Flight Attendant Job Benefits

Air support crews are part of a large industry.

Flight attendant can be a rewarding career with many benefits. These benefits are particularly applicable to those who enjoy travelling, as the biggest benefit is the ability t fly cheaply or for free. However, bear in mind that these benefits attract a lot of people, and even though there is a large number of airlines, competition for flight attendant jobs is fierce.

Cheap Travel

While there is usually a probationary period of three to six months, after this period has passed flight attendants are welcome to fly for free or inexpensively on their time off. However, these benefits are not without strings. For one, cheap and free flights are granted on a space-available basis. If a flight is full, flight attendants flying for free are the first to be bumped. What's more, free and cheap flights must generally be on the airline the flight attendant works for. While reciprocal agreements do exist with other airlines, these usually cost 10 percent of the highest price available, which is generally more expensive than flights available through kayak.com and other flight search engines.

Time Off

Because of the long, intense nature of flight attendant work, airlines generally offer flight attendants more days off than do more traditional "nine-to-five" jobs. Flight attendants enjoy 10 to 15 days off per month, while those who work the standard Monday to Friday only get eight. Even the low end of flight attendants' time-off scale is two days more than most other people, the high end is nearly double. This gives flight attendants ample time to enjoy the free travel.

Standard Benefits

Finally, airlines are well-known for their generosity in the more standard benefits. These include 401(k) plans, credit unions, and excellent medical and dental insurance.

References

• The Perqs of Being a Flight Attendant
• The Truth About Flight Attendant Travel Benefits