“Lee Kyung-sik & Han Jung-hye ‘Achieving the Dream of Becoming a Stewardess’”

As graduation approached and the time to enter the workforce neared, without directly stepping into a company, there was little opportunity to understand the world of professions. Therefore, the only way to indirectly experience it was through “books.” Although I had never considered becoming a flight attendant, I naturally came across books related to flight attendants since they were readily available in the library.

“The Dream of Becoming a Stewardess: A Guidebook for Aspiring Flight Attendants” is a book that compiles the methods of becoming a flight attendant, giving off a “textbook” vibe. It stays true to the basics, feeling like a textbook that could be used for flight attendant training.

“A foundational book that guides you through the process of becoming a flight attendant”

The subtitle “A Guidebook for Aspiring Flight Attendants” suits the book well. It feels like a foundational book that explains the process of becoming a flight attendant in detail from start to finish. It’s detailed, meticulous, and written in a dry style.

However, on the other hand, it can feel too dry and focused on theory, making it stiff and potentially boring. But if you’re genuinely considering becoming a flight attendant, it’s a book that could be very helpful.

“The Origins of Etiquette and Manners”

The book introduces not only content related to flight attendants but also information related to service. It explains the origins of etiquette and manners as follows:

Etiquette, derived from the French word “étiquette,” is similar to manners. It originates from the belief that it originated from a ticket (Ticket) containing cautions, etiquette, etc., given to those entering the Palace of Versailles or from the French verb “Estiquier” (to affix). This can be traced back to the practice of affixing a signboard in the palace garden saying “Do not damage the flowerbed.” Today, it can be interpreted as “Do not damage the garden of the heart.”
Manners are unique habits or demeanor that each person possesses, representing the hopes of a third party and showing respect for the other person. The origin of manners comes from the Latin “Manuarius,” a compound word of “Manus” and “Arius.” “Manus” means “hand” in English and implies not only the hand but also a person’s behavior or habits. Arius means “More at Manual,” “More by Manual” in English, indicating the method. Thus, manners are the specific actions individuals take to observe etiquette.

“What is Service?”

The book also organizes the concept of service as follows:

Service refers to the humane actions provided by an individual to others.
It can be defined as an intangible product provided through interaction with humans or facilities for the benefit or satisfaction of consumers.
The term “service” is derived from the English term “Servitude,” meaning slavery.
Initially, slaves were used to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of their masters or rulers, but over time, the meaning changed, and now it means serving sincerely for others’ sake.

“Who is the Customer?”

The book also explains the concept of the customer. Customers are all individuals and groups related to a company’s activities. Generally, customers refer to people who decide on products produced by companies, and Sony defines customers as “everyone except me.” In an expanded sense, customers are divided into three categories:

End customers: Current or potential buyers of products or services.
Intermediate customers: Cooperation companies helping with raw material supply or corporate activities outside of sales outlets or wholesalers.
Internal customers: Everyone within the organization is a customer to each other.

Ultimately, a customer can be defined as “someone who decides on products produced by a company.” Also, the person who coined the phrase “The customer is king” is Peter Drucker.

“IFE: In-Flight Entertainment”

“IFE” refers to content related to aviation duties. It encompasses both “Content + Hardware + Software.” “IFE” includes all entertainment contexts that can be enjoyed with eyes and ears in the limited space of an airplane cabin, supported physically by hardware and software.

Additionally, the cabin pressure of an aircraft is approximately “0.8,” which is about “0.2” lower than on the ground.

“Narrow Body VS Wide Body”

Aircraft are divided into “Narrow-Body” and “Wide-Body” depending on the number of aisles between seats. “Narrow-Body” refers to aircraft with a single aisle between seats. Low-cost carrier (LCC) aircraft mostly opt for “Narrow-Body.”

“Servant Leadership”

Servant leadership is a concept first proposed in 1977 by management scholar Greenleaf, who was in charge of management-related education and research at AT&T. Greenleaf explained the concept of servant leadership through the story of “Leo,” a servant in the book “Journey to the East” written by Hermann Hesse. Leo helped with the pilgrims’ daily tasks and meal preparations, occasionally playing music for the tired pilgrims at night.

Leo roamed among the pilgrims, examining what they needed, and took care to ensure that they did not tire mentally or physically. But one day, Leo suddenly disappeared, and the tired pilgrims began to fight. It was only then that people realized the value of Leo and that he was a true leader.

Servant leadership can be described as helping and leading other members to unleash their potential.

“Analysis of Excellent Airline Service Cases and Interview Expected Questions”

In the latter part of the book, examples of excellent airline service cases for interviews are provided. For example, Korean Air sponsored the realization of Korean art guide services at the top three museums in the world as part of its corporate social responsibility activities.

Furthermore, in the last section, there is a section introducing airline companies such as Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. They even prepare “expected interview questions.”

If you seriously contemplate becoming a flight attendant, reading this book and following the methods introduced in it step by step could help you become one. Of course, published in 2010, the situation may have changed considerably from now, but if you grasp the core message of the book, it could still be useful to read.

“Achieving the Dream of Becoming a Stewardess: A Guidebook for Aspiring Flight Attendants”