Flight Attendant Salary L The Good And the Ugly
Let's face it: the real difference between flying on an airplane and any other kind of transportation isn't the fact that we're thousands of feet up in the air, it's the service. We've become so used to it that we take it for granted, but we don't have nearly as many expectations of a bus or train ride; we don't expect to be fed or be offered drinks, for someone to ask us if we're comfortable and try to help us if we're not. On the other hand, if we do take a minute to think about it, it seems like a pretty cushy job: flying around the world, hanging out on planes, looking pretty and having fun. But let's take a look at what it's really like to be a flight attendant.
Let's start with salaries. Flight attendant salary varies between airlines, and usually increases with time. United Airlines, for example, start at $20.49 an hour, which increases by about two dollars a year for fifteen years. American Airlines and US Airways pay around the same, but some companies start with an hourly salary of $15 - $17, with smaller annual increases. It's important to point out that these salaries apply to actual flight hours only. Boarding and landing don't count; neither do delays or scheduled layovers. Airlines give a small amount of compensation to cover these unpaid periods of time, typically between $1.60 and $2. What does all this come to? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US flight attendants earn a median of $37,740 a year, although in their first year, they shouldn't expect to take in more than $16,600, and even four or five years later, there's not much of a difference.
That's not a very high salary. The median income in the US for over-25 year olds without college education is $26,500, meaning that flight attendants could probably be making more money elsewhere. But maybe the job has perks that can't be measured in terms of salary, advantages that don't show up on the monthly pay slip. Let's see.
Heather Poole, a veteran flight attendant who writes a blog called Galley Gossip, emphatically declares that "no one becomes a flight attendant for the moneyâEUR¦ it's not just a job, it's a lifestyle". Some do it for the job satisfaction, working in a challenging, exciting, fast-paced environment. Others are naturally caring and hospitable, happy to tend to people's needs and make them happy and comfortable. Still others are excited about seeing other parts of the country and the world, meeting new people and interacting with different cultures. Overnights are usually in hotels, not necessarily of the highest quality, but still a welcome break and an opportunity for the flight attendants to relax and be looked after themselves. Flight attendants, usually after a year-or-so in the job, can fly for cheap or free to destinations around the world, saving lots of money; many airlines also provide a number of "buddy passes" to allow family, friends and partners of the flight attendants to fly along with them. Finally, many flight attendants will tell you that they stay in the job for their colleagues and friends. The high pressures of work combined with the relatively small working space tend to form tightly-knit working teams with a spirit of camaraderie, working well together and looking out for each other's wellbeing.
Again, each airline has its own policy, but most flight attendants can expect to get free health care, dental and vision check-ups, 401(k) pension plans, paid training seminars and occasional bonuses. Job flexibility is seen as another perk to some: Beginning flight attendants typically work 80 hours a month, but can usually choose their hours in a way that accommodates studies, family life, or another job. Typical nine-to-five jobs offer routine and stability, but are not what everybody is looking for.
In case you were wondering, the international scene isn't very different. In a survey of flight attendant salaries in 24 different countries, all countries but Japan had lower average salaries. However, it's always hard to compare working conditions and rewards in different countries, because some countries provide healthcare, pensions and other benefits by law, and some don't.
So, is being a flight attendant a good career choice? Are they being fairly paid? It's hard to know what to make of all this information. On the one hand, CareerCast included flight attendants on its list of Ten Worst Jobs of 2013, claiming that "high stress, low pay and a shrinking job market all contribute to flight attendants' inclusion among the worst jobs of 2013." On the other hand, all the factors cited above, whether material perks or the social environment, show that the job has something going for it. In terms of whether the salary is fair, it depends on what you choose to compare it to. The natural comparison on the ground is probably to waiters and waitresses, who, in higher-end cafes and restaurants, make $15 - $20 an hour including tips. This is similar to the first few years as a flight attendant, with less hassle on one hand, but no annual increase or other perks on the other. Given that flight attendants have many responsibilities and have to take care of customers' safety and general wellbeing, as well as serving them, maybe a better comparison would be something between a concierge (average wage of $29,300) and a nurse ($64,700).
