Occupation Details
Flight Attendants
Monitor safety of the aircraft cabin. Provide services to airline passengers, explain safety information, serve food and beverages, and respond to emergency incidents.
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Interests
Social
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Enterprising
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Conventional
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Work Values
Working Conditions
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Relationships
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Salary & Job Outlook
Starting Salary
$50,790.00
New York StateMedian Salary
$65,180.00
New York StateExperienced Salary
$83,800.00
New York StateNational Average for Comparison
New York State Job Market Outlook
Jobs Right Now (2018)
7,070
professionals in NYFuture Job Growth (2030)
10,690
+362 jobs/yearNew Jobs Every Year
1,448
new opportunities yearlyGrowth Rate
0.5%
projected increasePreparation: Experience, Training, and Education
The list below outlines the prior educational experience required to perform in this occupation.
Some Training - Certificate or hands-on training
Experience Requirements
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Education Requirements
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Training Details
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Transferrable Skills and Experience
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, tellers, and dental laboratory technicians.
School Programs
The following lists school programs which are applicable to this occupation.
Licensing & Certification
State License and Certifications Requirements are not currently associated with this occupation.
Skills
The list below includes the skills required by workers in this occupation; skills are what allow you to learn more quickly and improve your performance.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Skill level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Knowledge
The list below includes knowledge items, the principles and facts required by this occupation.
Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Public Safety and Security
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Psychology
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Geography
Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
Computers and Electronics
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Knowledge level is measured on a seven point scale, where one means 'some competence required for this occupation' and seven means 'a high level of expertise required for this occupation'.
Work Environment
The list below includes the physical and social factors that influence the nature of work in this occupation.
Hover over or tap each factor to see its description.
Work Styles
Included in the list below are the personal work style characteristics that can affect how well a worker is likely to perform in this occupation.
Adaptability/Flexibility
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Attention to Detail
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Concern for Others
Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Cooperation
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Dependability
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Independence
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Integrity
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Self-Control
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Social Orientation
Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Stress Tolerance
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Tools & Technology
This list below describes the machines, equipment, tools, software, and information technology that workers in this occupation will use.
Tools
- Aircraft fire extinguishing systems
- Automated external defibrillators AED
- Blood pressure recorders
- Cabin management systems
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR masks
- Chemical oxygen generators
- Commercial cooking ovens
- Desktop computers
- Electrical circuit breakers
- Emergency exit doors and windows
- Emergency locator transmitters
- Emergency rafts
- Epi-pens
- Evacuation slides
- First aid kits
- Flotation seat cushions
- Halon fire extinguishers
- Heaving life lines
- Intravenous IV administration sets
- Lavatory smoke detectors
- Life preservers
- Mechanical stethoscopes
- Megaphones
- Nitroglycerin tablets
- Notebook computers
- Personal digital assistants PDA
- Protective breathing equipment
- Refrigeration units
- Satellite aircraft communication systems
- Self-inflating manual resuscitation devices
Technology
- Bid Assistant
- IBM Lotus LearningSpace
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Word
Duties
Duties are job behaviors describing activities that occur on multiple jobs. The generalized and detailed work activities described in the list below apply to this occupation.
- maintain records, reports, or files
- prepare reports
- operate emergency fire or rescue equipment
- operate audio-visual equipment
- demonstrate or explain assembly or use of equipment
- page or announce information to patrons, passengers or others
- inventory stock to ensure adequate supplies
- conduct or attend staff meetings
- calculate monetary exchange
- verify ticket or pass
- use knowledge of food handling rules
- use oral or written communication techniques
- use aircraft safety regulations
- follow aviation emergency procedures
- use first aid procedures
- ensure compliance with government regulations
- ensure equipment is operating to prescribed standards
- assist handicapped persons
- understand government alcoholic beverage service regulations
- understand government health, hotel or food service regulations
- receive customer orders
- collect payment
- serve food or beverages
- assist individuals into or out of vehicles, boats, aircraft, or rides
- provide customer service
- answer customer or public inquiries
- greet customers, guests, visitors, or passengers
- assist patrons or passengers to find seats
- assist passengers to store luggage
- accommodate requests of passengers
- provide personal services to passengers
Tasks
The list below outlines specific tasks that a worker in this occupation is called upon to do regularly.
- Verify that first aid kits and other emergency equipment, including fire extinguishers and oxygen bottles, are in working order.
- Announce and demonstrate safety and emergency procedures, such as the use of oxygen masks, seat belts, and life jackets.
- Monitor passenger behavior to identify threats to the safety of the crew and other passengers.
- Walk aisles of planes to verify that passengers have complied with federal regulations prior to takeoffs and landings.
- Direct and assist passengers in emergency procedures, such as evacuating a plane following an emergency landing.
- Prepare passengers and aircraft for landing, following procedures.
- Administer first aid to passengers in distress.
- Determine special assistance needs of passengers, such as small children, the elderly, or disabled persons.
- Attend preflight briefings concerning weather, altitudes, routes, emergency procedures, crew coordination, lengths of flights, food and beverage services offered, and numbers of passengers.
- Reassure passengers when situations, such as turbulence, are encountered.
- Check to ensure that food, beverages, blankets, reading material, emergency equipment, and other supplies are aboard and are in adequate supply.
- Announce flight delays and descent preparations.
- Prepare reports showing places of departure and destination, passenger ticket numbers, meal and beverage inventories, the conditions of cabin equipment, and any problems encountered by passengers.
- Greet passengers boarding aircraft and direct them to assigned seats.
- Assist passengers entering or disembarking the aircraft.
- Inspect and clean cabins, checking for any problems and making sure that cabins are in order.
- Conduct periodic trips through the cabin to ensure passenger comfort and to distribute reading material, headphones, pillows, playing cards, and blankets.
- Operate audio and video systems.
- Answer passengers' questions about flights, aircraft, weather, travel routes and services, arrival times, or schedules.
- Collect money for meals and beverages.
- Heat and serve prepared foods.
- Inspect passenger tickets to verify information and to obtain destination information.
- Assist passengers in placing carry-on luggage in overhead, garment, or under-seat storage.
- Take inventory of headsets, alcoholic beverages, and money collected.
- Sell alcoholic beverages to passengers.
Learning Resources
More information on this occupation may be found in the links provided below.
Flight attendants
Visit this link for additional information on this career from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; a publication produced and maintained by the United States Department of Labor.
Learn MoreTransportation Specialists
Visit this link for information on this career in the military.
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