Flight Attendant Alaska

Being a flight attendant requires good multi-tasking skills, and it can be a challenge for people who are not accustomed to doing several things at once. You must at the same time enforce the safety rules of the craft, maintain discipline among passengers, serve as a waiter or waitress, answer call buttons, and more. A flight attendant is the person who keeps the passengers of an aircraft happy and calm, assisting them when they need help, and ensuring their safety and comfort.

Like wait staff at restaurants, flight attendants often have a section of the aircraft that they are asked to cover. You may ask for help, and you should work well with the rest of the team, but you must also be able to handle your responsibilities on your own and without direct supervision.

Flight attendants need to be able to handle preparing and serving meals and beverages to the passengers on the flight. They should be physically strong enough to help passengers properly stow their carry-ons; they may need money skills to sell headphones or other on-flight services, and they should be friendly enough to please customers, but still be able to deal with a customer who becomes irate or otherwise unruly. Flight attendants must also often have first aid skills, and the cool head that allows them to use those skills under pressure.

Flight attendants have a high level of required skills and qualifications. In the United States, all flight attendants must be US citizens or must be legal immigrants with a work permit. Many companies that offer international flights prefer their flight attendants to be fluent in at least one language other than their native language, and all of them look for candidates that demonstrate good judgment, dependability, good interpersonal skills, a nurturing or caring disposition, and an ability to accept responsibility for resolving conflicts, a strong work ethic, and good communication skills. Airlines look for candidates with a professional appearance, a friendly disposition, and those who work well under pressure. A flight attendant must also be able to handle the physical requirements of the job, such as lifting and reaching.

To work for an airline, stewardesses and stewards must be at least 18 years old, although some airlines require that you are older. As a minimum, you must have a high school diploma, although many airlines require that their stewardesses and stewards have a college degree in some kind of interpersonal skill, and they must have some basic math and computer skills. Most airlines require experience in customer service for a flight attendant career, and all of them will conduct an extensive background check to ensure that you have not falsified your application and that you can legally enter all countries to which the airline flies (since some countries will not admit entrance to people with certain criminal records).

Flight attendants typically earn a salary of somewhere between $33,320 and $77,410 per year as of 2006 according to the United States Department of Labor; however, the starting wage is much lower for beginning flight attendants, sometimes as low as $15,849 per year with pay raises based on an established scale. There may also be incentive pay for flight attendants who are willing to work on the less desirable shifts, including over holidays, on night or international flights, or for positions that require the flight attendant to take on a higher level of responsibility, including paperwork.

A flight attendant is often allowed to fly for free or at a greatly discounted rate on their own airline, and their immediate family may be granted the same privilege. They may also be allowed to fly at a discounted rate on other airlines; however, some airlines require that a flight attendant be employed with them for a set period of time before they are allowed to take advantage of this kind of benefit.

Other benefits for a flight attendant might include insurance plans for life, health, and dental. They might include a 401K or another retirement plan, sick leave, paid holidays, paid vacations, stock options, or tuition reimbursement. Flight attendants receive a daily expense limit for food while they are working away from home, and their hotel expenses are paid by the airline.

Harris Medical Associates

770-497-9685
1180 Satellite Boulevard, Suite 200
Suwanee, GA
http://www.harrismedical.com/