Becoming a flight attendant is an exciting opportunity for those who love to travel and interact with people. It’s also a great way to meet new people and make lifelong friends. In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about becoming a flight attendant, including what it takes to be successful in this industry.

What Do Flight Attendants Do?

Flight attendants are responsible for providing safety instructions, assisting passengers with their needs, and answering questions while the plane is in flight. They also assist passengers with boarding and disembarking from the aircraft.

Flight Attendants Need A Special Skillset

To become a flight attendant, you’ll need to have excellent customer service skills and a positive attitude. You’ll also need to be able to work well under pressure and multitask efficiently. You may also have to have some formal education or experience in hospitality or retail sales.

What Are Some Other Requirements?

You must be at least 18 years old, possess good vision and hearing abilities (you’ll have regular vision exams throughout your career), be able to pass a drug test and background check before starting training school (usually about one month), and be willing/able to work irregular hours including nights, weekends, holidays and international travel times (which can range from 3

   Flight Attendant How To Become

1. Get a high school diploma. The minimum education requirement for flight attendants is a high school diploma.
2. Earn a college degree. …
3. Build customer service skills. …
4. Apply for a job. …
5. Train. …
6. Get certified. …
7. Complete reserve status. …
8. Advance in your career.

Flight attendant requirements

To get hired as a flight attendant, you must be at least 18 years old, have a current passport, have at least 20/40 vision and pass a drug test and background check. You might also need to pass a medical examination and meet an airline’s height requirements. Flight attendants should have a professional appearance and excellent customer service.

Education

Flight attendants must have at least a high school diploma and preferably an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Instead of going to college, some people enroll in flight attendant school. If you want to work on international flights, you might need to take foreign language classes.

Training

Most flight attendants need a year or two of work experience to gain customer service skills. Once hired as a flight attendant, they must participate in three to six weeks — and in some cases, up to six months — of training provided by the airline. During this training period, flight attendants learn safety and emergency procedures, first aid, flight regulations and job duties. They also take practice flights.

All flight attendants must complete this initial training to get certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). They might have to complete additional job training, depending on the airline.

Certifications

Flight attendants must be certified with one of the following credentials:

FAA Certificate of Demonstrated Proficiency

This certificate, which flight attendants earn by completing their on-job training and passing an exam, is mandatory. Flight attendants must train for and become certified for each type of aircraft they work on. They must also continue receiving training each year to stay certified.

Flight Attendant Certificate Courses

Organizations such as Inflight Institute offer certification programs by type of airline: charter, regional, national or international. Their partner airlines require flight attendants to take these online courses, which cover topics ranging from aviation terminology to safety procedures to passenger handling, before being hired.

Skills

Flight attendants typically enjoy working with people and have strong customer service skills. They also appreciate traveling and seeing new places and are comfortable working long or unusual hours. Skills flight attendants need to succeed include:

• Attention to detail: Flight attendants must monitor passengers for problems or suspicious activities. They must also be meticulous when doing safety checks on equipment and people.
• Communication: Flight attendants should be able to speak clearly and confidently when giving safety demonstrations and when interacting with passengers and crew. They should also be courteous and have good listening skills.
• Customer service: Part of a flight attendant’s job is providing hospitality. They should have a friendly and patient attitude when providing services to ensure passengers have a comfortable and positive flight.
• Stamina: Flight attendants often work long hours, respond to challenging passengers and handle heavy items such as luggage and service carts. They are also on their feet frequently.
• Efficiency: Flight attendants must work quickly and efficiently to complete preflight tasks for an on-time departure. They must also perform in-flight services within the amount of time they will be in the air. 
• Leadership: In case of an emergency, flight attendants need to take charge and make quick decisions to guide passengers to safety.

Flight attendant work environment

Flight attendants may be part-time or full-time. They might work for commercial, corporate, regional or international airlines. They work unconventional hours and schedules because airlines operate day and night, year-round and on holidays and weekends. Most airlines ensure flight attendants work no more than 12 hours a day, but international flights may require them to work longer. The FAA requires flight attendants to have at least nine hours off between shifts. They often spend nights in hotels between flights and might be away from home for days at a time.

Flight attendants spend part of their workdays in the air and part on the ground preparing or waiting for the next flight. When flying, they work in the plane’s cabin with other flight crew members. A flight attendant’s job can be stressful at times, as they must deal with difficult or anxious passengers, respond to emergencies and air turbulence and be on their feet for long periods.  

Flight attendants typically have to gain years of experience and seniority before they can choose their schedule and location. Many flight attendants choose to live near their base airport so they can commute to work quickly, particularly if they get called in on short notice.

How to become a flight attendant

To be a flight attendant, you must complete training and certification to ensure you can be responsible for passengers’ safety and comfort. The path to becoming a flight attendant is fairly straightforward and includes the following steps:

1. Get a high school diploma. The minimum education requirement for flight attendants is a high school diploma.
2. Earn a college degree. While most airlines will hire flight attendants without degrees, an associate or bachelor’s degree in a field such as public relations could make you more attractive to employers.
3. Build customer service skills. Work for a year or two in a hospitality or service job to develop your customer service skills. This experience will look good on your resume when applying for flight attendant jobs. You might work at a restaurant, hotel or in any role that requires interacting with people.
4. Apply for a job. If you are over age 18 and have good health and vision, you can apply for flight attendant positions with various airlines.
5. Train. If an airline hires you, you will spend several weeks or months in training to prepare for FAA certification. Training courses include safety, first aid, responding to challenging flight or passenger situations, evacuation, putting out fires, survival skills, self-defense and personal health, among others. 
6. Get certified. After you have completed initial training, you must pass the FAA’s exam to become certified and legally allowed to work as a flight attendant.
7. Complete reserve status. New flight attendants start on reserve status. During this time, you must be on call to fill in for other flight attendants or extra flights. This reserve period typically lasts one year.
8. Advance in your career. After you gain years of experience as a flight attendant, you will likely have the seniority to choose your base, routes and schedule. You might also mentor, recruit, train or manage other flight attendants and help with tasks such as scheduling.