DELTA

"You are heading for a new life, making new friendships, developing a "family" away from home. Flight attendant career will change you forever - hopefully for the better," he often says.

"It is important to forget your ego and be a team player. When you have a crew that works well together, you can do anything, overcome any problems. And people will love you for it. I have always wanted to be loved..." Tom laughs.

There is a lot of love in the skies...

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This page is just an example of how detailed our materials are. Like all airlines, Delta is now looking to shed employees, so do not rush to its website to apply. This is just an example of the uality we deliver.This is our thanks for your visit. Come back soon!

DELTA AIR LINES

INTERVIEW PROCESS

and

NEW AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION

CPR GUIDELINES

DELTA AIR LINES HIRING PROCESS

You may wonder why you should know something about the history of the airline, when all you are interested in is your future. There is an old saying, that in order to know where you are going, you need to know where you have been, and where you are now. Besides, telling your recruiters a thing or two from Delta’s history will not hurt you, on the contrary.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF DELTA AIR LINES

Before we get into the history, let me make sure you remember one thing: the name of the company is Delta Air Lines, not Delta Airlines. So make sure that you do write it like that in your correspondence (you may do a bit via e-mail if you stay in the running). There are few things as annoying as not knowing the proper name of the company that you want to work for.

Delta Air Lines (DL) started in the American South, in the land of cotton. The airline took off in Monroe, LA, in 1924 as a crop dusting company, operating under the name Huff-Dalland Dusters. It came only naturally that the company started passenger transport a few years later as well, ferrying both people and mail along the Mississippi “delta” states. It was not until 1928 that the name Delta Air Services came about.

The company was managed by D. Y. Smith and Collett Everman Woolman, and they purchased three five-seat airplanes. Mr. Woolman became the director of the company for decades to come, and is even now fondly remembered by some older employees. He retired around 1990, and was the last CEO (then only) of the company that truly cared about the employees.

The passenger service started in 1929 from Dallas, TX, to Jackson, MS, with stops in Shreveport and Monroe, LA. Delta continues to fly identical route today, but dropped Dallas as the origination of the route.

DL received a contract with the U.S. Mail in 1934. It was also the time when the company purchased a seven-seat airplane to expand the passenger transport. A few years later the company purchased several DC-3s, at that time the best and most luxurious aircraft – it was the first true airliner. The official name “Delta Air Lines” was adopted in 1945.

The company started to grow in post-war years through mergers and acquisitions and the first jets were purchased in the late fifties and early sixties. The airline gradually expanded into the Midwest and also the New England states, including New York City. In 1971, Delta acquired, after some struggles with Northwest Airlines, another carrier, Northeast Airines, which gave Delta access to Canada and Nassau in the Caribbean.

Transatlantic service started in late seventies with flights to London, England and Frankfurt, Germany.

The first code-sharing contracts were with Comair and Atlantic Southeast Airlines in 1984. These two companies, along with SkyWest, are the “feeder” airlines for Delta (and some other major airlines).

What put Delta on the map was the merger with the Los Angeles-based Western Airlines in 1986. The merger made Delta the fourth largest airline in the U.S. and the fifth largest airline in the world.

Delta also acquired a number of Pan American World Airways’ (PanAm) routes when PanAm developed financial difficulties and later closed its doors. Some former PanAm employees still insist even today, that Delta was partially responsible for PanAm’s demise by stripping Pan American World Airways off the routes that made money.

But the newly obtained trans-Atlantic flights proved to be a liability for Delta, not an asset. Delta had very little experience in international flying, and it showed. The only PanAm route that was a money-maker was former PanAm’s East Coast shuttle, which has been connecting New York with Washington, DC, and Boston, MA, and was the favorite transport for business people in the East.

Up until the 1990s Delta was a consistently well-performing airline, which has never laid off any personnel. However, soon after Mr. Woolman’s retirement, during an economic downturn of this country, the airline got into a financial trouble and was very near to shutting down.

The poor management problems, combined with nearly non-existent financial planning (Delta had no true budget until mid-nineties), led to a $500 million loss in 1992. For the first time in the history of Delta there were layoffs.

Desperate times required desperate measures. Routes were dropped and severe pay cuts to remaining employees were implemented. Restructuring of the company and a new philosophy of management saved Delta from bankruptcy. Due to restructuring, in 1996 Delta posted a record high profit of $662 million. Part of this recovery was due to the fact that Delta started a new Delta Express (no-frills service) on the East coast right at the time when Valujet was grounded by the FAA. Delta Express picked up the low-fare travelers that could not use Valujet and was profitable for a couple of years. Then, due to gross mismanagement and inability to compete with Southwest and AirTran, Delta Express started losing money despite flying planes full to capacity, and was permanently closed.

Delta tried to resurrect the low-fare concept a little later in the form of a subsidiary airline called “Song.” Heavens know why it was called that way, but when it started flying, we gave it 3 years, not more, before it is gone. It was gone in two years, creating additional significant losses for Delta.

Delta also had a real hard time with its commuter subsidiary Comair. Comair’s pilots went on strike for nearly 10 weeks and it would have been fair just to shut down the company. Delta, however, decided eventually to give into the pilots’ demands. It was another bad decision, end even today Comair is on the brink of demise.

Delta is striving to become “the world-wide airline of choice.” It has a network of international code-share partners and forged a trans-Atlantic alliance with foreign airlines in response to Star Alliance created by United Airlines. Delta’s SkyTeam Alliance has now grown to several companies covering every corner of the world. The current members are: Aeroflot (Russia), AeroMexico (Mexico), Air France-KLM (France - the Netherlands), Alitalia (Italy), China Southern (People’sChina), Czech Airlines (Czech Republic), Korean Air (South Korea), Air Europa and Kenya Airways.

While the list may look impressive at the first sight, one needs to keep in mind that a good half of the members in SkyTeam are losing money in a big way. Star Alliance is financially stronger group. The creating of the alliance, however, has not helped Delta to make any money.

For some reason, the hiring process continued till January 2001 despite the fact that it became very obvious already in the summer of 2000 that there was no room for Delta’s expansion. The airline has outgrown its infrastructure and was like a runaway train, going straight for destruction.

Combined with the downturn in U.S. economy, it was easy to predict that the airline was heading for a true disaster. Everyone saw it except Delta’s management, which managed to stuff their pockets with millions of dollars before eventually leaving when the airline was going bankrupt. Leo Mullin, who was the CEO at that time, took his money, packed his bags and so did 30 or so of his “friends” in management, all of them with a handsome “golden parachute.” He left Delta with sad legacy - $22 billion in debt

Delta was almost ready to fold, when Gerald “Jerry” Grinstein, who was on the Board of Directors at that time, was asked to become the CEO.

