The things crew notice about a passenger in the first three seconds at the door, and why
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#1 Cabin manager, and the greeting at the door is not a greeting, it is an assessment, and every crew member does it whether they know it or not. Here is what I see in three seconds and why it matters, because new crew think they are saying hello and they are actually doing the most important safety task of the boarding.
What I see
The walk. Steady, unsteady, or too careful. Unsteady at 7am is a medical question. Too careful at 7pm is a drink question.
The eyes. Looking at me, looking through me, or looking for something. The passenger looking for something is anxious. The passenger looking through me is on a phone or in a mood. Both go on a mental list.
The bag. Too big, too many, or held in a way that says it is heavy. The overhead bin argument starts here and I would rather start it at the door than in row 25.
The group. A hen party is a group with a leader and the leader is who I talk to. A family is a group with a tired parent and the tired parent is who I help. A group of men in matching shirts is a group with a mood I need to read fast.
The face. Pale, flushed, sweating, in pain, close to tears. The medical assessment begins at the door and it is the reason the crew member at the door is not a junior.
The seat number, on the boarding pass, glanced at, which tells me where each of the above is going to be for the next four hours.
Why
Because the door is the last place I can decide someone does not fly. Once the doors close, a problem is a problem at 38,000 feet. The drunk one, the unwell one, the one who should have been met by special assistance and was not. The three seconds at the door are where those get caught, and the crew member who is just saying hello catches none of them.
For new crew
Say hello. Mean it. And look. The look is the job. Tell the cabin manager anything you saw that felt wrong, before the doors close, and never worry that it is nothing. Nothing is fine. The missed thing is not.
What do you see at the door?
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#2 Purser, and everything here, plus the hands. Shaking hands at the door is a nervous flyer or a medical, and I want to know which before row 40. The door greeting is the first triage.
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#3 Number one, Friday night to Ibiza, and the door is where the flight is decided. The group of men in matching shirts, the leader identified, the conversation had at the door in a friendly voice: 'lads, four hours, let us all get there'. It works nine times in ten. The tenth is why we have the restraint kit.
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#4 Delta, and the special assistance passenger who was not met is the one I look for hardest, because they are the ones who are quietly struggling and will not say. The walk tells you.
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#6 JAL, and the Japanese door greeting is a bow, and the bow is the assessment, because during the bow you see the feet and the hands and the bag and the face comes up last. It is the same three seconds in a different shape.
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#7 Three weeks in, on the door twice this week, and I have been saying hello. Tomorrow I will be looking. Thank you.