Cabin Crew Myths vs Reality

by | May 27, 2026 | Cabin Crew Diaries

When people think of cabin crew, they usually picture glamorous layovers and a constant holiday but there’s so much more to the role than most people realise, this is where you will find out the reality of being crew vs what you might have heard about the job...

Myth - Cabin crew fly to a destination then immediately turn around to fly home

Truth - whilst this can be true if you are short haul based for me as long haul cabin crew we most certainly did not just turn around and fly home. When we land in JFK (for example) we will get off the aircraft just like all the passengers and then travel to the hotel for either a one night or two night trip, depending on your roster. You would be surprised how many passengers have asked me this question when they are disembarking the aircraft and I couldn't help but laugh a little bit. ' you really think I just worked a 7+ hour flight to then turn around and do it all again without a break' hahah that is funny.

Myth - Cabin crew fly for free with their staff travel benefits

Truth - This is definitely a myth that is very common and I have been asked so many times how this works. The flights are not free but you pay for are the taxes of that flight. So for example to fly from LHR to LAX you would pay about £250 for a return flight. Now yes that is 'cheap' considering these flights start at roughly '£600' for a basic economy ticket, however it is not free and in my experience of staff travel with Virgin and British Airways it works the same way with both airlines.

Myth - Staff travel is a guaranteed benefit of the job

Truth - Staff travel is amazing - when it works. I have experienced it first hand; staff travel working out perfectly and me getting to my destination sitting in an upper class seat loving my life. But I have also experienced not getting on a flight because it was over sold and no seats available and I was stuck at the airport until the next day to try and get on the next flight home. In my opinion staff travel is of course a great benefit of the job however when it goes wrong it can be such a headache and I remember when I was a kid travelling on my mums staff travel and all I wanted to do was be a 'normal passenger' and go through the airport like everyone else. It can be so stressful and its one of the times you really hope someone doesn't make their flight because you know that you will be getting their seat on that flight home.

Myth - cabin crew are glamourous servers in the sky

Truth - nothing can be further from the truth with this one. The 5 weeks of training can be intense and we learn a lot more than just service. In fact in my experience the service element of training was only 3 days long. The other 4 weeks were all safety and security training. Passengers don't realise how much cabin crew can pick up on by talking to customers and also just observing the cabin environment. For example if your cabin crew keep a look for how much alcohol is being consumed by certain passengers and if they are starting to get drunk we will just stop serving it all together or we have tricks to reduce the alcohol content of your drink. At the end of the day its actually illegal to be drunk on an aircraft!

Myth - 'your just cabin crew, what can you do'

Truth - Well yes we are 'just' cabin crew, however there is a lot we can do that passengers know nothing about. All aircrafts (at least Virgin Atlantic) have a restraint kit on board that we are taught how to use should we need to and we learn how to correctly restrain people and use handcuffs to protect ourselves, other passengers around them and also the actual person themselves. We can also request for passengers to be listed to not fly with the airline again if their behaviour is unruly or gets too out of hand. Bottom line is respect your cabin crew becuase there is a lot they can do that you don't know about!

Myth - Cabin crew always fly the same routes

Truth - For me as long haul crew this was not the case at all. We would be rostered lots of different trips. Yes of course we had the same trips within the month but for the most part I was always going to different places. Although I did become a regular to New York, Purely because I loved going there.

Myth - Delays only effect the passengers and crew don't get annoyed with delays

Truth - This is far from true. Delays are as annoying for passengers as they are for the crew. If we are leaving a destination (MIA for example), the crew want to get home, we all have places to be, whether its getting on the bus you have prebooked to get home or you have kids at home, whatever it is we all want to go home and so delays are just as inconveniente for us as for the passengers, and very often passengers forget this. Of course we understand you may have connecting flights that you might miss, but at the end of the day we are all doing our best to get back in time. The pilots will try to make up some of the time in the air to reduce the delays as best they can but ultimately there isn't much we can do, especially if the delays was due to weather or maintenence.

 These are just some of the myths and truths I could think of, if you have anymore that you have heard let me know so I can add them in 🙂 

All about the Class 1 medical

by | May 16, 2026 | Pre Flight Briefing

What is a class 1 medical, how do I get one, do I need an EASA or UK medical, what are the differences between the numbers of medicals. These are just a few of the questions I had when I was learning about the things I needed before starting a career as a pilot. Firstly I want to say that I would highly suggest getting a medical done before starting training because in the rare case you struggle to get this medical at least you wouldn't have spent £100,000 on a training course.

