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How many hours should a cabin crew work?

Typically, flight attendants work 12 to 14 days and log 65 to 85 flight hours on average each month, not including overtime. Flight attendants are only paid once the boarding doors are closed. There are two types of flight attendant schedules, reserve schedules, and fine holder schedules.



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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.

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Cabin crew rules
Cabin crew have to have a minimum of 7 days off per month. They can work up to 60 duty hours in 7 days, 110 hours in 14 days, and 190 hours in 28 days.

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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.

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FAA requirements for flight attendant rest periods are: For a duty period of over 14 hours, a rest period of nine consecutive hours must take place. Eight-hour rest periods are acceptable as long as a scheduled 10-hour rest takes place within 24 hours of a reduced rest period.

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One of the biggest issues is fatigue due to long hours away from home during certain times of the year such as holidays or peak travel periods when more flights are available. Another problem that can arise is dealing with unhappy or unruly passengers, which can make a flight attendant's job much more stressful.

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Under the rule, flight attendants are entitled to a minimum rest period of at least 10 consecutive hours when they're scheduled to work for 14 hours or less. The law allows for no reduction of the rest period under any circumstances.

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Crew members are required to have a 10-hour rest period within each 24-hour cycle. The maximum duty day is 14 hours and must be followed by a 10-hour rest period at their hotel. When scheduling a flight, operators usually account for 12 hours of rest instead of 10.

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Typically, flight attendants work 12-14 days and log 65-85 flight hours each month, not including overtime. Flight attendant schedules can change month-to-month and some attendants may work more weeks than others.

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Cabin crew don't want to have to worry when they are away on trips. They will schedule their chores for an off day and allow plenty of rest time, especially when working long-haul flights. Some crew may plan their shopping whilst down route or shop online in advance for their return home.

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While the responsibilities of a typical flight attendant don't require strenuous physical labor beyond stowing items, they're still on their feet a majority of the time. They spend much of their time boarding planes, walking the aisles to check on passengers and moving through airports to get to their next flight.

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They often work nights, weekends, and holidays because airlines operate every day and have overnight flights. 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.

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Average Flight Attendant Pay vs. Flight Attendants earned an average salary of $62,280 in 2021.

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Flight attendants frequently have between 12 and 18 days off per month and over a years time, average about 156 days off.

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Crew require a minimum of three hours rest when the flight duty period exceeds 14 hours (from when crew 'sign on' to 15 minutes after engines off). For flight duty periods longer than 18 hours, 4.5 hours bunk rest is required. The crew take turns for rest breaks.

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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.

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The 35-in-7 rule applies only to Reserve Flight Attendants and states that a Reserve may not be scheduled to exceed 35:00 flight hours in any 7 consecutive 24:00 hour periods. This legality is waivable, however, remember that if you do so during bidding it is for the entire month.

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Crew require a minimum of three hours rest when the flight duty period exceeds 14 hours (from when crew 'sign on' to 15 minutes after engines off). For flight duty periods longer than 18 hours, 4.5 hours bunk rest is required. The crew take turns for rest breaks. The first group will rest after the first meal service.

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Crew require a minimum of three hours rest when the flight duty period exceeds 14 hours (from when crew 'sign on' to 15 minutes after engines off). For flight duty periods longer than 18 hours, 4.5 hours bunk rest is required. The crew take turns for rest breaks. The first group will rest after the first meal service.

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However, there are also lots of downsides including difficult schedules, disrupted sleep patterns and low pay. Previously, we've spoken to former flight attendants who quit for a number of reasons, such as Love Island's Lucinda Strafford who said the job just wasn't as glamorous as she expected.

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Some of the challenges of being a cabin crew are as follows:
  • A busy time schedule. Being a part of a cabin crew is not a 9-5 job with fixed timings in an office. ...
  • Difficulty in maintaining work-life balance. ...
  • Lack of sleep and nutritious food. ...
  • Dealing with difficult passengers. ...
  • Time deadline.


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