A passenger got sick and an inexperienced flight attendant couldn't switch on their aircraft's cabin lights.
The crew member couldn't locate the switch after the cabin lights were turned off, according to the confidential human factors incident reporting programme.
The cabin crew member who attended to the sick passenger had to leave them and return to the galley to turn on the lights.
The senior cabin crew member was working with three others with limited experience and a fourth that was recently on line, according to the whistle blower.
"My concern is new cabin crew are unable to locate simple yet critical equipment and switches used daily, this could very well have disastrous impact given the level of experience in the cabin that day," the whistle blower said.
Crew members would have received appropriate training in locating controls such as cabin lighting if the incident had been reported to the Chirp.
"Time is always pressing during flights, but more experienced crew can also help here by taking inexperienced crew members under their wing and refreshing their familiarity with panels and equipment."
Should an emergency arise, the crew must be prepared. It's important for new crew to have aircraft swaps on the day.
This summer's travel chaos has been attributed to airlines being unable to staff up to meet surging travel demand.
Virgin Atlantic's CEO told The Sunday Telegraph in June that the airline had received 5000 applications for 400 positions.
A pilot said they were cleaning planes and loading bags to help out with staff shortages.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
