Can you live wherever you want as a flight attendant?

Cabin crew tend to live close to their base, but it's not the only option. Many airlines say that crew must live within 45 minutes to 90 minutes traveling time of their base. This is due to 'standby' duties, where cabin crew are called out last minute to operate a flight where someone has gone sick or is late for duty.



People Also Ask

Unlike most traditional jobs, flight attendant positions do not necessarily require you to relocate. Many senior flight attendants live where they want and commute by air to and from each trip freely.

MORE DETAILS

It's pretty simple, actually. Flight attendants bid each month on the routes they want to fly for the airline. Their requests are granted, based largely on seniority.

MORE DETAILS

Flight Attendants enjoy the following benefits: Sleep in your own bed at night (most of our trips are return home every night)

MORE DETAILS

The flight attendant will continue to accrue per diem even after the flight arrives at a layover and the flight attendant has checked into their hotel room for the night.

MORE DETAILS

For aspiring flight attendants, Delta Air Lines, ranked by its employees as one of the best places to work, is also one of the most difficult places to get a job. It's harder to get invited to Delta flight attendant training than it is to get into Harvard University.

MORE DETAILS

For aspiring flight attendants, Delta Air Lines, ranked by its employees as one of the best places to work, is also one of the most difficult places to get a job. It's harder to get invited to Delta flight attendant training than it is to get into Harvard University.

MORE DETAILS

Flight attendants frequently have between 12 and 18 days off per month and over a years time, average about 156 days off. (The average office worker has 96 days off and, works eight-hour days.) Of course, days off are not necessarily at home, buy many flight attendants use these days as mini vacations.

MORE DETAILS

They may spend several nights per week or per month away from home. In most cases, a contract between the airline and the flight attendant union determines the total daily and monthly workable hours. On-duty shifts per day may vary from 4 to 18 hours or longer, such as for international flights.

MORE DETAILS

After the training, flight attendants are assigned a base (Kelly was given Philadelphia) and have five days to move to it. From here you have several options for housing. Most stay in what's called a “crash pad” where they pay $200 to $300 a month for a bed when they aren't flying.

MORE DETAILS

For seasoned flight attendants looking for earning potential, JetBlue, $103,000, and Alaskan Airlines, $113,000, are the highest paying airlines. Being a flight attendant can be a great long term career path.

MORE DETAILS

But the unique pressures of flight attendants' lifestyles can complicate recovery: They are at high risk of occupational injury, including back problems, stress, and shift work disorder, which can result in excessive sleepiness or losing consciousness for seconds at a time.

MORE DETAILS

Most airlines require a 90% passing grade on all exams during new hire training. Only 60% of new-hire flight attendants make it through new-hire training. Only 50% survive the first year of employment. Each airline receives an average of 2,500 flight attendant job applications per month.

MORE DETAILS

The training process for flight attendants can be quite rigorous and time-intensive. New hires typically need to complete somewhere between three to six weeks of initial training, where they learn on-the-job skills such as safety procedures and emergency drills.

MORE DETAILS

According to AirlineCareer.com, approximately 40% of flight attendant trainees industry-wide don't make it through training. With Harvard's graduation rate falling around 98%, it's very likely that it's also much more difficult to graduate from Delta flight attendant training school than it is to graduate from Harvard.

MORE DETAILS

Flight attendants on long-haul flights are provided with spaces to rest. Here's a photo of the crew rest area on a Boeing 787. Crew rest areas exist on all airplanes, but what these rest areas look like depends on the airline, aircraft and the length of the flight.

MORE DETAILS

Flight Attendants are paid based on the flights they work each month. They can choose to be paid monthly, or bi-weekly.

MORE DETAILS