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Even at the age of 19, Chloe Kingi-McCarthy has always dreamed of having a job in aviation. Now she’s about to make that dream come true.
From Christchurch, Chloe trades her job as a cashier at a local supermarket for a job as cabin crew for Jetstar.
“My first career choice was to become a pilot, but I really enjoyed the customer interactions at my previous job, so I leaned more towards the aviation side,” said Chloe.
“I have always loved traveling and now I get to work in a job that offers me all that and more.”
She has joined more than 50 new hires at the budget carrier, which is expanding its services in New Zealand and Australia.
Earlier this year the airline announced trans-Tasman flights from Dunedin and Hamilton, and the launch of a service between Auckland and Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, and from Christchurch to Cairns.
Jay Kumar is one of the new recruits. Originally from India, the 45-year-old migrated to New Zealand in 1992 and settled into a life as a recruitment consultant in the transport and logistics sector.
He said it was a “dream come true” when he passed the first Jetstar interview because he is “very passionate about people and travel”: “This job brings both together. I’m super excited.”
Jay said the training was intense and has given him an appreciation for the work flight attendants do.
“Cabin crew are certainly much more than smiling faces on planes taking care of our needs,” he said.
“They are highly trained, qualified airborne professionals who provide more than just customer service. I am so proud of all the cabin crew around the world after they have gone through this process. Hats off!”
Chloe agreed: “I think my perception has changed a lot from passenger to flight attendant. There is a lot more to this role than just great customer service; we are responsible for keeping our passengers and the aircraft safe.”
Simon Willoughby admits he has had a “crazy, eclectic job history” so far, including roles in the military, logistics and infrastructure.
The 38-year-old, who now lives in Rolleston, said he applied for the role of Jetstar thanks to his “sense of adventure, or my thinly disguised ADHD perhaps?”
“I grew up reading Biggles books and wanted to be a fighter pilot or astronaut.”
Chloe said the group has done a lot of training: ‘We have learned how to effectively and safely evacuate passengers from the aircraft, we have learned how to handle various medical emergencies that can occur on an aircraft.
“There’s definitely more to being a flight attendant than you think.”
She admitted that she found it difficult being away from home, something Simon agreed with.
For Jay, learning the different configurations of aircraft and their individual characteristics was the most difficult aspect.
“As in any role, attention to detail is very important, along with processing and understanding procedural information.”
Shelley Musk, Jetstar’s head of New Zealand, said it was great to see that the recruits came from different backgrounds.
“We are very excited to ramp up recruitment as we prepare for the largest expansion of our business New Zealand activities in over a decade,” said Musk.
“The new recruits are sure to be busy, with Jetstar launching five new trans-Tasman services, increasing capacity on key domestic routes and expanding its fleet in Aotearoa.”
The good news for all three recruits is that they passed the training with flying colors and will soon be working in a Jetstar cabin near you.
This story was originally published by Stuff and is reproduced here with permission.
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