The light at the end of the jetway is here!

After six weeks of intensive training we finally made it to our graduation day and earned our wings. It is just amazing how all of our duties tie together after all the training is complete to give the total picture of being a Delta flight attendant.

Some of you may have seen the recent clip on the Today Show giving you an additional inside look at the training that I’ve been writing about. It is true that when you see a flight attendant on Delta that he or she is someone who has received a vast amount of training to do many more duties than you’ll hopefully ever see on-board an aircraft. Being able to perform first aid, calm anxious passengers, save lives using CPR or an AED and evacuate a full plane in less than two minutes are just some of the duties that these safety professionals can do if necessary. This job if definitely more than serving cocktails and cookies!

Week Six

The final week of training was all the polishing that we needed before we head to the skies. We donned our uniforms for the first time and our facilitators were there to make sure we were ready to present the professional look of a Delta flight attendant. We were all so impressed how we all looked in our uniforms. After six weeks together as a class it was really cool to see everyone make it to this point in our new career.

The last couple of days before graduation included the big final exam. We had to complete a lengthy written final exam with questions related to everything we’ve learned during our training. Some of the questions were topics from our first week of training! Next we moved on to the “hands on” portion of the final exam. Each one of us had to demonstrate to the instructors that we thoroughly knew all of the safety related duties of our job. We demonstrated how to use the various pieces of emergency equipment on-board and how to evacuate the aircraft in a safe and efficient manner if necessary.

After all the exams were completed we waited for the official word from our facilitators that we had successfully passed Delta’s initial training to become a flight attendant. The news was good… we all passed and would earn our wings the next day!

Graduation Day

Graduation day was the day we had all been waiting for. Our friends, family and loved ones flew in from around the globe to be there for the ceremony. Our graduation was held in the auditorium at the Delta Training Center. There were photos and tears of joy throughout the room as Laura Kahoe, Manager of the Training Center, took the stage and described to our guests what this day meant for us as new flight attendants. We were then surprised with the presentation of a video slideshow that contained photos from our journey to graduation. It was a fun trip down memory lane over the last several weeks.

One by one we filed across the stage to receive our wings from our facilitators as Erika Sarkissian, Program Manager Inital Training, read our names. Definitely this was a photo moment and the flash bulbs were going off across the room. Once we all received our wings we were treated to a wonderful reception with brunch for all of the guests. After being well fed by the training center staff we were whisked off on the shuttle buses to the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. We were sent on flights to our new base city. Many of us were sent to New York City so we were heading up the east coast to start our orientation the next day at New York John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports as well as Newark’s Liberty International Airport.

So the next time you are onboard with Delta you’re likely to see some fresh new faces serving you. Take a moment and say hi. We would love to tell you all about our experience.

Welcome aboard the new Delta!

Eric

In-Flight Service ATL