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FACTOIDS:
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• Attendants usually fly about 75 to 85 hours a month. They spend about the same amount of time on the ground preparing for flight, writing reports and waiting for late planes.
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• The first flight attendant crew flew between San Francisco and Chicago on May 15, 1930. The flight lasted 20 hours and included 13 stops.
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• At 8,000 miles over 13-plus hours, the nonstop flight from New York's JFK Airport to Johannesburg, South Africa, is the world's longest commercial flight.
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- Flight attendants provide personal services to ensure airline passengers' safety and comfort during flight. They greet passengers, verify tickets, explain the use of safety equipment, and serve food or beverages.
- Their main job is to keep passengers safe and evacuate them in an emergency. They may also give first aid to passengers who become ill.
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- Airlines prefer to hire poised, tactful and resourceful people who can interact comfortably with strangers and remain calm under stress.
- Flight attendants should be flexible. For example, they may be scheduled to fly to New York but changed to a flight to Alaska with little or no notice.
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- Airlines require a high school education for flight attendants. One or two years of college or experience working with the public are helpful for getting a job.
- Attendants on international flights must be fluent in a foreign language.
- Most large airlines give new flight attendants four to six weeks of intensive training, including practice flights. Trainees learn emergency procedures, flight regulations and duties, and company operations and policies.
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- Employment opportunities for flight attendants are expected to grow faster than average through 2008, as growth in the population and personal income will likely increase the number of people who travel by air.
- Applicants who have at least two years of college and experience dealing with people will have the best chance of being hired.
- When demand for air travel decreases, flight attendants may work reduced hours or get laid off. Few new attendants are hired during these periods.
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Sources: Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics; The Center for the Study of Technology and Society
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