On Sunday 15 September the newly leased Air Lituanica aircraft Embraer 175 took off on its first flight to Brussels. Air Lituanica currently employs a crew 11 male and 1 female pilots who are capable of operating the aircraft which reached Vilnius just a week ago.

The company's director of the f Flight Operations Department Edmundas Janusas confirmed that the passengers are operated by 2 pilots: one captain and one second pilot. On board they are served by two Air Lituanica flight attendants whose main job are to make sure that the time spent in the air passed as pleasantly to each passenger as possible.

'We take the selection of our staff very seriously. Each candidate must comply with the highest industry requirements: enjoy great health, know several foreign languages, be trained and well-prepared psychologically, have appropriate knowledge of safety procedures, etc.,' said E Janusas. 'In fact, the most experienced pilot in our team has been already flying for 42 years.'

Although the main function of all crew members is to ensure safety, when asked about the factors which lead to the ultimate overall customer satisfaction most passengers still mention the complaisance and the pleasant appearance of the flight attendants. 'Needless to say, complaisance and positive attitude are highly important, but one should not ignore the crucial ability to react fast in any situation. That's where experience and psychological preparedness play the major role,' says the Head of Cabin Crew in Air Lituanica Jelena Darinceva.

J Darinceva pointed out that although it might initially seem that the flight attendants in every airline tend to look pretty similar, the actual requirements sometimes differ a lot: 'According to the standards of Air Lituanica, the hair of all airline flight attendants must be always tidily tied in pony tails and their make-up has to be unnoticeable with the exception of lips which must be colour red. Moreover, none of our flight attendants can have any visible tattoos or wear extravagant jewellery. They must all, however, wear a watch with clearly visible time as it is not only an accessory but also an important device necessary for all attendants at work.'

Attitude, sense of responsibility and dedication are the personal traits which are required from all crew members in order to ensure flight safety. Moreover, it is an integral part of the overall airline's image.

After successfully completing their first flight to Brussels the Embraer 175 crew is already preparing for their first of the upcoming regular flights to Prague (20 September) and Munich (21 September).

www.airlituanica.lt

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