Flight Attendants

Employment for flight attendants is expected to increase by 10 percent from 2023 through 2033, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), or much faster than the average for all careers. "Demand for air travel, particularly from leisure travelers, will continue to support employment growth for flight attendants," according to the DOL. "Federal regulations require a minimum number of attendants per flight. These workers will continue to be needed to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers on flights." An estimated 980,000 new cabin crew members (including 184,000 in North America) will be needed worldwide during the next two decades, according to Boeing's 2024 Pilot and Technician Outlook.

Even in the best of times, finding employment as a flight attendant is highly competitive, and since some job restrictions at airlines have been abolished, the once high rate of turnover for flight attendants has declined. Many of the job openings through 2033 will arise from replacement of flight attendants who retire or transfer to other jobs.

Regional and low-cost airlines may also offer better job opportunities for flight attendants.

Students interested in this career will have a competitive advantage if they have at least two years of college and prior work experience in customer relations or public contact. Courses in business, public relations, travel and tourism, hospitality, psychology, sociology, geography, speech, communications, first aid and emergency medical techniques such as CPR, and knowledge of foreign languages and cultures will make the prospective flight attendant more attractive to the airlines.