Annual Salary for an Airline Attendant
The salaries of airline flight attendants are affected by experience, union issues, the location of the airline or its hub cities, flight patterns and length, and international flight factors. U.S. flight attendants must be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration if they work on planes with 20 or more seats. Most airlines require a minimum of a high-school diploma to be a flight attendant, although, increasingly, airlines are looking for college educations in applicants. Training, typically three to six weeks, is provided by the airlines.
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National Salary Averages
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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median wage for airline attendants is $40,010, with a bottom 10th percentile median wage of $25,420 a year and a high-end median salary of $71,280. These salary figures don’t include fringe benefits enjoyed by many flight attendants, such as reduced-fares or free flights, and medical and other benefits provided by most airlines. Salary.com places flight attendants’ median salary much higher, at $55,603 per year.
Airlines
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Pay rates vary from airline to airline, as do benefit packages and per-diem pay, which basically is the amount paid per hour for flight attendants while not in flight — waiting at airports, for example, or serving on stand-by or on-call duty. These rates typically are $1.50 to $2 an hour. A flight attendant’s salary is based on the number of hours in flight, which averages about 75 hours per month but can vary greatly according to seniority and types of flights flown. Different airlines pay different hourly rates. Sky West, for instance, provides a starting wage of $17.50 an hour, or $15,750 a year, at time of publication. These figures are based on 75 flight hours a month and don’t include $1.65 an hour, per-diem pay, lodging and meal pay, or benefits. Second-year pay reaches $20.88 an hour, or $18,792 annually. United Airlines flight attendants average $22.38 an hour or $36,038 a year, according to GlassDoor.com. American Airlines pays an average of $30.17 an hour and $46,510 annually. Southwest’s average hourly wage is $33.34 and the average salary is $59,569.
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Geography
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Large metropolitan areas and cities that serve as an airline’s hub pay the highest flight attendant salaries. Los Angeles, for example, is a hub for four airlines and also serves many international flights, and flight attendants located there earn a median salary of $61,052, according to Salary.com. The low-end median salary is $44,795 and the top 10th percentile salary is $80,623. On the other hand, flight attendants in Fort Smith, Arkansas, make a median salary of $46,929, with a bottom 10th percentile median salary of $34,433 and a high-end salary of $61,973.
Job Postings
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A review of online flight attendant job listings on April 14, 2011, showed an opening with Mesaba Airlines, a subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines and an operator of Delta connector flights. The position is in Eagan, Minnesota, Mesaba’s headquarters near Minneapolis. The starting wage is $16.47 per flight hour, with annual increases. The average first-year income is $16,000 based on 75 flight hours per month. ExpressJet has a vacancy based at its O’Hare Airport location in Chicago. The position’s starting pay rate is $19 per flight hour, with 80 hours a month guaranteed, for an annual salary of $18,240.00. Per-diem pay is $1.80 for each hour of active duty.
Outlook
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The job-growth rate for flight attendants is projected to be 8 percent through 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Competition is expected to be intense, with people attracted by the prospect of travel and flexible work schedules. Aspiring flight attendants who hold college degrees or are experienced in communications, public relations or related fields will enjoy the best prospects of securing employment.
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References
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