facility, which had a reception area, classrooms, cabin mockups, and a large lounge area.

The lounge area is huge to accommodate the dozens of current and trainee flight attendants going through the center every week.Taylor Rains/Insider

Anne-Maree O'Leary, ANZ's cabin crew training manager, told Insider the site welcomes up to 120 new hires a month, with an average of 20 a week starting every Monday, though some weeks they have 40.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Anne-Maree O'Leary, ANZ's cabin crew training manager, told Insider the site welcomes up to 120 new hires a month, with an average of 20 a week starting every Monday, though some weeks they have 40.

"We're bringing intakes from off-the-street, so new into the aviation industry or they have worked for other carriers many years ago, but they aren't rehires," she said.

An Air New Zealand business class flight attendant.Taylor Rains/Insider

"We're bringing intakes from off-the-street, so new into the aviation industry or they have worked for other carriers many years ago, but they aren't rehires," she said.

O'Leary explained that the number is significant because pre-COVID they were hiring about 200 crew members per year across all fleets.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Aspiring crew members must complete four weeks of vigorous training before working a commercial flight, which includes emergency procedures, first aid, security, and customer service.

The classroom where current and trainee flight attendants take exams or do computer-based training.Taylor Rains/Insider

Aspiring crew members must complete four weeks of vigorous training before working a commercial flight, which includes emergency procedures, first aid, security, and customer service.

While new hires go through the facility, current flight attendants will also visit for annual recurrent training to keep their certificates up to date.

Current flight attendants going through recurrent customer service training.Taylor Rains/Insider

Moreover, flight attendants who are upgrading to serving business class or becoming a flight lead will need specific training for the role.

An Air New Zealand business class flight attendant.Taylor Rains/Insider

Ground personnel, mechanics, and some engineers will also use the facility for various purposes.

Inside one of the hangars were small aircraft where Air New Zealand apprentices work and learn to hopefully land a role as a mechanic.Taylor Rains/Insider

The first stop on our tour was in the Cabin Emergency Evacuation Trainer, which employees named Athena.

Taylor Rains/Insider

The mock cabin resembles an Airbus A320 airliner, which is the workhorse of ANZ's narrowbody fleet.

Taylor Rains/Insider

A320 aircrew trainer Melissa Gerritsen-Fridh told Insider that the cabin is a hybrid between two A320 variants, meaning the two sides of the cabin are slightly different.

Taylor Rains/Insider

A320 aircrew trainer Melissa Gerritsen-Fridh told Insider that the cabin is a hybrid between two A320 variants, meaning the two sides of the cabin are slightly different.

ANZ also uses the cabin for some widebody training, but the company is soon getting a new, larger mockup that will have two aisles to replace its old widebody training cabins.

Taylor Rains/Insider

ANZ also uses the cabin for some widebody training, but the company is soon getting a new, larger mockup that will have two aisles to replace its old widebody training cabins.

The A320's several rows of seats mean the cabin could double as a training classroom to discuss the procedures and expectations.

Taylor Rains/Insider

There was also a galley area in the front and aft of the cabin…

Taylor Rains/Insider

…a cockpit with two pilot dummies at the controls…

Taylor Rains/Insider

…a lavatory, complete with one of ANZ's signature wallpaper designs…

Taylor Rains/Insider

…overhead bins, only two of which could open and hold emergency equipment…

Taylor Rains/Insider

…TV screens for presentations and warnings…

Taylor Rains/Insider

…evacuation doors, which trainees must master how to use…

Taylor Rains/Insider

…a panel to control things like lights, doors, and temperature…

Taylor Rains/Insider

…and a station to simulate emergencies, like fires, water landings, and depressurization.

The station was in the aft right of the mock cabin, which also had a screen that displayed security cameras that were throughout the cabin.Taylor Rains/Insider

The flight attendant trainers demonstrated a fire evacuation scenario for media, which include smoke and alarms.

Fake fire showed on the windows to simulate the emergency event.Taylor Rains/Insider

When the alarm sounded, crew members shouted specific commands, like "stay seated," then one opened the door, and, in unison, they all instructed us to evacuate the plane.

