I must admit i had no idea what to expect. I didn’t even know what I would be doing. As I sat anxiously on my Korean Air flight from New York to Seoul, I found myself watching the flight attendants and wondering if I would have a better understanding of the way they work on my return flight a few days later. I was headed for a two-day crash course in flight attendant training at Korean Air world headquarters, located near Gimpo Airport in Seoul, Korea. And, let me tell you, the rigorous training course covers every single detail imaginable. All that work adds up to the exceptional, warm and efficient service directed at every passenger on board a KAL flight.

Korean Air prides itself on its first-rate training. Courses for brand-new attendants include comprehensive safety instruction; lessons on service, hair and makeup; and practical training on food and beverage service. Food and beverage training occurs at the Catering Center, while all other instruction takes place at a state-of-the-art training facility built in 2001. Instructors are pulled from the 4,000-plus cabin crew staff employed by Korean Air. Most of the flight attendants are females, actively recruited from Russia and throughout Asia, including Korea, China and Thailand. All male flight attendants are promoted from various positions within the company.

By hiring attendants from around Asia, Korean Air aims to offer its passengers international service highlighted by flight attendants who are fluent in their languages and who are intimately familiar with their cultures. While all classes for non-Korean recruits are conducted in English, KAL flight attendants essentially become trilingual, fluent in their native tongues, English and Korean.

My first day of flight attendant training was dedicated to economyclass food and beverage service. I arrived at the Catering Center at 8:30 a.m. to find the place bustling with early-morning activity. All food and beverage preparation occurs here; training is conducted in mockup stations designed to replicate the interiors of KAL’s fleet.

Trainees start almost every day with a written test and a series of stretching exercises. With those tasks completed, I joined a group of Chinese recruits dressed in the uniform Italian designer Gianfranco Ferré created for the airline in 2004. New attendants wear white jackets combined with pants or skirts and blue or white shirts. Blue jackets signify purser-level attendants. Without a uniform of my own, I blended in with an apron supplied by the instructor.

Each intensively interactive session begins with a short briefing followed by plenty of hands-on practice. On day one we served plastic replicas of Korean and Western menu items and learned about coffee and tea service. By day two trainees move on, serving real food and learning the ins and outs of meal prep in a mock-up galley. Individuals pair up to practice with “welcome cart” service, serving peanuts and a beverage. The class covers every aspect of the service, including loading the cart properly and learning the galley locations of all the necessities. As we worked our way up the aisle, instructors observed and offered tips and other constructive criticisms.

Although I was definitely a few steps behind my fellow trainees, I was quite pleased I had some restaurant experience under my belt when it was my turn to take to the aisle. Once I was center stage, though, I realized just how difficult it is to keep up with service demands while serving the snacks and beverages. As I asked my fellow students, posing as passengers, what they would like to drink, I had to remember to serve the window seat passenger first, but to clear the dishes from the aisle seat first. That may sound like a walk in the park, but it’s easy to lose track as you try to keep moving and smiling. Other seemingly minute, but very important details (believe me, you’ll notice on every flight from this day forwa rd) included making sure to pull — never push — the cart, always wiping the rim of a can before serving, pouring wine with one hand, and never collecting too much refuse at one time.

The most important rule of thumb? Recognize the passenger’s “castle” — his or her own personal space. To honor a passenger’s space, flight attendants must always stand even with the seatbacks, always serve with the appropriate hand and never lean over a passenger. With all of these directives scrambling for space at the forefront of my memory, I heaved a huge sigh of relief when I finished my turn at the practice task.

KAL records all training sessions so the class as a whole can review and discuss the experience. Instructors also throw in real-life monkey wrenches to keep trainees on their toes and help them learn how to deal with less-than-compliant passengers. I learned what to do when I approached a sleeping passenger and how to diplomatically disclose that we had run out of a certain food or beverage item.

Later that day I silently observed a Korean-language business-class refresher course. Flight attendants are required to attend refresher courses throughout the year. I didn’t understand a word that was said, but I could clearly interpret the distinctions between training for service in business class versus economy class.

At the end of the day I headed over to the training center for a quick tour. The awe-inspiring fourstory facility includes classroom space, multiple plane mock-ups, flight simulators, state-of-the-art equipment, real Boeing aircraft life rafts and an Olympic-size swimming pool. The sessions that take place in this building are completed prior to food and beverage service training, so I had missed out on that portion of the program. Still, it was clear there is no room for error in this building where trainees learn CPR, fire prevention, emergency evacuation procedures and other safety measures that may come into play during extreme situations. Fail just one test and you’re out.

The message that came through loud and clear on day two: It’s all about the details. We spent the early part of the morning viewing a PowerPoint-enhanced lecture designed to hammer home KAL’s ideals which, in sum, equal a genuinely heartfelt desire to serve.

I was honestly impressed with the way instructors stressed particulars. Repetition reinforced the proper pronunciation and inflections of Korean phrases. The instructor went through the class one by one, finetuning bowing posture including body angle and foot position. I’ll confess, all of the bowing left me feeling physically and mentally tired. There’s so much to remember: make eye contact, bend at the waist, keep your head and back in a straight line, pause for a moment, and on and on. After just two days of training, my head was overflowing with information. I can’t even begin to imagine how trainees absorb everything they’re taught during the full multi-week training session.

As day two came to an end, I spent my last few hours as a trainee learning about hair and makeup. Just as detailed as the other learning modules, this session focused on proper face cleansing technique, makeup application, skin care and more. The classroom resembled a sleepover party as we all began to practice hair and makeup on one another. (I learned some interesting makeup tips.)

During my flight home, I viewed the flight attendants through new eyes. I watched as they served from the left, bowed to the passengers and poured wine with one hand. I knew why they wore headbands and how they selected their eye shadow color. The truth is, I enjoyed being in on their secret and understanding the key to Korean Air’s first-rate service.