Jerry had experience with bad times. He was the CEO of Western Airlines when Delta absorbed it in 1980s. He chose a pragmatic approach to lure business flyers back. Normally it would have worked. Unfortunately, terrible economic situation in the U.S. and around the world was against him, and in January 2005 Delta announced a loss $1.07 billion for the last quarter of 2004. Delta’s business and credit rating was so bad that its stock trading on the stock exchange was suspended.

Subsequent quarters also showed losses over a billion dollars. Delta eventually had no choice but to run for cover under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The last quarter of 2006 showed a loss of $2 billion. Things did not go well.

Delta reduced its plane inventory and its personnel. From some 880 planes the airline went down to 580 planes. Flights had to be trimmed, not just because of cutting on expenses, but because Delta offered early retirement to pilots and a good number of them took it. The airline was short of pilots as a result.

US Airways approached Delta with a suggestion to merge. Doug Parker, CEO of US Airways, was serious. His airline was in a slightly better shape than Delta, but Grinstein politely turned the offer down.

New routes are being added and some routes are flown more frequently.

Through significant cut in routes, retiring planes that were gas-guzzlers (mostly B727s, MD88/90s, MD11s and L1011s, some of which are still sitting – all gutted out – in the California desert), and further reducing the workforce significantly reduced losses, and when Grinstein was ready to hang it up a couple of years ago, the airline was in a significantly better shape than when he took over its reigns.

Scaling down the size of the operations was a red flag for some analysts who strongly suspected that Grinstein simply prepared Delta “for sale” and what he did was that he made the company again more appealing to buyers. But it did not take too long to see that something fishy was happening at Delta; Delta was not selling, and the shuffle at the top came as a surprise, when the man who was generally thought to succeed Gerald Grinstein – his protégé and Delta’s CFO, Ed Bastian – was passed over for the position of the CEO.

Instead, Delta invited Richard Anderson from Northwest Airlines to come and head the company. Northwest also emerged from bankruptcy at that time and few of us suspected that there have been secret talks between Delta and Northwest already at the time when Delta jettisoned US Airways’ offer to merge.

The fact that Ed Bastian stayed on as the CFO suggests that he was a part of the talks as well, since he was not bucking for being passed over. Obviously, he knew there was enough in it for him – in the entire change at Delta’s top.

The rest is history. Richard Anderson was one of the main figures in orchestration of the merger between Delta and Northwest, he announced it and he also brought his buddies from Northwest into Delta’s fold, much to the dismay of Northwest employees, who literally were skinned alive under Doug Steenland, CEO, NWA – who got a refuge at Delta, as well as many other people from Northwest’s management. When Northwest went through its bankruptcy under Steenland, workers gave the company concessions to the point that some lived literally on poverty level. Unions proved to be totally useless. All NWA people got out of it were promises, of which most of them were not kept.

A LITTLE BIT OF NORTHWEST HISTORY

Northwest Airlines (NWA) started its service as Dickinson Airlines in 1926. The name changed to Northwest the same year and it is the U.S. airline that has kept the same name the longest, until merger with Delta.

Northwest started its international flights very early on - in 1928, when it initiated a weekly service between Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN; and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The service was short lived. It had to be shut down because of the protests of Canadian government after only three months. Northwest found a way around it in 1935, when the service was renewed in cooperation with Western Canada Airways.

NW was involved in flying cargo and supplies to the Orient during World War II, via the so-called “Alaska Air Bridge.” It was an air supply route from the U.S. mainland over Alaska to the Orient, delivering goods and military supplies behind territories occupied by Japan. This experience became useful after the war. In 1947, commercial service was started to Seoul, Korea; Shanghai, China; and Manila, the Philippines.

A few years later, the service extended to Taipei, Taiwan, and Osaka and Okinawa, Japan and the name “Northwest Orient” was born. Northwest was the first airline to hire Japanese flight attendants and serviced Norita, Japan; and Hong Kong and Beijing, People’s Republic of China. The non-stop service to Beijing started in 1993. Northwest also maintained a flight attendant base in Asia.

Northwest pioneered the code share concept in 1986, and spearheaded the first true alliance with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (now Air France-KLM) in 1993. The fact that the U.S. Department of Transportation granted them immunity from the anti-trust laws essentially saved Northwest from financial disaster. Northwest went on to own a third of Continental Airlines.

The other contributing factor that helped keep Northwest alive was the 30% buy-out by employees. Northwest was at the brink of bankruptcy at that time (like many other major airlines) with a $1 billion debt and no money to pay it off with. This is a prime example of how labile the airline industry may become. Certainly there is nothing as permanent as change.

Northwest, after it got out of the rot, became one of the most profitable U.S. airlines until 2001. Together with their partners they served over 400 cities in 80 countries on 6 continents.

The disaster struck with 9/11 and international flying to the Orient went down. Flights to Asia became a complete disaster for several weeks with the outbreak of SARS. Unlike many Asian airlines that made a great recovery from both, Northwest was unable to do that. It cancelled all flight attendant classes suddenly in 2001 even before 9/11 (one class was just a day away from graduation), and new flight attendants have been hired only as “strike-busters” when strike by the regular Inflight crews seemed imminent in 2006 and 2007. The new grads were “pooled” after graduation, “just in case” the flight attendant union called a strike. They were “the new replacements.”

Other unions, such as the machinists, also were unhappy but they did not get anywhere, either. Northwest outsourced maintenance in a heartbeat and the striking mechanics were essentially on the street. Pilots were also threatening the management, but they did not have the guts for anything significant to take place.

Those people who got their flight attendant training “replacements”, never set a foot on Northwest planes to work. The union was so weak and impotent in its negotiations that the management at Northwest could do essentially what they wanted, and they got away with it.

Even when the old flight attendant union was voted out and a new one was voted in, things were not getting significantly better from the point of negotiations. It all became academic when Delta absorbed Northwest, but no one has truly appreciated the sacrifices of Northwest Airlines employees, and “white collar crime” scored big with the old management.

So much for a little bit of a history, so things fall in place a bit better when you are getting ready for your interview, and when you are actually in Atlanta going through it.

Currently, both airlines are about a year and a half after the merger, but a true integration will still take some time. The biggest issue for the flight attendants now is whether they should unionize. NW was historically always a union company, even though the unions have not done much for the employees except collecting fees. Delta, which has been always non-unionized except for the pilots, has always been treated and paid better than employees at other airlines. So, why unionize?

