Flight Attendants

Career Overview

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

Also Known As

• Flight Attendant
• In-Flight Crew Member
• International Flight Attendant
• Purser

Alternate Job Titles

• Aircraft Cabin Agent
• Airline Attendant
• Airline Flight Attendant
• Airline Hostess
• Airline Stewardess
• Airplane Flight Attendant
• Cabin Attendant
• Door and Arrival Attendant
• Flight Attendant
• Flight Crew
• Flight Crew Member
• Flight Hostess
• Flight Steward
• In-Flight Crew Member
• Inflight Services Flight Attendant

What You'll Do

In this role, your typical responsibilities include:

• Verify that first aid kits and other emergency equipment, including fire extinguishers and oxygen bottles, are in working order.
• Announce and demonstrate safety and emergency procedures, such as the use of oxygen masks, seat belts, and life jackets.
• Monitor passenger behavior to identify threats to the safety of the crew and other passengers.
• Walk aisles of planes to verify that passengers have complied with federal regulations prior to takeoffs and landings.
• Direct and assist passengers in emergency procedures, such as evacuating a plane following an emergency landing.
• Prepare passengers and aircraft for landing, following procedures.
• Administer first aid to passengers in distress.

Knowledge You'll Use

You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:

• Customer and Personal Service
• Public Safety and Security
• English Language

Essential Skills

Success in this career requires strong skills in:

1. Speaking
2. Active Listening
3. Monitoring
4. Social Perceptiveness
5. Service Orientation
6. Coordination

Key Abilities

This career requires key abilities in:

• Speech Clarity
• Oral Expression
• Speech Recognition
• Oral Comprehension
• Problem Sensitivity
• Near Vision
• Deductive Reasoning
• Information Ordering
• Auditory Attention
• Far Vision

Work Style

People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:

• Dependability
• Cooperation
• Self-Control
• Attention to Detail
• Stress Tolerance

What Matters in This Career

This career tends to satisfy these work values:

• Relationships
• Support
• Working Conditions
• Independence
• Achievement

Education & Preparation

Typical Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month

Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.

Technology You'll Use

Popular Technologies & Software

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office software
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Windows
• Microsoft Word

Tools & Equipment

• Aircraft fire extinguishing systems
• Automated external defibrillators AED
• Blood pressure recorders
• Cabin management systems
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR equipment
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR masks
• Chemical oxygen generators
• Commercial cooking ovens
• Desktop computers
• Electrical circuit breakers
• Emergency exit doors and windows
• Emergency locator transmitters
• Emergency rafts
• Epi-pens
• Evacuation slides

Work Environment

• Health and Safety of Other Workers
• Public Speaking
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
• Contact With Others
• Deal With External Customers or the Public in General

Salary & Job Market

Salary Percentile	Annual Wage
Entry-Level (10th percentile)	$34,030
Median	$67,130
Top Earners (90th percentile)	$138,040

Workers Employed Nationally: 130,110

Related Careers

If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:

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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.