What Does it Take to Become a Flight Attendant?

Flight attendant at work.

Flight attendants are an essential element to commercial flight crews and the airline industry. These individuals first and foremost ensure the safety and security of the passengers, as well as seeing to the comfort of all those aboard an aircraft.

Mind-set

A person who desires a flight attendant career tends to have the mind-set of seeking adventure, likes having a non-traditional schedule and is willing to interact with the public. An applicant must be willing to relocate to any one of an airline's flight-attendant base cities.

Minimum Flight Attendant Qualifications

Most airlines require prospective flight attendants to hold a high school degree or equivalent (although airlines like to see higher education), and some airlines or countries have a minimum age requirement, such as 18 or21. Often, the applicant must be a citizen of the airline's country and be legally authorized to travel internationally. A physical examination and background check are required.

Preferred Additional Qualifications

Preferred additional qualifications include customer-service experience and knowledge of more than one language, particularly widely spoken languages such as English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese or Japanese.

Appearance Standards

Many airlines maintain strict height-weight proportion standards as well as other appearance and grooming requirements.

Flight Attendant Training

Flight attendant training typically lasts several weeks and covers a wide range of issues and scenarios. Training includes normal cabin operations and how to interact with passengers, safety procedures, many different types of emergency situations and airline regulations.

References

• Minimum Qualifications to Becoma a Flight Attendant
• Bureau of Labor Statistics - Flight Attendants
• Flight Attendant Cabin Crew Training

Resources

• Association of Professional Flight Attendants