THE APPLICATION SCREENING INTERVIEW PROCESS

Just like most airlines, Delta is now accepting applications only on-line. It is a fairly extensive application, and you will do well having all information handy – your ten-year employment history and ten-year residential history. Both are required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which regulates aviation in the U.S. on behalf of the federal government. Keep in mind that this still is not a job application. It is only an application to participate in the course. You may be offered a job after successful completion of the course. Technically you are not a Delta employee while you are in training. Graduation from the course is not a guarantee of employment. You may hear it at times in your training.

The “new” Delta Air Lines (after the merger the “new” airline was the largest in the world, only to be surpassed recently by the “new” United, which merged with Continental) has an offer in the making to the more senior flight attendants with the hope that most of them will take it and retire. Delta hopes that about 780 people will take the package. This way the airline will drop the highest-paid flight attendants and will replace them with much lower paid rookies, who earn about a half of what he senior flight attendants get.

In the meantime, the airline geared up for hiring new flight attendants. The process started on August 24 at 7pm, when the application section of Delta’s website opened. Fifteen minutes later the site got jammed, but the airline was able to fix the problem the following day.

In 10 days there were nearly 100,000 applications. They did not all come from people who wanted to be flight attendants. Some of them were from employment agencies that submit applications indiscriminately just to find any kind of job for their clients.

Delta sorted most of it out right after Labor Day, and there were still about 50,000 applications that were “alive” and deserved follow-up. The estimate is that Delta plans to hire about 1,000 new people, and that includes also some other people waiting for recall. Delta is concentrating primarily on people who are proficient in foreign languages or have prior experience as cabin crews. The airline is pretty desperate for Spanish speakers as it plans expansion south of the border, among other areas.

When you are filling out the on-line application, a word of caution is in order here.

Avoid any lies. While in the past one could get by with having friends vouch for you that you have worked for them, it does not fly today, because the security of the airlines has tightened up, and the private companies that check your background are doing nothing but checking people’s background. Consequently, they know when they smell a rat.

So, write it on the application the way it was, and if it takes longer to get the information from other sources to support your application, you may just take a little longer for your interview. Delta plans to hire into 2011, so it’s best to do it right.

Same way, if you take any medications, write them all down, because it seems that this time – especially after the jetBlue experience with its nutty flight attendant – airlines will be doing a drug screen including also medications other than alcohol, narcotics and sedatives. If you do not admit to taking some stuff and it shows on your drug screen, it’s an automatic good-bye. Keep in mind the following:

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Alcohol needs I hour for each ounce you drank to get out of your system. Don’t go out drinking even the night before your interview, because most drug tests are done on the interview day.

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Narcotics, such as prescription drugs (Demerol, Fentanyl, Morphine, Oxycontin, Vicodin and such) can stay in the system for up to 72 hours. If recently you were usin’, you’ll be losin’…

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Marijuana stays in the system for nearly 45 days.

If you go to your interview and had been using any of those substances that traces can be still found in your urine sample or in your blood sample (yes, some airlines do draw blood as well), hoping that you can get away with it, you are committing a professional suicide. If you flunk your interview, no one will find out, true. But you go in there to make it and be the winner. If you make it, you get screened. And the airline will know about your drug problem before you even get back home from the interview.

Your positive drug test will be recorded permanently in the records of the Department of Transportation, and from then on any airline where you apply will be able to see not only that you applied with another airline, but that you flunked your drug test. And they know better than to offer you a spot in training. They know better than to invite you to an interview, quite frankly.

The changing attitude to marijuana and “recreational drugs” (it’s hard to see what’s recreational about it) by the general public has nothing to do with the stand of the Department of Transportation or the airline. It only points at one thing: this country is heading for self-destruction if all this junk is legalized. We’ll be a nation of zombies. Back to the business…

Next, you cannot hide these days any misdemeanors. If you have had any run-ins with the law, you also need to disclose it, because even if you made a deal with the judge, the airline will be able to get hold of the information, and again, incorrect information on the application is an automatic dismissal, at any time the airline catches you.

A chilling example comes from the last time around when Delta was hiring. One of our clients had some mishap, but felt it was straightened up with the courts after “straightening it up” and paying some restitution. The client felt his record was “erased” as a part of the deal. We warned against keeping it from the application form, to no avail. After completing the entire course, going through the graduation ceremony, the person was taken to the side by Delta, and asked to return the uniform and wings. The only thing this person got out of it was a return ticket home. So, think twice, if your past is less than sterling.

Before you submit your application, you should consider all the stuff that is expected from you, and the basic requirements of the job. I am not going to list them all here, because it will do you good to go on Delta’s website and get familiar with it and the airline anyway, but I will just touch briefly on a few things that you must not overlook.

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First, you must be at least 21 years old. It has nothing to do with your maturity, though one would hope that by then you are a responsible adult. It has to do with the liquor laws in the state of Georgia. In that state (where Delta is based), the minimum age for people serving alcohol is 21. You’ll be serving alcohol on the plane – quite a bit of it, as a matter of fact – and so you need to be at least 21. There is no maximum age. Delta’s oldest flight attendant used to be 74 years old.

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Second, the minimum education is a high school diploma or equivalent, and that includes equivalent from other countries for people who graduated abroad and moved later on into this country. Make sure you have the paperwork to prove it – both your high school education and the fact that you are in the U.S. legally and are entitled to work, if you are a foreigner.

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Weight must be proportionate to height (but no wigh-ins are performed).

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No height is specified, but you must be tall enough to reach the overhead compartments and not too tall that it would hinder your work.

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Vision must be correctable to 20/40.

There are two things that are specific to applicants who were born abroad:

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One, the fact that you speak a foreign language does not automatically make you a success. You must be proficient in English as well, and that includes both written and spoken English.

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Two, if you happen to be one of them (like I was) and travel on the passport issued by your home country, it has to be valid and must entitle you to unlimited exit and re-entry to the United States, and obtaining gainful employment in this country. You can also expect that you will have to get a number of “crew visas” from several countries in order to be able to work flights to any destination that Delta is serving.

And then there is the rest of requirements that are common to all airlines, and you’ll find all of them on Delta’s website.

One other important thing, before you get on the Internet to apply, is to make sure that you have ready a good resume that stresses your qualifications and abilities as best as possible to fit the job of a flight attendant. Do not upload a resume that you have put together when you were applying for a position of a secretary or a waitress; you need a resume that is aimed at the airlines, and specifically at the flight attendant position.

If you have a hard time putting a decent resume together, we can do it for you. We charge still only $35.00 and if you are in a hurry, we can do it for you in a couple of hours.

