Flight attendant: aviation’s most wanted

With the aviation industry growing at an unprecedented pace, according to Bloomberg Businessweek flight attendant applications are currently far outpacing the positions available. For instance, Emirates has been reported to receive over 15 000 cabin crew job applications per month. At the same time, however, Air India has recently cancelled or temporarily withdrawn as many as 12 flights from its network due to shortage of cabin crew. Moreover, as over the next 20 years China alone is estimated to need an additional 2 000 cabin crew per year, may the optimism over cabin crew supply be exaggerated?

Since the demand for cabin crew depends highly on the demand for air travel, currently domestic and international carriers all over the world are stepping up their recruitment to cater to the expected growth. Partly this has to do with airlines adding more capacity and switching to larger aircraft. After all, it takes from 3 to 10 cabin crews to fully serve one aircraft, while such giants as A380 require up to 24 flight attendants per flight. Moreover, the demand is expected to accelerate even further due to the need of replacements for current specialists who retire or transfer to other jobs.

“Thanks to rapid growth of the aviation industry the need for cabin crew will only strengthen over the next years. Moreover, as much of this growth is coming from emerging economies in Asia and South America, an increasing number of job opportunities is appearing abroad, especially for those with the right language skills,” shares Skaiste Knyzaite, the CEO of AviationCV.com. “Nevertheless, even though airlines do receive quite a large amount of applications, most of those candidates don't end up being hired, since the standards within the industry are exceptionally high, and finding the right person for the job can often get especially tricky. Thankfully, given a set of perks and an opportunity to earn more than $50 000 annually, cabin crew probably always remain an occupation that is desirable and exciting, as long as one is aware of the related challenges.”

Undoubtedly, one of the most influential aspects is the huge amount of stress that cabin crew face during their duty time. After all, the primary responsibility of a flight attendant is the safety and security of passengers. Their in-air responsibilities include passenger check-in and orientation, stowing luggage, serving food and beverages, answering passenger questions, administering first aid and coordinating evacuation if necessary. However, while every job has its downsides, few can compete with the benefits of being a flight attendant on the right airline.

A flight attendant’s scheduled on-duty time is usually limited to 12 a day, which makes from around 65 to 90 hours a month plus an additional 50 hours on the ground preparing and waiting for flights. As a result, while beginning attendants earn about $20 000 a year, veteran pay scales can top $77 000, depending on the carrier. Plus, the job has a number of benefits, including hotel accommodations and allowance for meals while on duty away from home. Other bonuses can include medical, dental and life insurance as well as paid holidays and vacations, retirement and investment plans.

“Becoming a flight attendant is more than just a job for many people. It's a dream they have harboured for a long time. And while it may bring about some challenges, it certainly is very glamorous and exciting, as it offers life experiences that you will never forget. After all, in the job market the way it is right now, who wouldn’t want to get paid to travel?” smiles Skaiste Knyzaite, the CEO of AviationCV.com