Flight Attendants
Also called: Flight Attendant, In-Flight Crew Member, International Flight Attendant, PurserMonitor safety of the aircraft cabin. Provide services to airline passengers, explain safety information, serve food and beverages, and respond to emergency incidents.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 6 of its 25 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 8.8% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 0.9% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 9.0 hires for every 10 job openings in transportation, warehousing, and utilities, which employs about 100% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.9.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $61,780 | $38,720 to $80,810 | 4,590 |
| California | $82,170 | $59,230 to $100,550 | 15,840 |
| Colorado | $59,500 | $53,580 to $78,320 | 7,110 |
| Connecticut | $78,180 | $62,770 to $96,560 | 250 |
| Florida | $47,320 | $38,570 to $67,520 | 13,220 |
| Georgia | $78,320 | $62,410 to $98,840 | not published |
| Idaho | $62,200 | $62,200 to $101,170 | not published |
| Illinois | $62,120 | $60,320 to $77,720 | 9,350 |
| Massachusetts | $61,510 | $58,900 to $92,020 | 4,390 |
| Michigan | $62,490 | $61,270 to $96,830 | not published |
| Minnesota | $61,230 | $60,170 to $75,630 | 4,050 |
| Nevada | $51,800 | $31,120 to $73,740 | 4,040 |
| New York | $126,650 | $75,990 to $163,750 | 12,060 |
| Ohio | $62,440 | $44,980 to $83,450 | 990 |
| Oregon | $61,480 | $46,340 to $78,870 | 980 |
| Pennsylvania | $39,520 | $28,860 to $45,800 | 2,290 |
| Texas | $58,220 | $45,520 to $66,760 | 13,470 |
| Utah | $82,730 | $62,940 to $103,890 | 2,490 |
| Virginia | not published | not published | 3,900 |
| Washington | $74,090 | $63,210 to $99,190 | not published |
Nationally: $63,580. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 6 of its 25 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Verify that first aid kits and other emergency equipment, including fire extinguishers and oxygen bottles, are in working order. | Not published |
| Not much | Announce and demonstrate safety and emergency procedures, such as the use of oxygen masks, seat belts, and life jackets. | Not published |
| Not much | Walk aisles of planes to verify that passengers have complied with federal regulations prior to takeoffs and landings. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare passengers and aircraft for landing, following procedures. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor passenger behavior to identify threats to the safety of the crew and other passengers. | Not published |
| Not much | Administer first aid to passengers in distress. | Not published |
See all 25 tasks
| Not much | Attend preflight briefings concerning weather, altitudes, routes, emergency procedures, crew coordination, lengths of flights, food and beverage services offered, and numbers of passengers. | Not published |
| Not much | Determine special assistance needs of passengers, such as small children, the elderly, or persons with disabilities. | Not published |
| Not much | Reassure passengers when situations, such as turbulence, are encountered. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct and assist passengers in emergency procedures, such as evacuating a plane following an emergency landing. | Not published |
| Not much | Check to ensure that food, beverages, blankets, reading material, emergency equipment, and other supplies are aboard and are in adequate supply. | Not published |
| Not much | Greet passengers boarding aircraft and direct them to assigned seats. | Not published |
| Not much | Assist passengers entering or disembarking the aircraft. | Not published |
| AI + software | Announce flight delays and descent preparations. | Not published |
| Not much | Inspect and clean cabins, checking for any problems and making sure that cabins are in order. | Not published |
| AI + software | Answer passengers' questions about flights, aircraft, weather, travel routes and services, arrival times, or schedules. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Assist passengers in placing carry-on luggage in overhead, garment, or under-seat storage. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare reports showing places of departure and destination, passenger ticket numbers, meal and beverage inventories, the conditions of cabin equipment, and any problems encountered by passengers. | Not published |
| Not much | Heat and serve prepared foods. | Not published |
| Not much | Conduct periodic trips through the cabin to ensure passenger comfort and to distribute reading material, headphones, pillows, playing cards, and blankets. | Not published |
| AI alone | Operate audio and video systems. | Not published |
| Not much | Sell alcoholic beverages to passengers. | Not published |
| AI + software | Inspect passenger tickets to verify information and to obtain destination information. | Not published |
| Not much | Collect money for meals and beverages. | Not published |
| Not much | Take inventory of headsets, alcoholic beverages, and money collected. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 25 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 25 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- #19 Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists | |||
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Monitor individual behavior or performance | |||
| Monitor resources or inventories | |||
| Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Operate communications equipment or systems | |||
| Resolve personnel or operational problems |
Show all 17 activities
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Inspect facilities or equipment | |||
| Sell products or services | |||
| Monitor safety or security of work areas, facilities, or properties | |||
| Intervene in crisis situations or emergencies | |||
| Inspect vehicles | |||
| Collect fares or payments | |||
| Administer emergency medical treatment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer56%
- Advice or a recommendation23%
- A plan or strategy3%
- Math or a calculation2%
- An analysis or summary1%
How they worked with Claude
2% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for flight attendants specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 18,252 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 3 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 4%
- 4 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 3%
- 5 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 15,205 moves in
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 7%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 3 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 3%
- 4 Waiters and Waitresses Moderate +2.0% 3%
- 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 3% less than high school
- 70% high school
- 1% postsecondary certificate
- 10% some college
- 3% associate's
- 12% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 27 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 2% less than high school
- 15% high school
- 28% some college
- 12% associate's
- 36% bachelor's
- 6% master's
- 1% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 1,311 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
1 program: Airline Flight Attendant.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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