After your application is reviewed and it is filled out properly, you will be contacted for an initial phone interview. The initial screening has been done by a contracted agency. The phone interview could be anywhere from three to five questions to up to 40-45 questions. Samples of the questions are:

How important is safety in your day-to-day life?

Which is more important: customer satisfaction or customer safety?

What are some key changed that you have made or wanted to make in your workplace that have made your work better or safer? Give a detailed example.

Name something that you have learned in your personal life or in the workplace in the last five years that made you want to learn more?

In an airplane, a baby is crying, and a passenger a few rows away complaints about the noise the child is making. What will you do?

The Captain illuminates the “Fasten Seat Belt” sign because of heavy turbulence. A passenger gets up from his seats and heads for the lavatory. What do you say or do?

Delta and the FAA require that a passenger who appears to be under the influence of alcohol is not served any more alcohol. One such passenger is asking you for another drink. What will you do?

A passenger has become sick to his stomach and thinks that he will be vomiting again. What will you do?

Is it okay to skip the safety demonstration if the passengers seem bored or seem to know it?

10.

The flight is a “no cash” flight for on-board sales. A passenger offers to give you cash for a drink because he does not have a credit card. What will you do?

11.

(You have the following choices: a) Take the money and turn it to the pilot. He will know what to do with it; b) Take the money and keep it, it is so little no one will miss it; d) Offer him the drink “on the house” as a gesture of good will. He might tell people what a great airline it is; d) Refuse the money and explain that inventory is done electronically and would get affected.

12.

Have you ever been stopped or arrested for driving under the influence?

13.

Have you ever been in a drug or alcohol rehab program and was treated successfully?

14.

What kind of attendance at work do you have? Any absenteeism?

15.

Do you drink alcohol when tired at the end of the day?

16.

Do you drink alcohol socially?

17.

Have you ever been physically aggressive towards another person?

18.

Have you ever quit a job without giving sufficient notice?

19.

Have you ever been late at work without calling your employer ahead of time?

20.

Have you ever been in a situation where you were either threatened or you threatened someone else?

21.

What is the most important function of the flight attendant on board – customer satisfaction or safety?

22.

Who is in command of the entire aircraft at all times, including the crew?

23.

Tell me something about the history of Delta Air Lines.

24.

Where did you find out about the job opening?

25.

What are some of the places Delta flies to?

26.

Where are Delta Air Lines headquarters?

27.

Are you willing to accept the fact that as a flight attendant you will be required to serve pork and beef?

28.

Are you willing to accept the fact that in this position you will be required to serve alcohol to people 21 years old or older at their request?

29.

This position requires working nights, weekends, holidays and long days. Are you willing to consent to this if you are offered the position?

30.

This position may require relocation at your own expense. Are you willing and able to do that?

31.

The position is one that requires heavy lifting, long hours and strong physical stamina. Are you able to meet those requirements?

32.

In this position you may meet people of different beliefs, opinions and cultures than yours. Are you able to treat them the same as all other people?

33.

In this position there are sometimes delays due to various reasons. Are you able to accept the fact that need to be open to scheduling changes?

34.

Sometimes, a fellow employee may not be able to report to duty, and you may have to surrender your day off in order to meet the needs of the airline. Are you able and willing to do that?

35.

Is your passport current? Is it valid for at least a year?

36.

The training may be 8 weeks long. What would you do in case of family emergency?

37.

You’ll receive $1047 gross/month while in training. Will you have enough funds to tide you over during that period?

38.

Are you able and willing to consent to drug testing?

39.

Are you able to fly out id asked for an interview in Atlanta? It will be at the airline’s expense but you will have to pay all other expenses.

40.

Are you able to submit to a long day of interviews if a flight is secured on your behalf, without canceling or attempting to reschedule the flight?

Some of these questions will pop up again in your interview in Atlanta, but this phone interview is just a preliminary qualification, assuring that you are aware of the implications the job brings, and that you can and are willing to accept everything the job entails. If you answer to any of these negatively, it is automatically the end of the interview, because the airline requirements are not negotiable. Remember, they are the basic requirements.

You will be also asked to confirm the details about your documents – your social security number and your passport number. So, after you have applied, make sure you keep your passport where you can retrieve it readily, so you do not cause any unnecessary delay during the phone interview.

If you are a foreign language speaker, you may actually be tested at the end of this phone interview in the language(s) you speak, provided the company has got a speaker or speakers available. They’ll just ask you to hold and will transfer you to the appropriate language speaker. In most instances they are native speakers, but it has happened also that actually the applicants were better speakers than the person testing them.

You will also be asked at the end of the interview not to share any of this information with other prospective applicants.

Once the phone interview is concluded, and you pass, you will be on hold for a while (up to several minutes) and then are congratulated, and told that you will hear from Delta anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks. You’ll be asked not to call Delta back – it is “don’t call us, we’ll call you,” and they will. If you still feel that you have to call, consider just this: calling Delta constitutes your inability to follow instructions, and you will be removed from the interview process.

In some instances, people were referred to a website for “the second round” to answer a battery of tests, very much like Northwest used to do in the mid-1990s. This test is timed and is pretty straight forward. Do not look for trick questions. It’s only to test how quick you can be on your feet, making sure you posses at least average intelligence and reasoning. The “personality test” contains around 100 questions (give or take a few).

You have got 20 minutes for it, and there is a chance you will not finish it all. That’s OK, too, but make sure that when you are answering the questions, you answer them with the following priorities in mind:

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The company (Delta)

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The customer (passenger)

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You

The customer is always right, unless he or she is breaking the law or company regulations. Your needs are not important, you will bend backwards to satisfy both the airline and the passenger. I hope you got the drift.

If the recruiters liked your test, you’ll get again a phone call, and this time it will be an actual Delta employee – either someone from Human Resources or one of the seventy Delta people who have been recently trained for this purpose (Delta was short on people in HR to do the follow up) – and they will make sure that you have he documents they’ll ask you to bring with you:

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Resume

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Passport

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Birth certificate or adoption papers

and make three copies of each.

You’ll be also smart to look at your e-mail at least daily, because it is the preferred mode of contacting you. They will give you 72 hours to answer, and if they do not hear from you during that period, your application is purged. Those people at Delta do not have much time for chit chat, and they operate nearly 14 hours a day (from 7am to 9pm).

That means that you can get phone call between those times. If you live on the west coast that means they can call you at 4am your time (remember the time zones and time difference). Make sure you have everything at your bedside (passport, resume and anything that you may have got from Delta before that), so that you can take the call and provide any information they may still ask for without stretching the call by having to look for your stuff.

