My journey as Cabin Crew

By Romina Momeni
(former Emirates cabin crew)

23rd July 2018

Like most people at a young age, It was my dream to work for one of the world’s most leading airlines. That dream came true for me on the 14th of October 2015, when I received my ‘golden call’ from Emirates.  My date of joining was allocated on the 18th December 2015. Throughout that time frame, it gave me enough time to prepare myself on a new adventure I was bound to embark on.  Leaving my home Melbourne, Australia, It took a lot of courage as it meant for me spending less time with my family and friends and of course attending events. However, It was time to say hello to Dubai, as that’s where I was based.  

On 18th December, I left Melbourne to begin my next chapter in Dubai. I was greeted a warm welcome at Dubai Airport by the Marhaba meet and greet service, which they took great care of me assisting me with customs and baggage! At the arrivals, hall, I met 4 other girls who happened to land around the same time as me. We all got folders about our induction and training, and accommodation details. I was allocated in Sahara tower at the time, which was in the heart of the city on Sheikh Zayed Road. I was then taken into my accommodation as I also met two of my flat mates, who made me feel welcome and at ease as I was still a bit nervous and already started missing home! But I knew that there were many things to look forward to. The following morning I had to wake up bright and early for the first day of induction, which was held at Emirates Headquartes (EGHQ). As we arrived we all got allocated into our batches and all got to know each other as that was our group for training. It was great to already experience the places of where everyone was from and already started to learn so much about other cultures. On that day we also got given our time tables of our classes in training colleges as well as the bus schedule to training college to and from our accommodation.  

Moving onto training, our hours were from the early morning till afternoon. Our first few weeks were based on safety and emergency procedures on both Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircrafts which including practical assessments such as dealing with emergencies on board, evacuation, fire fighting and ditching. The following weeks included Group Medical Training where we got to practise using the oxygen bottle, first aid kit, CPR and many more.  Aviation Security was also part of the assessments as we got to learn about behaviours and restraining. All of the topics also included the computer-based assessments. Moving onto the most exciting part, Image and Uniform! The day which we received our Emirates uniform and had lessons on hair, makeup, skin care and grooming.  

The final two weeks consisted of service training, which we did practical assessments, which made you already feel like you were on a real flight.   

My overall experience with the training was intense but amazing. I learnt so much in that period of time and started to feel more motivated. This is the time where you were most busy and of course had to focus on the subjects. There is always guidance throughout the training. The facilities to me were above standard. You can really experience the insight of the aviation field before your first flight even begins! It definitely put myself to the test and I can say that it has made me stronger and self motivated. My motto was “Don’t give up and just be you.” That helped me with my mindset and I achieved the opportunity to be in the sky and travelling to many destinations. And remember, “A mile of a highway will take you just one mile…but a mile of runway will take you anywhere!” 

Pictures below taken by Romina Momeni