7.3 In-Flight, Landing, Arrival & Intermediate Stops

In-flight duties: surveillance first

The cruise looks like the service phase. It is actually the surveillance phase, and service is what fills the time between checks.

Cabin checks are made at regular intervals and must be genuine walks through the whole cabin, looking rather than passing:

• Smoke and smell — the earliest indication of an in-flight fire is usually olfactory. Any unexplained smell is reported.
• Lavatories — checked at defined intervals for smoke, for a passenger in difficulty, for tampering with detectors, and for waste bin condition. A lavatory occupied for an unusually long period is checked.
• Passenger condition — sleeping passengers who look unwell, passengers with belts unfastened, children moving about, anyone who appears distressed or agitated.
• Unattended items — bags in the wrong place, items left in lavatories or seat pockets.
• Cabin condition — bins that have opened, loose items, spilled liquids that create slip hazards, damage.
• Overwing exits and escape paths — nothing accumulating in the exit areas.
• Seat belt sign compliance — when the sign is on, passengers are seated and belted, and crew enforce it.

Galley and service safety is a real injury source. Carts are braked whenever stationary, and never left unattended in the aisle. Hot liquids are handled with the cabin's motion in mind, and the sign of a professional crew is that hot beverage service stops the instant turbulence is anticipated. Ovens are latched, and hot items are removed with protection. Trolley doors, carriers and containers are latched before movement.

Turbulence management is covered in the meteorology section; the discipline in the cruise is to secure early rather than to finish the service first.

Descent and pre-landing

The pre-landing secure check mirrors the departure check and is completed before the aircraft reaches the operator's defined altitude:

1. Passengers seated, belts fastened and visible, infants secured.
2. Seat backs upright, tables stowed and latched, armrests down, footrests stowed, window blinds up, electronic devices in the required mode.
3. All baggage stowed; nothing in aisles, doorways or exit areas.
4. Galleys secured — carts stowed, braked and latched, ovens latched, containers stowed, hot liquids removed.
5. Lavatories checked, vacated and secured.
6. Cabin lighting set for the phase; dimmed for a night landing.
7. Crew at stations, harnesses fastened, silent review completed.
8. Cabin secure report to the flight deck.

Crew who are still collecting service items during the approach are the crew who are standing when an unexpected go-around or a firm landing occurs.

Movement on the surface and arrival

• During taxi, cabin crew remain at their duty stations with safety belts fastened (Nig. CARs 8.9.2.4). This applies to taxi-in as well as taxi-out.
• Passengers must remain seated until the aircraft is parked and the seat belt sign is switched off. The riskiest routine moment on arrival is the passenger who stands during taxi-in and falls when the aircraft brakes.
• Doors are operated only when: the aircraft is parked, engines are shut down or the flight deck confirms it is safe, the disarm command has been given and cross-checked, the airbridge or steps are correctly positioned, and the exterior is observed to be clear through the viewport.
• Disembarkation is managed so that passengers requiring assistance, unaccompanied minors and escorted passengers are handled in accordance with the operator's procedure — usually last for PRMs, with a documented handover for unaccompanied minors.

After arrival

1. Cabin search for left-behind items, with anything found handed over in accordance with the operator's lost property and security procedures.
2. Security search where required before the next departure or at the end of the day.
3. Equipment check — confirm nothing has been used, removed or displaced; report anything consumed, such as a discharged extinguisher or a used first-aid kit, so that it can be replaced before the next sector.
4. Defect reporting — everything found during the sector reaches the technical log, not just the items the crew consider important.
5. Occurrence reporting — turbulence injuries, medical events, unruly passenger events, smoke or fume events, inadvertent slide deployments and security incidents are reported through the operator's safety reporting system.
6. Handover to the incoming crew where the aircraft continues.

Intermediate stops

A transit stop with passengers remaining on board is an operating phase in its own right, and Nig. CARs is specific:

Refuelling with passengers on board carries additional operator procedures: the exit and escape route to be used is kept clear, passengers are briefed to remain seated with belts unfastened, the no-smoking rule is enforced absolutely, and the crew stand ready to disembark passengers if a fuel spill or fire occurs. Cabin crew must know their operator's procedure in detail, because this is one of the highest-risk routine ground operations in commercial aviation.

At a transit stop the crew also complete a transit check of the cabin: security search of the vacated areas where required, replenishment of consumed items, and a reduced equipment check in accordance with the operator's procedure.