Cabin Crew Tests

Cabin Crew Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a gate agent. A passenger tells you that the agent who checked him in promised him one of the extra legroom seats at no charge because of the earlier delay. Those seats carry a fee, none of them is free on this flight, and there is no note of any such promise on his booking. He is not angry, but he is expecting it. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain that the agent at check-in was mistaken, since those seats are always chargeable, and confirm that the seat he already has is the one he will be travelling in.
   2. Apologise for the mixed message, tell him plainly that those seats cannot be given free today, and look at whether any seat with more room around it is open to him.
   3. Tell him you will sort something out for him at the aircraft door, then board the flight in the usual order without raising it with anybody else.
   4. Charge him the standard fee for the extra legroom seat he was expecting and log a complaint on his booking so the airline can consider a refund later on.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Apologise for the mixed message, tell him plainly that those seats cannot be given free today, and look at whether any seat with more room around it is open to him.

   Least effective: C. Tell him you will sort something out for him at the aircraft door, then board the flight in the usual order without raising it with anybody else.

   A: Corrects the record without answering the passenger: it may be accurate and it leaves a man who was told one thing by the airline and another thing an hour later with nothing at all.

   C: Buys quiet with a promise you will not keep: he boards expecting something, finds nothing has been arranged, and the crew meet a passenger who has now been let down twice.

   D: Turns a service failure into a transaction: he pays today for something he was told was free, on the chance that a complaint is upheld weeks from now.

   The most effective response is to apologise for the mixed message, tell him plainly that those seats cannot be given free today, and look at whether any seat with more room is open to him: the promise cannot be honoured and saying so is the only honest position, but apologising and looking for what is available treats him as somebody the airline let down rather than somebody trying it on. It beats explaining that the check-in agent was mistaken because those seats are always chargeable, because being right about the fee does nothing for a passenger told otherwise by the same airline an hour ago. It beats charging him the standard fee and logging a complaint for a possible refund, because that makes him pay for the airline’s confusion. The least effective response is telling him you will sort something out at the aircraft door and then boarding as usual: he goes down the airbridge expecting something nobody has arranged, so the crew inherit a passenger who has been let down twice. That is worse than the other two, which are both truthful about where he stands. The principle: never repeat a promise you cannot keep, and spend the effort on what you can actually offer.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are an operations coordinator. A cabin crew member is waiting at an airport away from base to find out whether she flies home tonight or stays in a hotel. The decision depends on a meeting that will not finish for about two hours. She has asked twice already and has been given no answer either time. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Wait until the meeting has finished and the answer is certain, then call her with the decision so that she is told once and told accurately.
   2. Tell her the decision has been made and that you will send it through shortly, so that she has something to hold on to while the meeting finishes.
   3. Send a message to a colleague at that airport asking them to let her know the decision is still a couple of hours away, so she hears it from somebody nearby.
   4. Call her now, tell her the decision is about two hours away and why, and say that you will ring her back as soon as it is made either way.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Call her now, tell her the decision is about two hours away and why, and say that you will ring her back as soon as it is made either way.

   Least effective: B. Tell her the decision has been made and that you will send it through shortly, so that she has something to hold on to while the meeting finishes.

   A: Waits for certainty at somebody else's expense: she sits for two more hours not knowing whether to look for food, a hotel or a flight, and the silence is the part she has already complained about twice.

   B: Invents a decision that has not been taken: she stops waiting and starts planning on the strength of it, and the meeting may yet go the other way.

   C: Relays a simple message through a third person: it depends on a colleague being free and passing it on accurately, when the call would take a minute from here.