The flight attendants shouting commands as smoke filled the cabin.Taylor Rains/Insider

When the alarm sounded, crew members shouted specific commands, like "stay seated," then one opened the door, and, in unison, they all instructed us to evacuate the plane.

We left through the left-side emergency door towards the aft of the airplane as smoke filled the cabin.

The smoke dissipated a few minutes later.Taylor Rains/Insider

On the floor, ANZ has painted a slide to give a visual reference of what it will look like when deployed as passengers will use this to exit instead of just walking out.

We evacuated in a covered room to the left of the A320 mock cabin.Taylor Rains/Insider

On the floor, ANZ has painted a slide to give a visual reference of what it will look like when deployed as passengers will use this to exit instead of just walking out.

After we re-entered the mockup, Gerritsen-Fridh dropped the oxygen masks and a loud voice came over the speakers with instructions on how to use the them.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Unfortunately for the trainers, the masks do not automatically retract, so they have to manually put them back.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Trainers will also simulate anomaly events, like jammed evacuation doors and failed slide deployments to ensure flight attendants are ready for anything.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Because Athena is on the ground, trainees cannot actually deploy the slides, so that is done in a different room with an elevated cabin, which is the current widebody mockup.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Because Athena is on the ground, trainees cannot actually deploy the slides, so that is done in a different room with an elevated cabin, which is the current widebody mockup.

Here, flight attendants will practice going down the slide, as well as do swim tests and get on a real raft in case of water landings.

The slide was sturdy and hard, with pads at the bottom.Taylor Rains/Insider

Trainees will also learn how to operate the doors on widebody planes, including the Boeing 777 and Boeing 787.

Taylor Rains/Insider

In addition to emergency procedures, the A320 mock cabin is used for normal operations, like pre-flight briefings, including passengers with disabilities and unaccompanied minors.

Taylor Rains/Insider

In addition to emergency procedures, the A320 mock cabin is used for normal operations, like pre-flight briefings, including passengers with disabilities and unaccompanied minors.

"Its better to be in this environment because trainees get an idea of how everything feels and moves, so it's good situational awareness," Gerritsen-Fridh told Insider.

Trainers demonstrating commands and hand signals.Taylor Rains/Insider

ANZ pilots will also receive emergency procedures training in Athena, but there is a separate simulator center for their flight training, O'Leary told Insider.

The Air New Zealand pilots who flew the inaugural flight from New York to Auckland in September.Air New Zealand

Behind Athena is a fire trainer named Prometheus.

Taylor Rains/Insider

This is where cabin crew and pilots get practical experience putting out fires in things like ovens, overhead bins, and laptops.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Gerritsen-Fridh demonstrated putting out a laptop fire, which included sounding an alarm and using a fire extinguisher.

Taylor Rains/Insider

While ANZ will do as much in Athena as possible, customer service training has separate classrooms with different mockups.

This mockup had premium economy and business class seats.Taylor Rains/Insider

Here, new and current flight attendants will receive specific training for things like passenger interaction, serving business class, and using galley carts.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Flight attendants can upgrade to business after six months of employment and must learn special procedures, like plating, O'Leary said.

An Air New Zealand business class flight attendant converting the seat into a bed.Taylor Rains/Insider

During our visit, we saw veteran flight attendants in the business class mockup learning about new wine offerings onboard so they can explain to customers.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Also in the room were glass dishes and amenity kits, which are used in premium cabins.

Taylor Rains/Insider

O'Leary told Insider that customer service training is not required by law, but ANZ requires it annually to maintain a high standard of service.

A diagram of a seat map on the wall of the academy.Taylor Rains/Insider

In another room was an economy mockup, where new hires learn how to service the cabin, including the Skycouch.

Taylor Rains/Insider

After seeing the mockups, we learned about one of the most important parts of flight attendant training — medical and first aid.

A class of trainees working on their medical course during our tour.Taylor Rains/Insider

Walking to the classroom, I noticed people wearing flight attendant uniforms, which O'Leary told Insider is required starting week three, except during medical and security training.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Walking to the classroom, I noticed people wearing flight attendant uniforms, which O'Leary told Insider is required starting week three, except during medical and security training.

To be hired as an ANZ flight attendant, applicants must already have their CPR license and must complete a two-day external course with St. John before training begins.

