Flight Attendants
Career, Salary and Education Information
What They Do: Flight attendants provide routine services and respond to emergencies to ensure the safety and comfort of airline passengers.
Work Environment: Flight attendants have variable work schedules, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, because airlines operate every day and some offer overnight flights. Attendants work in an aircraft and may be away from home several nights per week.
How to Become One: Flight attendants typically receive on-the-job training from their employer and must be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Salary: The median annual wage for flight attendants is $61,640.
Job Outlook: Employment of flight attendants is projected to grow 21 percent over the next ten years, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Related Careers: Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of flight attendants with similar occupations.
Following is everything you need to know about a career as a Flight Attendant with lots of details. As a first step, take a look at some of the following Flight Attendant jobs, which are real jobs with real employers. You will be able to see the very real job career requirements for employers who are actively hiring. The link will open in a new tab so that you can come back to this page to continue reading about the career:
Top 1 Flight Attendant Jobs
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Customer Service - Learning & Development
- Apex Premier Management
- Merced, CA
We're a trusted customer acquisition partner for top- flight telecommunication companies nationwide, and we are seeking a talented CSR to join our growing team! Enhancing the customer experience to ...
What Flight Attendants Do[About this section] [To Top]
Flight attendants provide routine services and respond to emergencies to ensure the safety and comfort of airline passengers.
Duties of Flight Attendants
Flight attendants typically do the following:
- Participate in preflight briefings with the pilots, to discuss cabin conditions and flight details
- Conduct preflight inspections of emergency equipment
- Demonstrate the use of safety equipment and emergency equipment
- Ensure that passengers have their seatbelts fastened when required and that all other safety requirements are observed
- Serve and sell beverages, meals, or snacks
- Take care of passengers' needs, particularly those with special needs
- Reassure passengers during the flight, such as when the aircraft hits turbulence
- Administer and coordinate emergency medical care, as needed
- Provide direction to passengers, including how to evacuate the aircraft in an emergency
Airlines are required by law to provide flight attendants for the safety and security of passengers. The primary job of flight attendants is to keep passengers safe, ensuring that everyone follows security regulations and that the flight deck is secure. Flight attendants also try to make flights comfortable and stress free for passengers. At times, they may deal with passengers who display disruptive behavior.
About 1 hour before takeoff, the captain (pilot) may conduct a preflight briefing with flight attendants about relevant flight information, including the number of hours the flight will take, the route the plane will travel, and weather conditions. Flight attendants check that emergency equipment is working, the cabin is clean, and there is an adequate supply of food and beverages on board. Flight attendants greet passengers as they board the aircraft, direct them to their seats, and provide assistance as needed.
Flight attendants demonstrate the proper use of safety equipment to all passengers, either in person or through a video recording before the plane takes off. They also check that seatbelts are fastened, seats are locked in the upright position, and all carry-on items are properly stowed in accordance with federal law and company policy.
A flight attendant's most important responsibility, however, is to help passengers in the event of an emergency. This responsibility ranges from dealing with unruly passengers to performing first aid, fighting fires, protecting the flight deck, and directing evacuations. Flight attendants also answer questions about the flight, attend to passengers with special needs, and generally assist all passengers as needed.
Before the plane lands, flight attendants once again ensure that seatbelts are fastened, seats are locked in the upright position, and all carry-on and galley items are properly stowed.
Before they leave the plane, flight attendants survey the condition of the cabin. They submit reports on any medical, safety, or security issues that may have occurred during the flight.
Work Environment for Flight Attendants[About this section] [To Top]
Flight attendants hold about 106,300 jobs. The largest employers of flight attendants are as follows:
| Scheduled air transportation | 95% |
| Nonscheduled air transportation | 2% |
Flight attendants work primarily in the cabins of passenger aircraft. Dealing directly with passengers and standing for long periods may be stressful and tiring. Occasionally, flights encounter air turbulence, which may make providing service more difficult and cause anxiety in some passengers. Handling emergencies and unruly customers also may be difficult and stressful.
Flight attendants may spend many nights away from home. Employers typically provide meal allowances and may arrange sleeping accommodations, such as in hotels or apartments shared by a group of flight attendants.
Injuries and Illnesses for Flight Attendants
Flight attendants have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. Common injuries include sprains, strains, and bruises. To avoid injury, these workers must follow safety procedures. For example, they must ensure that overhead compartments are closed, especially during turbulence, so that carry-on items don’t fall and present a risk to everyone in the cabin. Attendants also ensure that carts are properly stowed and latched during emergencies to prevent injuries to passengers and themselves.
Flight Attendant Work Schedules
Flight attendants may have variable schedules, and part-time work is common. They often work nights, weekends, and holidays because airlines operate every day and have overnight flights. They may spend several nights per week or per month away from home. In most cases, a contract between the airline and the flight attendant union determines the total daily and monthly workable hours.
On-duty shifts per day may vary from 4 to 18 hours or longer, such as for international flights. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires specific hours of rest between duty periods based on the duration of a completed duty period. Each month, flight attendants may fly a specified number of hours and generally spend another specified number of hours on the ground preparing flights, writing reports, and waiting for aircraft to arrive.
