Median Annual Wage: $42,290
Education: Some college, no degree (33%); High school diploma or equivalent (30%); Associate's degree (26%)
Projected Growth: Decline (-3% or lower)
Related Job Titles: Flight Attendant; Purser; In-Flight Crew Member; Flight Attendant and Union Safety Chairperson; Flight Attendant/Air Transportation Supervisor; Flight Attendant/Inflight Manager; Flight Attendant/Inflight Supervisor; International Flight Attendant; Lead Instructor/Flight Attendant; Flight Attendant, Inflight Services
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Source: O*NET OnLine information for Flight Attendants.
More Transportation and Material Moving Careers
- Direct and assist passengers in emergency procedures, such as evacuating a plane following an emergency landing.
- Administer first aid to passengers in distress.
- Announce and demonstrate safety and emergency procedures, such as the use of oxygen masks, seat belts, and life jackets.
- Walk aisles of planes to verify that passengers have complied with federal regulations prior to takeoffs and landings.
- Prepare passengers and aircraft for landing, following procedures.
- Attend preflight briefings concerning weather, altitudes, routes, emergency procedures, crew coordination, lengths of flights, food and beverage services offered, and numbers of passengers.
- Check to ensure that food, beverages, blankets, reading material, emergency equipment, and other supplies are aboard and are in adequate supply.
- Determine special assistance needs of passengers such as small children, the elderly, or disabled persons.
- Announce flight delays and descent preparations.
- Reassure passengers when situations such as turbulence are encountered.
- Greet passengers boarding aircraft and direct them to assigned seats.
- Inspect passenger tickets to verify information and to obtain destination information.
- Assist passengers entering or disembarking the aircraft.
- Operate audio and video systems.
- Answer passengers' questions about flights, aircraft, weather, travel routes and services, arrival times, or schedules.
- Take inventory of headsets, alcoholic beverages, and money collected.
- 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.
- 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.
- Assist passengers in placing carry-on luggage in overhead, garment, or under-seat storage.
- Collect money for meals and beverages.
Source: O*NET OnLine information for Flight Attendants.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- 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.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- 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.
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Source: O*NET OnLine information for Flight Attendants.