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To be a flight attendant, you must complete training and certification to ensure you can be responsible for passengers’ safety and comfort. The path to becoming a flight attendant is fairly straightforward and includes the following steps: Get a high school diploma. The minimum education requirement for flight attendants is a high school diploma. Earn a college degree. While most airlines will hire flight attendants without degrees, an associate or bachelor’s degree in a field such as public relations could make you more attractive to employers. Build customer service skills. Work for a year or two in a hospitality or service job to develop your customer service skills. This experience will look good on your resume when applying for flight attendant jobs. You might work at a restaurant, hotel or in any role that requires interacting with people. Apply for a job. If you are over age 18 and have good health and vision, you can apply for flight attendant positions with various airlines. T...

Flight attendants may be part-time or full-time. They might work for commercial, corporate, regional or international airlines. They work unconventional hours and schedules because airlines operate day and night, year-round and on holidays and weekends. Most airlines ensure flight attendants work no more than 12 hours a day, but international flights may require them to work longer. The FAA requires flight attendants to have at least nine hours off between shifts. They often spend nights in hotels between flights and might be away from home for days at a time. Flight attendants spend part of their workdays in the air and part on the ground preparing or waiting for the next flight. When flying, they work in the plane’s cabin with other flight crew members. A flight attendant’s job can be stressful at times, as they must deal with difficult or anxious passengers, respond to emergencies and air turbulence and be on their feet for long periods.   Flight attendants typically have t...

Flight attendants typically enjoy working with people and have strong customer service skills. They also appreciate traveling and seeing new places and are comfortable working long or unusual hours. Skills flight attendants need to succeed include: Attention to detail: Flight attendants must monitor passengers for problems or suspicious activities. They must also be meticulous when doing safety checks on equipment and people. Communication: Flight attendants should be able to speak clearly and confidently when giving safety demonstrations and when interacting with passengers and crew. They should also be courteous and have good listening skills. Customer service: Part of a flight attendant’s job is providing hospitality. They should have a friendly and patient attitude when providing services to ensure passengers have a comfortable and positive flight. Stamina: Flight attendants often work long hours, respond to challenging passengers and handle heavy items such as luggage and service ...

Flight attendants must be certified with one of the following credentials: FAA Certificate of Demonstrated Proficiency This certificate, which flight attendants earn by completing their on-job training and passing an exam, is mandatory. Flight attendants must train for and become certified for each type of aircraft they work on. They must also continue receiving training each year to stay certified. Flight Attendant Certificate Courses Organizations such as Inflight Institute offer certification programs by type of airline: charter, regional, national or international. Their partner airlines require flight attendants to take these online courses, which cover topics ranging from aviation terminology to safety procedures to passenger handling, before being hired.

Most flight attendants need a year or two of work experience to gain customer service skills. Once hired as a flight attendant, they must participate in three to six weeks — and in some cases, up to six months — of training provided by the airline. During this training period, flight attendants learn safety and emergency procedures, first aid, flight regulations and job duties. They also take practice flights. All flight attendants must complete this initial training to get certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). They might have to complete additional job training, depending on the airline.

Flight attendants must have at least a high school diploma and preferably an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Instead of going to college, some people enroll in flight attendant school. If you want to work on international flights, you might need to take foreign language classes.