Flight Steward

New Zealand Defence Force; Canterbury; On-site; NZD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

New Zealand Defence Force in Whenuapai, North Island is seeking an experienced Flight Steward. You’ll support VIP flights, plan in-flight service, and coordinate with catering teams to meet diverse international requirements.

As a senior Flight Steward you’ll oversee preparation for flights, train others, and ensure safety, welfare, and compliance on national and international legs, including deployments across Australia, the Pacific, and the Middle East.

Qualifications

• Experience completing VIP and first aid training.
• Willingness to liaise with international catering agencies.

Responsibilities

• Prepare aircraft for VIP flights, load equipment and ensure readiness.
• Plan meals and order food for passenger requirements.
• Oversee flight preparation and supervise flight crews during missions.
• Coordinate training and maintain training packages for future courses.
• Represent NZDF on international flights and ensure safety and welfare of passengers.

Skills

VIP training

First Aid

Flight operations

Job description

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New Zealand Defence Force - Whenuapai, North Island

When you’re not flying there’s still plenty to do. You will carry out specialist training such as VIP and First Aid courses, maintain your annual currencies and complete secondary base duties such as barrack NCO or as a committee member. Unlike a civilian flight attendant, you will be deciding what the inflight service will consist of on your upcoming flights and planning a menu accordingly. You will be required to liaise with catering agencies around the world in order to best cater for your flight. You will also be required to prepare the aircraft for VIP flights, ensuring every need has been catered for and all the required equipment is loaded.

As a more senior Flight Steward, in addition to these general duties, you will be overseeing the preparation of the flights you are a supervisor on. If you are an instructor, you will also be conducting Categorisation Checks and preparing for Route Checks (detail further on). You will be updating training packages in preparation for future courses, coordinating training and instructing when required.

• Job on deployment
  

  This role will see you working at home and abroad. You will fly within New Zealand, and to a variety of countries overseas. Commonly visited places are Australia, the Pacific Islands, South East Asia and the Middle East. You could be flying an aircraft full of Army passengers and freight one week, and the Prime Minister and entourage the next!

  BEFORE FLIGHT PREPARATION
  

  Prior preparation is essential for the safe conduct of any flight. As a Flight Steward you will have an essential role in preparing our Boeing 757 aircraft for flights both in New Zealand and overseas. Your tasks will include meal planning and the ordering of food relevant to passenger requirements, aircraft documentation, pre-flight inspections, loading rations and equipment, boarding passengers and completing safety briefings.

  IN FLIGHT DUTIES
  

  You are a pivotal member of the crew, helping provide for the safe, effective and efficient completion of national and international Boeing 757 flights. Your flights will involve standard tasks carrying service personnel and their dependents, to full VIP tasks carrying passengers such as the Prime Minister, or even the Royal family.

  Your job will involve:

  • Securing the aircraft cabin prior to take-off
  • Taking action in the event of an in-flight emergency
  • Ensuring passenger welfare
  • Preparing and providing passenger and in-flight service
  • Assisting passengers to comply with international agriculture and customs requirements
  • Representing New Zealand and the RNZAF to the highest standards when dealing with national and international VIP’s
  • Securing the aircraft cabin prior to landing
  AFTER FLIGHT DUTIES
  

  Your duties don’t end after landing. You’ll be required to disembark and/or escort passengers to their accommodation, prepare the aircraft interior and make catering arrangements for the next day’s flight.

  Some flights are ‘out of the ordinary’, such as veteran trips where war veterans attend anniversaries overseas. On these flights you will escort the veterans to parades and celebrations.

  The crew also represent the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) at VIP functions on certain flights.

  EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
  

  Your actions during an aircraft emergency could save lives. You’ll receive all the training required to enable you to take action in the event of an in-flight or ground emergency. Your new-found skills will also allow you to operate aircraft equipment and systems to control or limit emergency situations, aid passenger evacuation and administer first aid.