An investigation into cabin crew stress/burnout in the UK aviation industry

Preston, Stephanie Anne (2023) An investigation into cabin crew stress/burnout in the UK aviation industry. Doctoral thesis, Northumbria University.

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Abstract

As the world of work becomes more stressful so does the threat to employee well-being and productivity. Airline cabin crew are front line, safety conscious employees who are faced with a diverse range of job exposures and who operate in extreme situations whilst also managing varied levels of fatigue, sleep deprivation, jet lag, loneliness and around the clock shift patterns. The psychological well-being of aviation employees has been gaining more prominence in recent years due to an increase in fatal crashes and aircraft mishaps where pilots in particularly have suffered with mental health issues. Cabin crew however are often employees who are overlooked as they have differing exposures, demands and pressures associated with their role yet just like pilots they experience psychological challenges which can be detrimental to their well-being. Several theoretical models have been suggested which help to gain better understanding of employee stress and burnout with the JD-CS Model having most relevance to this study and its participants. A questionnaire was used to collect views from a sample of 1431 UK based cabin crew employed across seven different airlines representing full cost, low cost, and charter airline carriers. A small number of key informant interviews were also carried out with crew representatives. Some of the results from the study have detailed what the key stressors are for cabin crew in their day-to-day employment and have also linked to supporting the ISO strain of the JD-CS Model. Suggestions have been made as to how some of the stressors identified in this research can be better addressed within the aviation industry to promote a better level of well-being for all concerned.

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