If you’re thinking about how to become a flight attendant, you’ve got to know that there’s a lot more to this job than you might be thinking. More than serving drinks and tending to passengers, flight attendants have a chief responsibility to ensure the safety of the flight and crew.
It’s an important job and one that comes with a lot of perks including travel, competitive pay, and generous vacation time.
Curious about what it takes to work in this travel career?
In this article you’ll learn:
- How to become a flight attendant including
- Flight attendant skills required
- Where to find flight attendant jobs
- Flight attendant salary
- Common questions about embarking on this career, and more
If you’re ready to find a job as a flight attendant, we recommend ZipRecruiter! ZipRecruiter is free and makes applying for jobs simple. Get started with ZipRecruiter today!
How To Become A Flight Attendant
To become a flight attendant, there’s generally a 4 to 5 step process:
Step 1: Apply for the job
You can submit your job application for the airline of your choice. There are different kinds of flight attendant jobs: private flights and commercial flights. You can research the requirements and background for each job and apply to the position of interest to you.
Here’s a brief comparison of the two jobs.
Private vs commercial flight attendant job
Private flight attendant jobs are typically not entry-level positions like commercial flight attendants.
To work in this job, you’ll need some previous flight attendant experience.
Comparing her experience as a private vs commercial flight attendant, Kara shared that her job as a private flight attendant was more inconsistent but, higher-paying.
The focus is more on the food experience than flight safety in her experience and appearance plays a role as well.
For an entry-level role as a flight attendant, you’ll want to apply for this job for a commercial airline.
Before you apply, make sure your resume is up-to-date! If you need help with your flight attendant resume, we recommend working with a resume writing service. Resume writing services are an inexpensive way to make sure your resume lands in the hands of a hiring manager. Check out our guide to the best resume writing services.
Step 2: Interview
The interview process may vary from airline to airline. It could be either a group or individual interview or both. American Airlines does both.
The first round of interviews is a virtual group interview followed by an individual in-person interview by invitation only.
Step 3: Training
Following a successful interview, you’ll be invited to start flight attendant training. The flight attendant training process is different from airline to airline. The training process with American Airlines is unpaid however, the food and lodging are provided.
Step 4: Complete training and start work
Upon successful completion of flight attendant training and if selected, you’ll be able to start working as a flight attendant.
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Flight Attendant Skills
While a college degree and prior experience are not required to become a flight attendant, there are skills you need to have to work in this career.
What skills should a flight attendant have?
As an overview, you should have these skills and abilities:
- Good health - You’ll be required to stand for long periods of time, required to perform physical tasks, and be able to sit in a jumpseat.
- Good vision - A minimum of 20/40 correctable vision is required to become a flight attendant.
- Communication skills - This is a soft skill that you should master for any career and a standout character trait as a flight attendant. For more information, check out our guide to including soft skills on your resume.
- Physical height requirements - You’ll be working in close quarters with limited ceiling height.
You should be an excellent communicator, have a good personal demeanor, be friendly and helpful, assertive, and have diplomacy.
Based on the airline you work at, there may be physical requirements like a minimum/maximum height required for work. You should also be in good health and have good eyesight.
Where To Find Flight Attendant Jobs
You can find flight attendant jobs by searching online job search sites, searching for job listings on social media networks like Linkedin or Facebook, or applying for work at the airline directly.
Ziprecruiter
Ziprecruiter is a job search site that gives you access to millions of jobs that are available. You can search for a variety of jobs in many industries for part-time, full-time, and remote positions.
For more information, read our ZipRecruiter review.
Indeed
Indeed is one of the most popular job sites. They also have tools like company reviews, resumes, and more.
For more information, read our Indeed review.
Glassdoor Jobs
Glassdoor shatters the income ceiling and provides a place for true income transparency. If you want to know what other flight attendants are actually earning, you can use Glassdoor to perform your search.
Their jobs section is extensive with a company background section to review, a company rating, a list of benefits, why to work for the company section, and more.
For more information, read our Glassdoor review.
How Much Do Flight Attendants Make
The average flight attendant salary in the United States is $59,987 per year, according to Ziprecruiter. The top 3% of flight attendants earn up to $180,000 per year and the bottom 17% make between $20,500 to $34,999 annually.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions you might have about how to become a flight attendant.
1. How long does it take to become a flight attendant?
Once you get hired at the airline, it can take an average of 3 to 6 weeks to complete flight attendant training. After training is completed and you receive your certificate, there may be additional on-the-job training required by your employer before you start working on flights.
2. What qualifications do I need to be a flight attendant?
If you want to become a flight attendant, you should have these qualifications:
- High school diploma
- Be at least 18 years old
- 1-2 years of work experience (background in customer service and/or hospitality is helpful)
- Meet the physical requirements (i.e. minimum/maximum height requirements)
- Good physical health (you’ll be required to stand on your feet for long periods of time)
3. Is it hard to become a flight attendant?
Yes, the process of becoming a flight attendant is challenging. There are up to 1.5 million job applications for 5,000 to 10,000 jobs hiring. It’s very competitive and the training process is long, sometimes taking up to 3 to 6 months for the entire process.
4. Is a flight attendant a good job?
Working as a flight attendant is a rewarding job that gives you access to perks that many careers don’t offer. If you’re looking for an adventurous job that includes travel, a chance to work with great people, and benefits, this is the career to look into.
The Bottom Line
Becoming a flight attendant is definitely not an easy career path to take but if you can get in, you’ll be promised benefits like competitive pay (the average salary is nearly $60,000/year), travel, and invaluable work experience that you can take with you to other jobs in the future.
Ready to take the first step? Become a flight attendant today by applying on ZipRecruiter!
