Flight Attendant

Tūmau Waka Rererangi

Flight attendants make sure that passengers travelling in aeroplanes are safe and comfortable.

Learn about this job

Secondary education
Useful experience
What you will do
Skills and knowledge
Entry requirements
Chances of getting a job
Find out more about training
Career progression and specialisations
Working conditions
Physical requirements
Useful personal qualities
Industry
Similar jobs in the industry

Secondary education

You usually don’t need specific NCEA levels for this job. However, languages and English are useful.

Study fields

Study levels

Up to NCEA Level 3
Certificate

Useful experience

Useful experience for flight attendants includes:

customer service
nursing
teaching
nannying
tourism or hospitality work
work in a travel agency
work that involves speaking another language.

What you will do

Flight attendants may do some or all of the following:

look after passengers during flights
check emergency and safety equipment before each flight
prepare and check the catering, bar and cabin before each flight
greet passengers, help them stow their luggage and check that they are seated safely
demonstrate aircraft emergency procedures and safety features to passengers
serve and clear away food and drinks
use their knowledge of first aid to help sick passengers.

Skills and knowledge

Flight attendants need to have:

knowledge of flight and emergency procedures
ability to operate emergency equipment, such as defibrillators
hospitality skills for serving food and drinks
strong customer service skills
first aid and medical skills
ability to assist people with special needs, such as young children or people with disabilities.

Pay

Flight attendants usually earn

$54K-$90K

per year

Flight attendants can earn

$48K-$120K

per year

Job opportunities

Poor

Chances of getting a job as a flight attendant are poor due to limited demand for their services.

Length of training

year of training required.

Industry

Transport and Logistics

Flight attendants make sure that passengers travelling in aeroplanes are safe and comfortable.

Similar jobs in this industry

Aeroplane Pilot

Waiter/Waitress

Travel Agent/Adviser

Entry requirements

You need to train on the job to become a flight attendant.

You need:

to complete a training course
to have at least 18 months' experience in a customer-facing role
to pass ability tests
to pass a security check
to pass a medical assessment
to be able to swim 50 metres in under 2 minutes and tread water for 1 minute.

You may need:

to be over 18 years old
to have a valid passport
a New Zealand Certificate in Aviation (Flight Attendant) (Level 4).

Chances of getting a job

According to the Census, 3,015 flight attendants worked in New Zealand in 2018.

Advantage if you speak more than one language

Being able to speak more than one language increases your chances of getting a job as a flight attendant.

Useful languages to know include:

Cantonese
Fijian
French
German
Japanese
Mandarin
Samoan
Spanish
Tongan.

Air New Zealand key employer

Air New Zealand is the biggest employer of flight attendants.

Flight attendants may also work for:

Jetstar
Qantas
the Royal NZ Air Force.

Find out more about training

New Zealand School of Tourism: 0800 102 020 - www.nzschooloftourism.co.nz
Service IQ: 0800 863 693 - intel@serviceiq.org.nz - www.serviceiq.org.nz

Progression and specialisations

Flight attendants usually progress from working on domestic flights to working on international flights, or into senior roles such as lead flight attendant or purser.

They may also choose to transfer to ground-based jobs such as check-in agent, or customer service roles.

Working conditions

Flight attendants:

do shift work, including evenings, weekends and public holidays. International flight attendants may be rostered up to 18 hours a shift, and may spend many days away from home depending on where they are flying
work at altitude, often in cramped conditions
may work in conditions that are uncomfortable or dangerous, and may have to deal with stressful or difficult situations such as turbulence
travel locally or internationally.

Physical Requirements

Depending on the airline, flight attendants may need to:

pass a lift and reach test, which usually requires flight attendants to be between 160 and 185 centimetres tall, and able to lift heavy bags and emergency equipment
pass a medical exam
be able to swim 50 metres under 2 minutes unaided
have a certain standard of eyesight to carry out emergency procedures without glasses.

Useful personal qualities

Flight attendants need to be:

customer-focused and friendly
good communicators
able to relate to people from a range of cultures and backgrounds
responsible and professional
resilient and calm in stressful situations
able to work well in a team
organised, resourceful and alert.

Industry

Transport and Logistics

Flight attendants make sure that passengers travelling in aeroplanes are safe and comfortable.

Similar jobs in this industry

Aeroplane Pilot

Waiter/Waitress

Travel Agent/Adviser

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