At that time you’ll be told when to fly to Atlanta and you will be given phone numbers to call in case you miss your flight. If you do miss your flight, keep in mind that it is not a great reflection on you. Delta will fly you on its planes for the interviews at no cost to you.

Your tickets are not positive space as with some other airlines. It means that you get on the flight only if there is an empty seat. Your seat is not guaranteed. It is a lot more difficult at present time (2010) because Delta has reduced flights, and remaining flights are always quite full. Try to fly in the day before if you can. If you fly around holiday seasons, be prepared that flights are almost all about 95% full and there are also Delta employees who get the rest of the seats before you. You are the last one on the totem pole when it comes to free flying. Some of our clients actually purchased a ticket to fly for their interview, so that they would have some assurance they will make the flight. It also is very impressive if you do that – it shows some confidence, both in yourself and the airline.

Since you have the lowest preference which means that any other non-revenue passengers will get on board before you do. If there is a problem with your boarding notify Personnel immediately. The phone numbers to call were given to you in an e-mail with your flight itinerary. You will be rescheduled.

The Delta business park is located near the Atlanta Heartsfield-Jackson International Airport. This airport is also Delta’s main hub, also jokingly called the “World City.”

Once you are in Atlanta, the best thing to do is to take a cab to the Administration Building at the Headquarters. It is about a ten-minute ride and all cabbies know where it is. When you get to the Administrative Building, you will be met by the receptionist in the hall. She will give you instructions as to what room to go to. You will see the other applicants there, who have come there for the same group interview as you did. Never forget that the secretary is the eyes and ears of the Company.

ATLANTA GROUP INTERVIEW

The Atlanta session is a group interview, and you may see anywhere between 20 participants (smaller number of applicants is seen mainly in groups for foreign nationals who vie for the “speaker” flight attendants) to up to 100 people in groups that are either non-speakers or a mixed group of U.S. unilingual folks and their multi-lingual counterparts.

As in the past, you will get an overview of the company. Delta has made a remarkable recovery in the last few years from losing hundreds of millions and its last profit was over $400 million (September 2010). It seems that the merger with Northwest may boost the bottom line of the airline, provided the economy does not crash again. Always keep in mind two things:

•

Prosperity of airlines depends on U.S. and global economy

•

Your employment with the airline depends of airline’s prosperity

•

Aviation is an industry that has historically lost money

Consequently, if the economy takes again a nosedive like two years ago (and we are not out of the woods yet), you may be laid off. It is as simple as that. Why am I giving it to you straight?

Because, if you have financial obligations and currently hold a reasonably good job that takes care of you and your family, it might be food for thought – you might want to wait a little to see what is happening with the economy in the next couple of years and save, before you’d make the plunge.

Keep in mind that Delta is a fairly conservative company, even today, so dress accordingly. You can never go wrong with wearing a navy-blue dress or suit with appropriate blouses or shirts and very little jewelry. Do not wear any boots or open toe shoes. You want to be a flight attendant, so show them what you might look like when you work for the airline. Be professional right from the start.

HOW DO THEY DO IT

When you enter the room where the session is conducted, you will receive a name tag and a packet with paperwork and company propaganda (I mean it in a positive sense). Aside from your name, your tag is also marked with the group that you belong to. There will be three or four (and perhaps more of there are more applicants together). Each group is not larger than 20 people.

You’ll find later on that each group goes through the same exercises, but you are going through “stations,” and so it is important to stick to your group, if only for organizational purposes.

Go through the materials in the packet when you can. You may come across things that you did not expect and you may figure out that the company is not for you. For that matter, you may come across things that you just plain don’t feel like doing. If that happens, you can just get up during the break, and return your packet and name tag and go back home.

Things like relocation and odd working hours that most people would frown on are a given, and you may have hoped that it just will not happen to you. Trust me, if the airline tells you that it may happen, it will happen. And it will happen often.

The Delta folks – most of the time they are from Human Resources – will show you a video and will go into a little bit more information after the video. You will be also invited to ask questions. While there is a very true saying that “there is no stupid question,” that applies to learning in class, but not to interviews.

Do not ask questions about things that were essentially answered by the staff in their company presentation. But make sure that you have a question or two up your sleeve – good questions that will show the recruiters that you are a serious contestant and that you are sincerely interested in the job.

When the recruiters are done with the company introduction, and there are no more questions, you’ll have your moment to shine. I coined the term “golden minute” for what you will do next. It is called “the golden minute” because it is your golden opportunity (often the only real opportunity) to sell yourself to the recruiters. And it is called a “minute” because you ought to be able to get it down to about a minute. People do not want to sit there listening to your life story, starting perhaps with your “hideous childhood in Hoboken, New Jersey.”

You will be guided by the recruiters. They’ll tell you to present

•

Your name

•

The city you came from

•

Your present job

and

•

Why you want to be a Delta flight attendant

Sounds simple enough? Well, you’d be surprised how many people screw it up. Foreign language speakers are asked to do that in their language(s).

At Midnight Flight, we do “mock interviews” with our clients, and we polish the golden minute to a shiny speech that will hit the mark. Keep in mind that this little moment in time may be what makes or breaks your chances. We do it over the phone, but local Los Angeles clients can come to our office where we include videotaping of the interview, so that we can go over it with the client and critique it.

Then you will be doing some exercises that are primarily checking your ability to read body-language and think constructively. You will get questions that test your integrity and ability to think on your feet. That’s perhaps the only difference between the old group session and the way Delta does it now.

The body language, and stressing that part, is new at Delta. The questions and situational examples of what you may encounter on the plane and how would you handle it, all those are well described and answered fully in our mini-video-seminar “170 REAL FLIGHT ATTENDANT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS” with a small supplement that came just from Delta’s questions in the last few weeks.

You can order these materials from our website

www.TomsMidnightFlight.com

for $34.95

and the DVDs and book will be shipped to you the next day. If you are short on time, we can also e-mail you the text part firs, so you can get started immediately in your preparation. We are also available to you to answer any specific questions. Just call 818-881-6790. You will get most of the time a live person who will help you. If you get a recording, we’ll return your call and, again, will answer your concerns completely.

All this at no extra charge.

Although we do not have all the questions and scenarios that you may come across word for word, we were assured that going over the “171 Real Flight Attendant Interview Questions and Answers” will prepare you well for the group by getting you in the right frame of mind.

You will go from station to station. There are three of them. Having you divided into groups saves time and makes the process a lot more expedient than if you just went one by one. After all, it takes a while to get through a 100 people, if there are that many applicants.

