What Flight Attendants Do

Flight attendants provide routine services and respond to emergencies to ensure the safety and comfort of airline passengers.

Work Environment

Flight attendants work evenings, weekends, and holidays, because airlines operate every day and have overnight flights. Attendants work in aircraft and may be away from home several nights per week. Most have variable schedules.

How to Become a Flight Attendant

Flight attendants receive initial training from their employer and must be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Although flight attendants must have at least a high school diploma or the equivalent, some airlines prefer to hire applicants who have taken some college courses. Prospective flight attendants typically need previous 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.

Job Outlook

Employment of flight attendants is projected to grow 2 percent from 2014 to 2024, slower than the average for all occupations. Job prospects should be best for applicants with a college degree.

Growth & Trends

This occupation supported 84,800 jobs in 2012 and 97,900 jobs in 2014, reflecting an increase of 15.4%. In 2012, this occupation was projected to decrease by 6.6% in 2022 to 79,200 jobs. As of 2014, to keep pace with prediction, the expected number of jobs was 83,600, compared with an observed value of 97,900, 17.1% higher than expected. This indicates current employment trends are much better than the 2012 trend within this occupation. In 2014, this occupation was projected to increase by 2.6% in 2024 to 100,100 jobs. Linear extrapolation of the 2012 projection for 2022 results in an expected number of 78,000 jobs for 2024, 22.1% lower than the 2014 projection for 2024. This indicates expectations for future employment trends are much better than the 2012 trend within this occupation.

Flight Attendants Employment and Labor Information 2023

Flight Attendants Employment Brief:

Monitor safety of the aircraft cabin. Provide services to airline passengers, explain safety information, serve food and beverages, and respond to emergency incidents.

Flight Attendants Job Description

Here is a Job Description an employer might post for potential Flight Attendants.

Flight Attendants Responsibilities and Duties:

• Sell alcoholic beverages to passengers.
• Take inventory of headsets, alcoholic beverages, and money collected.
• Attend preflight briefings concerning weather, altitudes, routes, emergency procedures, crew coordination, lengths of flights, food and beverage services offered, and numbers of passengers.
• Inspect and clean cabins, checking for any problems and making sure that cabins are in order.
• Operate audio and video systems.
• Check to ensure that food, beverages, blankets, reading material, emergency equipment, and other supplies are aboard and are in adequate supply.
• Heat and serve prepared foods.
• Administer first aid to passengers in distress.
• Walk aisles of planes to verify that passengers have complied with federal regulations prior to takeoffs and landings.
• Answer passengers' questions about flights, aircraft, weather, travel routes and services, arrival times, or schedules.

Typical Daily Tasks of Flight Attendants:

• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public.
• Getting Information.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Assist customers to ensure comfort or safety. Assist others during emergencies. Assist passengers during vehicle boarding. Provide first aid or rescue assistance in emergencies.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Resolve issues affecting transportation operations.
• Handling and Moving Objects.
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Maintain surveillance of individuals or establishments. Monitor activities of individuals to ensure safety or compliance with rules. Monitor patron activities to identify problems or potential problems.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Clean vehicles or vehicle components.

Flight Attendants Skills and Requirements:

• Operation and Control Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• Writing Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Reading Comprehension Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
• DatabasesUsing a computer application to manage large amounts of information, including creating and editing simple databases, inputting data, retrieving specific records, and creating reports to communicate the information.
• Critical Thinking Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
• Installation Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs to meet specifications.
• Service Orientation Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Monitoring Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Persuasion Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
• Judgment and Decision Making Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Flight Attendants Education and Training:

Typical education for include: High school diploma or equivalent.

Flight Attendants Salary, Wages, and Salary and Job Outlook

Flight Attendants average pay is: $63760 per year according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employees who work in Scheduled Air Transportation are the highest paid making $NA, while Scheduled Air Transportation make the least at $NA per hour.Here are the top city/metro areas with the highest paying salaries for a Flight Attendants: