How to Become a Flight Attendant

By eHow Careers & Work Editor

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The main responsibility of flight attendants is to make certain that airline safety regulations are carried out aboard an aircraft. Although their salaries are relatively low, flight attendants receive the major benefit of free fares from their own airline and reduced fares from other carriers.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Travel Clocks
Luggage Sets
Telephone Calling Cards

Step1

Search for flight attendant open house listings in the newspapers of larger cities, or check online with individual airlines for job opportunities and requirements.

Step2

Understand that your competition will have at least a two-year college degree and customer service experience, and that many airlines now require both.

Step3

Learn at least one foreign language if you plan to work for an international airline.

Step4

Accept that you may have to relocate to another city at the beginning of your career.

Step5

Be prepared to live on a reserve status for at least one year after your initial four- to six-week training period. You will need to be available as an on-call person, often on short notice. Advancement into regular assignments results from seniority, and the competition is fierce.

Step6

Expect to fly 75 to 85 hours a month and to also work on the ground. But realize that you will be paid for flight time only.

Tips & Warnings

Learn to be on time for every event in your life before you begin this career. Your job will definitely depend on your arriving within 10 minutes of your assigned schedule.
Set aside time for annual training in emergency procedures and passenger relations.
Realize that you will work nights, weekends and holidays and often be in locations far away from your home. You'll learn to use the telephone and e-mail frequently to keep in touch with friends and family.
If you have problems standing for long periods of time, this is not the career for you.
Consider the possibility of medical problems brought on by irregular sleep, poor diet, stress and breathing recycled air.

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Comments

susiehughes11 said

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on 6/23/2008 how tall do you have to be and what is the weight requirement?

shelby09 said

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on 5/21/2008 i am an upcoming senior. and i have absolutely NO idea what i want to do after i graduate. i have seriously considered being a light attendant but some articles make it seem harder than i thought it really was.. i really need some insight and advice.. pleasee!!

bliflyer said

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on 11/24/2007 The best way to ensure you WON'T get hired is to refer to the job as "Stewardess" -- that went out with beehive hairdos. And you will not make 40K to start; it's more like 15-18K. And you won't be on reserve for about a year; it's more like 3-6 years dependant on the carrier. If you don't have previous customer service experience, you better be adept at convincing an interviewer that you have. And know a foreign language is not going to help. International trips are in the 20-30 year seniority range so chances are you will have forgotten the language you learned before ever getting you use it.

bliflyer said

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hillarywirth said

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on 5/14/2007 i'm currently a junior in high school. i'm from a small town in wisconsin and am looking to be a flight attendant. i was considering going to MATC in madison wisconsin but i haven't the slightest clue what i want to go for. i'd like to do something that would later benefit me in becoming a flight attendant. i did some research and i can't seem to find any schools close by and i don't think i'd be ready to leave so suddenly to go to a school further away just yet. do you have any suggestions on schools? and if not, what about common classes in college that would help. i'd strongly appreciate it. the guidance counselor in my school is of no use since no one has ever wanted to be a flight attendant from my school i guess.

thanks again, hillary.

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