Station One

This is the time when you will be dealing not just with Human Resources people, but will also meet an honest-to-goodness Delta flight attendant who will tell you about the job in one of the groups. But it is a two-way street. He or she will give you some information, while he or she is observing your reactions. You will also be asked to make announcements (one announcement per person) as if you were a flight attendant and something out of the ordinary has happened, so “the flight is not going like it should.”

You will need to come up with an announcement that – at least theoretically – will calm down the passengers, or will turn a tough situation into a workable situation.

Foreign language speakers have a few extra things to think about – they’ll be asked to do announcements in their language. They may also make other announcements in their language, while others are guessing what the announcement may have been about.

Station Two

This is the time when the recruiter determines if you have what it takes. In a way, they all work on it together, but this recruiter has time to backtrack if he/she has to, and nail you down if you are not consistent.

The questions you get are aimed primarily at safety – both as a flight attendant and on your current job – your integrity, and alcohol. Again, if you have our interview materials, you will get both the questions and the best answers to them, and we can help you modify them in such a way that they pertain to the job (s) you have held and involved some sort of customer service.

People, who have had previous flight attendant experience, are asked a lot more practical questions concerning problem passengers and situations on the plane, while people without any previous experience are tested more on their emotional stability and dealing with/solving problems in their current job.

If you are a former flight attendant with another airline, you will be definitely asked why you have left that employer, and why you want to become a flight attendant again. Make sure you have a good and acceptable answer.

A good number of questions concerns alcohol – both your personal use and how would you deal with passengers who appear under the influence.

There may be a few questions you have not come across yet, and those are largely related to your emotional stamina (dealing with irate passengers or passengers who in some way are interfering with the crew). From reviewing those, it is evident that Delta is more aware of the fact that the caliber of applicants has changed (and not for the better). The airline is doing everything possible to prevent hiring anyone like Steve Slater (no longer with jetBlue).

Station Three

This station determines how well you fit in, literally. You will be in a mock-up, and you will be tested on your reach (can you reach the overhead bin and stuff in them without climbing on the seats), and also your fit in a jumpseat (do you have the glamour look, or do you sit there like a sack of potatoes?), and you’ll possibly read an on board announcement. You may even have a picture taken.

Foreign language speakers may be asked to read an announcement in their language, while others are again guessing from her or his body language what the announcement is about.

A word of caution is in order here as well: you will have a few breaks during the long day of interviews, and you may be waiting at times for your turn at different stations. Some people were under the distinct impression that applicants who have used the breaks to speak with the interviewers in a more casual way were always suddenly disappearing. The general idea is that you should mingle during the breaks with other applicants or some of the flight attendants that are planted in the area “to answer your questions,” (and to relay their impressions of you), not Delta recruiters.

The exercises end by yet another exercise. The applicants are handed a folded paper, and they are asked not to show any emotion no matter what is written on the paper, because all have something different.

We are not sure if that’s true, but that’s how you find out whether you made it through the interview session successfully – you get a “Congratulations” note. We are not certain what is on the other ones.

One thing is for sure – Delta has been telling the successful applicants the same day about their success. Others got a “sorry” letter within two or three weeks with the encouragement to re-apply in 6 months.

Some classes started in October, presumably for foreign language speakers. Language speakers who are definitely going to fly international flights (Africa and Middle East – those languages are now in demand) will be subjected to 12-week training with emphasis on service. To the best of our knowledge, people who speak only English are supposed to go through an 8-week course. We also are not sure about the length of training for Spanish speakers, who are in big demand.

The training is now longer than it used to be at Delta, primarily because Delta has a greater variety of aircraft after the merger with Northwest. The second reason – at least so we hope – is that the airline will teach the new flight attendants how to conduct on-board service properly. It has traditionally been a wek spot with Delta.

Your training may take place in Atlanta, Salt Lake City and/or Minneapolis/St. Paul, or a combination of those cities. So, we guess that even during training you may relocate.

Good Luck!

NEW CPR GUIDELINES

CPR IS CHANGING – AGAIN… THIS TIME IT’S A DIFFERENT SEQUENCE

Americans may laugh at the rest of the world and claim that U.S. is still No. 1 in medicine, so it comes as a real mind twister when the American Heart Association is changing its recommendations for Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) every 3-4 years, only this time to come to the conclusion that was the mainstay of “heart-saving” in the Netherlands for the past 40 years: when a person becomes unconscious due to ineffective heart rhythm, the first several minutes there is enough oxygen in the blood to provide oxygenation of the main organs, as long as someone does the pumping.

Thirty years ago there was a study done in Seattle, WA, where the universities have tried to objectively compare the outcome of rescue done strictly by the [then] recommended CPR, and by people who had seen it in the movies or on TV, but never had any formal training. To the researchers’ surprise, the rate of successful resuscitation was nearly the same for either group. The key to bring people back to life was to do chest compressions and eventually rescue breathing for the victims till professional help arrived. The sooner they arrived, the better it got.

American Heart Association (AHA) is changing the recommendations again as of October 18, 2010, so chances are that after you get into airline training, you may train by the new “rules.” You may like to take this one with you when you go to your airline training.

It seems like it took the AHA some 40 years to come to the same conclusion Europeans practiced for a long time – if you witness a collapse, all you need to do is chest compressions, very vigorously, because the freshly collapsed body contains blood that is truly loaded with oxygen, since the “victim” has been breathing on his or her own right till the collapse. You do not need to do any rescue breathing for at least a couple minutes.

AHA realized that going by description of steps things might get confusing, and so it came up with a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs). We are reprinting them. If you go for your recurrent training in the spring 2011, you will be affected by it. Current classes will be still taught the way that was valid until now.

American Heart Association Press Release - FAQs:

For more than 40 years, we’ve learned the ABCs of CPR – Airway, Breathing and Compressions. Now, in new 2010 AHA Guidelines for CPR & ECC, released early this morning, AHA recommends C-A-B, Compressions, Airway and Breathing. The new C-A-B sequence allows rescuers to start with the simplest step, chest compressions, and helps to remove barriers to starting CPR immediately. The AHA Guidelines for CPR & ECC continue to emphasize high-quality CPR, focusing on delivering effective chest compressions with minimal interruptions. Many of the changes and recommendations included in the new CPR and ECC guidelines are designed to simplify CPR and increase bystander response, ultimately saving more lives.

