From check-in to the arrivals hall you meet several kinds of airline staff, and each has a different job. This guide explains who they are, what they are responsible for, who to ask when something goes wrong, and why you have to follow the crew's instructions. Job titles and uniforms differ from airline to airline, so the names here are the common ones, not the only ones.
1. The flight deck: captain and first officer
The captain is the pilot in command, called the commander in European rules. US rules make the pilot in command "directly responsible for, and the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft". EU rules spell out what that means for passengers: the commander is responsible for the safety of everyone on board from the moment the commander boards until leaving the aircraft at the end of the flight, can give all commands needed to keep the flight safe, and can have anyone taken off the aircraft who may be a danger to it or to the people on board. The commander must also not let anyone fly who is so drunk or drugged that they are likely to endanger the flight.
The first officer, often called the co-pilot, is the second in command. Both are qualified pilots. If you hear an announcement from the flight deck, it can come from either of them.
2. Relief pilots and crew rest on long flights
On long flights an airline can add pilots beyond the two the aircraft needs, so that each pilot can rest during the flight. US rules call this an augmented flight crew. They require at least one qualified pilot at the controls at all times, and set aside rest for the pilots who will land the plane: 2 hours in a row for the pilot flying the landing and 90 minutes for the other.
EU rules let airlines extend a pilot's working day with in-flight rest, depending on how many extra pilots there are and on the kind of rest place on board. With two extra pilots and a proper bunk, the basic limit is 17 hours. The rest places come in three classes:
- Class 1: a bunk or flat bed, separate from both the flight deck and the cabin.
- Class 2: a seat in the cabin that reclines well, separated from passengers by at least a curtain.
- Class 3: a seat in the cabin or on the flight deck that reclines at least 40°, behind at least a curtain and not next to a passenger.
So if you see a curtained-off row of seats or a door marked for crew only on a long flight, that is probably crew rest. Cabin crew can rest in turns during the cruise too. EU rules require the airline to assess how many cabin crew must stay awake and ready to act at all times, and to plan how the purser's own rest is covered.
3. The purser: who leads the cabin crew
When a flight needs more than one cabin crew member, EU rules require the airline to put one of them in charge. The rules call this person the senior cabin crew member. Airlines use other titles, such as purser, cabin manager, chief cabin attendant or in-flight service manager. The senior cabin crew member must have at least one year of experience as cabin crew and extra training. They answer to the captain for how normal and emergency procedures are carried out in the cabin, and can stop the service when safety or security requires it.
Many airlines have several levels. Cathay Pacific, for example, has flight attendants, flight pursers, senior pursers and, on wide-body aircraft, an in-flight service manager who oversees the whole cabin. Ranks and titles vary by airline, and even by base.
For you, the purser is the person to ask for when a flight attendant can't solve your problem.
4. Flight attendants: safety first, service second
Flight attendants serve meals and drinks, but they are on board because the rules require them for safety. Their job is to brief passengers, check seat belts and bags before take-off and landing, deal with medical events and disruptive passengers, and get everyone out in an emergency.
How many there must be. The minimum depends on the number of seats on the aircraft, not on how many passengers are on board:
- EU rules: at least one cabin crew member for every 50 seats, or part of 50, on the same deck. If the aircraft's certification sets a higher number, the higher number applies.
- US rules: one flight attendant for 20–50 seats (from 10 seats on heavier aircraft), two for 51–100 seats, and above 100 seats one more for every 50 seats or part of 50.
For a typical narrow-body jet with 180 seats, both rules give at least four. Thailand's operator rules are modelled on the international standards (ICAO Annex 6) and the EU rules.
Where they sit. US rules require flight attendants to sit at their stations with their belts fastened while the plane taxis, and to be spread through the cabin near the floor-level exits for take-off and landing. That is why they sit next to the doors.
Medical help. In the US, flight attendants must be trained in CPR and in using a defibrillator, with a refresher at least every 24 months. Airliners must carry first-aid kits and, when a flight attendant is required, an emergency medical kit. The training is not the same as a doctor's or a paramedic's.