Taylor Rains/Insider

"What we do here at the facility is the add-on portion of medical training that is specifically in an aviation environment," O'Leary explained.

There were desks and a small cabin mockup in the classroom.Taylor Rains/Insider

ANZ has three medical trainers that are EMT qualified, meaning they are the best of the best for this highly important course. O'Leary said trainees can ask in-depth questions to give the context of why they perform certain treatments.

Aircrew trainer Susan McCapra is one of the specially qualified medical professionals. She can provide detailed explanations on how diabetes, for example, works in the body, which offers more context for trainees rather than just telling them to follow generic instructions.Taylor Rains/Insider

ANZ has three medical trainers that are EMT qualified, meaning they are the best of the best for this highly important course. O'Leary said trainees can ask in-depth questions to give the context of why they perform certain treatments.

Medical training is two days and future flight attendants learn things like using oxygen tanks, creating an airway, and using epidural pens.

Taylor Rains/Insider

Aircrew trainer Susan McCapra, who is one of the three people with special medical qualifications, explained that aviation medicine is all hands-on learning: "We take them through all the equipment we have and they go around in groups to practice."

Taylor Rains/Insider

Aircrew trainer Susan McCapra, who is one of the three people with special medical qualifications, explained that aviation medicine is all hands-on learning: "We take them through all the equipment we have and they go around in groups to practice."

On the day we visited, we saw trainees practicing CPR in groups of three — one doing compressions, one on the resuscitator mask, and one on the defibrillator.

Trainees already know how to conduct CPR, but this group training builds on that in an aviation setting.Taylor Rains/Insider

Part of the equipment is a huge medical kit kept onboard, which is color coded and has items that a doctor could use to perform an operation onboard.

Taylor Rains/Insider

I noticed the kit is much more comprehensive than ones I've seen in the US, with O'Leary telling Insider that not all items are required, but chosen to be included by ANZ's doctors and medical unit.

There is one kit on the narrowbody planes, and two on widebody jets like the Boeing 787.Taylor Rains/Insider

I noticed the kit is much more comprehensive than ones I've seen in the US, with O'Leary telling Insider that not all items are required, but chosen to be included by ANZ's doctors and medical unit.

Once they've gone through the course, McCapra told Insider that trainees must pass a test to officially complete the medical portion of the training.

Taylor Rains/Insider

“If they fail an exam, they get another chance, but if they fail another one then it’s a conversation with cabin managers, but there is a standard they have to meet,” she explained.

An Air New Zealand flight attendant serving the economy cabin on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.Taylor Rains/Insider

“If they fail an exam, they get another chance, but if they fail another one then it’s a conversation with cabin managers, but there is a standard they have to meet,” she explained.

The exam requires a trainee to pick a random card and perform whatever it says, like when and how to use an oxygen tank, for example.

McCapra said they not only have to learn how to use the oxygen tanks but also how to properly attach the tanks to the seat to keep the aisle clear during flight.Taylor Rains/Insider

According to McCapra, ANZ had about 150 oxygen-related events a week pre-COVID, so it is imperative flight attendants know how to properly use them.

Passengers on an Air New Zealand flight.Taylor Rains/Insider

McCapra also explained that crew members will face sometimes emotionally draining situations onboard, like the death of a passenger, but ANZ has created an employee assistance program to help flight attendants and pilots after major events.

Air New Zealand 787.Shutterstock

McCapra also explained that crew members will face sometimes emotionally draining situations onboard, like the death of a passenger, but ANZ has created an employee assistance program to help flight attendants and pilots after major events.

One of the other important courses flight attendants must go through is security training, which includes things like self-defense, disarming, and de-escalation.

Taylor Rains/Insider

During our tour, we saw a class using dummies and punching bags to practice, which is led by New Zealand police.

Taylor Rains/Insider

While it is impossible to learn every detail of a flight attendant's four-week training in just two hours, I was thoroughly impressed by the facility.

Taylor Rains/Insider

As opposed to popular belief, flight attendants are not just glorified customer service agents, but rather they are necessary, and sometimes life-saving, safety professionals.

Boeing 787 emergency evacuation door training.Taylor Rains/Insider

As opposed to popular belief, flight attendants are not just glorified customer service agents, but rather they are necessary, and sometimes life-saving, safety professionals.

