Have you ever thought about what life is like being a flight attendant? Well, one of our flight attendants who is also an instructor at the Canadain Tourism College is here to share her story! Here is the story of Christina Ling!
I was sitting in my favourite coffee shop last Saturday afternoon looking at a pile of my students’ exams and essay papers. I could have easily stayed at home to do this, but I find the buzz of a busy coffee shop gives me the energy to get paperwork done. Don’t quite know what it is, but I do know myself and I thrive best with lots of people around me. When I need a break from reading or grading, I love the distraction of people watching. Must be a Flight Attendant thing.
A cup of tea and red pen in hand, I was ready to tackle that pile of papers staring at me. As I was just about to immerse myself in reading the first essay, the person at the next table leaned over and said, “May I ask what are you reading?” “Are you a teacher?” I put the essay down and welcomed the conversation because anyone who knows me really well, knows how much I love talking about the aviation industry. I can easily talk and talk about airplanes for hours! “I am a Flight Attendant, turned Flight Attendant Instructor”, I exuberantly replied. She responded with, “Wow, that is such an interesting job!” I excitedly responded back, “it is!” What I really was thinking, was that I had a captive audience in which I could extol the virtues of being a Flight Attendant, the “coolness” factor. Because let’s face it, people think that Flight Attendants live this very glamorous, very cool life traversing the globe in our designer uniforms. “It takes a certain person to do what you do.” she calmly spoke to me. For the first time that I could ever remember, I was speechless. After I took a second to process the words. I responded with, “Nobody has ever said that to me before.” “It’s true”, she replied. “I couldn’t do what you do”. This statement resonated with me, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
There is an exercise that I do with my students that is really telling of how complex the job can be. We try to name as many roles as we can associated with “Flight Attendant.” We have named 40 roles in one session. Nurse, doctor, firefighter, translator, mediator, negotiator, sommelier, chef, psychologist and midwife to name a few. Flight Attendants are highly trained and highly skilled to get people off an aircraft should an emergency occur, in 90 seconds or less! But we are also always taking care of people during the flight. Tending to their basic needs and then some, food, water, entertainment, listening to their worries, their good news, their sad news, their frustrations. We are nurturers, we are empathetic, we are always taking care of people. If it’s not safety, it’s service.
When passengers board an aircraft they are essentially signing their lives over to a bunch of people they’ve never met before. The relationship between flight attendant and passenger is of absolute trust. I remind all of my students to be very respectful of that trust.
So perhaps it is true, not everyone can be a Flight Attendant. I can only speak for myself when I say, the people I’ve met, the people I was able to help, the people that have expressed their gratitude has been incredibly rewarding. The glamorous life of a Flight Attendant? Yes, you bet it is.
Thank you for taking the time to read my very first blog post!!! Keep your head in the clouds everyone!
Looking to learn more about our flight attendant programs or meet Christina Ling? Request more information here!
Flight attendants are one of the most respected rank in aircraft transportation. I always admire these beautiful ladies and gentlemen who portray these safety roles when required and are very much polite. I Know I am a great team leader, I would be the best flight attendant. I am willing to learn as well as my calm, funfilled,charm will sure be a great asset to this organization.#pushingunwardstoumostheights#
Hello Shanelle thank you so much for your lovely comment. By the sounds of it you would possess the qualities that would make an excellent flight attendant. Leadership is very much an important skill to have. If you have any questions about our FA program at CTC, please don’t hesitate to contact me! ✈️
Hello Christina. I am currently 14 years old and I live in the south of England. We were asked at school last year to try and work out what our chosen career would be. I was undecided for a few months and then it came to me – I want to be a Flight Attendant. I have been so excited since making the decision and I have been researching all about it and it just feels perfect for me. My Mum lives in England and my Dad lives on Vancouver Island. My plan is to finish school here in England and looking on the internet, the greatest course seems to be with the Canadian Tourism College and your blog has really inspired me! I wonder if you could explain the admission required to join the course in the first place. Qualifications are a little different here in England. I am aiming to come over straight from school at the age of 16 but it looks as though I need to achieve a college qualification, maybe in hospitality (which I would do from England) first. Thank you very much. Alyssa.
Hello Alyssa, thank you so very much for taking the time to read my blog post and for your lovely comment. It warms my heart to know that my blog has inspired you. You remind me so much of myself when I was your age. I knew that I wanted to fly ever since I was a young girl and having that dream come true was more than I could have ever imagined. Now that I am an instructor, it is a privilege for me to pass to the next generation of flight crew everything that I learned when I became a Flight Attendant. You are on the right path, continue to finish your basic education and get that high school diploma. Next, contact us here at Canadian Tourism College!!! Our enrolment advisers will be able to guide you as to what you require to gain entry for the Flight Attendant program. As well, I would love to chat with you to share all the amazing experiences I had during my career and answer any questions you may have. I have included a link to admissions requirements to the College.
https://tourismcollege.com/admissions/requirements/
Thank you again Alyssa for your comment, you have inspired me to keep writing.
Christina 😉
Hi! Christina, i’ve read your blog and it really inspired me to be a flight attendant. I really wanted to be a flight attendant but my hopes are getting low because I have been applying and was not able to make it for the interview. I’m of age 39 and I want to pursue my career as a flight attendant at CTC. What are my chances if I get to enroll at CTC. There is a saying never give up on your dream and nothing is too late. Hope to hear from christina. Thank you so much.
Hi Helena!
Thank you so very much for taking the time to read my blog! I am so happy to know that I have inspired you, means so much to me. I absolutely understand how much you want to become a Flight Attendant, I can sense that in your words. Firstly, please do not be concerned with numbers, it is the person. Secondly, there are never any guarantees in life, but if you don’t take that step you will never know. What I can guarantee, is that I will to the best of my ability give you the skills and tools to land that dream job. Everything I learned in initial Flight Attendant training I deliver to my students….and so much more! In our program, some of the units we cover are life skills, communication tools, how to look like a Flight Attendant and interview skills. And yes Helena never give up on your dream and nothing is too late!! If you would like to chat with me in person, feel free to contact me at CTC! Christina
Thank you so much Christina. I will take your advice. Until now my desire is to be a flight attendant and I’m holding on to it. A big thank you to you Christina.
Hi! Again Christina, I have one concern regarding heights to qualify as a flight attendant. Again its my passion to travel, work and meet different people, I’m an optimistic person and would love to learn more about flying. I only stand 5″1″ but I believe that this is not a hindrance to stop me from trying to be a flight attendant. What is your advice Ms. Christina?
Hi Helena,
We are so similar! Your passion for travel, work and meeting new people! That is the foundation of being a great flight attendant! Being an optimist and a love for aviation rounds out the complete package.
I have a philosophy in life that I truly believe in…..one must always try because you never know. There are some carriers out there that require their Flight Attendant’s to be a maximum height because of the aircraft that they operate. I stand at 5’9″ and I would be too tall to work on that type of aircraft. Hope this answers your question Helena! 🙂
Thank you Christina for your advice. I believe in that saying as well try n try because we will never know. I’ll take that advice seriously. Thanks again
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