What does a Flight Attendant do?
A flight attendant is known as a steward or stewardess, an air host or hostess, and works majority in airlines, some in private business jets, or a few other aircraft. Also commonly referred to as a cabin crew, flight attendants act as an ambassador between the airline they work with and the passengers by primarily taking charge of their safety and comfort during the entire flight. They do more than serving meals, refreshments, and drinks to passengers as they must also check the supplies and emergency equipment, secure sufficiency, and make sure everything is in order. They greet the travelers, help in their luggage being stowed properly, and ensure they are in their correct and assigned seats.
Flight attendant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real flight attendant resumes:
- Conduct flight operations dispatch in a fast pace FBO environment.
- Maintain F/A mailboxes, filing, expense and APIS reports.
- Check customers in, run cash register, clean the whole facility.
- Coordinate hotel reservations, car rentals, and arrange special event logistics.
- Initiate and cancels NOTAMS (notices to airmen) on airfield facilities/conditions.
- Coordinate and confirm customs, handling, APIS and landing and parking permits.
- Confirm levels of purser's kits and consign duty free items for in-flight sales.
- Maintain passenger load counts, and verify mandatory passenger travel information as outlined by TSA.
- Track applicable notice to airmen (NOTAMs) that may affect company and sub-service flights.
- Maintain compliancy in contractual operations, FARs, FAA safety, emergency, and evacuation procedures.
- Require travel to both domestic and international destinations; frequenting Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean.
- Collaborate with in-flight, gate agents, ramp personnel, and pilot group to facilitate an on-time departure.
- Inspect passenger tickets and verify and obtain destination information; administer first aid and CPR to distress passengers.
- Perform require duties ensuring the monitoring and enforcing of RIA, FAA and TSA safety regulations, policies and procedures.
- Arrange for and coordinate FBO services, aircraft handling, crew transportation, hotels and other passenger amenities.
Flight attendant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Flight Attendants are proficient in Passenger Safety, Customer Service, and Emergency Equipment. They’re also known for soft skills such as Attentiveness, Communication skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Flight Attendants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Passenger Safety, 20%
Certified to facilitate evacuation of Airbus aircraft, identified potential threats to passenger safety, and responded quickly to medical emergencies.
- Customer Service, 14%
Provide exemplary customer service/concierge-level experience to exceed customer expectations.
- Emergency Equipment, 13%
Completed extensive training for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) qualifying positions on seven different aircraft in emergency equipment and procedures.
- Non-Emergency Situations, 7%
Provide leadership in emergency and non-emergency situations- Calmly resolve passenger situations during flight, including disorderly passengers, and Medical emergencies.
- CPR, 6%
Completed CPR training and specialized emergency evacuation procedures such as risk landing in anticipation of any urgent or critical situations.
- Medical Emergencies, 5%
Provided timely and relevant solutions to issues and requests and responded appropriately to medical emergencies and security events.
"passenger safety," "customer service," and "emergency equipment" are among the most common skills that flight attendants use at work. You can find even more flight attendant responsibilities below, including:
Attentiveness. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a flight attendant to have is attentiveness. Their role and responsibilities require that "flight attendants must be aware of security or safety risks during the flight." Flight attendants often use attentiveness in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "certified by the federal aviation administration (faa) skills used attentiveness, communication, customer service, and decision making skills"
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform flight attendant duties is communication skills. Flight attendants responsibilities require that "flight attendants should speak clearly and interact effectively with passengers and other crewmembers." Flight attendants also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "performed pre-flight safety checks of equipment, passenger boarding and deplaning, food service, and communication with pilots. "
Customer-service skills. flight attendants are also known for customer-service skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to flight attendant responsibilities, because "flight attendants need poise, tact, and resourcefulness to handle stressful situations and to address passengers’ needs." A flight attendant resume example shows how customer-service skills is used in the workplace: "performed safety responsibilities and met customer service needs aboard boeing 737 and 757 and airbus type aircraft. "
Physical stamina. flight attendant responsibilities often require "physical stamina." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "flight attendants push, pull, and carry service items; open and close overhead bins; lift heavy objects; and stand and walk for long periods." This resume example shows what flight attendants do with physical stamina on a typical day: "assist physically challenged passengers as appropriate; provide life-saving assistance to ill or incapacitated passengers, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation if required. "
The three companies that hire the most flight attendants are:
- Republic Airways Holdings18 flight attendants jobs
- United11 flight attendants jobs
- American Airlines10 flight attendants jobs
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Compare different flight attendants
Flight attendant vs. In-flight crew member
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between flight attendants and in-flight crew member. For instance, flight attendant responsibilities require skills such as "non-emergency situations," "medical emergencies," "aircraft cabin," and "beverage service." Whereas a in-flight crew member is skilled in "safety procedures," "uas," "emergency procedures," and "flight schedules." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that in-flight crew members earn slightly differ from flight attendants. In particular, in-flight crew members are 1.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a flight attendant. Additionally, they're 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Flight attendant vs. Flight dispatcher
Each career also uses different skills, according to real flight attendant resumes. While flight attendant responsibilities can utilize skills like "passenger safety," "customer service," "emergency equipment," and "non-emergency situations," flight dispatchers use skills like "faa," "crew scheduling," "air traffic control," and "notams."
In general, flight dispatchers achieve similar levels of education than flight attendants. They're 1.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Flight attendant vs. Flight purser
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, flight attendants are more likely to have skills like "emergency equipment," "non-emergency situations," "medical emergencies," and "safety regulations." But a flight purser is more likely to have skills like "faa," "aed," "nov," and "emergency procedures."
Most flight pursers achieve a higher degree level compared to flight attendants. For example, they're 7.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Flight attendant vs. Flight attendant, inflight services
Types of flight attendant
Updated January 8, 2025