   The most effective response is to call her now, tell her the decision is about two hours away and why, and promise to ring back as soon as it is made: she cannot plan the next two hours without knowing that they are two hours, the call costs a minute, and a promised time replaces uncertainty with a wait she can manage. It beats waiting until the meeting has finished so she is told once and accurately, because the silence, not the decision, is what she has already complained about twice. It beats asking a colleague at that airport to let her know the decision is still a couple of hours away, because relaying a simple message adds delay and a chance of it arriving garbled. The least effective response is telling her the decision has been made and will follow shortly: it says an answer exists when it does not, so she plans around something that may still go the other way. That is worse than the other two, which are slow or roundabout but tell her nothing untrue. The principle: when somebody is waiting on you, tell them what you know and when you will know more, rather than waiting until you can tell them everything.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a contact centre advisor. A caller says he is the brother of a passenger travelling today and asks you to confirm which flight she is on, explaining that the family cannot reach her and are worried. He is calm and plausible, and gives her full name correctly. You are not permitted to confirm a passenger’s booking to anybody but the passenger. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain that you cannot confirm anyone else's travel, whatever the circumstances, and tell him how his sister can reach the airline herself if she needs help while she is travelling.
   2. Confirm only that she is travelling today, without saying which flight she is on, so that the family have some reassurance without the booking itself being disclosed.
   3. Tell him which flight she is booked on, since he clearly knows her well, sounds genuinely worried and has given her name correctly at the start of the call.
   4. Put him through the security questions you would ask the passenger, and confirm the flight if he can answer enough of them correctly about her booking.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Explain that you cannot confirm anyone else's travel, whatever the circumstances, and tell him how his sister can reach the airline herself if she needs help while she is travelling.

   Least effective: C. Tell him which flight she is booked on, since he clearly knows her well, sounds genuinely worried and has given her name correctly at the start of the call.

   B: Discloses part of what is protected: whether a named person is travelling today is exactly the kind of fact the rule exists to keep private, and a partial answer is still an answer.

   C: Gives a stranger a passenger's movements: a full name is easy to come by and a plausible voice proves nothing, so you have released where a woman will be tonight to somebody unverified.

   D: Applies a check designed for someone else: those questions establish that the caller is the passenger, and passing them proves only that he knows things about her, not that she wants him told.

   The most effective response is to explain that you cannot confirm anyone else’s travel, and tell him how his sister can reach the airline herself: the rule protects the passenger rather than the airline, it does not bend for a sympathetic story, and pointing her to a route gives the family something useful without disclosing anything. It beats confirming only that she is travelling today without naming the flight, because that is itself the protected fact, and half an answer still locates her. It beats putting him through the security questions you would ask the passenger, because those are built to identify her, so a brother passing them shows only that he knows her details. The least effective response is telling him which flight she is booked on because he sounds genuinely worried: it hands a stranger a named woman’s movements on the strength of a calm voice. That is worse than the partial confirmation, which leaks less, and worse than the security questions, which at least attempt a check. The principle: a confidentiality rule is for the person it protects, so it holds even when the story is convincing and the caller is sympathetic.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a check-in agent. An hour ago a passenger asked you to let him know if a window seat came free, and gave you his mobile number before going through to the departure lounge. One has just opened up. Boarding starts in forty minutes and he is somewhere on the far side of security. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Leave it, since he will be boarding shortly anyway and a seat change this close to departure is more trouble than the window seat is probably worth to him.
   2. Put him into the window seat and tell him about it when he arrives at the gate, so that the change is already made by the time he gets there.
   3. Send him a message now saying a window seat has come free, and offer to move him to it if he still wants it before the gate opens.
   4. Leave a note on his booking so that the gate agent can offer him the window seat when he presents his boarding pass at the gate.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Send him a message now saying a window seat has come free, and offer to move him to it if he still wants it before the gate opens.

   Least effective: A. Leave it, since he will be boarding shortly anyway and a seat change this close to departure is more trouble than the window seat is probably worth to him.

   A: Quietly drops a promise: he asked, gave you a number and is waiting to hear, and the decision that it is not worth it has been taken on his behalf without him knowing.

   B: Acts without asking: an hour has passed, he may have swapped with a travelling companion or stopped wanting it, and the first he hears is that his seat has been changed.

   D: Relies on the note being seen at the busiest moment: the gate agent is boarding a flight, and by then the seat may have gone to somebody else anyway.

