Presently, for all other airlines, cabin crews usually get paid for their time once the aircraft door closes. They are not paid for the 30 to 50 minutes when passengers are boarding, despite this being a busy and sometimes stressful time.
Flight attendants are only paid for their flight time. This means they are not compensated when they are walking through the airport to get to a gate or waiting for the aircraft to arrive. Their time clock does not start until the cabin door is closed.
Preflight Duties. While flight attendants do not start clocking time and getting paid until the aircraft doors are shut, they have plenty of duties prior to takeoff.
Flight attendants do get paid when on reserve, but it works a little bit differently than you might expect. As a reserve flight attendant, you will have a monthly guarantee. A monthly guarantee is the number of hours you are guaranteed to be paid.
While that's the case, the average hourly pay is $28.13, with a range of $19.97 per hour-$59.80 per hour. However, based on information collected by Glassdoor, the typical flight attendant's compensation is $48,000, with the lowest base wage estimated at $40k while the greatest salary is valued at $75,000 per year.
Flight attendants are not paid for boarding to help airlines save money and lower ticket and in-flight purchases for customers. Traditionally most airlines have conducted business this way.
Flight attendants are paid through flight pay and per diem. The main component of a flight attendant's salary, known as flight pay, is the total hours the flight attendant is on the plane with passengers, either navigating the taxiways or flying in the air.
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.
Pressure, pressure, pressure
Once airborne, a pressurized aircraft's doors can not be opened. This is true for pilots, flight attendants, and passengers. Why? For the simple reason that cabin pressure won't allow it.
It's pretty simple, actually. Flight attendants bid each month on the routes they want to fly for the airline. Their requests are granted, based largely on seniority. Thus, the longest-serving flight attendants get the best routes.
For aspiring flight attendants, Delta Air Lines, ranked by its employees as one of the best places to work, is also one of the most difficult places to get a job. It's harder to get invited to Delta flight attendant training than it is to get into Harvard University.
For seasoned flight attendants looking for earning potential, JetBlue, $103,000, and Alaskan Airlines, $113,000, are the highest paying airlines. Being a flight attendant can be a great long term career path.
The primary job of flight attendants is to keep passengers safe, ensuring that everyone follows security regulations and that the flight deck is secure. Flight attendants also try to make flights comfortable for passengers. At times, they may deal with passengers who display disruptive behavior.
Q: Will I be paid during training? A: No. However, within five working days after your Flight Attendant graduation, you will receive $1,200 Initial Training Pay minus applicable taxes and benefit deductions. During training, you will also receive a $425 meal stipend in the form of a pre-paid Visa card.
Can you make a living as a flight attendant? Yes, you can make a decent living as a flight attendant. The median salary is $61,640 per year and there are many opportunities to make more than that based on your experience level, the airline you work for and even your geographic location.
How much does a Flight Attendant at Jetstar Airways make? The typical Jetstar Airways Flight Attendant salary is $49,000 per year. Flight Attendant salaries at Jetstar Airways can range from $43,000 - $72,011 per year.
The typical Virgin Australia Cabin Crew salary is $3,917 per month. Cabin Crew salaries at Virgin Australia can range from $3,167 - $8,083 per month. This estimate is based upon 147 Virgin Australia Cabin Crew salary report(s) provided by employees or estimated based upon statistical methods.
Travel Perks – As a Flight Attendant, you will get plenty of perks including free and discounted flights. Most airlines provide extended travel perks to their employee's families and friends while some don't.
Qantas cabin crew training for an emergency landing. New Qantas cabin crew recruits go through an intensive seven-week course, of which 3.5 weeks are made up of emergency training procedures.
Qantas is currently the highest-paying airline.
They earn the flexibility to alternate between routes, layover lengths or destinations. They can choose a home base airport: Some senior attendants may prefer particular routes and choose to commute by flying to their home base airport, though others may choose an airport close to home to reduce commuting time.