Flight Attendants

Transportation, Distribution and LogisticsO*NET 53-2031.00United States

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

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $63,607
Projected change: +13.4%
Typical education: High school diploma or less
Employment: 136.47K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What flight attendants do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

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.
Determine special assistance needs of passengers, such as small children, the elderly, or persons with disabilities.
Attend preflight briefings concerning weather, altitudes, routes, emergency procedures, crew coordination, lengths of flights, food and beverage services offered, and numbers of passengers.
Reassure passengers when situations, such as turbulence, are encountered.
Check to ensure that food, beverages, blankets, reading material, emergency equipment, and other supplies are aboard and are in adequate supply.
Announce flight delays and descent preparations.
Greet passengers boarding aircraft and direct them to assigned seats.
Prepare reports showing places of departure and destination, passenger ticket numbers, meal and beverage inventories, the conditions of cabin equipment, and any problems encountered by passengers.
Assist passengers entering or disembarking the aircraft.
Inspect and clean cabins, checking for any problems and making sure that cabins are in order.
Conduct periodic trips through the cabin to ensure passenger comfort and to distribute reading material, headphones, pillows, playing cards, and blankets.
Operate audio and video systems.
Answer passengers' questions about flights, aircraft, weather, travel routes and services, arrival times, or schedules.
Collect money for meals and beverages.
Heat and serve prepared foods.
Inspect passenger tickets to verify information and to obtain destination information.
Assist passengers in placing carry-on luggage in overhead, garment, or under-seat storage.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $35,060
25th percentile: $51,701
50th percentile: $63,607
75th percentile: $95,744
90th percentile: $136,810

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $63,607 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+13.4%faster than average

2025136,467 jobs

2035 projected154,715 jobs

18,248 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less: 73.8%
Bachelor's degree: 12.4%
Some college: 10.4%
Associate degree: 2.7%
Certificate: 0.8%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Regulations
Lifting Ability
Aviation
Service Standards
Safety Procedures
First Aid
Emergency Procedures
Flight Safety
Influencing Without Authority
Cosmetics
Food Services
Inventory Management
Loyalty Programs
Demonstration Skills
Food Safety And Sanitation
Occupational Safety And Health
Service Industries
Audiometry
Sanitation

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Flight Attendants441 postings
02Cabin Attendants79 postings
03Commissary Managers72 postings
04Chief Stewards48 postings
05Inflight Supervisors33 postings
06Pursers/Flight Attendants29 postings
07Cabin Crews26 postings
08Vending Attendants22 postings
09International Flight Attendants16 postings
10Passenger Service Managers13 postings
11Corporate Flight Attendants12 postings
12First Officers8 postings
13Helicopter Flight Instructors6 postings
14Crew Scheduling Supervisors5 postings
15Flight Operations Interns5 postings
16UPS Drivers5 postings
17Kitchen Stewards4 postings
18Pursers4 postings
19Aircraft Cabin Agents3 postings
20Airline Agents3 postings

Top employers

01United Airlines84 postings
02American Airlines Group61 postings
03Elior Group49 postings
04Skywest Airlines49 postings
05Breeze Airways47 postings
06Jet Aviation33 postings
07Marriott International31 postings
08Alaska Airlines24 postings
09Dynamic International Airways21 postings
10Delaware North20 postings
11Frontier Airlines18 postings
12Horizon Air17 postings
13United States Department of Homeland Security15 postings
14Hawaiian Holdings13 postings
15Avelo Airlines11 postings
16Emirates Airlines11 postings
17Republic Airways11 postings
18Summit Food Service11 postings
19Netjets10 postings
20Solairus Aviation10 postings

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