(a) No person may operate an airplane unless at least the following number of flight attendants are on board the airplane: (1) For airplanes having more than 19 but less than 51 passengers on board, one flight attendant. (2) For airplanes having more than 50 but less than 101 passengers on board, two flight attendants.

The number of flight attendants required on an aircraft is strictly regulated by aviation authorities like the FAA and EASA, primarily based on the seating capacity of the plane rather than the actual number of passengers on board. The standard global rule for commercial aircraft is one flight attendant for every 50 passenger seats. For example, a plane with 51 to 100 seats must have at least two flight attendants, while a larger jet with 300 seats requires a minimum of six. This ratio is established to ensure that all passengers can be safely evacuated within 90 seconds during an emergency. While airlines are legally required to meet this minimum to take off, they often choose to staff "above the minimum" for premium cabins or long-haul international flights to provide a higher level of service. However, there is no strict "maximum" limit on flight attendants, provided the airline can accommodate the extra crew in jumpseats during takeoff and landing. In 2026, many ultra-long-haul carriers frequently staff extra crew members to manage rest rotations on 16+ hour journeys.