   The most effective response is to send him a message now saying a window seat has come free and offer to move him if he still wants it: he asked to be told, he gave you the means to tell him, and a message costs nothing while leaving the choice with him. It beats putting him into the window seat and telling him when he arrives at the gate, because an hour has passed and moving him without asking assumes his plans have not changed. It beats leaving a note on his booking for the gate agent to offer it, because a note read during boarding is read too late, if it is read at all. The least effective response is leaving it because a change this close to departure is more trouble than it is worth: it drops a promise he is waiting on, and decides for him that he would not want it. That is worse than the other two, which both act on the request even if clumsily. The principle: when somebody has asked to be told and given you a way to do it, tell them, and leave the decision where it belongs.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a crewing assistant. Two cabin crew are arguing in front of you about a roster swap you processed last week: one says the other agreed to take her Saturday duty, the other denies ever agreeing to it. Both are due to report in an hour, both are angry, and each is asking you to confirm their version in front of the other. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Take them away from the crew room, show them the swap request and the approval you actually hold on the system, and work out from there who is covering Saturday.
   2. Reverse the swap on the system there and then, so that the roster goes back to how it was and the pair have nothing left to argue about before they report.
   3. Tell them plainly that this is between the two of them, and leave the crew room so that they can settle the argument themselves before they report for their duty.
   4. Ask the duty manager to come down and rule on which of the two is telling the truth about the conversation they had when the swap was first agreed.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Take them away from the crew room, show them the swap request and the approval you actually hold on the system, and work out from there who is covering Saturday.

   Least effective: C. Tell them plainly that this is between the two of them, and leave the crew room so that they can settle the argument themselves before they report for their duty.

   B: Removes the friction rather than the disagreement: it changes somebody's Saturday without asking either of them, and the two crew still believe different things about what was agreed.

   C: Walks away from a dispute you can settle: you hold the record that answers it, and withholding it leaves two crew going on duty together believing the other has lied.

   D: Escalates prematurely: the system record settles what was requested and approved without anyone judging who is honest, and calling a manager in makes the fall-out larger than the dispute.

   The most effective response is to take them away from the crew room, show them the swap request and the approval you hold on the system, and work out from there who is covering Saturday: the record is evidence neither of them has seen, it answers the question without either being called a liar, and moving away keeps the audience out of it. It beats reversing the swap on the system there and then, because that silences the argument by changing somebody’s weekend without asking, leaving both still convinced of their own version. It beats asking the duty manager to come down and rule on which of them is telling the truth, because the facts are already in your hands and involving a manager turns a settleable disagreement into a formal one. The least effective response is telling them it is between the two of them and leaving the crew room: you hold the only thing that could resolve it and you walk away, so two people about to work together stay convinced the other lied. That is worse than the other two, which both act on the problem even if they act clumsily. The principle: settle a dispute with the record where one exists, away from an audience, before anyone has to take a side.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are the only agent at the gate. Boarding must start now or the flight will miss its departure time and a hundred and eighty passengers will be delayed by an hour. At the same moment a passenger reaches the desk with a booking error that has to be corrected in the next two minutes or he cannot travel at all. The next gate is staffed. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Correct the booking first, since two minutes is all it needs and the passenger loses his journey entirely if it is not done, then open boarding as soon as it is sorted.
   2. Open boarding and call the next gate for a spare pair of hands, then work on the booking error between scans while the queue keeps moving down the airbridge.
   3. Open boarding and send the passenger to the transfer desk in the terminal, since the flight has to go and his booking cannot be fixed while you are scanning boarding passes.
   4. Open boarding and deal with the passenger once the queue has gone through, without telling him that the correction has to be made in the next two minutes to be any use.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Open boarding and call the next gate for a spare pair of hands, then work on the booking error between scans while the queue keeps moving down the airbridge.

   Least effective: D. Open boarding and deal with the passenger once the queue has gone through, without telling him that the correction has to be made in the next two minutes to be any use.

   A: Spends the departure on one passenger: two minutes at the desk is the window boarding needed, so a hundred and eighty people lose an hour to save one man his flight.

   C: Sends him away from the only person who can help in time: the transfer desk is minutes away and he has two, so the flight leaves without him when it need not have.

   D: Lets him wait without the one fact he needs: he stands at the desk believing he is being helped, when the window in which anything could be done has already closed.

