Flight Attendants

Employers

Approximately 130,300 professionally trained flight attendants are employed in the United States. Commercial airlines employ the vast majority of all flight attendants, most of whom are stationed in the major cities that serve as their airline's home base. A very small number of flight attendants work on company-owned or private planes.

Starting Out

Individuals who are interested in becoming flight attendants should apply directly to the personnel divisions of airline companies. The names and locations of these companies may be obtained by contacting Airlines for America. Addresses of airline personnel division offices can also be obtained from almost any airline office or ticket agency. Some major airlines have personnel recruiting teams that travel throughout the United States interviewing prospective flight attendants. Airline company offices can provide interested people with information regarding these recruitment visits, which are sometimes announced in newspaper advertisements in advance.

The Web sites of major airlines feature extensive information about the career of flight attendant, application requirements, and the interview and hiring process. Here are the Web sites for some major airlines:

• American Airlines: https://jobs.aa.com/go/Flight-Attendants/2537300
• Delta Airlines: https://www.delta.com/us/en/careers/flight-attendant-careers
• Southwest Airlines: https://careers.southwestair.com/flight-attendants
• United Airlines: https://careers.united.com/us/en/flight-attendant-information

Most flight attendants start out working on reserve status, or on call. They must be ready to report for duty on short notice. As flight attendants gain experience, they transition from reserve to regular status and have more control of their work schedule.