What is a class 1 medical?
- It is the highest level of aviation medical certificate required for professional pilots. If you want to fly commerically you will need to aquire one of this. There are different types of medicals depending on what country you are in, for the UK and for a UK only license you will need a CAA class 1 medical, if you are based in Europe within the EU you will likely need an EASA class 1 medical. For anyone based in the UK it is a bit complex due to Brexit; if you only want to fly from the UK on 'G' registered aircrafts you will only need a CAA UK medical, however if you are based in the UK flying any other aircraft that is not 'G' registered you will need an EASA and UK medical. To keep it simple a 'G' registered aircraft just means it is licensed as a UK aircraft, similar to driving a car with a UK number plate. I have a whole other post talking about the differences between EASA and UK if you want a more in depth explanation.

How do I obtain a class 1 medical?

- There are different aviation medical centres you can visit that will be able to conduct a class 1 medical, it cannot be completed through your GP. When I did my initial class 1 medical I visited Heathrow Medical based near to Heathrow Airport as it was a convenient location. I got my initial medical done whilst flying at my local airfield during 2023. When I visited the Heathrow Medical website the price quoted was £650 for the initial (in 2023). I booked an appointment via the website and they told me everything I needed to bring with me, such as my full medical history and because I wear glasses I needed to bring my current glasses as well as the prescription from my opticians. Heathrow Medical have significantly increased their prices for an initial class 1, as of May 2026 they are quoting £957 for an initial UK class 1. Something to note is that if anything comes up during your appointment you will need to cover the cost of any referrals. As was the case for me I needed a referral for more specific testing and this has to be conducted via the contacts they provide which is through private healthcare. My initial medical ended up costing me £1050 due to this extras.

Another place I have visited for my medical is called CentreLine Aviation Medical Services. They charge £984 for an initial UK class 1 medical but they have a few different locations so this could be more convenient for you. I have visited their location in central London for my renewal and I will definitely be going back due to the price difference for the renewal appointments.

What can I expect at my Initial appointment?

Having to get a class 1 can be stressful depending on your medical history. But below is a list of what is included in the price. Something to note is that for a renewal medical not all of these tests are completed. The initial medical took me probably 2 hours (a lot of waiting around). The blood test for me was just a finger prick test so nothing to worry about! Due to me having a glasses prescription the vision assessment took a bit longer and they signed me off with the note that I need to wear my glasses whilst flying.
- It typically includes:
Full medical history review
Physical examination
ECG (heart function test)
Audiogram (hearing test)
Vision and eye health assessment
Lung function testing
Blood and urine tests
Depending on the licence authority (CAA, EASA) the process may vary.

My initial was completed at Heathrow Medical. I needed my full medical history and because I didn't provide the full unredacted medical record they couldn't complete the full process, so I had to go back to my GP surgery and write a letter explaining what I needed and why. It was a nightmare and my GP surgery made it so difficult, however Heathrow Medical just said to me that once I got the correct records I could email it over to them for the doctor to review. My best advice to you would be to ask your GP for the 'full, unredacted medical history'.

What are the different classes of medical?

- When you are looking to book your appointment you will see options for initial UK, EASA (maybe FAA as well) class 1 medical, UK class 2 and 3, EASA class 2 and 3, and maybe even cabin crew medicals.
Class 1 is the highest standard needed for commerical pilots
Class 2 is needed if you have a PPL or if you are a private pilot (not being paid to fly passengers, recreational flying).
Class 3  is for Air traffic controllers mainly
Cabin crew medicals are needed by the airlines for all cabin crew

What is an EASA and UK medical?
- They are conducted in a similar way but they are issued by different aviation authorities. A UK medical is issued under the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). An EASA medical is issued under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

The requirements for an EASA medical are the same as the UK requirements, so if you can pass one you can pass the other. I only have a UK CAA medical however many people I know carry both the EASA and UK medicals. For me there wasn't much point getting an EASA medical because I can't see myself working for a non UK airline and equally I don't have the unrestricted right to live and work within Europe. Some people have both purely to keep all their options open in terms of an airline job, so really the decision is up to you if you want to get both or just the UK CAA medical.

