Cabin Crew Superintendent Dougie East formed the Air Cabin Crew Fund as a self-help group in 1972. Its main aim is to help the cabin crew community, who are absent through illness, to keep in touch with the airline and their colleagues.

It is a self-funded organisation with crew members asked to make a voluntary contribution of at least £2 a month from their salaries. At the present time we have in the region of 4500 contributors. In return, personal contact is maintained through periods of sickness. Individual needs are identified and support and assistance is given to the crew members and their families.

Cabin crew are an absent work force and when a crew member is away from flying due to ill health, contact with colleagues is lost. Today, with a larger work force, this problem has increased significantly. The Fund has always been administered and maintained by current and retired cabin crew who give freely of their own time and sometimes have to deal with difficult circumstances.

The team members hold a position of extreme trust as they are often in possession of highly confidential and personal information.