Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen wowed Kenyans on Thursday, March 9, by making announcements while on board a plane.
Murkomen was heard over the intercom giving instructions to the passengers as the plane landed at the airport.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), do not alight until the aircraft has come to a stop," he advised.
The CS was seen reading a script while the purser held the microphone up for him.
Unknown to many, a plane purser is different from a flight attendant. However, a purser can serve as a flight attendant.
An aircraft purser is part of the cabin crew and takes responsibility for cabin safety, passenger experience, and much of the paperwork.
Once onboard, the purser conducts all announcements over the PA system and updates the pilots on any information that they should know from the cabin.
Other duties include contacting the gate agent to coordinate the boarding procedure, they deal with high-level incidents that might take place inflight including medical emergencies, and passenger complaints.
After landing at their base airport, the purser is tasked with writing and submitting incident reports, submitting the flight attendant performance assessments, submitting the flight's final sales receipts, and returning any filled-out paperwork to the crew operations centre.
Qualifications
To be a flight purser one must be a crew member for an average of five to ten years. This may vary between different airlines.
Additionally, all applicants need to have experience in all class cabins (economy, business, and first-class).
Furthermore, considering the extra roles of purser and interaction with the passengers, they are required to have proficiency in the English language and good communication skills.
The purser is also required to be computer literate, have good leadership skills, and be attentive to details among other interpersonal skills.
Conclusively, a purser is a crucial part of the flight, working behind the scenes to ensure you get to your destination safely and comfortably.