Some additional key changes include:

•

A new recommended compression depth of at least 2 inches

•

A new recommended compression rate of at least 100 beats per minute

•

The elimination of “look, listen and feel for breathing”

•

The continued recommendation that untrained rescuers provide Hands-Only CPR

•

A universal sequence (algorithm) for adult CPR

•

New protocols for EMS activation and training

•

And much more

Visit www.Heart.org/CPR to access the full 2010 AHA Guidelines for CPR & ECC in the journal Circulation, Guidelines Highlights (summary of changes), news coverage, media materials, charts, graphics and more. AHA Instructors, please make sure you are registered and confirmed with the AHA Instructor Network in order to access your Official Guidelines Instructor Update – coming late-November.

Q: What are the most significant changes in the 2010 AHA Guidelines for CPR & ECC?

A: Major changes for all rescuers, all of which are intended to simplify CPR for rescuers and to improve bystander response, include:

• A change in the CPR sequence, from Airway-Breathing-Compressions (A-B-C) to Compressions-Airway-Breathing (C-A-B)

• Continued emphasis on providing high-quality chest compressions:

Push hard, push fast

Minimize interruptions

Allow full chest recoil

Avoid excessive ventilation

• Recommendation that the chest should be depressed at least 2 inches (as opposed to approx 1 ½ to 2 inches, recommended in 2005)

• Recommendation that chest compressions should be performed at a rate of at least 100/min (2005recommendation was “Compress at a rate of about 100/min”)

• The creation of a simplified universal algorithm for adult CPR

Q: Why did the CPR sequence change from A-B-C to C-A-B?

A: There are many reasons for this change. First, this change allows rescuers to begin chest compressions right away. As we know, most victims of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) receive no bystander CPR. One of the reasons for this may be that the A-B-C CPR sequence began with opening the airway, the most difficult and daunting task for the rescuer. This change attempts to decrease the barriers to performing CPR by allowing the rescuer to start with chest compressions.

Also, the vast majority of SCAs occur in adults who suffer a witnessed arrest and ventricular fibrillation (VF) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT). In these victims, critical elements of resuscitation are chest compressions and early defibrillation, which can begin earlier if there is no delay to open the airway and provide breaths.

The process of opening the airway (which may involve getting a barrier device or setting up

ventilation equipment) takes time and delays the start of CPR. Using the C-A-B sequence lessens

this delay.

Q: Does the new CPR sequence apply to all ages?

A: No. This change applies to adults, children and infants, but excludes newborns. For newborns, rescuers should continue to use the A-B-C CPR sequence with a 3:1 ratio of compressions to breaths. This is because newborn cardiac arrest is most often because of respiratory arrest.

Q: What are the specific recommendations regarding chest compressions for untrained versus trained rescuers?

A: While the 2005 Guidelines recommended chest compression-only CPR if the rescuer was unwilling or unable to provide ventilation, there was no recommendation provided for trained versus untrained rescuers. Research now tells us that Hands-Only CPR is easier for a bystander to perform and that survival rates are similar with either Hands-Only CPR or CPR with both compressions and breaths. Therefore, the new recommendations are:

• If a bystander is not trained in CPR, he/she should provide Hands-Only CPR for an adult who suddenly collapses, or follow the directions of the EMS dispatcher

• All trained rescuers should, at a minimum, provide chest compressions for victims of SCA

• If a trained lay rescuer is able, he/she should perform rescue breaths at rate of 30:2. In all cases, the rescuer should continue CPR until an AED is available for use or EMS arrives and assumes care.

Q: Why do the 2010 Guidelines put so much emphasis on chest compressions?

A: Chest compressions provide vital blood flow to the heart and brain during an SCA, and research shows that delays or interruptions to compressions reduced survival rates. Research shows that rescuers who opened the airway first took 30 critical seconds longer to begin chest compressions than those who started CPR with chest compressions.

Ventilations are not as critical, as victims will have oxygen remaining in their lungs and bloodstream for the first few minutes of an SCA. Starting CPR with chest compressions can pump that blood to the victim’s brain and heart sooner.

Compressions should be started as soon as possible, and interruptions in chest compressions should be minimized throughout the entire resuscitation process.

Q: Why is AHA recommending a new depth for chest compressions?

A: We know that rescuers often don’t compress deep enough despite messaging to “push hard, push fast.” The 2005 Guidelines recommended a range of compression depth (between 1 ½ to 2 inches), and a range may cause confusion. To simplify compressions, one compression depth is now recommended. Also, science suggests compressions of at least 2 inches are more effective than those of 1 ½ inches.

Q: Why is AHA recommending a new rate for providing for chest compressions?

A: The new recommendation for the rate of chest compressions is that, “It is reasonable for lay rescuers and HCPs to perform chest compressions at a rate of at least 100/min.” Studies have shown that higher compression rates are associated with higher survival rates (and slower compression rates with lower survival rates). Also, the number of compressions per minute is shown to be an important factor in the return of spontaneous circulation, or ROSC.

Q: Why was “Look, Listen, and Feel for Breathing” eliminated in the 2010 Guidelines?

A: This action was removed from the CPR sequence since the sequence now begins with compressions. Also, this action delays the resuscitation process for rescuers performing CPR with both compressions and breaths. The 2010 Guidelines recommend that after delivery of 30 compressions, the rescuer should open the airway and deliver 2 breaths. Breaths should be given if the adult is unresponsive and not breathing or not breathing normally.

Q: What is the simplified universal algorithm for adult CPR and why was it created?

A: An algorithm is a sequence of actions depicted visually. A universal algorithm for adult CPR was created as part of the 2010 Guidelines in an effort to simplify lay rescuer training and continue to emphasize need for early chest compressions for adult victims of SCA.

Q: If chest compressions are so important, why aren’t ventilations eliminated completely?

A: Studies have shown that CPR that combines chest compressions and ventilations is the most effective method for treating children and infants, because cardiac arrest in children and infants is typically secondary to conditions that compromise or prevent breathing (hypoxia). A combination of compressions and breaths is also the most effective in the treatment of adult cardiac arrest caused by near-drowning, trauma, drug overdose and other non-cardiac causes.

The challenge in adopting compression-only CPR as the ONLY form of CPR is that rescuers would not be prepared to give ventilations to those who need them the most. If two forms of CPR are taught, rescuers also would need to be trained to differentiate between cardiac arrests caused by different circumstances– either resulting from cardiac or respiratory causes. This would complicate training, especially for bystanders, and reduce the likelihood that they would take correct and prompt action in an emergency.

Q: What are the key changes for 911 dispatchers?

New Guidelines include recommendations specific to dispatchers, including:

• Dispatchers should be trained to identify agonal gasps to help rescuers who may be confused by agonal gasps or seizure-like activity.

• A strong recommendation that dispatchers instruct untrained rescuers to provide Hands-Only CPR for victims who are not breathing or not breathing normally and provide instructions for both compressions and breathing if they suspect respiratory arrest.

