Future of Cabin Crews After Disastrous Post Covid19

As the world slowly eases its way out of the peril of the Covid-19 lockdown, we are on the verge of a new era in air travel. From immunity passports and temperature checks to hazmat suits for cabin-crews and arrival quarantines for passengers, flying will be different in the viral age. All these changes are bound to affect the future and security of jobs for cabin-crews all over the world.

            What does the future hold then for cabin-crews? Covid-19 continues to pummel the airline industry, and people are urged to stay home and not travel. Airline workers around the world are feeling uncertain, both for the security of their jobs and for their own health. This pandemic has also brought with it, a widespread suspension of services, causing most Cabin-Crew workers to be concerned about their salaries and other benefits if they are not going to fly.

We are looking at a new world where everything, could become touch-free, meaning that armies of robotic cleaners and attendants, could be used as a replacement for the already existing cabin-crew workers.

Although, most of these concepts are trials but could soon become a reality as ubiquitous as the biometric gates and body scanners to which we have already become accustomed to at airport terminals.

In present times, we see safety regulations, mandating cabin-crews to wear face masks and gloves throughout their trips on various flights. In addition to this, Cabin-Crew workers are also mandated to wear additional personal protective equipment (PPE), including protective gowns over their uniforms and a safety visor. Moving forward, these features will be built into cabin-crew uniforms as standard, thus changing the standard of dressing for cabin-crews. 

Airlines have been quick to react to enhanced cleaning measures with most aircraft now subject to electrostatic spraying or “fogging” to kill all germs and viruses after each flight. In the future, flights could feature additional crew members, such as janitors to continually disinfect high-touch areas. Additional security may also be a foreseeable future, to regulate and ensure that Social-Distancing measures are being adhered to.

Airlines are looking at massive layoffs

In a sad event, Airlines are looking at massive layoffs ranging between 60% to 70% of cabin-crew staff, which would be an equivalent of 400,000 jobs being lost to the economic hardship of the pandemic. In the current situation, the Airline industry is experiencing up to 70% furloughs, numbering up to a million people unlike that which was experienced after 9/11, which only brought about 20% furlough. This outcome affects the total structure and safety of cabin-crew staff, leaving many to become fearful of their future in the Air industry.

British Airways, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Emirates Airline and Qantas Airways Ltd. Are among the carriers announcing thousands of dismissals and unpaid leave programs. Many more are expected in the U.S after a ban on job cut, and the impending lift of the $50 billion dollars’ in government bailout at the end of September. Delta Air Lines Inc., United Airlines Holdings Inc., and American Airlines Group Inc. have already warned about 35,000 employees that their jobs are at risk. The trio’s combined personnel losses alone could amount up to 100,000 by the end of the year. Even the pilots and cabin crew who manage to keep their jobs are, in general, facing huge salary cuts.

High psychological stressors on cabin crews

The effects of the covid-19 may cause high psychological stressors on cabin crews. These may come in the form of increased workload due to intensive cargo operations, emergency operations, or due to crisis situations in-flight measures. Also, there is an increased risk of infection due to contact with potentially infected passengers, with flight or from surfaces on the flight deck or in the cabin. Home quarantine for those infected or under strong suspicion, which may lead to potential job insecurity and loss of income.

These stressors may lead to psychological strains such as anxiety or existential fears, which in turn might negatively affect the crew’s ability to safely exercise the privileges of their license. These may range from operators restructuring, downsizing, or going bankrupt, flight crews losing jobs and operational/ medical licenses, young pilots not being able to reimburse their training loans, to operators ramping up operations exceedingly fast to cope with increased travel demands after the end of the quarantine.

In conclusion, all roads pointing to the future of cabin crews seem like they are going to have to be many sacrifices, with stricter measures being applied by various Airlines to battle the continuous social and economic onslaught of the Covid-19. However, there is still hope for the Cabin Crew Structure to survive and emerge even better than it has ever been.


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