Flight attendant Jobs

Flight attendants perform a wide range of tasks, including:

• conducting pre-flight safety checks;
• demonstrating safety procedures to everyone on board;
• assisting passengers with seating and luggage, particularly the elderly and children flying alone;
• serving meals, beverages, and other refreshments;
• handling medical emergencies;
• managing unruly or disruptive passengers;
• providing excellent customer service;
• ensuring that the aircraft cabin is clean and orderly;
• and
• communicating regularly with the flight crew.

To become a flight attendant in South Africa, the general minimum requirements include:

• a Matric (Grade 12) certificate;
• a valid South African passport;
• fluency in English (additional languages are sure to prove a bonus);
• good physical health and fitness;
• the ability to swim at least 25m;
• a clear criminal record;
• and
• a highly professional and neat appearance, with excellent grooming.

Most airlines will also require that you complete an accredited cabin crew training programme.

There are a whopping 47 movies listed on IMDb focused on pilots, flight attendants, airports or planes. To get you into the swing of what your career may entail, with a touch of added glamour here or there, consider watching:

• Neerja (2016) – the story of courageous Neerja Bhanot, who sacrificed her life while protecting the lives of 359 passengers on Pan Am Flight 73 in 1986, when it was hijacked by a terrorist organisation;
• Jackie Brown (1997) – a flight attendant with a criminal past gets nabbed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for smuggling. Under pressure to become an informant against the illegal arms dealer she works for, she must find a way to secure her future without getting killed;
• Ground Control (1998) – a disgraced former air traffic controller is called back into service when the airport's traffic control system malfunctions;
• View From The Top (2003) – a small-town woman tries to achieve her goal of becoming a flight attendant;
• and
• Sully (2016) – when pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger lands his damaged plane on the Hudson River in order to save the flight's passengers and crew, some consider him a hero while others think he was reckless.

Also consider both of the Top Gun movies – Top Gun (1986) and Top Gun: Maverick (2022) – for a touch of Tom Cruise-inspired escapism.

Be sure to get your hands on “The Great Stewardess Rebellion: How Women Launched a Workplace Revolution at 30,000 Feet”, available from Amazon. It was first published in 2022, by Doubleday.

The story begins as follows: “It was the Golden Age of Travel, and everyone wanted in. As flying boomed…, women from across the United States applied for jobs as stewardesses. They were drawn to the promise of glamorous jet-setting, the chance to see the world, and an alternative to traditional occupations such as homemaking, nursing, and teaching. But as the number of “stews” grew, so did their suspicion that the job was not as picture-perfect as the ads would have them believe. ‘Sky girls’ had to adhere to strict weight limits at all times; gain a few extra pounds and they’d be suspended from work. They couldn’t marry or have children; their makeup, hair, and teeth had to be just so. Girdles were mandatory while stewardesses were on the clock. And, most important, stewardesses had to resign at 32…”

The book, penned by Nell McShane Wulfhart, goes on to detail the empowering true story of a group of spirited stewardesses, who – in the 1960s – stood up to huge corporations and won, creating momentous change for all working women. Don’t miss it!

Another option is Chris Bohjalian’s 2018 New York Times bestseller, The Flight Attendant, published by Random House. It focuses on the plight of a flight attendant who wakes up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed, with a dead man beside her – and no idea how it all transpired. Order it for kindle, in audiobook format, as an audio CD or in hard cover, here.

Several training institutions in South Africa offer flight attendant courses. Popular options range from Future Flyers Academy (Johannesburg), Ept Aviation Training (Johannesburg & Cape Town), and Cabin Crew Academy South Africa (Johannesburg), to Skyy Aviation Academy (Durban and Cape Town), and PTC Aviation (Pretoria).

These programmes typically cover aviation safety, emergency procedures, customer service, and the ideal grooming standards to which you should subscribe.

Cabin crew training courses usually take between four and eight weeks, depending on the institution and the structure of the programme you have signed up for. Some airlines offer their own training once you are hired, lasting an additional six to eight weeks.

Training costs vary by institution, but generally range between R20k and R35k. This fee tends to include everything from theoretical instruction, to practical training, and certification exams.

Some financial institutions may offer payment plans, but financial aid options are generally rather limited. Prospective students can explore the likes of:

• personal savings;
• bank loans;
• and
• employer-sponsored training (for candidates who have already been hired by an airline).

Major airlines with headquarters in South Africa include:

• South African Airways;
• FlySafair;
• Airlink;
• CemAir;
• and
• LiftAirlines.