Once you have successfully got your initial class 1 medical you will need to get it renewed every year. When I got my initial done I didn't get it renewed the following year, purely because I was getting a PPL and I only needed a class 2 medical for this. If you let your class 1 medical expire it will lapse into a class 2 medical, and all you need to do is get it renewed, and you can book this online at your chosen aviation medical practise. You will see two different options: renewal or revalidation. A revalidation happens before your medical expires so your class 1 is continuously active. A renewal happens after your medical has already expired. So it was a class 1 and then it has dropped down to a class 2 medical, and so you book a renewal to bring it back up to a class 1. I let my first class 1 lapse to a class 2 and so I booked a renewal appointment, which really isn't much different to a revalidation in my experience, its more for paperwork purposes. And then for the rest of your career as a pilot you will need to revalidate your class 1 medical every year. Hence why its important to look after your physical health as a commerical pilot.

Differences between EASA and UK licensing

by | May 16, 2026 | Pre Flight Briefing

What are some of the main differences between UK and EASA licenses, which one should I choose and why, what are the benefits of having both licenses, these are just some of the questions I was wondering before I started at my flying school. If this sounds like you then keep reading to learn all the important differences and things to note before making your decision.

So lets get into it...

The main and biggest difference between a UK CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) and an EASA (European Union Aviation Saftey Agency) license are where they are valid and who regulates them. This has become an 'issue' only after BREXIT because before this time the UK was part of the EU so UK pilots held EASA licenses which where issued by the UK CAA. However since this time the UK now requires a separate license.

Where this difference is most noticable is with what aircrafts you can fly once qualified. A UK CAA license will cover all G-reg aircrafts, which includes the UK based airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, EasyJet UK, Wizz Air UK, Ryanair UK, Jet 2 UK, Norse Atlantic UK and Loganair. Just to make it clear the reason I have written 'UK' after some of these companies is because you will find they are registered in different countries as well, so for example Ryanair has its main base in Ireland which is not part of the UK hence you would need an EASA license to work for Ryanair Ireland.

An EASA license covers any airline registered within Europe which includes; Vueling, EuroWings, easyjet Europe, Ryanair EU, KLM, Air France, Iberia, SAS, Swiss, Air Baltic and TAP Air Portugal, to name a few. As you can see a few airlines cross over both UK and EASA licenses such as easyjet and Ryanair, if you are choosing to just have a UK license you can only apply for easyjet UK not the European easyjet. However this is made very clear when applying so you won't be able to mess this up:)

Another difference between these licenses are the medicals you will need. Please click here to go to my post all about the class 1 medical, however the process is relatively the same but the governing body will be different for UK CAA and EASA. If you are choosing to get both an EASA and UK license depending on where you get your medical done they can sometimes combine them into one examination but you will get two licenses. It does of course cost extra (as most things in this career do). You will only need an EASA class 1 medical if you are choosing to also gain an EASA ATPL license. In my circumstance I only got a UK CAA class 1 medical, however because for part of my training I am in Spain I did need to get an EASA class 2 medical. This was sorted out for me via my training school but you can do this beforehand if you know you will need it. The reason it is only a class 2 is because it satisfies the legal requirements for non-commercial flying in Spanish airspace, as I am only at the start of my flying training.

A major difference, and to be honest a deal breaker is with the ground school requirements. If you choose to have both UK and EASA you will need to sit 13 UK CAA exams as well as 13 EASA exams, in total 26 exams! Are the exams the same? For the most part, yes. During ground school we all learnt the exact same information, the main difference is how the exams are written. A UK CAA exam will be multiple choice and type in questions, whereas the EASA exam is all multiple choice. Does this make EASA exams easier to pass? I'll let you decide since I did not take EASA exams:). One of the things I was not aware of until I had friends doing both licenses was something obvious that just didn't cross my mind; if you fail one exam in EASA but pass the UK exam you will have to then 'carry' that subject and resit the EASA version of that exam at a later date. Lets take an example of the groundschool subject Principals of Flight (POF) if you sit the UK POF exam and get 80% you pass (yay), if you then sit the EASA POF and get 72% you fail (sad face). This then means you will need to keep revising POF until you sit the EASA exam again and pass at 75% (thats the minimum pass mark for all exams).

For me the reason I chose to only have a UK license was because 1. its cheaper (currently Leading Edge are charging £132,000 for a dual license UK and EASA), 2. there are less exams (I could barely get through 13, there was no way I was going to do another 13 on top of that), 3. The medical was cheaper, I mentioned this in my other post about the class 1 medical but it had already cost me so much just for a UK medical so that was enough for me. 4. Someone made a really good point to me that was, that without the right to live and work in the EU its difficult to get a job without needing work visas and it just becomes a lot more complicated. I found it hard enough just trying to get into a flying school and finding out all the differences and I really didn't want this to be a whole other issue.

