How hard is it to become a flight attendant?
It’s difficult and can take a long time. Airlines can take 3-6 months to get through the hiring process, that’s if your resume makes it through the first cut. Intense competition. We estimate there are 1 – 1. Entry level flight attendant salary. Salaries below this are outliers.New hires start at around $35. With more than 12 years of service, experienced attendants can earn over $79.Average base salary The average salary for a flight attendant is $29. United States. Indeed in the past 36 months (updated October 5, 2025).
Do flight attendants get 40 hours a week?
A flight attendant can expect to work 30–40 hours a week, but they can do more or fewer hours depending on the airline, the length of the flights they work on, e. They must be able to reach overhead compartments, which is why most airlines have a minimum height requirement of 4’11. Flight attendants must also have good eyesight or wear corrective lenses.However, it’s important to understand that the journey to becoming a flight attendant is not for the faint of heart. The intense competition, strict requirements, and demanding training process are all part of what makes this career path so difficult.As a flight attendant, your schedule will rarely follow a 9-to-5 routine. Shifts vary significantly, including early morning departures, red-eye flights, and extended layovers. Flexibility is crucial, as schedules often change based on airline needs or unforeseen delays.Flight Attendant Requirements & Qualifications Each airline has their own flight attendant requirements: 4’11″-6’4” tall – Many airlines have more restrictive height requirements.The flight attendant lifestyle offers freedom, travel perks, and the ability to shape your own schedule—especially once you gain seniority. It really is such a fun job and you can choose how much you fly, how much you work, where you go,” says the flight attendant featured in this career interview.
What is the 24/7 rule for flight attendants?
Each certificate holder conducting domestic operations shall relieve each flight crewmember engaged in scheduled air transportation from all further duty for at least 24 consecutive hours during any 7 consecutive days. Working Hours A flight attendant can expect to work 30–40 hours a week, but they can do more or fewer hours depending on the airline, the length of the flights they work on, e.Here’s where the 35-7 rule comes in. The U. S. Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) guidelines indicate that reserve flight attendants — those who don’t have a specific flight assignment and are on-call — cannot work more than 35 hours of flying time within a seven-day period.The Complexity of a Flight Attendant’s Work Schedule On average, flight attendants work about 75 to 100 hours a month in the air and an additional 50 hours on ground tasks such as preparing flights and writing reports. Despite the seemingly low number of hours, the job is far from a typical 9-to-5 role.The 35-in-7 rule applies only to Reserve Flight Attendants and provides that a Reserve may not be scheduled to exceed 35 flight hours in any seven (7) consecutive 24-hour periods.
Can I live off being a flight attendant?
It is possible to live on this minimum wage pay, but it requires discipline, and awareness. It’s not always fun, but if you are able to find a balance for yourself between spending, and saving, living independently on what a flight attendant makes, you will give yourself a gift. Flight attendants frequently deal with stressful situations, from medical emergencies to unruly passengers. The emotional labor involved in managing these interactions can be draining, leaving little energy for personal pursuits or relaxation after a flight.Most airlines don’t pay flight attendants for vital safety-related duties like assisting passengers with additional needs, attending to medical and safety emergencies, boarding, deplaning, and ground delays.Flight Attendants might spend more time living in hotels than they do at their own houses. Flight attendants are based out of different cities every few months and their home base is usually somewhere else on the other side of the country!Flight attendants are some of the most understudied workers, yet studies have shown reduced respiratory and cardiovascular health, increased breast cancer, melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancer, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma risk, and higher rates of musculoskeletal conditions, ALS, anxiety, depression, and fatigue disorders .
Do you get paid during flight attendant training?
It depends on the airline so you’d want to start there to understand the pay contract. Most trainings are unpaid. Am I paid while in training? Flight attendant trainees receive training pay of $1,500 (less applicable taxes) in two installments. The first half is paid during the first/second pay period of the month, depending on training start date. The second installment is paid upon successful completion of classroom training.Training Compensation: Training is paid at 65 flight hours. If training is successfully completed, pay for the entire training period will be approximately $1,900.