Here are the general requirements to become a flight attendant:
Background
Airlines are required by the FAA to conduct a thorough background check, which goes back as many as 10 years. Employment is contingent on a successful background check.
Citizenship
All U.S. airlines require that applicants be citizens of the United States or registered aliens with legal rights to obtain employment in the United States.
Educational
A high school diploma or its equivalent is the minimum educational requirement, but airlines increasingly prefer applicants who have a college degree.
Highly desirable areas of concentration include people-oriented disciplines, such as communications, psychology, nursing, travel and tourism, hospitality, and education.
Flight attendants for international airlines generally must speak a foreign language fluently, some major airlines prefer candidates who can speak two major foreign languages.
Experience
Applicants with previous experience in dealing with the public are preferred by airlines.
Physical Requirements
Airlines usually have age, physical, and appearance requirements
Applicants usually must be at least 18 to 21 years old, although some carriers may have higher minimum-age requirements.
Applicants must meet height requirements for reaching overhead bins, which often contain emergency equipment, and most airlines want candidates with weight proportionate to height.
Flight attendants must be in excellent health, and a medical evaluation is required.
Vision is required to be correctable to 20/30 or better with glasses or contact lenses (uncorrected no worse than 20/200).
Men must have their hair cut above the collar and be clean shaven.
Airlines prefer applicants with no visible tattoos, body piercing, or unusual hairstyles or makeup.
Study to become a flight attendant today !
September 14, 2011
Flight Attendants to Implement CHAOS™ If New Contract is Not Reached
Washington, DC – PSA Airlines Flight Attendants, represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), today overwhelmingly authorized a strike should management fail to negotiate a new contract with terms that are fair to the PSA Flight Attendants. After mediated negotiations recently stalled over compensation, retirement, insurance and related issues, PSA Flight Attendants sent a loud and clear message to management that action will be taken if a new, improved agreement is not reached. PSA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of US Airways Group, Inc. and operates as a US Airways Express carrier.
Continue reading
September 13, 2011
Flight Attendants’ Advocacy Helps Push FAA Reauthorization through U.S. House
Washington, DC – After putting members of the U.S. House of Representatives on speed dial for several weeks and conducting events at airports across the country, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) issued the following statement regarding today’s passage of a four-month extension of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by the House:
Continue reading
Flight attendant news and press releases.
Flight attendant - Google News
Google News
 Christian Science Monitor | 6 stories from a veteran flight attendant Christian Science Monitor Writer Heather Poole has been a flight attendant for more than 15 years and has seen it all in her time in the air. Here are 6 anecdotes – ranging from the fun to the horrifying – from her memoir 'Cruising Attitude.' By Arienne McCracken 1. |
 Outcome Magazine | Passenger detained after disturbance on Continental flight headed to Houston KMOV.com by Nakia Cooper / KHOU.com & Jeff McShan / KHOU 11 News HOUSTON— Passengers aboard a Continental Airlines flight bound for Houston Tuesday sprang into action to help a flight attendant having trouble with an unruly passenger. Twenty minutes after the ... Unruly passenger forces Houston-bound jet back to PDX |
 KARE | Police: Flight attendant taken off flight to MSP was extremely drunk Minneapolis Star Tribune A flight attendant, whose recent removal from a Delta commuter jet scheduled to fly from Grand Forks to the Twin Cities forced the flight's cancellation, was so drunk that she repeatedly failed to recite the alphabet on command and could not spell her ... Flight attendant tested drunk after flight to Grand Forks ND flight was canceled due to drunk attendant Flight to Minneapolis was canceled due to drunk attendant |
Alaska Airlines flight attendant: if I don't get the missing video screen back ... Boing Boing By Cory Doctorow at 9:03 am Wednesday, Feb 22 Jeff sez, "Flying in from Miami to Seattle this morning on Alaska Airlines Flight #17, I was somewhat amused (and a bit horrified) when the flight attendant said that the cabin doors would not be opened and ... |
 Salon | Beware the “office” romance Salon Do pilots and flight attendants really stay in separate hotels on layover? Plus: Do pilots bring their own food? By Patrick Smith Why can't commercial jets be fitted with an exclusive side entrance into the cockpit, making it impossible for a potential ... |
Fantasy Camp For Those Who Love To Fly Huffington Post But on this day he was living out a fantasy at American Airlines' flight attendant academy, practicing evacuation procedures most people hope to never use. "I look at the safety card. It's not supposed to be a comic book of things you want to try, ... |
