“Cabin crew, arm doors and cross-check.”
This is probably what you will hear over the flight broadcast before you take off to your next holiday destination. For avid travellers, they will know that the plane will soon be en route to their destination.
For the aircrew, this instruction is part and parcel of their job and a responsibility that is required of them to ensure passenger safety.
With air travel in full flight, Singapore Airlines (SIA) has announced record revenue and net profits in recent years. Its staff were also richly rewarded with nearly 8 months of bonus pay in consecutive years.
So how much can an SIA aircrew earn? We share the details.
But First, Why Should You Consider Working As An Aircrew?
Most people love to travel and go on holidays. If your job allows you to shop in Milan, savour dim sum in Hong Kong and soak in the Australian sunshine in the same month, it really sounds like a dream job. Well, this dream is not far from reality, as those are some of the perks of the job for cabin crew.
Other than the “free” flights and travel “opportunities” as part of your job, there are usually flight benefits for you and your family to take a real holiday. Of course, in the course of your work, you also get to stay in overseas hotels and have your food expenses reimbursed.
But, there are risks to the job (which will be elaborated later). Then again, many other jobs also come with risks – and you have to choose which risks you prefer to take. Even a deskbound worker can have a risk of overworking.
How Much Can An SIA Aircrew Earn?
According to Glassdoor, an SIA aircrew job is the most sought-after compared with other airline companies because of its higher pay. An SIA cabin crew earns an estimated total pay range between $18,000–$54,000 per year as base pay. Meanwhile, Scoot crew members earn around $14,000 to $36,000 per year as base pay.
The salary is given based on flight patterns and flying hours. The basic pay makes up about half of the total drawn salary, and the rest of the salary is counted by adding the various allowances.
| Salary Component | Description |
| Basic Pay | Cabin crews will be paid a base salary. This is the flat rate you will get no matter the number of hours you fly. |
| Inflight Allowance (per hour) | Based on the number of hours you fly, this will be added to the salary. A more experienced crew will get higher Inflight Allowance than a junior crew. |
| Long Haul Flight Allowance | This usually refers to flights that are more than 14 hours. |
| Layover Allowance | A fixed rate is paid for each layover (also known as Nightstop Allowance). |
| Turnaround Allowance | Time taken to prepare aircraft for next flight after landing. |
| Transport Allowance | Given to you every month for transport to and from work. |
| Uniform Allowance | For you to buy new uniform or accessories for the work outfit. |
Crew members will be based in Singapore and offered a 5-year employment contract initially. Based on job performance, additional 5-year contracts may be offered.
Some perks of flying with SIA:
- You will be granted free travel to any SIA destination once a year and enjoy discounted travel at other times.
- There is an attractive annual leave scheme, medical and dental treatment scheme.
- You will learn skills that are highly curated by SIA’s high standards – including service training, personal grooming, first aid and aircraft safety procedures.
Do note that the full salary is only rewarded to recruits who complete the 4-month long training programme (details below). You will receive a basic salary during training.
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What Are The Requirements To Qualify For An Interview?
The appearance and outlook of an SIA aircrew are important, as per its reputation over the years of hiring attractive-looking people.
But the standards of attractiveness are no longer as stringent in recent years. As long as aspiring crew members look well-groomed and have a pleasant personality, there is a chance you might get the role.
However, the minimum height requirement of 1.58m for females and 1.65m for males still stands unchanged because of the need to carry out safety and emergency procedures onboard. Facial piercings or visible tattoos should also be concealed.
- Minimum age of 18 years old due to legislative requirements
- Pleasant personality and service-oriented
- Fluent in English with good communication skills
- Minimum height requirement of at least 1.58m for females and 1.65m for males in order to carry out safety and emergency procedures onboard
- Minimum qualification of 5 GCE ‘O’ Level credits (including English) or Higher Nitec and above
- Former SIA Cabin Crew are welcome to apply
Successful candidates must be able to commence employment with SIA within 3 months from the date of application.
Most cabin crews are recruited from Singapore. Singapore Airlines also recruits from Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, India, and Indonesia. There used to be recruitments for China aircrew too, but due to ongoing pandemic constraints, this is unlikely to have resumed.
In the past, SIA used to hold mass recruitment drives at hotel ballrooms but due to the pandemic, they have now implemented an online video interview as the first step of curation.
Only shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend its final interviews.
SIA’s 4-Month Crew Training Programme And What You Can Learn
If you have been selected to join SIA as a crew member, you will need to undergo a rigorous 4-month training programme of classroom and on-the-job training. The training is to allow recruits to embody the airline’s philosophy of customer service and to create a professional crew ready to handle all flight situations.
The training includes:
- Fundamentals of social etiquette, personal grooming and passenger handling skills.
- Meal service procedures, including food and wine appreciation courses.
- First aid and safety procedures for the different aircraft types.
The cabin crew are also required to undergo safety training under the Safety Training section of the Flight Crew Training Department. Classroom instruction is reinforced by the use of aircraft equipment and an evacuation trainer.
Safety training modules include basic first aid, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and firefighting. Practical training includes CPR practice on special instrumented dummies and the use of fire extinguishers in a purpose-built fire training room.
There are also Emergency Drills and scenarios created leading to a mock ground evacuation as well as Water Survival Training.
What is Water Survival Training?
- A cabin mock-up is used for instruction on ditching procedures, slide-raft boarding and launching.
- “Open sea” conditions are simulated by a wave generator.
- Various sea scenarios and conditions, including day and night, can be created.
Finally, there is Safety & Emergency procedures (SEP) training which is mandatory for every crew to attend annually. The annual recurrent SEP training includes first aid and fire-fighting, and land and sea evacuations are alternated every year.
Upon successful completion of training, flying duties will commence.
Are There Risks To Working As An Aircrew
Now that you have learned about the perks of the job, we will share with you possible drawbacks, so that you can make a clear decision and choice if you want to pursue this as your career/job.
As you work on an aircraft, you have to be ready for emergencies. For example, you may remember that an SQ flight encountered sudden extreme air turbulence in the past year – with several passengers reportedly flung into the air, and one passenger also passing away due to a suspected heart attack.
As stewards and stewardesses, be prepared to deal with some unpleasant people on the flight. It could be demanding passengers or cranky babies. But not every flight will have problematic customers. This is not that harrowing an issue if you compare working other types of jobs as you will deal with unpleasant people no matter what job you do.
You have to take care of your appearances and weight. This may be an obstacle for people who love food or have weight problems.
There are also airborne diseases that might be exposed to aircrew (i.e. Covid-19) so aircrew have to accept these as risks of the job.
The work roster is said to change frequently, so if you are someone who prefers structure then be ready about this. You may have to drop everything on your off day when asked to relieve a fellow aircrew who fell sick.
You will have to work on public holidays as flights take off regardless if it is a holiday or a weekend.
You also have to deal with the time zone changes and can develop erratic sleeping habits because of that. If you are family-oriented, you will have to make some sacrifices as you will be away most of the time.
Featured Image Credit: Singapore Airlines
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