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Airline Flight Attendant

Types of Degrees Airline Flight Attendant Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Airline Flight Attendant may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	6
Associate’s Degree	21
Master’s Degree	20

What Airline Flight Attendant Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Airline Flight Attendant develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Airline Flight Attendant graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Airline Flight Attendant emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Transportation — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 2.6 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Airline Flight Attendant program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Airline Flight Attendant careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Airline Flight Attendant graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.8 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.1 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	4.0 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.0 / 7
Handling and Moving Objects	4.0 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.0 / 7
Performing General Physical Activities	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Airline Flight Attendant professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Timekeeping software	Time accounting software	—
Accellos Real Dispatch	Mobile location based services software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Commercial vehicle operations CVO software	Mobile location based services software	—
General ledger software	Accounting software	—
Enterprise resource planning ERP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Work scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Airline Flight Attendant graduates include:

• Stewardess Supervisor
• Flight Service Manager
• Boatswain
• Flight Purser
• Airflight Attendants Supervisor
• Passenger Service Supervisor
• Cargo Supervisor
• Passenger Service Manager
• Chief Passenger Ship Steward
• Pilot Supervisor
• Airplane Pilot Supervisor
• Chief Passenger Ship Stewardess
• Cabin Service Agent
• Service Industry Coordinator
• Service Supervisor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Airline Flight Attendant graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	70.3%
Bachelor’s degree	12.3%
Some college courses	10.4%
Less than a high school diploma	3.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.6%
Postsecondary certificate	0.8%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Airline Flight Attendant?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 91.5% of Airline Flight Attendant degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	43	91.5%
Men	4	8.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Airline Flight Attendant graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	10	21.3%
Asian	3	6.4%
Hispanic or Latino	26	55.3%
Black or African American	1	2.1%
Two or More Races	1	2.1%
International Students	6	12.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Airline Flight Attendant Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Airline Flight Attendant graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$54,735
4 years	$69,369
5 years	$80,156

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $80,156 — roughly 46% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Airline Flight Attendant Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Airline Flight Attendant graduates earn a median of $69,369 four years after completion — roughly 83% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Air Transportation	49.01
Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology, General	49.0101
Air Traffic Controller	49.0105
Air Transportation, Other	49.0199
Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot and Flight Crew	49.0102
Aviation/Airway Management and Operations	49.0104
Flight Instructor	49.0108
Remote Aircraft Pilot	49.0109

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.