The 11 September, 2001 World Trade Centre bombings, the terrorist attack in London in 2005 and last August’s foiled attack at London Heathrow Airport have served to shift the world’s attention to security.

At times, as is human nature, people go to extremes to protect themselves and others, however there is only so much one can do. Terrorists are clever and if they can find a flaw in a system they will.

Society has become ultra cautious, basing its actions not on facts but on a person’s nationality, culture and colour. This, in turn, has made security all the more difficult to maintain and guarantee, because everybody has become a suspect in another person’s eyes.

Today, whether we like it or not, we have become more attentive to what’s happening around us. Take flight attendants for example. Their role has changed so much since the 1930s when they were first recruited that even their title should be changed to that of “in-flight security”.

In an interview carried in TMID yesterday, the secretary of the Union of Cabin Crew, Sandro Vella, painted a totally different picture of the life of cabin crew to what society has always perceived. Cabin crew lead a glamorous life. They fly around the world. Their job is to serve hot meals and drinks to paying customers. For all intents and purposes they could have been serving in a restaurant somewhere along Malta’s seafront. And the image of sexy, slim, well-dressed single employees would probably be an important aspect of the profession. After all that is how the profession was portrayed to be: just glamour.

11 September changed that. As Mr Vella explained in the interview, serving meals and drink is no longer cabin crew’s main consideration. That role is now there to fill in the time. Security and health are the main issues they have to deal with today.

Mr Vella makes an insightful analysis of the job and society’s preoccupation with security.

“Today, cabin crew have become security personnel. We have to challenge passengers; we have to check the aircraft before and after every flight. We even have to monitor and check the aircraft even after the cleaning crew have left the aircraft. Today, you cannot trust anyone and you cannot risk lowering your guard.”

This change in job description – from “glamorous waiters” to “security personnel” – is reflected in new regulations that come into force this year. The EU-OPS impose strict guidelines to safeguard not only the health of cabin crew but to ensure that security considerations always come first. A tired crew cannot operate effectively. “There is nothing glamorous about it,” Mr Vella said. And this is the perception that the Union of Cabin crew is so eager to change.

A case in point is an incident that occurred a few months ago and given prominence in the international and local media. A Bulgarian girl leaving from Malta to Sofia found herself back in Malta after she failed to notice that she had arrived at her destination. At the time, fingers were immediately pointed at the cabin crew. How could they have missed the young lady when they did a head count?

A fair question, but the media had failed to add a crucial fact to the story. The Air Malta aircraft had made a stopover in Istanbul. The crew had done their job properly. However, an administrative error by the ground staff meant that the aircraft returned with the girl still on board. This newspaper had severely criticised the cabin crew for making such a glaring mistake. Such criticism, we must admit, had been wrong and based on incorrect information, and we apologise to all cabin crew. The cabin crew were not at fault and this incident shows how difficult it can be for them to deal with issues that 10, 15 years ago may not have raised an eyebrow but today could raise a major security alert. The job of a flight attendant has changed inasmuch as society has become more concerned about their safety, especially in the air. Cabin crew play an important role in securing that safety. There really is nothing glamorous about the job. Theirs is a stressful job… yet one they try to do every day with a welcoming smile.