5. Ground staff: check-in, the gate and transfers
The people at the check-in counter, the boarding gate and the transfer desk either work for your airline or for a ground-handling company it hires. Either way, they act for the airline. At Thai airports, for example, AOT Ground Aviation Services (AOTGA), a handling company in the Airports of Thailand group, describes its passenger agents as "the first contact point of the airline". Its agents handle check-in, boarding, transfers, ticket changes and excess baggage charges, lost items, and help for passengers with reduced mobility.
Staff at security screening and passport control don't work for your airline. Take questions about your booking, your bags or your connection to the airline's counter, not to them. Before you go, see first time flying, step by step for the order of check-in, security and boarding.
6. Who to ask for what
- You feel unwell, or someone near you does: press the call button or tell any flight attendant straight away. They are trained for medical events and know where the medical equipment is.
- Something seems unsafe (a smell of smoke, a passenger behaving aggressively, a bag that won't fit): tell a flight attendant. Don't try to deal with it yourself.
- Your seat, a meal, a blanket or help with a bag: a flight attendant.
- A complaint on board: first the flight attendant, then ask for the purser. After the flight, complain to the airline in writing and keep your boarding pass and receipts.
- You left something on the plane: tell the crew if you are still on board. Once you have left, contact the airline, not the airport. At Suvarnabhumi, AOT says items left on the aircraft or not collected from baggage claim are dealt with by the airline you flew with.
- You lost something in the terminal: the airport's lost and found. At Suvarnabhumi it is on floor 6 of the main terminal, behind row Q, and AOT also has an online lost property form.
- You are about to miss a connection: if you are still in the air, tell a flight attendant. On the ground, go to your airline's transfer desk or gate staff.
- Your flight is delayed or cancelled: the airline's ground staff or app. For what you are owed, see your rights when your flight is delayed and your rights when your flight is cancelled.
7. How to recognise them
Each airline designs its own uniforms, and we found no international rule on what stripes, wings or badges mean. A colour or number of stripes that marks the captain or the purser on one airline may mean something else on another, so don't rely on it.
One thing EU rules do cover is confusion: airline staff who are in the cabin but not working as cabin crew on that flight, such as crew travelling to their next flight, should not wear their uniform in a way that makes passengers think they are on duty. If you are not sure who to talk to, ask any flight attendant and they will find the right person.
8. Why you must follow crew instructions
Instructions about seat belts, bags, staying seated or switching off a device are part of the airline's safety rules, and several layers of law back them up:
- International law: the Tokyo Convention of 1963, which 188 countries have joined, including Thailand since 1972. It allows the aircraft commander to use reasonable measures, including restraint, against a person who has committed or is about to commit an act that endangers the aircraft, the people on board or "good order and discipline on board". The commander can require the crew to help, and can have the person disembarked wherever the aircraft lands. These powers apply from the moment the doors close until they open again.
- European Union: airlines must take all reasonable measures to ensure that everyone on board obeys all lawful commands the commander gives for the safety of the aircraft and the people and property on it.
- United States: no one may assault, threaten, intimidate or interfere with a crewmember doing their job, and passengers must follow crew instructions about the seat-belt and no-smoking signs.
- Thailand: the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) warns that threatening the pilots, the crew or other passengers in flight, for example by claiming to have a bomb or a weapon, can be an offence under the Act on Certain Offences against Air Navigation B.E. 2558 (2015), with up to 7 years in prison, a fine, or both. Giving false information that causes panic on board or at the airport, such as claiming that a wing is on fire, can mean up to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to 200,000 baht, and more if it endangers the flight.
In practice: when the crew ask you to sit down, fasten your belt or put a bag away, do it first and ask questions afterwards. If you think an instruction is wrong, raise it calmly with the purser, or complain to the airline after the flight.
9. Before your next flight
If you have not flown before, read first time flying, step by step. For what you can and can't take on board, see what you can't bring on a plane.
Job titles, uniforms and procedures differ by airline, and the rules quoted here are the EU, US and Thai ones that apply to many flights, not to all. The sources for this guide are listed below.
