There are many reasons why you may be wondering how to become a flight attendant. Many travelers see the career as an opportunity to jet set around the world (and get paid to do so), while others are drawn to the job’s human-facing elements—one colleague told me that she was inspired to become a flight attendant after two cabin crew members heroically performed CPR on her mother mid-flight.
But being a flight attendant isn’t just a career, it’s a lifestyle. And it’s not always as glamorous as many believe. Breakfast in Paris and dinner in Rome? Sounds fabulous, but you'll also be having lunch on the drink canisters by the toilet as passengers hand you trash.
If one thing is guaranteed, it’s that you will make memories you will never forget. Where to begin? There’s the endless laughs with colleagues during long flights and late nights, the invites to the embassy that time an ambassador fancied my colleague—oh and how could I forget the day I was evacuated from Cairo in an Egyptian military aircraft?
Be warned: friends and family won’t understand how your shifts work. On a flight attendant schedule, working holidays and birthdays is almost guaranteed. However, if you embark on this journey, however long or short it might be, it will be one of a lifetime.
Whatever your motivation, pursuing a career as a flight attendant is a distinct vocation with very different requirements than your typical job. While the exact details will differ by airline, the hiring process typically unfolds in four phases: the application, the assessment, the interview, and training. All together, it can take three to six months to complete. If you’re ready to take the leap, here is how I successfully became a flight attendant for a major European carrier.
Who can become a flight attendant?
Back in the early years of air travel, flight attendants—then called “stewardesses”—had to be 20- to 30-year-old women who were unwed, childless, under 135 pounds, and between 5'2" and 5'9" tall. Thankfully, that started to change in the mid-1970s. Today, some airlines still have a height requirement (usually between 5'2" and 6'2") to ensure crew members can reach the safety equipment; and a few don’t allow visible tattoos or piercings. Most require flight attendants to be at least 21 years old, but there is no mandatory retirement age like there is for pilots. And while a high school diploma or GED is mandatory, a university degree is not required.
Airlines recruit qualified professionals from all different career and educational backgrounds, including teachers, nurses, retail workers, and firefighters. My dear colleague Sandra, 61, joined the cabin crew ranked after decades of working as an actress on the West End—swapping the spotlight for low-level lighting (her in-flight safety briefing is always delivered fabulously.)
While this wide hiring pool is now inclusive to all types of people, the sheer number of applicants also means that becoming a flight attendant remains highly competitive. Rejection is common, especially for international carriers. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply. Be sure to keep an eye on your preferred airlines’ announcements to find out the dates they are opening the application pool, which might only happen once or twice a year.
The application
The application, usually submitted online, varies by airline. When I applied, I had to complete a series of timed tests that took about an hour. Questions included scenarios where you had to agree or disagree with the proposed solution to a problem (e.g., a passenger wants to use the toilet, but the seatbelt sign is on), calculating time zone differences based on the Heathrow arrivals board, and a language test to demonstrate proficiency. Your resume counts, but only to an extent. As mentioned, airlines are constantly scouting for talents of all sorts, so don’t be discouraged from applying if you think your past experiences are irrelevant. This is a career where customer service roles are just as valued, if not more so, than a corporate job; even just a couple of months working in a customer-facing role always helps develop emotional intelligence, stamina, and customer experience, all staples of a successful flying career.
Assessment day
If your application is accepted, you will be invited to an assessment day divided into multiple stages. If you’re deemed unsuitable for the role at any point, you get the boot then and there.
On assessment day, men should aim to wear a well-pressed suit and tidy-shaven or trimmed facial hair, while women should wear something that may resemble the airline's uniform they wish to work for. For example, a skirt or pants, a white collared shirt, a jacket, and flight-attendant approved shoes like kitten heels. Hair should always be kept up and tidy. A tight French twist can be tricky to master, but it's always a recruiter-pleaser.
First, they’ll typically check your physical abilities, such as height, visible tattoos (airline-dependent), and reaching skills. At my airline, you had to be able to reach 6.5 feet (tippy-toes permitted), which is the standard height to reach emergency equipment. However, some regional airlines have less strict height limitations.
Successful passing of this stage then brings you to the group exercise round—a daunting stage where recruiters look for your teamwork abilities. When I participated, the practice group scenario involved an aircraft that had landed in Abu Dhabi en route to Muscat but was significantly delayed due to a sandstorm. With a very limited supply of catering onboard, the challenge was determining how to distribute the remaining food so that everyone, including the crew, received something to eat. At this point, you’re not expected to know the airline’s specific policy. Your role is to find an amicable solution—don't attempt to be a shining star or be too reserved—the most important thing is to demonstrate that you are a team player.
The interview
If you have made it as far as the interview, congratulations. Regardless of the outcome, you have done incredibly well. During the interview, you will be questioned about relevant experience and most importantly, real-life scenarios. My top tip is to write down examples of times when you were presented with a problem and found a solution, as many questions revolve around this formula. You also might encounter one of the trickiest questions: "Can you tell me about a time you broke the rules?" This isn’t the moment to divulge your deepest secrets. Instead, think of an example where you bent a policy in a way that resulted in a positive outcome for both the company and the customer.
Training
Welcome to boot camp. In order to officially become a flight attendant you have to complete and pass a training course that is overseen by the aviation regulatory body of the country you are in. These can last from three to eight weeks; Most major airlines will pay you a basic stipend during training (with the exception of American Airlines), but be sure to have some savings in the bank to cover incidentals.
The format and length of flight attendant training differs by airline, but you can expect to learn about—and be thoroughly examined on—safety, medical, survival, and customer service skills. The first section is typically devoted to safety and medical training. Depending on the airline, this is referred to as SEP week (safety and emergency procedure). In this stage of training, you will learn how to evacuate an aircraft in less than 90 seconds and fight fires at 35,000 feet. Many aspiring flight attendants do not make it through the first week.
Next, you will learn about aircraft-specific manuals and where safety equipment is located. Medical training swiftly follows, where you will be taught how to deliver a baby and cut the umbilical cord. Once you have successfully passed safety and medical exams, it will get much easier from there on out. In the industry, we call the service section of training the “charm farm,” where you are taught to walk the walk and talk the talk. This means learning how to serve with elegance and poise, and handle different customer service scenarios. When all is said and done, you’ll graduate training and finally get your wings—after which the sky is, truly, the limit.