Q: Are there key changes affecting emergency medical services (EMS)?

A: Yes, among the 2010 Guidelines recommendations for healthcare professionals are new recommendations for the activation of EMS. Instead of immediately activating EMS after finding an unresponsive victim, as recommended in the 2005 Guidelines, healthcare professions should now first check for response to determine if the victim is not breathing or not breathing normally.

Once the healthcare professional identifies an adult victim unresponsive with no breathing or no normal breathing he/she should activate EMS response. He/she then should retrieve an AED or send someone to do so. If the healthcare provider does not feel a pulse within 10 seconds, he/she should begin CPR and use the AED when it is ready.

Q: What are the key recommendations for healthcare professionals?

Key recommendations for healthcare professionals include:

• Effective teamwork techniques should be learned and practiced regularly

• Professional rescuers should use quantitative waveform capnography — the monitoring and measuring of carbon dioxide output — to confirm intubation and monitor CPR quality

• Therapeutic hypothermia, or cooling, should be part of an overall interdisciplinary system of care after resuscitation from cardiac arrest

• Atropine is no longer recommended for routine use in managing and treating pulseless electrical activity (PEA) or asystole

Q: Are there key changes regarding use of AEDs?

A: The 2010 Guidelines include the following recommendations regarding AEDs:

For infants, while a manual defibrillator is preferred, an AED may now be used if a manual defibrillator is not available

Q: Will the changes to the CPR sequence mean that AEDs have to be reprogrammed?

A: The AHA does not require AED manufacturers to make changes to devices based on the new Guidelines. However, some manufacturers may wish to make changes to their devices’ voice prompts to emphasize or reiterate the new sequence.

Q: Were AED or other device manufacturers told in advance about the changes in the 2010 Guidelines?

A: No. Due to the strict embargo of the 2010 AHA Guidelines for CPR & ECC, the AHA could not provide manufacturers of CPR, first aid or other ECC devices with any information prior to October 18, 2010. AHA realizes that, if manufacturers wish to update devices to

reflect changes to the Guidelines, it will take time for these devices to be updated. Rescuers should continue to follow the prompts of any AED or other device that they may encounter even if it is programmed to follow the CPR sequence in the 2005 Guidelines. The release of new recommendations is not meant to imply that care involving the use of earlier Guidelines is either unsafe or ineffective.

Q: Now that new Guidelines for CPR and ECC have been released, does that mean the “old” Guidelines and the “old” way of performing CPR are not safe or effective?

A: The recommendations in the 2010 AHA Guidelines for CPR & ECC confirm the safety and effectiveness of many existing approaches, acknowledge that some may not be optimal, and introduce new treatments that have undergone intensive evaluation. These new recommendations do not imply that care involving the use of earlier Guidelines is either unsafe or ineffective. This includes providing CPR using the A-B-C sequence. People should continue to perform CPR just as they were last trained and follow the prompts of the AED that they are using.

Q: When will the new Guidelines for CPR “go into affect” since new materials are not yet available?

A: In November 2010, AHA will begin conducting official Guidelines Instructor Updates, during which materials will be provided to Instructors that allow them to integrate new science into the current courses they are teaching. Until Instructors receive these materials, they should continue to teach the same science they have been teaching using the current materials.

Training materials reflecting the new Guidelines will launch throughout 2011 and, as they are launched, the AHA will announce new materials to Instructors and Training Centers.

Q: If I just took a CPR or ECC course, will I need to take the class again?

A: No, anyone who took an AHA CPR, first aid or advanced cardiovascular care course prior to the release of new Guidelines does not need to take the course again until it is time for retraining. For credentialed courses, course completion cards are recognized as valid for two years by the AHA, regardless of the science changes. An employer or regulatory agency may set specific requirements for either an in-service update, or require employees to retake the course with the new Guidelines.

Q: If I don’t have to take another class until my course completion card expires, should I perform CPR using the “old” sequence of A-B-C versus the new sequence of C-A-B?

A: You should continue to perform CPR the way you were taught to in your CPR class by your Instructor. New recommendations do not imply that care involving the use of earlier Guidelines is either unsafe or ineffective.

Q: What about legal aspects of performing CPR using the “old” sequence?

A: Good Samaritan laws, which apply in most states, state that as long as a person is acting in good faith, he/she cannot be held liable. Performing CPR in the manner in which a person was taught is acting in good faith. The most important thing is that people take immediate action. The new recommendations do not imply that care involving the use of earlier Guidelines is either unsafe or ineffective.

Q: Should EMS and hospitals (or everyone for that matter) begin implementing the new C-A-B CPR sequence immediately?

A: Local EMS and hospital protocols are determined by the medical director of those respective healthcare systems and may be changed by those authorities at any time. An EMS system or hospital may opt to implement C-A-B CPR at any time.

However, in November 2010, through official AHA Guidelines Instructor Updates, AHA will begin providing Instructors and Training Centers tools that will allow them to integrate the new science into their current courses. New training materials reflecting new Guidelines will become available throughout 2011. As they are released, the AHA will announce the new materials to Instructors and Training Centers.

Q: I have purchased (or received) an AHA CPR Anytime kit, which teaches CPR using the A-B-C

sequence. Should I not use the CPR taught through the kit? Will I be able to receive a refund or

an updated CPR practice DVD reflecting the C-A-B sequence?

A: The CPR that is taught in the CPR Anytime kits is safe and effective, and those who purchased CPR Anytime kits should continue to perform CPR the way it is taught on the CPR Anytime Skills Practice DVD. For this reason, there will not be a “replacement” DVD for the kit. The kit teaches the core skills of CPR (both compressions and ventilations) and emphasizes the use and effectiveness of Hands-Only CPR for rescuers who are unwilling or unable to provide ventilations. Being prepared to respond with CPR is the most important part of CPR Anytime training.

Q: When will AHA courses reflect the new Guidelines?

A: AHA training materials updated to reflect new Guidelines will launch throughout 2011. The tentative release dates for 2011 products were provided to the AHA Training Network in November 2009. Below are the current product release dates. Preliminary dates are subject to change at any time.

Confirmed Release Dates:

November 3, 2010 – AHA Reprint: 2010 Guidleines for CPR & ECC

November 30, 2010 – 2010 Handbook of ECC for Healthcare Providers

Release Dates by Calendar Quarter:

First Quarter 2011 (January – March)

•

Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (BLS HCP)

•

Family & Friends CPR

•

Family & Friends CPR Anytime kit

Second Quarter 2011 (April – June)