Flight Attendants: A Complete Overview of Their Career and Responsibilities
What happens when a lithium battery catches fire in mid flight? Which by the way, is an increasingly common issue. You guessed right! A flight attendant will extinguish it, even if this requires handling a flaming device that can reach up to 1000°F (537°C).
Given the extremely high safety standards of the aviation industry, most of us have only met the calm and polite side of flight attendants. However, they are literally lifesavers when it comes to emergency situations, as many incidents and accidents have successfully proven.
In this article, we will go through the most important aspects of their career, training and responsibilities.
How to become a flight attendant?
All job descriptions for flight attendants put a strong focus on customer service. This is the most important point. Any prior experience, training or colleague degree in this area is always highlighted as a plus.
The appearance of the applicant is also important. This might seem a bit out of place for many, but given that flight attendants have a big role in representing their airline, it is understandable that they have some criteria on it.
Sometimes, the appearance requirements stand out for their lack of precision; an intentional one, because, if precision was given, the ad will probably make a few headlines. At the time of writing, a flight attendant job description from Alaska Airlines reads as:
“Must be able to meet the company's uniform and appearance standards.”
Apart from an explicit tattoo policy, the appearance standards are not disclosed, nor the size of the company's uniform.
A minimum fitness level is also required. I will take the chance to clarify that placing luggage in the overhead compartments is not a flight attendant's duty. Most airlines are clear on this: pack light enough to be able to manage your own luggage. This does not apply to people that requires special assistance though.
Fitness is needed to endure long flights and handle emergency situations. Again, our Alaska Airlines ad includes:
“Must be able to lift 35 lbs”, "Walk and stand for significant periods of time"
If the applicant is selected, they begin a course given by the airline that covers all the important areas of the job. A final exam is required to obtain an official certification.
To summarize, anyone aiming to become a flight attendant will maximize their chances by following these steps.
- Get a training or colleague degree in any area related to customer service (not essential, but beneficial)
- Get working experience in customer service (hotels, restaurants, help-desks, etc.)
- Speak several languages
- Have interest in aviation and engineering
- Keep yourself healthy and fit.
- For most airlines, avoid tattoos and piercings. The airline wants to project their image on you. Not vice versa.
- Study: if selected, you will need to pass a certification test.
Certification and training
Newly recruited flight attendants attend mandatory trainings given by the airline that can last anywhere between 5 weeks to 6 months. Here they learn the basics of aviation, safety procedures, and emergency procedures.
The training is only completed after passing a test issued by the regulatory agency of the country. In the US it would be the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and in Europe the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Recurrent training and testing is also mandatory, typically in a yearly basis. This ensures that emergency procedures are always fresh and that flight attendants keep up to date with changes in the aviation technology.
It is often asked if a flight attendant would be able to land a plane in the extremely unlikely event that both pilots are suddenly incapacitated. The short answer is No, since flight attendants don't receive any formal training on this. However, given their general knowledge in aviation, they will likely the ones who communicate with air traffic control and attempt to land the plane.
Enjoying the flight attendant role
The role of a flight attendant is very physically and mentally demanding. A study from Melbourne University estimates that about 63% of flight attendants suffer from abnormal levels of fatigue, and that about 40% from depression.
Long-haul flights overlapping with the sleep cycle, multi-segment short-haul flights that span over 4-5 days, and occasional unpolite treatment from some passengers, all of these gradually accumulate stress and fatigue.
On top of that, if passengers already hate the idea of a delayed flight, imagine how happy flight attendants are to make a few compulsory extra hours.
Overall, you will enjoy more the flight attendant job if you:
- Have the flexibility to adapt to the airline schedules.
- Are a good sleeper (you can fall asleep “anywhere”, without the need of sleeping pills).
- Enjoy helping others.
- Exercise to train for the long standing times.
Junior, senior and purser
Junior flight attendants have the same task of ensuring safety and comfort of the passengers, but they delegate conflicts and emergency situations to senior members. Senior flight attendants are also more likely to work in the business and first class to ensure a more premium service.
Pursers (or cabin leads) are senior flight attendants that have passed additional training in areas such as leadership and in-flight operations. Their main tasks are to organize the work for the crew members, communicate with the cockpit, and ensure that all operations are carried out within the safety requirements.
It should be noted that the distribution of flight attendants varies a lot with the aircraft and flight time. For example, a small regional jet will likely fly with a junior and senior flight attendant (the latter one taking the role of purser), whereas a long haul flight will require a larger crew with a specialized purser.
What is the flight attendant salary?
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median flight attendant salary in the US in 2023 was $68,370 per year. Pilots, on the other hand, make $171,210 per year, which is more than twice as much as their flight attendant colleagues.
Jobs with a similar pay as flight attendants are secondary school teachers ($65,220), electricians ($61,590) and police officers ($74,910). All values given here are also median 2023 salaries.
The 2022 report from Women in Aviation shows that, whereas flight attendants are roughly 80% women, the number of women among licensed pilots is 10% or less.
The causes for the striking difference in gender ratio is probably a mix of different factors. Some could be caused by the challenge of going into a male dominated environment with lack of female role models, others from the fact that different genders have different preferences for a job. The same report also cites that within maintenance technicians, women are only 2.5% of them.
What emergency situations do flight attendants handle?
Fire fighting: flight attendants are trained to extinguish fires from lithium batteries, portable electronic equipment, waste bins (due to – illegal – cigarette use), etc. To do so, they have at their disposal fire extinguishers, gloves, googles and even oxygen masks.
Sudden cabin depressurization: in this case flight attendants are trained to accurately identify and report the root cause and implications of the observed depressurization. This information is essential for pilots to make the right decision on how to proceed.
Evacuations: 90 seconds. All aircraft need to demonstrate that they can be evacuated within that time, at maximum passenger capacity and with only half of the evacuation doors operational. Needless to say that flight attendants are well trained to make this happen. We all remember the fire in Japanese Airline flight 516 in 2024, where, despite the intense fire, flight attendants managed to evacuate all 367 passengers to safety.