In my friend group a lot of people did decide to have a dual UK and EASA license because it does open up job flexibility, however there are definitely a mix of students doing both licenses and just the UK license. I am really happy with the decision I made because especially in ground school I wouldn't have been able to survive double the exams. As well as that I didn't see the point getting a dual license because I can't live in the EU without a visa so its just more convenient for me to work from the UK, I also would like to work for British Airways which are UK based and maybe eventually move back to Virgin. Who knows!

So you want to become a pilot

by | May 15, 2026 | Pre Flight Briefing

So you are reading this with interest in becoming a pilot. Or maybe you want to learn more about the process and how to initially get into it.

I found myself in this situation when I was 17 years old and at the time it was the height of COVID-19 and I was at home wondering why I wanted to be a midwife. No surprise, I couldn't think of an answer to that question and so I decided it was not the career for me. I went online and completed a 'what career suits me' quiz, and saw the option for air traffic controller. At the time I was interested in careers that were achievable for me (so not high GCSE grades) because I was a very average student at school. So I started looking into ATC, when I came across 'pilot' and something in me lit up. I opened Google and searched for 'how to become a pilot'. I created spreadsheets and had countless notes pages on my phone about the different options, different routes, different costs, schools, countries, licenses, medicals... the list is endless of things to know and the list of answers was...we'll say... not endless. From my personal experience the people who you know in the job will be the most help at the start, even though a lot of what they will say will be expired information (flight schools going bust, schools not offering the same courses, pricing differences, changes in licensing rules etc..) they will be able to point you in the right direction and relevant questions you can ask to the flying schools.

I was lucky to know a first officer in EasyJet who is my cousins friend, so he helped me massively with connections, and things I should know before starting. I also know a Virgin Atlantic captain who is a family friend and so he offered the opportunity to fly an A320 simulator in Gatwick which was so much fun and a really good way to see if this is something you want to do (if you are lucky enough to get the opportunity)! Once I had started looking into this career and realising all the different routes into it I went for a trial flight lesson at a local flying school. Within the Surrey, South East England area (which is where I am from) there were a couple different options, BlackBushe Aviation, White Waltham Airfield (West London Aero Club), Booker Aviation, Synergy Aviation (Fairoaks flight centre). These are just a few options of schools that you could look at that offer the PPL course.

For me, the easiest and best option was to start a PPL course at my local airfield because, if for whatever reason I didn't enjoy it my parents had 'only' paid £10,000 (at the school I went to) compared to paying for a full flight training course that costs upwards of £95,000 (as of 2026). I'm actually really glad that we decided to do this because flying at my local airfield was convenient and I really enjoyed it. Learning to fly with no pressure in that kind of environment was really good for me and helped me to find a love for the flying. (speaking from hindsight, having no pressure to reach certain flying milestones definitely would be my preferred way to learn, because in a school the pressure to keep up with course mates is crazy).

I completed about 27 hours with my local school before starting Virgin Atlantic as cabin crew and it just wasn't working anymore with me trying to fit in flying lessons whilst also being full time cabin crew with unpredictable rosters. My school were amazing and we did manage to get about £7000 refunded from the total course. It was in no way a set back for me though because the intention of starting to fly was to ensure I liked it and really wanted to do it full time and also have the dedication to put into a career. On top of all of this getting a job as crew at Virgin was arguably the best first hand experience for my future career. Its at times like this where I truly believe everything happens for a reason 🙂 

(complete transparency; it took me a few weeks to be happy with 'quitting' on my PPL as I was disappointed that I had started something and not finished it. However writing this now I am really happy with the decision I made and incredibly lucky to have called Virgin my full time job) 

Whilst I was at Virgin Atlantic I started looking into flying schools and the best way to afford it and best option. I spoke with a lot of flight crew, discussing the options and asking for their opinions. A lot of what they told me was expired info since they all completed their flight training 20 or so years ago. However at the time of me talking to this one First Officer, my plan was to save 1/3rd of the total course cost (roughly £35,000) and with a full time job it would have taken me about 3 years as I live at home and fortunate not to pay any bills. Without getting into the specifics of it, this First Officer told me 'if you have the finances between your parents to be able to afford it, just go for it. You will be saving up for a while to even start your training and a lot of people become cabin crew and then never leave because of the addictive lifestyle'. This was the best advice I had received at the time. I took that with me and it was after that trip that as a family we decided my parents were happy to pay the integrated course fee for me to start training in 2025.

