Flight attendant job description: duties, job specification, requirements and interview questions

Passengers see the drinks trolley. Airlines hire for the emergency. A flight attendant job description has to make both clear: the daily work is service, and the reason the role exists is safety.

This article explains what a flight attendant is, sets out seven duties across the three phases of a flight, gives the job specification, meaning the person specification and requirements airlines set, lists the skills and training, provides a template and closes with interview questions for flight attendants and what the answers should show. It uses UK sources; airlines in other countries set their own rules.

Cabin crew work in a different team on every flight, so standards have to travel with the person. See how New Dynamics performance reviews bring goals, feedback and development into one fair discussion.

What is a flight attendant?

The UK National Careers Service profiles the role as cabin crew, listing flight attendant, air steward and air stewardess as alternative titles: “Air cabin crew make sure that airline passengers have a safe, comfortable and pleasant flight.” Typical hours are 30 to 40 a week, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays, often away from home.

Prospects, the UK graduate careers service, adds the order of priorities in its air cabin crew profile. As a cabin crew member, “you'll provide excellent customer care to passengers while ensuring their comfort and safety throughout the flight”. You will serve refreshments and meals and sell duty-free items, and “you'll be trained to deal with security and emergency procedures, which can include administering first aid to passengers”. Before take-off, it is the crew's responsibility “to ensure that all emergency equipment is in working order” and that there are enough supplies on board.

Flight attendant duties: seven responsibilities

The NCS organises the work by phase of flight. We keep that order.

Before the flight

1. Briefing and safety checks. Attend the pre-flight briefing on the route, schedule, working positions and passengers with special requirements; check safety equipment, security and supplies, and that the cabin is clean and the seat-pocket information current.
2. Boarding. Welcome passengers, check documents, direct them to seats and make sure hand luggage is stowed.
3. Safety demonstration and cabin secure. Demonstrate safety and emergency procedures and check seat belts and galleys are secure before take-off.

During the flight

4. Service and sales. Make announcements, respond to requests, check dietary needs, serve food and drinks and sell duty-free goods, advising on allowance restrictions at the destination.
5. Emergencies and first aid. Reassure passengers and make sure they follow safety procedures in an emergency; give first aid where needed.
6. Difficult passengers. Deal with difficult or inebriated passengers, as Prospects puts it, “politely but firmly, to ensure the safety and comfort of everyone on the flight”.

After the flight

7. Disembarkation and reports. Make sure passengers leave safely with their luggage, check lockers and the cabin for anything left behind or suspicious, and complete the flight report, incident details and sales totals.

Job specification: the person specification and requirements

A job specification pairs the duties above with a person specification. For cabin crew, much of it is set by regulation and by the airline.

Requirements the NCS lists. You will need to be over 18, have a good level of fitness, pass a medical check and pass enhanced background checks. You will also be expected to have a valid passport with no restrictions for the countries the airline flies to, to live within 90 minutes of your base and to have good written and spoken English. The NCS says many airlines ask that you are able to swim up to 25 metres, and that there are rules about height and weight which vary between airlines.

Qualifications. Prospects says a degree is not required; most airlines expect a good secondary education, some requiring grade 4 or above in English and maths, and languages are an advantage. The NCS notes that airlines set their own entry requirements, that experience of working directly with the public is useful and that preparation courses may help but are not essential.

Our guide to job requirements explains the essential and desirable split.

Skills employers look for

The NCS lists customer service skills, excellent verbal communication, “patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations”, enjoying working with other people, knowledge of public safety and security, sensitivity and understanding, teamwork, the ability to accept criticism and work under pressure, and computer competence. Prospects adds “the ability to be tactful and diplomatic with passengers but also assertive where necessary”, commercial awareness and sales skills, flexibility to work unsocial hours on any day of the year, speed under tight time constraints, numeracy for cash including foreign currency, “the capacity to work in a confined space” and “the ability to remain cheerful despite long working hours”.

For an advert, six things: safety-mindedness, calm authority, warmth, stamina for irregular hours and confined spaces, teamwork with strangers, and sales.

Training and progression

The NCS lists three routes: a college course such as an introduction to cabin crew or a travel and tourism course with a cabin crew module; the cabin crew level 3 advanced apprenticeship, which takes around 12 months and combines on-the-job training with time at a college or training provider; and direct application to airlines. Airlines then run their own safety and emergency procedures training before a new recruit flies.

