Integrating Safety and Crew Resource Management (CRM) Aspects in the Recurrent Training of Cabin Crew Members

Recurrent training of cabin crew should include theoretical and practical instruction on safety as well as crew resource management (CRM) issues. The endeavors of Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. and Swiss Aviation Training Ltd. to integrate CRM and safety aspects into a single training module were evaluated. The objective of the integration was to make CRM more tangible and ease acquisition of competencies and transfer of CRM training content to practice by showing its relevance in relation to safety tasks. It was of interest whether the integrated design would be mirrored in a more favorable perception by the trainees as measured with a questionnaire. Participants reacted more positively to the integrated training than to stand-alone CRM training, although the integrated training was judged as being slightly more difficult and less oriented toward instructional design principles. In a range of forced-choice questions, the majority of participants opted for an integrated training format because it was seen as livelier and more interesting and also more practically relevant. For the forthcoming training cycle, a better alignment of training with instructional principles and an even higher degree of training integration by using simulator scenarios are