Many international airlines with South African routes also recruit flight attendants locally. Five of these with a wide range of destinations and a strong presence in the South African market include the likes of:

• Emirates;
• Qatar Airways;
• Turkish Airlines;
• British Airways;
• and
• Ethiopian Airlines.

The recruitment process typically involves:

• submitting an online application;
• meeting minimum height and medical standards;
• attending an assessment day with tests (e.g. on your communication skills, and teamwork abilities);
• additional panel interviews;
• medical examinations;
• background and criminal checks.

Successful candidates will also be required to undergo the necessary airline-specific training.

Airlines generally require flight attendants to:

• be between 1.58m and 1.85m in height (*);
• maintain a healthy weight proportional to that height;
• be without visible tattoos or piercings when in uniform;
• pass the essential vision and hearing tests that allow a flight attendant to do their work accurately and well;
• and
• be able to swim unaided.

(*) Note: Flight attendants need to be above a certain height primarily for safety and operational reasons reveals the Lemon8 lifestyle community, such as reaching overhead compartments for emergency equipment and assisting passengers. While some airlines may have specific height requirements, many focus on a "reach test" to assess a candidate's ability to access safety equipment and reach overhead bins to help retrieve luggage (or emergency items, such as an asthma pump or medication) mid-flight.

Successful flight attendants often possess excellent communication skills; strong customer-service orientation; the ability to remain calm under pressure; enviable problem-solving abilities; cultural awareness and sensitivity; and impressive teamwork and collaboration skills.

These attributes will allow you to explain safety procedures and provide information in a way that the passengers will understand, and to address any concerns they may bring to your attention. You should be able to listen attentively to them, and to empathetic towards their their needs. Understanding and responding appropriately to passengers' emotions, especially during stressful situations, is essential – so be sure to hone your EQ. But don’t be a pushover – the ability to calmly and effectively resolve disagreements or issues among passengers is important to everyone’s safety and wellbeing, especially if accomplished in a culturally sensitive manner.

Three other crucial attributes: the adaptability and flexibility to be able to adjust to changing circumstances, unexpected situations, and emergencies; the attention to detail to bring a meticulous approach to your safety checks, cabin maintenance, and passenger assistance; and the physical stamina to stand up well under the pressure of long hours, heavy luggage, and potentially ailing passengers.

Note: While not a replacement for medical professionals, having a basic understanding of first aid and common medical issues can be helpful in responding to minor incidents or injuries during a flight.; after which hopefully a trained doctor or nurse (either one who is onboard, or located at the next disembarkation point) can take over from you.

Flight attendants work irregular hours, including:

• early mornings, late nights, weekends, and public holidays;
• rotating shifts;
• long-haul and short-haul flights;
• and
• overnight layovers away from home.

Schedules can be demanding but are often balanced by plenty of rest days, and travel perks that include reduced rate or free flights, flexible schedules (i.e. the ability to swop with other flight attendants when your family or other commitments demand this), and opportunities to explore new destinations.

Flight attendants can often fly standby on their own airline, or enjoy discounted fares on other airlines – along with reduced rate hotel stays and other travel-related services, such as car hire. Additionally, their schedules often allow for extended time off and the chance to experience layovers in a range of exciting cities.

Salaries vary depending on the airline, your experience, and the demands of the routes you are required to travel. However, on average:

• entry-level flight attendants can expect to earn between R12k and R20k on a monthly basis;
• experienced flight attendants generally have a monthly pay packet of R20k to R35k;
• and
• senior cabin crew members/pursers earn between R35k and R50k+ each month

Additional benefits you could expect to enjoy include allowances for layovers, meals, and discounted flights – as mentioned above.

Career growth opportunities include everything from a promotion to senior cabin crew or purser roles; the transition to in-flight training roles; the progression to a member of your airline’s cabin crew management team; the movement into customer service, operations, or recruitment at the airline’s head office or call centre; and the opportunity to consider whether you may like to pursue a private jet flight attendant role – where the earning potential is considerably higher, at as much as R123 841 per month (US$7 000), according to Dragon Aviation Capital, an independent technical advisor to the aviation industry which is headquartered in Singapore.

Many of these have been mentioned during the course of other answers, above. To sum up, then, the key benefits you can expect in this profession include:

• the opportunity to travel both domestically and fairly widely internationally;
• discounted or free flight tickets for both yourself, and your family;
• exposure to diverse cultures and people from all walks of life;
• the opportunity to develop a wide range of interpersonal and crisis management skills;
• attractive salary packages and allowances;
• and
• (particularly for the wildly ambitious) extensive chances to network within the global aviation industry.

