Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Situational Awareness; Training / Qualification
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Security; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Procedure; Company Policy
-This is a general statement not isolated to a single flight-It has be nine months now since Boeing flight attendants started working Airbus flights. And yet; there is still a fundamental lack of understanding of how the Airbus intercom system works as well as flight deck entry and exit procedures. Flight attendants are using All Call on the intercom system to confirm doors are armed for departure. This is necessary on the A321 due to the multiple mid-cabin jumpseat stations; but it is not necessary on the A319/320 and as a result pilots are distracted by an intercom buzzer that interrupts our pre-flight duties.Flight attendants are blocking access to the forward galley successfully and as expected from a legacy (airline) perspective. However; the flight attendants that will be entering the flight deck do not always understand the urgency of the flight deck door being open for as short amount a time as possible. I have had 'A' flight attendants; usually the least experienced new-hire flight attendants are placed in this position of responsibility; wandering around the galley area waiting for me to open the door instead of standing ready to enter the flight deck as soon as the door is open. When I told them they need to be ready to enter the flight deck quickly their response was 'Why?' Seriously; this actually happened. I explained that the longer the flight deck door is accessible the bigger the security threat becomes. They then commented that 'It's different than how we do it on the Boeing.'You are a multi-equipment operation now. I hope someday the cabin crews I have to work with will learn to drop the negative attitude toward the Airbus; which is fostered from the top levels of management down; and learn how to execute procedure properly. Additionally; if flight attendants can't manage to learn two different flight deck entry procedures perhaps the company should re-evaluate the minimum hiring requirements for what is arguably one of the most important safety positions in the company. Or; perhaps whoever is designing the training curriculum should spend some time flying the Airbus because a poorly trained flight attendant is a liability to the rest of the crew in an emergency situation. And yet; I have been told by newly graduated flight attendants that they receive no training at all on the use of the intercom and that their first experience with the entry/egress procedure is at cruise altitude.
Airbus Captain reported cabin crew not sufficiently trained for Airbus safety procedures.