Research Reveals Startling Gap in S&S Training For Cabin Crew

Nearly 80% of cabin crew have experienced startle or surprise events during their careers, with two-thirds reporting lasting anxiety after, yet no standardised training exists to help them manage these reactions, according to research presented here for the first time.

A survey of 348 cabin crew across several European airlines reveals a significant gap in safety training. While some pilots receive structured startle and surprise (S&S) management protocols following high-profile accidents like Air France 447, cabin crew face similar acute stress events without equivalent preparation.

The research was carried out by Daan Vlaskamp, an experienced airline pilot and instructor/examiner, and Alex Pollitt ,an Experienced helicopter pilot and CRM trainer.

It examined both prevalence and impact of S&S among cabin crew, finding that perceived control during events strongly predicted both immediate performance and long-term wellbeing outcomes. Crew who felt able to influence situations reported markedly better performance and fewer lasting effects than those feeling powerless.

By Alex Pollitt and Daan Vlaskamp

When Japan Airlines flight JL516 touched down at Tokyo-Haneda airport on 2 January 2024, the atmosphere on board was the usual mix of readiness for arrival, relief, and - for the crew on board - probably, routine. 

They were preparing for the standard announcements and door checks when, immediately after touchdown and with no warning, the aircraft collided with a Coast Guard Dash-8 aeroplane entering the runway. The impact was violent and flames erupted, filling the cabin with smoke. Still struggling to comprehend what was happening, the crew suddenly found themselves leading an evacuation under extreme conditions in a cabin filled with terrified passengers.

This was about as abrupt a shift from a routine landing to a full blown emergency situation as might be conceived or modelled during any cabin crew training. In difficult and rapidly developing circumstances, they had to respond in an instant and take leadership of panicking and confused passengers. 

No direction or information about the situation was forthcoming from the flight crew due to a malfunctioning public address and intercom system which made communication impossible and control of the situation even more complex. 

Unable to follow standard procedures and with only three of eight doors usable for the evacuation, the flight attendants had to think on their feet, and use their own judgement on how best to direct passengers to safety. It is testament to their live-saving leadership that day that every passenger made it out of the burning aircraft alive.

Accidents like JL516 are not common, but they do serve to remind us the importance of cabin crew training and its role in ensuring effective action in extreme and emergency situations. 

They also underline the fact that startle and surprise, and its effect on performance in situations of acute stress, is not an abstract academic topic, but real-life phenomena that shape how cabin crew react during what can often be the most critical moments of their careers. Surprisingly, until now, the impact of startle and surprise has received little more than a passing mention in cabin crew training and safety research.

How Pilot Training Has Led The Way

In the years since another high profile air accident, Air France 447 in 2009, regulators, airlines, and human factors researchers have invested heavily in understanding the startle and surprise phenomenon in pilots.

Startle (the body’s reflexive jolt to a sudden intense stimulus) and surprise (a temporary cognitive degradation that occurs when reality does not match expectation) have been shown to negatively affect performance. In the cockpit, structured techniques have now been introduced to help pilots manage their reactions to these.

Breathing resets, short mental checklists, and procedures designed to slow down thinking and mentally  rebuild situation awareness have become established in standardised procedures.

But for cabin crew, despite their public-facing frontline safety role, no published research to date has examined how startle and surprise affects efficient and safe performance. 

This gap in operational safety is what motivated us to explore the experiences of cabin crew during real unexpected, high-stress events.

What Cabin Crew Said

Our survey of hundreds of cabin crew aimed to determine both the type of events that provoke startle and surprise in the course of their duties, and their prevalence. Their responses suggested that these were much more common than you might imagine. 

Nearly eighty percent reported having  experienced startle, surprise, or both during their career. 

These moments arose in many forms, with some of the most significant including emergency landings, medical emergencies unfolding in the aisle, smoke or fumes polluting the cabin, or coping with unruly passengers.

We also investigated how events provoking startle and surprise made crew feel and what effect they felt it had on their performance. Many reported that the effects had impaired their performance. 

Some described moments in which thoughts froze or vision narrowed, others said that they were unable to gather themselves or maintain focus. In many cases they had struggled to recall procedures or successfully make quick decisions.

For some however, the right level of stressful event actually sharpened their focus. The difference between the two groups seemed to come down to the nature of the stimulus and the feeling of control. Where crew felt able to influence the situation, stress levels dropped and performance felt stronger. When they felt powerless, stress and its effects surged.

One finding from the research that raised further questions was the long-term emotional impact. 

Among those who had experienced startle or surprise, almost two-thirds reported a lasting increase in anxiety afterward the event in question, ranging from mild unease to significant effects on confidence. 

Again, those who felt more in control during the event reported suffering fewer long-term consequences. Peer support programmes, where available, were seen to be helpful, but only a third of affected crew used them, suggesting that access or awareness could be improved.

Closing the Training Gap

We asked what kind of training cabin crew currently receive on mitigating startle and surprise. Much of cabin crew training remains centred around scenario discussions and rehearsed emergency drills.

These are valuable, but they rarely addressed the physiological and cognitive shock that startle and surprise can bring nor offered practical tools to manage it.

 Pilot training does now includes structured S&S management techniques, with mnemonic-based methods such as “Aviate–Breathe–Check” becoming established in standard operating procedures.

Our research suggests that cabin crew would benefit from a dedicated method of their own as well through a simple, procedural way to stabilise themselves in those first disorienting seconds of an unexpected event - just the same as their colleagues in the cockpit.

A tool that helps them breathe, reset, regain clarity, and re-engage with the situation could improve performance in real emergencies as well as support long-term mental wellbeing. It could also strengthen teamwork in the cabin, especially during events where communication from the cockpit is delayed or unavailable.

Looking Ahead

The JL516 evacuation is only one example of the challenges that cabin crew face in emergency situations. An aircraft cabin is both literally and figuratively far removed from the cockpit environment. It is dynamic, loud, unpredictable, and above all, human.

Crew must make real-time decisions surrounded by passengers who may panic, freeze, or resist instructions. They must communicate clearly without knowing what information the flight deck has or when guidance will come. This is an environment which can magnify the impact of startle and surprise, and where an unchecked stress reaction can impair performance in the crucial first seconds of an emergency.

The prevalence of startle and surprise during the course of cabin crew duties and the breadth of scenarios revealed in our survey suggest that instead of relying on an individual’s instinct to act, there is value in providing a framework of trained responses.

For pilots, a “reset” of cognitive and emotional states has already been demonstrated operationally to assist with quicker decision-making, clearer communication, greater confidence, and improved long-term wellbeing.

Startle and surprise are natural human reactions, not personal failings, and the critical role of cabin crew in the safety of the flying public deserves the same level of research, training, and development of practical techniques that are now available to pilots.

This is what motivates our continuing research to focus on developing and evaluating a cabin-specific startle and surprise management method tailored for the unique challenges of the cabin environment. Early results are encouraging, and we hope it will contribute to more effective training, stronger confidence, and safer outcomes for crews and passengers alike.

More about the authors.

Daan Vlaskamp is an experienced 737 captain, instructor, examiner and CRM trainer. He is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in recurrent simulator training development, CRM training development and ATQP. He has an MSc Human Factors in Aviation and is a PhD student studying startle and surprise at Delft University of Technology.

Alex Pollitt is an experienced helicopter pilot, CRM trainer and HF researcher with a Human Factors in Aviation MSc, and a MA in International Communication and Liason. 

Alex and Daan were supported by their supervision team of Delft University of Technology, Cranfield University and TNO (The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research).