A major fire onboard an aircraft must be every flight attendant’s worst nightmare. Every second is crucial in order to instigate the emergency plan and get passengers (and yourself) off the plane safely.

Top marks then to the crew of JAL516, the A350-900 which ignited after colliding with a smaller plane at Haneda airport. All the countless hours of practice drills and lessons in emergency evacuation came together, despite circumstances being less than ideal. The result was all personnel were safe and accounted for, despite the plane burning to the ground.

I was thinking about this when some old commercials for US airlines turned up in my YouTube feed and I was reminded that it wasn’t that long ago that airlines didn’t hesitate to market themselves on the loveliness of the female cabin crew and, let’s be honest, some of them still do.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that over 100,000 flight attendants balloted have voted overwhelmingly for strike action if their demands for contract reform are not taken seriously. Their employers would do well to heed these warnings as there will not only be a short-term impact from strikes but longer term organisational chaos is likely if airlines have to constantly train new recruits, who by definition will have no experience to draw on.

Indeed, disruption caused by more experienced staff resigning and leaving a knowledge gap is the main finding of a new Amadeus report (of which you can learn more elsewhere in this issue).

Ground procedures, onboard equipment and aircraft design are better than when JAL lost a 747 in 1985. However, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that serving crisps and tea with a smile isn’t the reason why flight attendants are in the cabin. When the chips are down, they are there to save your life. The senior management at all airlines would do well to remember this fact.