Cabin Crew Superintendent Dougie East formed the Air Cabin Crew Fund as a self-help group in 1972. Its main aim was to help the cabin crew community who were absent through illness 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 4200 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 the larger work force this problem has increased significantly. The fund has always been administered and maintained by current or retired cabin crew who give 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.