Jens Ritter, CEO of Lufthansa Airlines, worked as an "additional crew member" to gain firsthand insight into the challenges flight attendants face during flight and to address passenger needs. Mr Ritter shared a LinkedIn post last week and said that he flew from Frankfurt, Germany, to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as a flight attendant.
The aviation boss in his post wrote, "Sometimes, you need to change perspectives in order to gain new insights. This week, I accompanied our Lufthansa Airlines flight crew heading to Riyadh and Bahrain as 'additional crew member'. What a ride!"
The 50-year-old pilot revealed that he never had the opportunity to work as part of the cabin crew. This was his first experience as a cabin crew.
"I have been working for the Lufthansa Group for many years. But I have never had the opportunity to work as part of the cabin crew. And honestly, that was so interesting and also challenging," he wrote in his post.
Mr Ritter said that it was a challenging experience and he was amazed at how much there is to organise before a flight. "I was amazed by how much there is to organize, especially, if something doesn't go as planned - for example, the meals offered on the menu cards were not exactly the meals loaded on board."
"We will have this fixed," he promised in the comments section.
In the pictures, shared by him, he can be seen serving passengers and posing with the flight crew.
He said that he never realised that flight attendants have to be present, attentive and charming, especially when the body tells them to sleep.
"The crew was terrific and welcomed me into their team right away. With their support, I was able to give a hand in business class on the way to Riyadh. Back to Frankfurt, during the night, I took care of our guests in economy class. And honestly: I enjoyed every moment! I was astonished how much I learned in these few hours. Deciding things in the office will be different after really feeling the decisions on board. Thank you to the amazing crew, the lovely guests and everyone involved for making this experience possible," he concluded.