If you're an aspiring flight attendant anywhere in the world, the training will not be easy, so be prepared to commit to vigorous tests and procedures before becoming an airline crew member.

The Air New Zealand flight attendants that worked the carrier's inaugural flight from New York to Auckland.Taylor Rains/Insider

If you're an aspiring flight attendant anywhere in the world, the training will not be easy, so be prepared to commit to vigorous tests and procedures before becoming an airline crew member.

I went on my first 20-hour Amtrak train for $90. Next time, I'd definitely pay more money to take a plane.

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See inside a flight attendant training center where aspiring crew members learn how to evacuate an airline and provide customer service

The airline industry is quickly getting back to pre-pandemic levels, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicting an industry-wide recovery of 103% by 2024.

As demand grows and carriers continue to add new routes and planes, they will need more flight crews to work them.

A significant labor source for airlines is flight attendants.

Consumer and market data company Statista says the North American aviation industry will need 170,000 cabin crew members over the next 20 years to keep up with demand.

To become a flight attendant, new hires must go through a long, intensive training course before working an actual flight.

Training includes everything from emergency procedures and self-defense to customer service and medical treatment.

To get a glimpse into the world of flight attendant training, I toured Air New Zealand's Academy of Learning in Auckland — here's what I learned.

Arriving at the center, I was impressed by the size of the facility, which had a reception area, classrooms, cabin mockups, and a large lounge area.

Anne-Maree O'Leary, ANZ's cabin crew training manager, told Insider the site welcomes up to 120 new hires a month, with an average of 20 a week starting every Monday, though some weeks they have 40.

"We're bringing intakes from off-the-street, so new into the aviation industry or they have worked for other carriers many years ago, but they aren't rehires," she said.

O'Leary explained that the number is significant because pre-COVID they were hiring about 200 crew members per year across all fleets.

Aspiring crew members must complete four weeks of vigorous training before working a commercial flight, which includes emergency procedures, first aid, security, and customer service.

While new hires go through the facility, current flight attendants will also visit for annual recurrent training to keep their certificates up to date.

Moreover, flight attendants who are upgrading to serving business class or becoming a flight lead will need specific training for the role.

Ground personnel, mechanics, and some engineers will also use the facility for various purposes.

The first stop on our tour was in the Cabin Emergency Evacuation Trainer, which employees named Athena.

The mock cabin resembles an Airbus A320 airliner, which is the workhorse of ANZ's narrowbody fleet.

A320 aircrew trainer Melissa Gerritsen-Fridh told Insider that the cabin is a hybrid between two A320 variants, meaning the two sides of the cabin are slightly different.

ANZ also uses the cabin for some widebody training, but the company is soon getting a new, larger mockup that will have two aisles to replace its old widebody training cabins.

The A320's several rows of seats mean the cabin could double as a training classroom to discuss the procedures and expectations.

There was also a galley area in the front and aft of the cabin…

…a cockpit with two pilot dummies at the controls…

…a lavatory, complete with one of ANZ's signature wallpaper designs…

…overhead bins, only two of which could open and hold emergency equipment…

…TV screens for presentations and warnings…

…evacuation doors, which trainees must master how to use…

…a panel to control things like lights, doors, and temperature…

…and a station to simulate emergencies, like fires, water landings, and depressurization.

The flight attendant trainers demonstrated a fire evacuation scenario for media, which include smoke and alarms.

When the alarm sounded, crew members shouted specific commands, like "stay seated," then one opened the door, and, in unison, they all instructed us to evacuate the plane.

We left through the left-side emergency door towards the aft of the airplane as smoke filled the cabin.

On the floor, ANZ has painted a slide to give a visual reference of what it will look like when deployed as passengers will use this to exit instead of just walking out.

After we re-entered the mockup, Gerritsen-Fridh dropped the oxygen masks and a loud voice came over the speakers with instructions on how to use the them.

Unfortunately for the trainers, the masks do not automatically retract, so they have to manually put them back.

Trainers will also simulate anomaly events, like jammed evacuation doors and failed slide deployments to ensure flight attendants are ready for anything.

Because Athena is on the ground, trainees cannot actually deploy the slides, so that is done in a different room with an elevated cabin, which is the current widebody mockup.

