NewVIc invited Virgin Atlantic’s Deanna Stewart to give students an insight into the world of cabin crew employees.

The UK airline industry generates a turnover of £5.2 billion supporting 76,000 jobs, carrying 144 million passengers and 1 million tonnes of cargo each year.

 The sector forms a key part of the wider travel industry, allowing customers to purchase flight seats and travel to different parts of the world and it offers a variety of highly skilled career paths, including pilots, flight attendants, and ground crew.

NewVIc invited Virgin Atlantic’s Deanna Stewart to give students an insight into the world of cabin crew employees.

Virgin Atlantic first took to the skies in 1984 taking off from London Gatwick. Since then they’ve become Britain’s second-largest carrier.

Deanna worked with NewVIc students to understand the life of a Virgin Atlantic cabin crew member, how they operate and explore the 27 worldwide destinations she has covered in her career so far. She also discussed the effect of time zones and how she manages it, as well as giving top tips and advice to NewVIc students who are planning to enter the industry.

One important issue that Deanna tackled with students was diversity within the industry. She highlighted the Virgin Group’s aim to make the workplace inclusive for everyone, regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, religion and belief or non-belief.

Deanna shared that she is of Jamaican heritage and when she interviewed for the role of cabin crew, she believed that she wouldn’t get the job because she was black. This was not the case. She has first hand experience of how the airline industry is diversifying their workforce and working to ensure their employees represent everyone that flies with the airline.

Students were reassured from her experience that many opportunities await them.

Virgin Atlantic cabin crew, Deanna Stewart, said:

“I’ve grown up in Dagenham and have been here all my life. Growing up in a predominantly non-ethnic area was a struggle, especially when it came to what foods I ate and what clothes I wore, but I have always been proud to be black and proud of my culture.

I’m now a flight attendant for Virgin Atlantic. My dream job was always to become a flight attendant as I have always loved travelling and exploring the world. Growing up as a young black girl, personally I only saw a handful of black flight attendants.

In 2022 when I saw Virgin Atlantic hiring, I knew it was my sign to apply, get the job and hopefully increase the visibility of black flight attendants.

I never knew how to swim until I applied to work with Virgin Atlantic. I was determined to get the job so I learnt how to swim. It was a struggle but I did it and so can NewVIc students. I have travelled to more than 27 destinations, my favourite being Cape Town. Mumbai is a close second, mainly for their culture and how vibrant the city is.

Today was a great way for me to inspire students at NewVIc that are studying the Air Cabin Crew course to follow their dreams of working in the industry. The airline industry is working hard to break the stereotype and ensure their doors are open to everyone.”

Teacher of Business, Travel and Tourism, Michael Owusu-Dartey who organised the talk, added:

“Deanna was a true inspiration to our students. With the theme of tourism and green investment this year, it highlights the need for more and better-targeted investment for people in the industry. We wanted to demonstrate to students the importance of being ambitious, irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds.

Deanna is a great asset to Virgin Atlantic. We received great feedback from students about the session. She is someone that the students can relate to and be reassured by. If she can do it, they can too!”

Find out more about NewVIc’s Air Cabin Crew here.