 Plain Dealer | American Airlines Flight Attendant Launches Petition to Replace Airline Management Sacramento Bee 22, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- A controversial series of YouTube videos mocking a flight attendant's bosses at American Airlines has morphed into an all-out grassroots movement to remove the upper-management team now running American Airlines, ... 500 American flight attendants will no longer need to be furloughed, union says No American Airlines flight attendant furloughs needed in March, APFA tells ... |
Russian flight attendant fights extradition to US in Toronto courtroom Toronto Sun By Tom Godfrey ,Toronto Sun Russian flight attendant, Marina Talashkova, 24, appeared in a University Ave. courtroom on Tuesday to contest extradition to the US on charges relating to a multi-million-dollar Internet fraud involving the sale of vehicles ... Russian flight attendant faces extradition to US Flight attendant wanted in the US |
Gary Brown: Emergency exit preparedness MetroWest Daily News By Gary Brown Well, any guy taller than 6 feet always wants more leg room when traveling by air, so I accepted the flight attendant's offer and slipped up to the seat in front of me. I was stretching out when I saw the signs that said “EXIT” and ... |
 Los Angeles Times | Flight attendants, ground workers protest American Airlines' plans to cut jobs ... Washington Post FORT WORTH, Texas — Flight attendants and ground workers marched in picket lines Tuesday to protest American Airlines' plans to outsource jobs and cut pay and benefits under a bankruptcy reorganization. Several of the protesters acknowledged having ... Gailen David, American Airlines Flight Attendant, Mocks Airline, Faces ... American Airlines workers protest job, pay cuts |
Return to Information
The ‘Aviator’ Web Site
Learn more about aviation (www.aviatorwebsite.com).
Plane Study Aircraft flashcards, multi-choice, presentations, puzzles and more to help you study (www.planestudy.com).
May 23, 2011
WASHINGTON – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) today announced they are teaming up to keep passengers safe when they fly this summer.
As the summer travel season begins, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt and AFA International President Veda Shook laid out a series of safety tips for air travelers of all ages to keep in mind when they board an airplane.
“Millions of people will take to the skies this summer, and we are doing everything we can to keep air travelers as safe as possible,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. ”Passengers can help us by taking a few simple steps to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.”
“We’re calling on passengers to take an active role in aviation safety,” said Administrator Babbitt. “We are committed to safety and we are asking every passenger to take just a few minutes to follow our safety tips and, most importantly, pay attention to your flight and cabin crews.”
Travelers can make their flight even safer by following these guidelines:
- Pay attention to the flight attendant safety briefing at the beginning of your flight and read the safety briefing card.
- Buckle up. Keep you and your family safe by wearing a seat belt at all times while seated.
- Use an approved child safety seat or device if your child weighs less than 40 pounds.
- Prevent in-flight injuries by following your airline’s carry-on restrictions.
- When it’s time, turn off your personal electronic device (PED).
“As first responders in the cabin, a flight attendant’s foremost responsibility is to help protect the safety and security of our passengers. Through comprehensive training and extensive experience, flight attendants are well equipped to ensure passengers arrive at their destination safely and securely,” said Shook.
Passengers can find additional safety information and the latest on airport status and delays at www.faa.gov/passengers. The site also contains a video demonstration on how to properly install a child safety seat or device on an airplane.
In December 2010, a group of aviation stakeholders, known as the Future of Aviation Advisory Committee (FAAC), delivered 23 recommendations to Secretary LaHood and Administrator Babbitt on workforce development, competition and viability, financing of aviation systems, environmental concerns, and safety. Based on some of those recommendations, the FAA is stepping up efforts to educate parents about the importance of using a child restraint for air travel.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt also announced today that Toys“R”Us, Inc. is sharing the FAA’s travel tips so caregivers can easily access important safety information on its dedicated safety website, www.Toysrus.com/Safety, about traveling with children.
Broadcast quality video and audio from Administrator Babbitt and AFA International President Shook discussing safe summer travel are available for download via the following links:
Babbitt Audio: https://dotmediacenter.onehub.com/d/aywn/
Babbitt Video: https://dotmediacenter.onehub.com/d/1mjx/
Shook Audio:https://dotmediacenter.onehub.com/d/n997/
Shook Video:https://dotmediacenter.onehub.com/d/rlr3/
