One of my college buds was a flight attendant for Virgin for a time.
He told me the reason why airlines “require” a dude attendant is because if/when the shiite hits the fan, passengers will be too panicky to listen to a woman so a guy has to be there to take command. And it’s somewhere supposedly written that no one really pays attention to the safety instructions about flotation devices etc.
I wonder is it time to rewrite the safety instructions which seem to relate more to the days of propeller aircraft that could land safely in the sea with passengers getting out to swim away in their life jackets blowing whistles and flashing lights to attract attention.
Let’s face it 99 times out of 100 if you’re on board a jet airliner and it crashes into the sea you’re not coming home again.
More emphasis must be given to the proper evacuation procedure in the case of a fire (what to do with old people and kids etc?) because the evidence shows passengers have no idea how to behave properly in such a crisis.
BS. I flew long before the “dudes” were hired. Your friend is dreaming of taking command. You, unfortunately, are right about the passengers not really paying attention to the safety briefing.
My little sister (the one who out shoots 97% of the men in her gun club and never practices) who was a stew for Delta has had to go from Sweet Sue to Lee Ermey several times during emergencies. She did well.
Most of the “dudes” I flew with would have been good for forming a conga line and making sure the liquor cart was cleared out before heading out the door.
But the “guys” the airlines hire as flight attendants are all homo’s. Or wimps.
I remember reading about the US Airways flight that ended up in the Hudson river. During the landing into the river, the female flight attendants did what they were trained to do: Repeat instructions on what to do over and over with a clear authoritative voices.
I'm not sure if a male flight attendant was on board (I just remember the article mentioned only female flight attendants), but based on how everyone survived that landing and post-landing, the women did a great job.