Here, flight attendants will practice going down the slide, as well as do swim tests and get on a real raft in case of water landings.

Trainees will also learn how to operate the doors on widebody planes, including the Boeing 777 and Boeing 787.

In addition to emergency procedures, the A320 mock cabin is used for normal operations, like pre-flight briefings, including passengers with disabilities and unaccompanied minors.

"Its better to be in this environment because trainees get an idea of how everything feels and moves, so it's good situational awareness," Gerritsen-Fridh told Insider.

ANZ pilots will also receive emergency procedures training in Athena, but there is a separate simulator center for their flight training, O'Leary told Insider.

Behind Athena is a fire trainer named Prometheus.

This is where cabin crew and pilots get practical experience putting out fires in things like ovens, overhead bins, and laptops.

Gerritsen-Fridh demonstrated putting out a laptop fire, which included sounding an alarm and using a fire extinguisher.

While ANZ will do as much in Athena as possible, customer service training has separate classrooms with different mockups.

Here, new and current flight attendants will receive specific training for things like passenger interaction, serving business class, and using galley carts.

Flight attendants can upgrade to business after six months of employment and must learn special procedures, like plating, O'Leary said.

During our visit, we saw veteran flight attendants in the business class mockup learning about new wine offerings onboard so they can explain to customers.

Also in the room were glass dishes and amenity kits, which are used in premium cabins.

O'Leary told Insider that customer service training is not required by law, but ANZ requires it annually to maintain a high standard of service.

In another room was an economy mockup, where new hires learn how to service the cabin, including the Skycouch.

After seeing the mockups, we learned about one of the most important parts of flight attendant training — medical and first aid.

Walking to the classroom, I noticed people wearing flight attendant uniforms, which O'Leary told Insider is required starting week three, except during medical and security training.

To be hired as an ANZ flight attendant, applicants must already have their CPR license and must complete a two-day external course with St. John before training begins.

"What we do here at the facility is the add-on portion of medical training that is specifically in an aviation environment," O'Leary explained.

ANZ has three medical trainers that are EMT qualified, meaning they are the best of the best for this highly important course. O'Leary said trainees can ask in-depth questions to give the context of why they perform certain treatments.

Medical training is two days and future flight attendants learn things like using oxygen tanks, creating an airway, and using epidural pens.

Aircrew trainer Susan McCapra, who is one of the three people with special medical qualifications, explained that aviation medicine is all hands-on learning: "We take them through all the equipment we have and they go around in groups to practice."

On the day we visited, we saw trainees practicing CPR in groups of three — one doing compressions, one on the resuscitator mask, and one on the defibrillator.

Part of the equipment is a huge medical kit kept onboard, which is color coded and has items that a doctor could use to perform an operation onboard.

I noticed the kit is much more comprehensive than ones I've seen in the US, with O'Leary telling Insider that not all items are required, but chosen to be included by ANZ's doctors and medical unit.

Once they've gone through the course, McCapra told Insider that trainees must pass a test to officially complete the medical portion of the training.

“If they fail an exam, they get another chance, but if they fail another one then it’s a conversation with cabin managers, but there is a standard they have to meet,” she explained.

The exam requires a trainee to pick a random card and perform whatever it says, like when and how to use an oxygen tank, for example.

According to McCapra, ANZ had about 150 oxygen-related events a week pre-COVID, so it is imperative flight attendants know how to properly use them.

McCapra also explained that crew members will face sometimes emotionally draining situations onboard, like the death of a passenger, but ANZ has created an employee assistance program to help flight attendants and pilots after major events.

One of the other important courses flight attendants must go through is security training, which includes things like self-defense, disarming, and de-escalation.

During our tour, we saw a class using dummies and punching bags to practice, which is led by New Zealand police.

While it is impossible to learn every detail of a flight attendant's four-week training in just two hours, I was thoroughly impressed by the facility.

As opposed to popular belief, flight attendants are not just glorified customer service agents, but rather they are necessary, and sometimes life-saving, safety professionals.

If you're an aspiring flight attendant anywhere in the world, the training will not be easy, so be prepared to commit to vigorous tests and procedures before becoming an airline crew member.