CABIN AND FLIGHT CREW COMMUNICATION DURING UNLAWFUL INTERFERENCE

As we move towards an era of diverging job functions assigned to cabin crew and flight crew, a single barrier that catalyses this divide is the cockpit door.  Increasingly, this door has served to alienate and undermine the bonding that existed between the two sets of operating crew on board. During pre-flight briefing we go through the motions of communication and cockpit access protocol during normal and conditions where security of the cabin is breached.

The primary spokesperson in the cabin in the event of an abnormal situation or breach of security is the head cabin crew member. In situations of cabin disturbance, the head cabin crew member, quite understandably, will converge on the particular event, to the loss of peripheral vision and awareness of broader cabin situation. Under the circumstances, this crew member may be effectively neutralised and rendered incapable of organising the remaining crew members or assist the flight crew any further.

In any developing scenario in the cabin, it is imperative that the flight deck crew be kept informed about the nature and level of threat, including any details of the perpetrators and their weapons. Importance of delegating a secondary crew member, who will remain one level removed from the event and keep the flight crew aware of the developments in the cabin and ensuring that all cabin crew members are not dragged into the diversionary tactics by the perpetrators is thus essential.

Communicate, communicate, communicate are three of the most important actions, during an act of unlawful interference, be it related to bomb threat, unruly passengers or hijacking.

The next time a captain/ purser does the briefing, it is prudent to nominate a secondary member to take charge should safety and security of the cabin be compromised.