Want to “role-play” as a flight attendant? Storytelling skills and a smile are key during the interview

▲ The pilot experience camp allows entry into a flight simulator cockpit.

Reported and photographed by You T-Ru / Taoyuan

What’s it like to be a pilot or flight attendant? In response to summer vacation demand, a domestic airline has launched an “Aviation Experience Camp for Flight Attendants and Pilots,” offering a three-day, two-night program across six sessions. The flight attendant experience has 144 spots available, while the pilot camp only admits 48 participants. Recently, the three-day, two-night experience course kicked off at the China Airlines campus in Taoyuan Airport, starting with posture and etiquette training. Participants also don flight attendant uniforms for “role-play,” with all activities mirroring the standards expected of professional cabin crew.

“Hello, I’m a sophomore majoring in nursing at university, and I hope to apply my medical background to the service provided by flight attendants to assist passengers in need,” said Tsai Yun-hui, a second-year student at Chung Shan Medical University. Although she has taken many international flights, the experience of being a passenger versus that of a flight attendant is truly different. “I used to think that being a flight attendant was just like working in any food and beverage service, just in a different environment,” Tsai shared. During the experience camp, participants must memorize various aircraft regulations and emergency procedures—even seasoned flight attendants have to repeatedly review them before every boarding, reflecting the rigorous and serious attitude required.


▲ Mock interviews.


▲ Flight attendant meal service training.

The flight attendant experience camp, which accepts only 24 participants per session, fully mirrors the actual number of trainees in real cabin crew programs, using small-class instruction. The professional curriculum is designed by China Airlines’ cabin crew teaching team, featuring highly praised courses such as posture and etiquette, image building, and interview techniques. This year, for the first time, first-class cabin service and water emergency response training have been added, giving participants a full understanding of the high-level service procedures and on-the-spot adaptability required of flight attendants. Through role-play, participants gain deep insight into the training and professionalism behind a cabin crew member’s warm smile.

Starting with posture and etiquette, the camp trains participants in body language and smiling, with even hair styling held to strict standards. This is followed by a preliminary interview where instructors analyze each participant’s responses, leaving no step unaddressed—mirroring the real training process for flight attendants. “The most important first step in an interview is the smile; it needs to be appropriate and genuine to leave a good impression on examiners,” said Tsai Chen-da from the cabin crew training department. Beyond the smile, overall appearance is also a key consideration. Female participants are required to wear short-sleeved shirts and knee-length skirts in summer, with makeup kept simple and clean. Additionally, the interview assesses the flight attendant candidates’ “storytelling ability.”


▲ A simulated aircraft cabin at the China Airlines campus.

 
▲ Participants can try on real flight attendant uniforms.

“To be a good flight attendant, you need to introduce products and destinations to passengers—in short, we’re looking for ‘storytelling experts,’” Tsai Chen-da commented. Most student participants still appear somewhat reserved, with room for improvement in posture control and teamwork. Aside from posture and interviews, the flight attendant experience camp also lets participants “get changed,” trying out roles in the China Airlines campus’s simulated cabin by taking orders, laying tablecloths, and serving meals for business class passengers. Evening sessions include a cocktail party to train international social etiquette, and participants can also watch rare up-close views of airplanes taking off and landing on the airport runway from their hotel.


▲ Realistic takeoff and landing experiences inside the cockpit.

The pilot experience camp also offers a synchronized three-day, two-night course, priced at NT$45,000, with only 8 spots per session. Current China Airlines pilots have designed ground theory, basic flying, and professional skill modules, fully uncovering the life of a pilot and giving participants a solid understanding of the expertise and qualifications needed to become a certified pilot. This year’s pilot experience camp also includes a synchronized water emergency response training course with the flight attendant camp, allowing participants to better understand the teamwork between cabin crew and pilots.