Flight Attendant Pay and Perks

Flight attendants enjoy the most visible, glamorous jobs of all airline employees. As a flight attendant, you’ll be paid to see the world! Your job will allow you maximum flexibility when it comes to planning your work schedule. You’ll be able to get creative with meeting your monthly quota for the number of in-flight hours worked, allowing you to have the maximum number of days off. Flight attendants also are able to swap flights with their co-workers in order to design their ideal work schedule.

An airline employee with close to thirty years of experience looks back on her career and says:

It’s an ever-changing thing. If I had to do it all over again I’d do the exact same thing. I wouldn’t have done it any other way. I couldn’t imagine being in an office nine to five. You have a lot of freedom, and that’s what I like.

Here’s the latest pay information:

Although the pay starts out low, all expenses on the road are paid for, and most airlines are noted for their excellent medical, retirement, vacation, and overtime benefits. In addition, flight attendants get far more time off than typical employees, usually between ten and twenty-one days per month. It’s also possible to earn extra money during busy periods by working extra hours.

As a longtime flight attendant points out, the longer you stay on the job, the better the pay:

It is a fun job. It’s a high-paying job, and the longer you’re there the less you work. So it’s worth it. But you have to hang in there because the first five years you don’t get paid much.

You’ll also be in line for some valuable perks. As a flight attendant, you’ll be eligible for free flights – sometimes for your friends or family, too! – and maximum time off to enjoy the destinations of your choice during your free time. You’ll also get discounts on hotels, car rentals, other airlines’ flights, and vacation packages.

A flight attendant with over ten years of experience sums up the rewards of the job:

The travel benefits are the biggest reward. We get discounted airfare on pretty much all the airlines of the world. Plus you have more days off than the average. It’s easy to get at least a full week off – seven days in a row – every month. Another great feature is the fun people you work with. They all seem to be outgoing and fun to work with. Being a flight attendant is the greatest job there is. I love it.