A flight attendant’s assignments of home base and route are based on seniority. New flight attendants must be flexible with their schedule and location. Almost all flight attendants start out working on call, also known as reserve status. Flight attendants on reserve usually live near their home airport, because they may have to report to work on short notice.
As they earn more seniority, flight attendants may have more control over their schedules. For example, some senior flight attendants may choose to live outside their home base and commute to work. Others may choose to work only on regional flights. On small corporate airlines, flight attendants may work on an as-needed basis.
How to Become a Flight Attendant[About this section] [To Top]
Get the education you need: Find schools for Flight Attendants near you!
Flight attendants receive training from their employer and must be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Flight attendants need a high school diploma or the equivalent and work experience in customer service.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old, be eligible to work in the United States, have a valid passport, and pass a background check and drug test. They must have vision that is correctable to at least 20/40 and often need to conform to height requirements set by the airline. Flight attendants also may have to pass a medical evaluation.
Flight attendants should present a professional appearance and not have visible tattoos, body piercings, or an unusual hairstyle or makeup.
Education for Flight Attendants
A high school diploma is typically required to become a flight attendant. Some airlines may prefer to hire applicants who have taken some college courses.
Those who work on international flights may have to be fluent in a foreign language. Some enroll in flight attendant academies.
Work Experience in a Related Occupation for Flight Attendants
Flight attendants typically need 1 or 2 years of work experience in a service occupation before getting their first job as a flight attendant. This experience may include customer service positions in restaurants, hotels, or resorts. Experience in sales or in other positions that require close contact with the public and focus on service to customers also may help develop the skills needed to be a successful flight attendant.
Flight Attendant Training
Once a flight attendant is hired, airlines provide their initial training, ranging from 3 to 6 weeks. The training usually takes place at the airline's flight training center and is required for FAA certification.
Trainees learn emergency procedures such as evacuating aircraft, operating emergency equipment, and administering first aid. They also receive specific instruction on flight regulations, company operations, and job duties.
Toward the end of the training, students go on practice flights. They must complete the training to keep a job with the airline. Once they have passed initial training, new flight attendants receive the FAA Certificate of Demonstrated Proficiency and continue to receive additional on the job training as required by their employer.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations for Flight Attendants
All flight attendants must be certified by the FAA. To become certified, flight attendants must complete their employer's initial training program and pass an exam. Flight attendants are certified for specific types of aircraft and must take new training for each type of aircraft on which they are to work. In addition, attendants receive recurrent training every year to maintain their certification.
Advancement for Flight Attendants
Career advancement is based on seniority. On international flights, senior attendants frequently oversee the work of other attendants. Senior attendants may be promoted to management positions in which they are responsible for recruiting, instructing, and scheduling.
Important Qualities for Flight Attendants
Attentiveness. Flight attendants must be aware of any security or safety risks during the flight. They also must be attentive to passengers' needs in order to ensure a pleasant travel experience.
Communication skills. Flight attendants should speak clearly, listen attentively, and interact effectively with passengers and other crewmembers.
Customer-service skills. Flight attendants should have poise, tact, and resourcefulness to handle stressful situations and address passengers' needs.
Decisionmaking skills. Flight attendants must be able to act decisively in emergencies.
Physical stamina. Flight attendants push, pull, and carry service items, open and close overhead bins, and stand and walk for long periods.
Flight Attendant Salaries[About this section] [More salary/earnings info] [To Top]
The median annual wage for flight attendants is $61,640. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $37,020, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $81,400.
The median annual wages for flight attendants in the top industries in which they work are as follows:
| Scheduled air transportation | $61,870 |
| Nonscheduled air transportation | $61,830 |
Flight attendants receive an allowance for meals and accommodations while working away from home. Although attendants may be required to purchase an initial set of uniforms and luggage, their employer usually pays for replacements and upkeep. Flight attendants generally are eligible for discounted airfare or free standby seats through their airline.
Flight attendants may have variable schedules, and part-time work is common.
Job Outlook for Flight Attendants[About this section] [To Top]
Employment of flight attendants is projected to grow 30 percent over the next ten years, much faster than the average for all occupations.
About 18,100 openings for flight attendants are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment of Flight Attendants
Much of the projected employment growth in this occupation is due to recovery from the COVID-19 recession of 2020 and is likely to occur early in the projections decade. A return to normal patterns of travel following the pandemic is expected to support job growth of flight attendants, who will continue to be needed to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers on flights.
| Occupational Title | Employment, 2021 | Projected Employment, 2031 | Change, 2021-31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | Numeric | |||
| Flight attendants | 106,300 | 128,400 | 21 | 22,100 |
More Flight Attendant Information[About this section] [To Top]
For more information about flight attendants, visit the career webpage of any airline company, contact its personnel department, or visit
Association of Flight Attendants—CWA
A portion of the information on this page is used by permission of the U.S. Department of Labor.