The first time passengers see Flight attendants or cabin crew is when they board the aircraft, although they have already been on duty before reaching the aircraft, completing essential safety tasks in preparation for the flight. But how early do flight attendants need to be at the airport before working on a flight?
Flight attendants typically have to report about an hour before a flight from their home base in the US, though the exact time depends on the airline, the type of flight, and where the trip starts. Report times in the US are set in each airline’s union contract. In the UK and Middle East, cabin crew usually report 90 minutes before a flight departs from their home base, as standard procedure.
Pre-Flight Duties
Typically, most flight attendants and cabin crew arrive early for their shift. The report time is noted on the roster, and you are not allowed to be late under any circumstances, or you risk your job. We usually clock in with our ID card on arrival at the crew base, usually some 15 minutes to 30 minutes early or more. This allows us to have a coffee, check any changes to our schedule, and read up on any changed safety procedures.
We may have to pick up duty-free floats and paperwork too. In the UK and the Middle East, we usually report a minimum of 90 minutes before the flight is due to depart. There is a pre-flight briefing prior to the flight, which takes around 15 minutes. The senior crew member gives the cabin crew all the details of the flight and assigns positions based on seniority.
Every crew member is tested individually with safety and emergency procedures and first aid questions to make sure they are proficient and up to date. If the crew member fails at this stage, they are removed from the flight. We meet the flight crew for more flight details and then are bussed to the aircraft after going through security. Before passengers board, we perform a security check on the aircraft, checking the cabin, lavatories, and galleys.
This ensures that nothing unusual or out of place is left behind. Once complete, we perform safety and emergency equipment checks to ensure everything is serviceable and ready to use in case of emergency. The galley equipment and meals are also checked to make sure that we have everything we need for the flight. Once these are complete, the senior reports to the flight crew and only then can we start boarding passengers.
Report Times For US Flight Attendants
American Airlines’ flight attendant contract in a version published by its union, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), defines on-duty time as starting one hour before scheduled departure on domestic flights and an hour and 30 minutes before international flights. This applies to the first flight of a trip sequence at the airport. This may vary depending on the airline, the aircraft type, and the type of flight.
A sample clause from another airline’s contract, collected by law insider follows a similar pattern in that flight attendants report 60 minutes before their first departure of the day at their home base, also called their domicile, and 45 minutes before when starting a day away from base. Some airlines require more lead time for international flights and may need to check in one and a half hours before the flight.
One cargo and charter airline’s contract, for Air Transport International, allows report times of up to an hour and a half for domestic flights away from base and up to two hours for international flights. Their contract is agreed through the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA). All duties during this time before boarding the passengers are very similar, regardless of the airline.