Like all in-demand and rewarding professional roles, you can expect quite a few associated challenges. The five key ones include:

• irregular hours and jet lag;
• regular time away from your home and close family members/loved ones;
• the need to manage demanding and/or difficult (wealthy and spoilt?) passengers;
• the constant need to maintain high standards of grooming and physical fitness;
• and
• the health impacts of working at high altitudes.

The latter point will necessitate that you see your doctor regularly because flight attendants and others who work at high altitudes often experience fatigue and sleep disorders, due to disruptions to the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle (otherwise referred to as your circadian rhythm).

You can read more about this and other health risks, in BMC Public Health’s research study, “Estimating the health consequences of flight-attendant work: comparing flight attendant health to the general population in a cross-sectional study”.

There is from time to time, with the level of demand fluctuating according to:

• economic conditions;
• travel restrictions (e.g. related to pandemics, such as COVID-19, and unrest in various parts of the world, such as the Middle East);
• airline expansions or cutbacks;
• and
• seasonal travel trends.

International airlines operating out of South Africa occasionally recruit locally, providing additional opportunities.

Have a look at the information on the website MyFuture, which advises – among other things – that “employment of flight attendants is projected to grow 10 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the average for occupations in general”.

While fluency in English is essential in most flight attendant positions, knowledge of additional languages (e.g. Afrikaans, French, German, Portuguese, Zulu, Xhosa) is advantageous, depending on your preferred local or international route.

Visible tattoos or body piercings are generally not permitted while a flight attendant is in uniform. However, some airlines may allow discreet tattoos that can be hidden under clothing. It's best to check specific airline policies with your prospective, or preferred employer.

The minimum age is usually in the range of 18 to 21 years, depending on the airline. There is often no strict upper-age limit these days, but candidates should meet both ongoing medical and fitness requirements. Note: Experience can prove a decisive plus in tough conditions.

While not always required, experience in the customer service niche, in hospitality, healthcare, or tourism can decidedly strengthen any application you submit.

Step 1: Meet the basic requirements (i.e. age, education, health, etc);

Step 2: Complete an accredited cabin crew training course;

Step 3: Apply to airlines with vacancies;

Step 4: Pass assessments, interviews, and medical checks;

Step 5: Undergo airline-specific training, upon successful recruitment;

and

Step 6: Obtain your Cabin Crew Licence (CCL), which is generally issued by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).

A CCL certifies that you have met aviation regulatory standards to work as a cabin crew member. It is issued by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), after you’ve completed the accredited training and passed the requisite examinations.

SACAA licences comply with international aviation standards, but each airline or country may have additional requirements. Some airlines accept South African-trained flight attendants, while others may require supplementary training. Be sure to check this out in advance of any job-related applications.

Because layovers can vary greatly, it’s important for you to consider in each case:

• whether you would like to rest in a separate form of accommodation, or stay with other staff members in a hotel paid for by the airline (which could result in plenty of partying and not enough rest and recovery);
• whether you have sufficient time and energy to explore the local attractions, or should instead catch up on sleep and log some much-needed gym time;
• and
• weighing up what is best for you from a holistic point of view, considering both your professional standing and your social life.

Also consider other aviation jobs, including a variety of pilot jobs and, for the technically minded, aircraft engineer jobs.

The aviation sector is highly competitive, with many applicants on offer per vacancy. To stand out, you should complete reputable training, showcase excellent presentation and communication skills, demonstrate adaptability and enthusiasm, and networking as extensively as you are able.

Yes, flight attendants can also opt to work for private or charter jets (where salaries are higher, and clientele more exclusive, VIP and corporate aviation services, tour operators offering scenic flights, aviation training academies where instructors are required, and air ambulance services (where flight attendants will be required to upskill in their basic first aid and other medical training, and have a medical calling).

They absolutely can! The profession is open to all genders, and many airlines actively seek diversity in their cabin crew teams because it offers numerous advantages – improved problem-solving, enhanced communication, and better adaptability to a wider range of passenger needs. It also fosters a more inclusive environment, where a variety of perspectives can be leveraged for better decision-making and a more positive experience for both the crew and passengers, advise the experts at Aerviva, a UAE-based entity that offers end-to-end recruitment and contracting services for aviation professionals.

Applicants typically undergo:

• general physical examinations;
• vision and hearing tests;
• drug and alcohol screenings;
• psychological assessments, due the responsibility inherent in their role;
• and
• other fitness-to-fly evaluations.

A career as a flight attendant offers adventure, growth, and unique experiences. While the job demands resilience and flexibility, it provides unmatched opportunities to travel the world, meet diverse people, and develop valuable life skills. With determination, the right training, and a passion for service, aspiring South African cabin crew members can build rewarding careers both locally and within the international arena.