   The most effective response is to open boarding and call the next gate for a spare pair of hands, then work on the booking error between scans: boarding cannot wait, the booking cannot wait either, and the only way to have both is another person, which the next gate can supply in far less than two minutes. It beats correcting the booking first and opening boarding once it is sorted, because holding boarding for one correction costs a hundred and eighty people an hour. It beats sending the passenger to the transfer desk in the terminal, because that desk is further away than the time he has, so sending him is the same as refusing him. The least effective response is dealing with him once the queue has gone through, without telling him the correction has to be made in two minutes: he stands there believing he is being helped while the window quietly closes. That is worse than the other two, which both give him an honest answer about where he stands. The principle: when two things must happen at once, find the extra hands, and never let somebody wait on a chance that has already gone.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a contact centre advisor. A caller says she chose her seats when booking because the website showed seat selection as free, and she has now been charged. Free seat selection was a promotion that ended, and you cannot tell from her file whether it was running on the day she booked. She is polite and quite certain. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain the current position, that seat selection carries a charge, and take her through what she has been billed for so that the charge on her card makes sense to her.
   2. Check what the offer was on the date she booked, honour it if the promotion was running then, and if it was not, explain the position and what her options are now.
   3. Refund the seat charge without looking into it, since she is certain about what she saw and the sum involved is small next to the time it would take to establish.
   4. Tell her the promotion never applied to the fare she booked, so the charge is correct and there is nothing on the booking that needs looking at.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Check what the offer was on the date she booked, honour it if the promotion was running then, and if it was not, explain the position and what her options are now.

   Least effective: D. Tell her the promotion never applied to the fare she booked, so the charge is correct and there is nothing on the booking that needs looking at.

   A: Applies today's rule to a booking made earlier: the question is what was on offer on the day she booked, and explaining the present terms does not answer it.

   C: Settles it by giving in: it costs the airline something it may not owe, and the next caller with the same story reaches a colleague who does not refund it.

   D: States as fact something you have not checked: you cannot see what was running on the day, and telling her flatly that it never applied closes the question with an assertion.

   The most effective response is to check what the offer was on the date she booked, honour it if the promotion was running, and explain her options if it was not: what was on offer that day is a question with an answer, finding it is quick, and it settles the matter either way without anybody being taken on trust. It beats explaining the current position and taking her through what she has been billed for, because the current terms are not what she is asking about. It beats refunding the seat charge without looking into it, because that spends money the airline may not owe and leaves the next caller to be told something different. The least effective response is telling her the promotion never applied to the fare she booked: you have no way of knowing that, so a checkable question is closed with an assertion. That is worse than explaining the current terms, which is unhelpful but accurate, and worse than the refund, which is generous rather than wrong. The principle: when the disagreement turns on a fact you can look up, look it up rather than asserting or conceding.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are taking over the operations desk for the evening. The coordinator going off duty leaves in a hurry with a two-line handover, and within minutes you can see three things part way through: a hotel booking unconfirmed, a crew query unanswered and a stand change not passed on. He is still in the building. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Sign the handover off as received and complete so that he can get away, and pick the three part-finished items up as and when they come back round during the evening.
   2. Work out the state of each of the three from the system, and pick them up yourself without troubling a colleague who has already finished for the day.
   3. Catch him before he leaves the building and go through the three items, so you know what has been done, what was agreed and what is still outstanding.
   4. Raise the state of the handover with the team leader, so that the standard of handovers on this desk is dealt with properly rather than absorbed shift after shift.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Catch him before he leaves the building and go through the three items, so you know what has been done, what was agreed and what is still outstanding.

   Least effective: A. Sign the handover off as received and complete so that he can get away, and pick the three part-finished items up as and when they come back round during the evening.

   A: Signs for a handover you know is incomplete: the record says the desk was taken over cleanly, so nobody looking at tonight afterwards can see that three things were left mid-air.

   B: Reconstructs what could be asked: the system shows what was done and not what he intended, so you spend the first hour of the shift guessing at three decisions.

   D: Deals with the pattern and not the evening: the three items are still part-finished tonight, and the conversation about handovers can be had once they are closed.

