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8 years of service on private jet
No one in his family works in the industry, but his house is next door to Gia Lam airport, where Nguyen Tien Dat has the opportunity to interact with pilots and flight attendants every day. Growing up, Dat realized that his personality was suitable for service work, so he started to learn more.
While studying in his second year at the National Economics University, Tien Dat applied to become a flight attendant. Lack of confidence and lack of background knowledge caused the handsome student to be eliminated in the first round.
Not discouraged, 2 years later, Tien Dat decided to retake the exam. Just after receiving his university diploma, Dat also received news that he had passed the flight attendant exam. Since then, the economics graduate has been working as a flight attendant under the name Nguyen Tien Dat 8.
Flight attendant Nguyen Tien Dat 8 serves on a private flight. Photo: N.Huyen
Up to now, after more than 10 years of working together, Dat 8 has become a chief flight attendant, an in-flight service instructor, and he has also completed his master's program.
Talking about the journey of being selected as a flight attendant for a private jet, Tien Dat 8 said that it is a responsibility but also an honor that not every flight attendant can be selected. Because in reality, only 10% of the total of more than 3,000 flight attendants (300 flight attendants) are qualified to be selected to serve on a private jet.
“To qualify for special charter flights (private flights), one must first go through domestic charter flights (flights carrying leaders in business class)… with countless standards to overcome.
Every year, the flight attendant safety and quality department will send a list of flight attendants who are qualified to fly private jets. This includes some basic criteria such as: enough flight hours, no mistakes in the previous year, ability to fly private jets, etc.
Tien Dat had to take the exam twice to be accepted as a flight attendant. Photo: N.Huyen
From this list, the flight attendants' management team will filter it again. The flight attendants' list will then be sent to the team leader. The team leader will sign and approve the final list.
However, the list was not yet completed, and was sent to the General Company's security department for judicial review. Through these selection rounds, the flight attendants were qualified to fly on private jets. I was lucky to be selected after 4 years in the profession to serve on private jets (also known as special charter flights)," Tien Dat 8 said.
It is not allowed to splash even 1 drop of coffee on the passenger's clothes.
In special charter flights, there are many routes that Vietnam has never established, so flight attendants not only need knowledge and skills but also need "extraordinary" health.
Normally, the flight attendants receive the flight schedule 1 month in advance. A Zalo group for the flight attendants is set up to discuss, and a series of online meetings are scheduled. The day before the flight, the flight attendants will meet in person.
“Regardless of day or night, 4 hours before departure, flight attendants must be present at the flight attendant group to prepare relevant documents and uniforms… Then, move to the airport to receive supplies and materials for the flight.
Going to places where the airline already has flights such as Korea, Japan, etc. will be convenient, but going to places that have never been to before is completely different. At that time, VIP guests leave the plane but the flight attendants still have to stay behind to coordinate with ground staff to clean and deliver supplies. For example, the time the flight attendants served high-ranking leaders to Mongolia, Madagascar, etc. Upon arrival, we had to discuss with the ground staff to clean, as well as the issue of providing meals, and how to arrange them to meet our expectations.
Completing these tasks also takes at least 3 - 4 hours after the plane lands. Only then can the flight attendants rest," Tien Dat 8 recounted.
Nguyen Tien Dat 8 on a commercial flight. Photo: N.Huyen
The longest flight serving a high-ranking leader took place in November 2016, when the plane departed from Hanoi to France (taking 12 hours). Before that, the flight attendants needed 4 hours to prepare, for a total of 16 hours of service.
“Upon arrival in France, the plane made a 2-hour technical stop to refuel and oil, then flew from France to Cuba. Another 8-9 hours in the sky, followed by another 3 hours to clean the plane and deliver supplies. That means for more than 24 hours from the time we left Noi Bai airport, the flight attendants had to work almost continuously.
Of course, we also take breaks, but the time is very short. Because on special charter flights, flight attendants will have to serve 3 meals. Not to mention that there are many accompanying services during the flight, so even if we take breaks, the time is only about 1-2 hours. Therefore, during the whole journey, we almost stay awake all night," Tien Dat 8 said.
On commercial flights, there are usually 28 passengers in business class (C class), but on the basic flight, 100% are VIP passengers.
"Therefore, the requirement for us flight attendants is to absolutely not make any mistakes, even if it's just a drop of coffee or tea spilled out," Tien Dat 8 said.
Firm handshakes add motivation
The first charter flight that Nguyen Tien Dat 8 had the honor of serving on was to transport President Tran Dai Quang through many countries: Peru, Italy, Madagascar... in November 2016. This was the longest special charter flight in history (16 days from the departure date) passing through many countries, many continents, stopping in many cities around the world.
“Although he was not assigned to serve the VIP cabin - where Mr. Tran Dai Quang rested, at the end of the journey, he walked along the plane, down to the kitchen to shake hands with each person. His firm handshake and words of thanks made the entire crew feel empowered. This was a great encouragement not only for me personally but also for the entire flight attendant team,” said Nguyen Tien Dat 8.
Tien Dat 8 and the flight attendants serving the private plane. Photo: N.Huyen
Or the most recent special flight serving General Secretary To Lam to visit Mongolia, Tien Dat 8 said, General Secretary To Lam was not as serious as perceived through the media but very close. The General Secretary cordially asked each accompanying staff and the flight attendants.
"Serving the General Secretary, we are not under pressure because he is always friendly with everyone," Tien Dat 8 said.
It is known that in 2024, Nguyen Tien Dat 8 participated in 3 flights serving on special planes, including 2 times serving General Secretary To Lam to China, Mongolia, Ireland, France and 1 trip serving National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to Singapore and Japan.
Vietnamnet.vn
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