Flight Attendant
Quick Facts
Median Salary$53,909
Most Common EducationHigh school or GED
Projected 10-Year GrowthN/A
Assessment MatchTake the Assessment
What They Do
A Flight Attendant attends to passengers and provides customer service on a commercial airplane. Guides passengers to their seats, assists with luggage, explains safety procedures, serves drinks and food, and assists passengers as needed in emergencies.
Core Tasks:
- 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.
What to expect as a Flight Attendant
1Earn a High school or GED Diploma
51% of people achieve this level of education.
2Gain skills and experience
See Flight Attendant related courses on Tallo
3Land a job
145 openings for Flight Attendants
Career Progression
in United States (Nation)
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