Career Atlas USA

Passenger Attendants

Median salary
$37,720
Average salary
$37,820
Employment
27,110
Projected growth
4.7% growth
Annual openings
4,100
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent

What Passenger Attendants Do

Provide services to ensure the safety of passengers aboard ships, buses, trains, or within the station or terminal. Perform duties such as explaining the use of safety equipment, serving meals or beverages, or answering questions related to travel.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 20242034.

Related work experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
Not available

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

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

  • Transportationimportance 3.7/5
  • English Languageimportance 3.5/5
  • Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.2/5
  • Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.2/5
  • Psychologyimportance 2.5/5
  • Administration and Managementimportance 2.4/5
  • Telecommunicationsimportance 2.4/5
  • Administrativeimportance 2.3/5

Work Environment

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

  • Physical Proximity4.7/5
  • Contact With Others4.1/5
  • Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People4.0/5
  • Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures3.8/5
  • Spend Time Sitting3.8/5
  • Frequency of Decision Making3.7/5

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.

Transferable Skills

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

  • Service Orientationimportance 3.9/5
  • Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.8/5
  • Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
  • Persuasionimportance 3.0/5
  • Negotiationimportance 2.9/5
  • Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.6/5
  • Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.6/5
  • Instructingimportance 2.5/5

Software & Technologies

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

Other Software Used

Work Style

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

  • Dependability
  • Cooperation
  • Social Orientation
  • Empathy
  • Optimism
  • Self-Control
  • Cautiousness

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

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

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

  1. 1Kahului-Wailuku, HI15.89× national avg
  2. 2Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX3.11× national avg
  3. 3Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD2.99× national avg
  4. 4Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO2.79× national avg
  5. 5Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL2.70× national avg

Possible Career Moves

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

See the full career path from Passenger Attendants

Full salary data & percentiles →Best states for this career →Highest-paying states →