SOC 53-2031.00Bright outlook

    Flight Attendants

    Monitor safety of the aircraft cabin.

    Median pay
    $63,580
    Growth
    +8.8%
    Much faster than average
    Openings a year
    18,500
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $35,110
    Median
    $63,580
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $136,430
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    131,650 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Flight attendants ensure the safety and comfort of airline passengers during flights. The career offers a median annual salary of $63,580, with opportunities ranging from entry-level positions to highly paid roles.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What flight attendants do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Monitor safety of the aircraft cabin. Provide services to airline passengers, explain safety information, serve food and beverages, and respond to emergency incidents.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    What the work is like

    Flight attendants spend their workdays interacting directly with the public to ensure a safe and pleasant flight. They monitor the aircraft cabin, explain safety procedures, serve food and drinks, and handle emergency situations. This role requires strong skills in speaking, active listening, and service orientation to assist passengers and resolve conflicts.

    To perform these duties, attendants rely on knowledge of customer service, public safety, transportation, and psychology. They must evaluate cabin conditions to ensure compliance with aviation standards and make quick decisions during unexpected events. Key work styles for this career include dependability, self-control, stress tolerance, and empathy. The job suits individuals with conventional interests who enjoy structured tasks and helping others.

    How to get there

    Entering this career typically requires a high school diploma. It is classified as a job zone that requires some preparation, meaning candidates usually need a high school education along with some on-the-job training or previous work experience.

    While a high school diploma is the standard minimum, some individuals choose to study related college majors such as air transportation to prepare for the field. Airlines provide their own specialized training programs for new hires to teach them safety protocols, emergency procedures, and service standards before they begin working on flights.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for flight attendants is $63,580. This means half of the workers in this field earn more than this amount, while the other half earn less. Earnings can vary significantly based on experience and the airline, with the lowest 10 percent earning under $35,110 and the top 10 percent earning over $136,430.

    With 131,650 people currently employed, the occupation is projected to grow by 8.8 percent from 2025 to 2035. This growth rate is much faster than the average for all occupations. Job seekers can expect about 18,500 openings each year during this period.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    51 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    17 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    5 / 100
    Social (S)
    53 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    44 / 100
    Conventional (C) · strongest
    57 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code CSR. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    95
    Getting Information
    82
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    81
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    77
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    77
    Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
    76
    Handling and Moving Objects
    76
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    76
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    75
    Performing General Physical Activities
    74
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Speaking
    • Active Listening
    • Monitoring
    • Service Orientation
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Coordination
    • Active Learning
    • Critical Thinking
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Time Management

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Public Safety and Security
    • English Language
    • Transportation
    • Psychology
    • Geography
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Foreign Language
    • Law and Government

    Abilities

    • Oral Expression
    • Speech Clarity
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Speech Recognition
    • Near Vision
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Auditory Attention
    • Information Ordering
    • Extent Flexibility

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Attention to Detail
    • Self-Control
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Cautiousness
    • Social Orientation
    • Adaptability
    • Empathy
    • Integrity

    Also called

    Aircraft Cabin Agent · Airline Attendant · Airline Flight Attendant · Airline Hostess · Airline Stewardess · Airplane Flight Attendant · Cabin Attendant · Door and Arrival Attendant · Flight Attendant · Flight Crew

    Career pathway

    From your interests to flight attendants

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Flight Attendants$63,580 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1
      Utah Valley University

      Orem, UT · Air Transportation · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $70,419
      4 yrs after
      $106,001
      Median debt
      $20,375
    2. 2University of North Dakota logo
      University of North Dakota

      Grand Forks, ND · Air Transportation · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $59,101
      4 yrs after
      $104,472
      Median debt
      $25,250
    3. 3Utah State University logo
      Utah State University

      Logan, UT · Air Transportation · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $43,591
      4 yrs after
      $103,989
      Median debt
      $24,375
    4. 4Minnesota State University-Mankato logo
      Minnesota State University-Mankato

      Mankato, MN · Air Transportation · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $57,213
      4 yrs after
      $103,858
      Median debt
      $21,500
    5. 5
      Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus

      Portales, NM · Air Transportation · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $91,027
      4 yrs after
      $103,617
      Median debt
      $19,143
    6. 6Liberty University logo
      Liberty University

      Lynchburg, VA · Air Transportation · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $77,466
      4 yrs after
      $102,096
      Median debt
      $20,500
    7. 7
      Ohio University-Main Campus

      Athens, OH · Air Transportation · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $56,127
      4 yrs after
      $99,701
      Median debt
      $25,000
    8. 8
      Middle Georgia State University

      Macon, GA · Air Transportation · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $53,459
      4 yrs after
      $93,627
      Median debt
      $19,035

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What flight attendants may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Airline Flight Attendant

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about flight attendants

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What is the typical education required to become a flight attendant?

    To enter this career, candidates typically need a high school diploma. Airlines then provide the necessary on-the-job training to prepare new hires for flight duties.

    How fast is employment in this field expected to grow?

    Employment for flight attendants is projected to grow by 8.8 percent from 2025 to 2035. This rate of growth is considered much faster than the average for all occupations.

    What are the salary ranges for flight attendants?

    The median annual salary for flight attendants is $63,580. The lowest 10 percent of earners make less than $35,110, while the highest 10 percent earn more than $136,430.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.