More than just 'chicken or fish?'

Cabin crew spill the beans on dealing with difficult passengers and those who want to join the “mile-high club”

- Sarah Stanley

When Singaporean flight attendant Niki Adlina, 27, received the “golden call” from Dubai-based airline Emirates informing her that she had passed the final interview, she was ecstatic.

Becoming a cabin crew member had been her dream since childhood. In August 2022, within a month of receiving the call, she packed her bags for Dubai to start a new life.

Three years on, she looks back on her early days fondly, but admits the learning curve was steep. She had to quickly adapt to aviation jargon, rigorous safety drills and exacting service standards all while maintaining a polished smile at 35,000 ft in the air.

As for Ms Cherry Tan, her childhood dream to be a flight attendant was realised in 2018 when she joined Singapore Airlines (SIA). She left in May 2024 to run food stall Kiang Kiang Taiwan Teppanyaki in Woodlands with her husband.

“What I enjoyed most about being cabin crew was the lifestyle. I'm an introvert and the job afforded a lot of me-time to rest before having to put on a good front for my next flight,” says Ms Tan, 30. “At the start, the work can feel quite overwhelming, but it gets easier along the way.”

It is a sentiment echoed by cabin crew. Behind the glamour and immaculate grooming is a demanding job which requires discipline, teamwork and grace under pressure.

From difficult passengers to handling deaths on board, current and former cabin crew tell The Straits Times about the good, bad and bumpy sides of flying.

1. HOW DO YOU REMAIN POISED DURING TURBULENCE?

Ms Adlina says crew typically get an alert from pilots about incoming turbulence and whether service can proceed in the cabin.

With that knowledge and their turbulence management training, which includes staying low and knowing where secure handholds are, crew can often navigate such situations calmly.