Qualifications Needed for Flight Attendant Jobs

The airline industry is a highly competitive industry and a position as a flight attendant can be a job with a lot of benefits. However, competition for positions is quite strong and the applicant / positions available ratio is disproportionate. Each year, more and more people enroll in formal training classes to become qualified flight attendants, yet only the most qualified out of them actually get hired by the airlines.

If you consider a career as a flight attendant, you need to determine if you qualify for the position by evaluating the following requirements:

a) Education

Almost every airline requires a high school degree or Government Equivalency Degree (G.E.D.) to be eligible for applying for a flight attendant position. Therefore, if you haven't finished high school or have failed the G.E.D. do not even consider to apply for such position. Besides, the high school degree and the G.E.D are only the minimum requirements. Virtually every airline looks favorably upon candidates who have pursued higher education. According to several studies, over 50% of flight attendants have at least one year of college, 33% possess an Associate's or Bachelor's degree and near 12% possess a Master's or Doctorate's degree. Although such high degrees are not required to become a flight attendant, they are helpful in case you are interested in pursuing a management or supervisory position in the future.

b) Customer service experience

A flight attendant position requires working in front of the public regularly. You need to greet passengers, serve them and assist them, while always presenting a positive image for the airline in a customer service role. You are expected to be polite and nice, offering passengers a pleasant traveling experience. Passengers who have a poor experience with a flight attendant may even switch to a competitive airline, considering the availability of options and the fierce competition among airlines.

Although you may think you are inexperienced in a relevant role, you may have a customer service background if you have worked in any job that has to do with dealing with customers on a daily basis. On the other hand, if you do not have any relevant experience, you may face a hard time in getting hired. Customer service experience is not required, yet it is highly appreciated. Airlines prefer candidates who have experience working with the public. This means that possessing customer service experience provides you with a clear competitive advantage when applying for becoming a flight attendant.

c) Language Skills

The major concern of airlines when it comes to language skills is your ability to speak English. Fluency in English is the absolute prerequisite to get hired in a U.S. airline. However, if you are fluent in a second language, such as Spanish, French, Chinese etc, you definitely get an edge over a competitor candidate into getting hired as a flight attendant. Besides, second language fluency is requested by certain airlines that fly to particular international destinations, where designated Language of Destination/Origin (LOD/O) flight attendants are assigned to the flights.

Overall, as a flight attendant you would be responsible for much more than serving lunch and drinks on the plane. You would be responsible for the passengers' safety during the flight. You would be requested to demonstrate patience, flexibility and excellent interpersonal skills. You would need to deal with difficult passengers. You would be requested to make passengers feel comfortable. The job of flight attendant is demanding. Therefore, before applying, you need to be sure that you like to work in front of the public regularly and that you are ready to face the challenges of the profession.