Airline Post

Flight attendant salaries and ratings uncovered

by TC on 30/11/09 at 2:17 pm

Ever thought of applying for a flight attendant job or just curious about the salaries, carrier, school and training of a flight attendant? Search no more!

Working for an airline company, not only offers you the chance to travel if you are keen on traveling, but it may also provide a decent living in time. As built into each contract, flight attendants receive $1,000 annual pay raises, as they grow older and gather more experience. This means that one’s salary may jump from the starting wage of $17,000 a year to over $30,000 per year in 12 years.

A junior flight attendant will usually start with a wage of $19 per hour, or in some case less, around $14 a hour. These figures may vary a little depending on every airline, but generally flight attendants are given a minimum of 75 to 80 hours per month. Like in most cases, the bigger the airline the higher the pay. So you can expect to start out a few dollars higher for getting hired at a major airline like American, United and Delta, etc. over some regional airlines such as Comair, ASA, American Eagle, and etc. Still, there is always a way to increase your income, if you choose night shifts, to work during some weekends, holidays or even fly international flights.

Very important, flight attendants are never paid this hourly rate for every hour that they work! The time spent commuting to the airport, sleeping in hotel rooms, standing around the airport between flights, and assisting passengers during boarding and deplaning is basically unpaid labor. Most airlines only pay from the time an aircraft pushes back from the gate to the time it arrives at the gate of its destination. This is commonly referred to as flight time, block time, or hard time. The major exception to this is meal expenses. Most airlines pay a nominal hourly rate to cover meal expenses, while hotel lodging is paid for by the airline.

Other bonuses include: flight discounts of up to 90% for you as an employee and even for your family. You should also know that different companies offer buddy passes, especially designed to cut flying cost for your friends.

So, if you ever wondered of becoming a flight attendant, you should know that the major requirements for becoming a flight attendant are standard: not too tall or short, friendly and only a high school diploma. Once you are selected, the airline hiring you will provide with specific training between 3 to 6 weeks. Also, job performance has virtually no impact on your pay. As a flight attendant you are expected to work at a high level and will never receive a promotion of any kind, even for exemplary service.

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