A Day in the Life: Flight Attendant Pay

Posted in A Day in the Life of a Flight Attendant | 3 comments

TweetShare

“A Day in the Life” is a new series I’ve started aimed toward those readers interested in learning about  what flight attendant’s go through on a daily basis and those who are interested in becoming a flight attendant.

We all work to make money to provide a decent living for ourselves and our family. Some do jobs they dislike just for the paycheck, and some do work in a field they love even if the money isn’t there. The latter statement is true for anyone working as a flight attendant with less than 10 years seniority.

Through bankruptcy, mergers and buyouts the pay scale  for flight attendants has dwindled over the past 10 years. Starting salary for a United States domestic flight attendant averages around $14,000 a year. Not nearly enough to live on.

Many folks don’t really understand how a flight attendant is paid, and still believe it is one of the most glamorous, high-paid jobs out there. Let’s break it down.

Usually Flight Attendants get paid twice monthly. Each airline has designated a “minimum” hours that flight attendants will be paid for and the first paycheck of the month is 1/2 of their guaranteed hours for the month. Your second paycheck has the remaining guaranteed hours, any hours you flew over guarantee and your per diem payment (details on this can be found below).

On paper, the starting salary of $16-19 per hour looks great but don’t be fooled! Flight Attendant’s are paid per block/credit hour. In other words, the flight attendants are only paid when the aircraft door closes or when the plane is pushing back from the gate and their pay stops accruing once the door opens or the chocks are placed around the tires (otherwise known as “block in”).  So, this means your flight attendant is not getting paid for one of the most hectic and labor intensive part of their job, boarding.

For every hour a flight attendant is on a trip (trips usually range from 1 to 4 days for domestic and longer for international and they detail all of the flights a flight attendant is work within the designated period as well as includes time on layovers and hotel information) they also earn per diem. Per diem is the company’s way of reimbursing a flight attendant for food/beverages on their layovers, this hourly rate varies for international and domestic trips. The average U.S. domestic per diem is around $1.75 an hour or $42 a day. Per diem is NOT usually earned if the flight attendant is on a 1 day trip. Some airlines advertise that their flight attendants are paid “for every hour at work and on a trip” which is only true because of the FAs per diem payment. Therefore, it can be argued for boarding, your flight attendant is actually paid their per diem payment of $1.75 for the hour.

Some airlines offer their flight attendants “ground hold pay.” This pay comes into play when an aircraft is fully boarded and ready to push back from the gate but then air traffic control assigns the flight a delay due to traffic, congestion, etc. or the airport shuts down due to weather. For every hour on board the aircraft, with passengers the flight attendants begin to make a set wage until the door closes. This rate of pay is solely determined by the airline, but at mine it is currently set at $10/hr.

Alternatively, if a flight has not yet boarded and is delayed because of weather, air traffic control, a late aircraft, etc., your flight attendants are not getting paid (once again, unless you consider their 24/7 per diem payment “pay”).

At most airlines the flight attendant working in the front of the aircraft is also making a few extra dollars an hour. The “lead,” “A,” or “purser” is paid extra to oversee cabin service, handle extreme complaints on board and to handle paperwork unaccompanied minors

Pay rules vary greatly from airline to airline, but the general pay structure seems to be a standard. If you’re lucky, your airline pays you per duty hour. The only airline I know of that does this is USA 3000. They pay their flight attendants per hour they are on duty, just like any other job. This includes check-in, boarding, etc. How awesome would that be!

If you’re not a flight attendant, keep this post in mind. Though not an excuse for the flight attendants to be less than friendly and customer service focused, you may understand why some flights don’t board early even though the aircraft and crew are present or why you’re asked to deplane or boarding is postponed because of an extended delay. And, if you’re looking to become a flight attendant, when you are informed of what your regular hourly rate will be multiply it by around 70 hours. That should give you a low-ball estimate on what to expect every month without your per diem payment.

TweetShare