During a (Business) trip by plane you are always welcomed by the cabin crew. The purser then introduces himself or herself to the passengers. You hear him or her introduce himself or herself, after which they tell you to be your purser for this flight. But what exactly is a purser?
What is a purser?
In a nutshell, a purser is someone from the cabin crew with a managerial position. He or she directs the cabin crew and ensures that everything is run smoothly. Before, during and after the flight.
A purser's preparations?
Before the crew and purser board, the purser of the flight has already made several preparations. The purser prepares the flight and sees if there are special and important issues that need to be taken into account. Consider, for example, passengers who need extra attention. People in wheelchairs, animals or other abnormalities. The purser also makes a layout for the cabin crew during the flight. This way everyone knows where they work and what is expected of them during the flight.
What are the duties of a purser before departure?
The purser is in contact with the gate agent before departure. Together they determine the passenger boarding process. The purser is also in contact with the captain of the flight before departure. The captain communicates how long the flight will take and if there are any special circumstances, such as expected turbulence, also in connection with the timing of serving drinks and meals. If there are technical peculiarities with the aircraft used for the flight, this is also passed on to the purser. Conversely, when there are peculiarities with the passengers of the flight, the purser always reports this to the captain.
An in-flight purser
During the flight, the purser is the host or hostess of the flight. A purser will make every effort to provide all passengers with the most comfortable and safe trip possible. When something goes differently than planned or expected, a purser has enough experience to respond.
Some points during a flight where a purser is in charge:
- Cabin Safety.
- Any complaints from passengers during the flight.
- Passengers with fear of flying who need more attention.
- Escorting passengers with disabilities.
- Passengers breaking rules.
- Contact with the pilots about the progress of the flight.
- Catering.
- Administrative operations of the flight.
In short, a purser has quite a few duties and responsibilities. And this is not limited only to the above mentioned issues. The biggest task of the entire cabin crew, including the purser, is to ensure safety before, during and after the flight.