To conclude, I think we've seen that the people servicing our flights deserve a lot more respect than we probably give them. We know that there's a pilot and ground staff and so on, but the people we see, the ones who take care of us - from the safety demonstration at take-off to the hot towels before landing - they're the ones who make or break our flight experience. Their salaries should probably reflect the level of service and responsibility that we demand from them, and, especially for beginner staff, they usually don't. But the jetsetting lifestyle and experience in social interactions that come with the job makes flight attendants remarkable people. Next time a flight attendant smiles at you on your flight, maybe you should smile back?
Let's start with salaries. Flight attendant salary varies between airlines, and usually increases with time. United Airlines, for example, start at $20.49 an hour, which increases by about two dollars a year for fifteen years. American Airlines and US Airways pay around the same, but some companies start with an hourly salary of $15 - $17, with smaller annual increases. It's important to point out that these salaries apply to actual flight hours only. Boarding and landing don't count; neither do delays or scheduled layovers. Airlines give a small amount of compensation to cover these unpaid periods of time, typically between $1.60 and $2. What does all this come to? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US flight attendants earn a median of $37,740 a year, although in their first year, they shouldn't expect to take in more than $16,600, and even four or five years later, there's not much of a difference.
That's not a very high salary. The median income in the US for over-25 year olds without college education is $26,500, meaning that flight attendants could probably be making more money elsewhere. But maybe the job has perks that can't be measured in terms of salary, advantages that don't show up on the monthly pay slip. Let's see.
Heather Poole, a veteran flight attendant who writes a blog called Galley Gossip, emphatically declares that "no one becomes a flight attendant for the moneyâEUR¦ it's not just a job, it's a lifestyle". Some do it for the job satisfaction, working in a challenging, exciting, fast-paced environment. Others are naturally caring and hospitable, happy to tend to people's needs and make them happy and comfortable. Still others are excited about seeing other parts of the country and the world, meeting new people and interacting with different cultures. Overnights are usually in hotels, not necessarily of the highest quality, but still a welcome break and an opportunity for the flight attendants to relax and be looked after themselves. Flight attendants, usually after a year-or-so in the job, can fly for cheap or free to destinations around the world, saving lots of money; many airlines also provide a number of "buddy passes" to allow family, friends and partners of the flight attendants to fly along with them. Finally, many flight attendants will tell you that they stay in the job for their colleagues and friends. The high pressures of work combined with the relatively small working space tend to form tightly-knit working teams with a spirit of camaraderie, working well together and looking out for each other's wellbeing.
Again, each airline has its own policy, but most flight attendants can expect to get free health care, dental and vision check-ups, 401(k) pension plans, paid training seminars and occasional bonuses. Job flexibility is seen as another perk to some: Beginning flight attendants typically work 80 hours a month, but can usually choose their hours in a way that accommodates studies, family life, or another job. Typical nine-to-five jobs offer routine and stability, but are not what everybody is looking for.
In case you were wondering, the international scene isn't very different. In a survey of flight attendant salaries in 24 different countries, all countries but Japan had lower average salaries. However, it's always hard to compare working conditions and rewards in different countries, because some countries provide healthcare, pensions and other benefits by law, and some don't.
So, is being a flight attendant a good career choice? Are they being fairly paid? It's hard to know what to make of all this information. On the one hand, CareerCast included flight attendants on its list of Ten Worst Jobs of 2013, claiming that "high stress, low pay and a shrinking job market all contribute to flight attendants' inclusion among the worst jobs of 2013." On the other hand, all the factors cited above, whether material perks or the social environment, show that the job has something going for it. In terms of whether the salary is fair, it depends on what you choose to compare it to. The natural comparison on the ground is probably to waiters and waitresses, who, in higher-end cafes and restaurants, make $15 - $20 an hour including tips. This is similar to the first few years as a flight attendant, with less hassle on one hand, but no annual increase or other perks on the other. Given that flight attendants have many responsibilities and have to take care of customers' safety and general wellbeing, as well as serving them, maybe a better comparison would be something between a concierge (average wage of $29,300) and a nurse ($64,700).
To conclude, I think we've seen that the people servicing our flights deserve a lot more respect than we probably give them. We know that there's a pilot and ground staff and so on, but the people we see, the ones who take care of us - from the safety demonstration at take-off to the hot towels before landing - they're the ones who make or break our flight experience. Their salaries should probably reflect the level of service and responsibility that we demand from them, and, especially for beginner staff, they usually don't. But the jetsetting lifestyle and experience in social interactions that come with the job makes flight attendants remarkable people. Next time a flight attendant smiles at you on your flight, maybe you should smile back?
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