Flight attendants are quite lucky, aren’t they? They get to travel the world, often fly for free even when they’re off-duty, and wear smart-looking uniforms.
Despite this, it can also be a tough and tiring job with a lot of time spent away from the people you love.
But what about their take-home pay? After digging deep into salary data and interviewing a few industry experts, we’ve found out exactly how much they make – and which airlines offer the highest paychecks.
We can tell you this in advance: the numbers are likely to shock you, going from entry-level figures to elite airlines where experienced crew members can earn six-figure incomes.
Base Salary Breakdown: How Much Do Flight Attendants Make
Here’s one myth we should bust right away: flight attendants’ starting pay isn’t as low as you might think.
While entry-level salaries typically start around $25,000-$40,000, that’s just the beginning.
One particular flight attendant we asked (an Italian working for an American airline) told us she’s seen many people focus on the base pay when applying to become an attendant. She believes those people worry too much about the start without thinking about the future.
And she’s right because, after only three or four years, most flight attendants see their base salary jump to $45,000-$50,000. The actual kicker? By year 10, many are pulling in $60,000+ as their base alone!
As you can deduce, seniority is very important in this type of business (and the same applies to the pilots).
Highly experienced flight attendants, those with 20+ years in the air, often see base salaries soaring past $85,000. Not too bad for a job that doesn’t require a college degree, right?
Additional Compensation
Flight attendants aren’t just living on their base salary. There’s a series of extra payments that they don’t tell you or that you simply don’t know about.
First up, there’s per diem (basically money for food and expenses while they’re away from home). Most airlines also pay $2-$3 per hour for every hour you’re away from base.
Let’s do the math. On a 4-day trip, that’s an extra $150-$200 tax-free!
There’s more! Ever wonder why some flight attendants seem excited about holiday shifts? Well, they get double pay on holidays and extra bonuses for picking up shifts when they’re short-staffed.
Then you have the benefits packages. Free flights for you and your family? Check.
Premium health insurance that would cost hundreds monthly elsewhere? Check.
401(k) matching? Absolutely!
When you add it all up, these perks can be worth $10,000-$15,000 annually.
Career Advancement & Pay Growth
If you asked a Gen X-er, they’d likely say that being a flight attendant is a dead-end job. Nothing could be further from the truth, though.
Just to give you an example, if you’re a purser (lead flight attendant) on international routes, you could make up to $30,000 more than a base salary.
And that’s not all – many seasoned flight attendants step up to trainer positions, schedule coordinators, cabin crew supervisors, or even move into management roles at headquarters or airports.
Working on the Best Routes
In addition, as you gain seniority, you get first dibs on the most beautiful and lucrative routes and schedules.
So, those willing to climb the ladder can quickly become in-flight supervisors, provided they have the skills and the drive to work well.
One more insider tip we can share: if you’re eyeing those bigger paychecks, international routes are where it’s at. The extra pay for speaking a second language and working long-haul flights can add thousands to your annual income.
So, it’s a big plus if English is your second language and you also speak fluently other languages spoken in the destinations your airline serves. You will get priority in flying those routes and earning much more!
Top-Paying Airlines: Which Airlines Pay the Most?
Now the section you’ve been waiting for: which airlines actually pay the best?
Delta, United, and American are usually neck-and-neck when it comes to top pay, with senior flight attendants pulling in $70,000+ in base salary alone.
Southwest, despite being a ‘low-cost’ carrier, often beats them all when you factor in profit sharing. An anonymous Southwest worker shared on social media that their profit-sharing bonus was over $12,000 last year!
Once again, if you want to make a lot of money, international carriers are where it’s at. Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines are famous for their tax-free salaries and good accommodation allowances.
In addition, as we said before, these airlines do a lot of international flights, and because of that, you are able to make more money than those that do domestic flights.
Regional airlines could start at $25,000-$30,000, but they could be a good route to getting hired by the major carriers.
Maybe not everyone knows that getting hired by airlines like Emirates and Qatar is not easy at all.
There are some pretty tough tests (at the end of the day, flight attendants are responsible for cabin safety), and a lot of people take part in them every year.
The Downsides
Don’t think it’s all sunshine and rainbows! Like any job, this one has its downsides too.
What we most often hear from flight attendants who have already been working for a few years is the difficulty in balancing work and private life.
As we said, flight attendants are often on the move around the world and have widely varying work schedules.
It many times happens that they are stressed or have difficulty sleeping as they cross different time zones.
In addition, we would like to remind you that the flight attendant’s job carries great responsibility for the safety of passengers.
They must always be up-to-date on safety procedures, evacuation procedures, and even medical procedures that should be performed in case of emergency.
Definitely a job that is not for everyone. It takes passion, a sense of adaptation, and a great desire to discover the world!