With experience, the NCS says, you could progress to cabin crew supervisor or a senior cabin crew role, or move into ground-based work such as cabin crew training, recruitment, passenger services, marketing and sales.

Requirements and regulation differ between countries. Check the rules of the airline and the aviation regulator where you would be based.

Flight attendant job description template

Adapt the template to your airline. Keep every line true.

Job title: Cabin crew member (flight attendant)

Reports to: Senior cabin crew member or inflight manager; cabin crew manager on the ground

Base and hours: [Base airport]; rostered shifts including early mornings, nights, weekends and public holidays, with nights away from home on [long-haul] routes

Purpose of the role: To keep passengers safe throughout every flight and to give them a comfortable, pleasant journey, in line with the airline's safety procedures and service standards.

Main duties:

• Attend pre-flight briefings and carry out safety, security and supply checks
• Welcome passengers, check documents, direct seating and secure hand luggage
• Deliver the safety demonstration and secure the cabin for take-off and landing
• Serve meals and drinks, meet dietary needs and sell inflight retail
• Respond to medical situations with first aid and manage emergencies to procedure
• Handle difficult passengers politely and firmly to protect everyone on board
• Ensure safe disembarkation, check the cabin and complete flight reports and sales totals

Requirements: see the person specification above.

We provide: Full safety and emergency procedures training, uniform, [flight and overnight allowances], [staff travel], and a route to senior cabin crew.

State the base, the route types and how rostering works. Our job description template explains the overall structure, and our customer service representative job description covers the ground-based service role many applicants come from.

Interview questions for flight attendants

Airline selection usually combines an assessment day with group exercises and an interview. The questions below are our own examples of what interviewers ask; the notes say what a good answer shows.

1. Tell us about a time you stayed calm while someone was angry with you. Shows composure and tact.
2. A passenger refuses to fasten their seat belt before take-off. What do you do? Shows that safety comes first and that the candidate can be polite and firm.
3. How would you handle a passenger who has had too much to drink? Shows judgement, de-escalation and knowledge that crew can refuse service.
4. Describe a time you worked with people you had never met to get something done. Shows teamwork with strangers, which is every flight.
5. How do you feel about early starts, nights away and working at Christmas? Shows realism about the roster.
6. A colleague misses a safety check. What do you do? Shows that the candidate will speak up.
7. What would you do if you noticed a passenger looked unwell mid-flight? Shows attentiveness and the first-aid mindset.
8. Why this airline? Shows research and fit.

Our manager interview questions show how to score answers consistently across candidates.

Frequently asked questions

What is a flight attendant?

A flight attendant, called cabin crew in the UK, is an airline employee responsible for passengers' safety and comfort on a flight. The role covers safety checks and demonstrations, boarding, service and sales, emergencies and first aid, handling difficult passengers and safe disembarkation.

What are the duties of a flight attendant?

Before the flight: briefing, safety and supply checks, boarding and the safety demonstration. During: service and sales, emergencies and first aid, and managing difficult passengers. After: safe disembarkation, cabin checks and the flight report. Safety is the first responsibility throughout.

What is the job specification of a flight attendant?

The duties plus the person specification: typically a minimum age of 18, fitness, medical and enhanced background checks, a valid passport, good English, the ability to swim, living within reach of the base, customer service experience and calm under pressure. Airlines set their own requirements.

What qualifications do you need to be a flight attendant?

No degree is required. Most airlines expect a good secondary education, some asking for grade 4 or above in English and maths. In England there is a cabin crew level 3 apprenticeship, and college courses exist, but airlines train new recruits in their own safety procedures before they fly.

What skills does a flight attendant need?

Customer service, clear communication, calm under pressure, tact with assertiveness, teamwork with people met that day, knowledge of safety and security, sales skills, numeracy, flexibility for unsocial hours and the ability to work in a confined space for long periods.

What questions are asked in a flight attendant interview?

Questions about staying calm with angry people, enforcing safety rules politely but firmly, handling intoxicated passengers, working with strangers, coping with the roster, speaking up about a missed check, noticing an unwell passenger and why the candidate chose the airline.

Your next step

1. Write the purpose statement with safety first and service second.
2. List the airline's own requirements in the person specification, with the assessment stage for each.
3. State the base, route types and roster pattern honestly.
4. Plan the first month: safety training, first flights with a mentor and a check-in after each.

For that first month, read and download our employee onboarding guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.

Want reviews, feedback and development for crew who never work with the same team twice? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current process. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.