[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Flight attendants come up and take our place when we leave. They are obviously not qualified to Fly the aircraft but they can open the door for the other pilot when he/she returns.

. . . which raises the obvious question of how rare it is for a stew to have a private pilot's license.

And/or, to be given enough of an introduction to the cockpit to be as useful in an emergency as someone off the street who does.

[CholeraJoe]

which raises the obvious question of how rare it is for a stew to have a private pilot's license.

My cousin is an international flight attendant for a large US airline. If you call her a "stew" to her face, she's liable to rip your arm off and beat you with it.