Flight Attendants

What Flight Attendants Do

Monitor safety of the aircraft cabin. Provide services to airline passengers, explain safety information, serve food and beverages, and respond to emergency incidents.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

Less than 5 years

On-the-job training

Moderate-term on-the-job training

Self-employed

Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.5/5
• Public Safety and Securityimportance 4.5/5
• English Languageimportance 4.5/5
• Transportationimportance 3.5/5
• Psychologyimportance 3.3/5
• Geographyimportance 3.3/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.2/5
• Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 3.0/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Health and Safety of Other Workers5.0/5
• Public Speaking4.9/5
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.9/5
• Contact With Others4.9/5
• Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.9/5
• Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable4.8/5

Related Careers

• Passenger Attendants
• Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks
• Airfield Operations Specialists
• Baggage Porters and Bellhops
• Transportation Security Screeners
• Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors
• Air Traffic Controllers
• Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Psychiatric Aides98% skill match
• Passenger Attendants97% skill match
• Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners97% skill match
• Waiters and Waitresses97% skill match
• Gambling Cage Workers97% skill match
• Fire Inspectors and Investigators96% skill match
• Tellers96% skill match
• Food Preparation Workers96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.8/5
• Service Orientationimportance 3.8/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.6/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
• Persuasionimportance 3.0/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
• Negotiationimportance 2.9/5
• Instructingimportance 2.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Dependability
• Cooperation
• Attention to Detail
• Self-Control
• Stress Tolerance
• Cautiousness
• Social Orientation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• ConventionalMedium
• SocialMedium
• RealisticMedium
• EnterprisingMedium
• InvestigativeLow
• ArtisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where flight attendants make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO5.08× national avg
2. 2Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV4.12× national avg
3. 3Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL3.39× national avg
4. 4Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL2.85× national avg
5. 5Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI2.46× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Passenger AttendantsLateral Move
• Security GuardsCareer Change
• Public Safety TelecommunicatorsCareer Change
• Animal Control WorkersCareer Change

See the full career path from Flight Attendants →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.