   The most effective response is to catch him before he leaves the building and go through the three items, so you know what has been done, what was agreed and what is outstanding: he is still here, two minutes answers all three questions, and every hour that passes makes the answers harder to get. It beats working out the state of each from the system and picking them up yourself, because the system records what was done rather than what was intended, so reconstructing it means guessing at three decisions. It beats raising the state of the handover with the team leader, because the standard is a real issue but tonight’s three items are the urgent part. The least effective response is signing the handover off as received and complete so he can get away: it certifies a clean handover that did not happen, so the loose items surface as other people’s problems with nothing on the record to explain them. That is worse than reconstructing them, which at least closes them, and worse than the team leader, which at least raises them. The principle: close the handover with the person while they are still there, and take the wider point up afterwards.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a check-in agent. A passenger tells you that a colleague of yours was rude and dismissive to her at the desk earlier and that she wants something done about it. You know the colleague well and find the account hard to believe. The passenger is calm, specific about what was said, and has a flight to catch in an hour. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Reassure her that there has probably been a misunderstanding, since you know the colleague and it does not sound like him, and leave it there so she can get to her flight.
   2. Find the colleague and ask him what happened before doing anything else, so that you have both accounts before the matter goes any further.
   3. Take down what she says happened and her contact details, tell her it will be passed to the duty manager today, and pass it on before the end of your shift.
   4. Give her the address for written complaints and explain that a complaint about a member of staff has to come in through that channel to be dealt with properly.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Take down what she says happened and her contact details, tell her it will be passed to the duty manager today, and pass it on before the end of your shift.

   Least effective: A. Reassure her that there has probably been a misunderstanding, since you know the colleague and it does not sound like him, and leave it there so she can get to her flight.

   A: Decides the complaint on personal loyalty: a specific account is dismissed by somebody who was not there, and the passenger leaves knowing nothing will be looked at.

   B: Investigates it yourself first: it is not your complaint to weigh, and warning him in advance compromises the account somebody impartial will later need.

   D: Sends her to the process rather than into it: she is here now with a specific account, and requiring her to write it again is the easiest way to make sure it is never made.

   The most effective response is to take down what she says happened and her contact details, tell her it goes to the duty manager today, and pass it on before the end of your shift: an allegation about a colleague’s conduct is not yours to judge, taking the account while she is in front of you preserves it, and the duty manager deals with it. It beats finding the colleague and asking him what happened first, because that puts you in the middle of something you should not be weighing and warns him before anyone impartial has heard her. It beats giving her the address for written complaints, because she is here now, and making her write it later loses most complaints. The least effective response is reassuring her there has probably been a misunderstanding because you know the colleague: it decides against a specific account on the strength of liking the person it is about, so nothing is recorded and nothing is looked at. That is worse than the other two, which both leave the complaint alive. The principle: a complaint about conduct is captured accurately and passed to whoever owns it, not tested by a colleague of the person complained about.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a cabin crew member finishing the drinks service before landing. A colleague in the rear galley is struggling to finish the bar count on her own and it has to be done before the aircraft is on the ground. You have one row left to serve and then nothing until the cabin check. She has not asked anybody for help. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Serve the last row, then go back to the galley and count with her, so that the bar is finished before the aircraft begins its descent.
    2. Suggest she completes the count from the loading paperwork rather than the trolley, so that it is finished before landing even though it is not what is actually on board.
    3. Finish your row and carry on with the rest of your own duties, since she has not asked for any help and the bar count is her responsibility on this flight.
    4. Let the senior crew member know that the bar count is running behind so that she can decide whether somebody should be sent back to help in the galley.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: A. Serve the last row, then go back to the galley and count with her, so that the bar is finished before the aircraft begins its descent.

    Least effective: C. Finish your row and carry on with the rest of your own duties, since she has not asked for any help and the bar count is her responsibility on this flight.

    B: Trades the accuracy for the deadline: the count is what tells the airline what was sold, and one taken from the loading sheet records what should be there rather than what is.

    C: Withholds help that costs nothing: you are free, she is not, and waiting to be asked is what turns a two-minute job into a count that does not get finished.

    D: Escalates a two-minute job: you are the person standing free with the time to do it, and routing the question through the senior spends more of the descent than the counting would.

    The most effective response is to serve the last row, then go back to the galley and count with her: the count has to be finished before landing, you are a row away from having nothing to do, and two people finish it comfortably. It beats suggesting she completes the count from the loading paperwork, because that meets the deadline by recording what should be on board rather than what is. It beats letting the senior crew member decide whether somebody should be sent back to help, because that spends time when the somebody is obviously you. The least effective response is finishing your row and carrying on with your own duties because she has not asked: it leaves a colleague to miss a deadline you were free to help her meet. That is worse than the other two, which both try to get the count done, even if by the wrong route. The principle: when you are free and a colleague is not, offer rather than wait to be asked.