I was looking at schools and then saw Pilot Careers Live being advertised, so my dad and I went to Heathrow Airport to take a look. I had no idea what it was and so I was going in blind to the whole thing. It was really good exposure to all the different elements that go into this career. They had stands for class 1 medicals, European and UK flying licenses and lots of different schools advertising. The first time I visited I was just getting a 'feel' for what was involved, however I went a second time with questions and a more specific goal in mind to look at a few schools. This is where I found Leading Edge and I was talking to them about training. The one major thing that sold me on this school was the cost of the course and what was included. As a quick run down of what Leading Edge offer and what is included ; 

  • - full uniform
  • - training materials including ipad
  • - room only accomodation
  • - landing fees 
  • - ground school exam fees
  • - skills tests

At the time of me signing my agreement with Leading Edge my course fee was quoted at £111,250. However as part of the integrated course you get the option to complete a BCS honors through Buckinghamshire New University so this will allow you to apply for student finance, which will reduce the total cost of the course.

When you are looking for a flying school its best to shop around and see what each school is offering and what you will be getting for your money. For me Leading Edge offered the most for the cost and so that was the overriding reason I chose them. I suggest booking a few open days at a couple of schools to see their facilities and to get an idea of the students who are there and the instructors, etc..   

If you are at the early stages of discovering this career I would also suggest following some Instagram accounts to get an idea of the career and what you can expect starting out. Visit my resources page to see some of the pages I think you should follow. I will also be writing more posts on the specifics of each stage and how to get your first class 1 medical, as well as some of the things to be aware of that flying schools won't necessarily tell you!

The start of Ground School

by | Apr 18, 2026 | Groundschool Archives

The long awaited day to start at Leading Edge Aviation. The first day of ground school was exciting, it was the first time I met my class mates and we got a tour of the academy. When we got to our classroom we were met with a pilot flying bag, the Jeppesen binder, a CRP-5, calculator, name badges, the clip-on tie, epaulettes and an Ipad (provided by the school, but ours to keep). Looking back on it now this was probably one of the most exciting days for the whole 6 months of ground school. We had an induction for the first couple of days with different members of the management team and going through documentation. 

The proper first day of learning was the start of relentless work and constant feelings of not being good enough or not being clever enough. The first day of teaching was very overwhelming and fast paced. I had to figure out really quickly the best revision methods and the best note taking that was effective and quick, because I really didn't have the luxury of taking my time over my notes making them look nice or even really comprehending what I was writing down in the moment. It was a big change from the school environment I was used to and the first couple of weeks were a massive learning experience for me. I was sitting around some really intelligent people and I found it really hard to figure out how I was in the same room as them. I did not feel half as intelligent and I was wondering how I ended up here! 

The days during Module 1 started at 6am with the lessons starting at 7am and finishing around 3pm. The days were long and once I had got back to my accommodation the work just continued. If I hadn't come back and started working I would have been so far behind. I remember someone telling me that during ground school its a constant battle to try and keep your head above water and keep on top of the work load. During the first few days I really saw how this was the case. Especially on a 6 month intense ATPL programme. It took me a while to figure out my revision technique as this was unlike anything I had done before and very different to A levels (at least for me - everyone's experience is different and individual). Even taking notes in the lessons became difficult because the pace was too quick to really take good notes so I ended up with a lot of bullet point information and then I would go back at the end of a day and consolidate this into proper understanding. 

A way to think about ground school lessons is they are an introduction to the topics and content, most of the work and understanding is done by you, in your own time. Once I had come to this understanding it changed my perspective of the lessons and my whole attitude. 

I am typically a slow learner and it takes me multiple times of going over something to understand it and for it to really go in. This made it even harder in ground school because I found that there weren't enough hours in the day for me to understand the content. Luckily after weeks of struggling I had discovered this amazing website ATPLq and oh my god was it a life saver. Its full of practise exam questions and this helped me focus my revision on questions I could potentially get in my exams. The other thing that was difficult was not knowing what to expect in the exams, because we were in Mod 1 we hadn't sat any exams yet and so not knowing where to focus the revision was tricky. 

Overall my first few weeks were challenging and tough. I felt very out of place and its tiring learning to find your feet in a new environment. Ultimately if you are reading this before starting ground school or you are just interested in the process, it will be a big learning curve but trust me when I tell you, I really didn't think I could do. I wanted to give up so many times but your friends, family and class mates will be the reason you keep going. I'm still not sure how I got through it honestly but you can absolutely do it! 🙂