Pros and Cons of Working as a Flight Attendant

You think about becoming a flight attendant but want to get additional information on salaries, job prospects, working hours, job satisfaction, educational requirements and much more?
Great! Stick with me since I will show you all the pros and cons of being a flight attendant in the following chapters.
Table of Contents
Flight Attendant Job Profile
Job Description | Flight attendants make sure that plane occupants get everything they need to enjoy their flight as much as possible and that they get from A to B in a safe manner. Among others, this includes distributing drinks, food and also giving safety instructions. |
Salary | $47,000 per year on average, most flight attendants make between $38,000 and $59,000 per year. |
Job Security | Flight attendants have decent job security since there is a high number of people traveling all over the world and demand for stewardesses is high. |
Job Satisfaction | Working as a stewardess can be great for you if you love traveling and don’t have a family waiting for you at home. |
Work-Life Balance | Since flight attendants are away from home quite often and also have to work on weekends and at nighttime, they have rather poor work-life balance. |
Physically / Mentally Demanding? | Working as a stewardess can be physically and emotionally demanding. |
Future Outlook | Since the number of people traveling the world will continue to stay high, flight attendants have a decent future outlook. |
Requirements | While a high school diploma might be enough to start your career as a flight attendant in some cases, you may still be able to improve your chances of getting a job in this field by enrolling in a specialized school or by getting a college degree. |
Advantages of Being a Stewardess
- Flight attendants can travel the world
- You can see many different countries
- You can experience many different cultures as a stewardess
- You can see the world from a different perspective
- Most flight attendants never get bored
- Many of your friends will envy you
- You can visit major cities for free
- You can work indoors most of the time
- Flight attendants don’t have to work in a hard physical manner
- Your risk of accidents at work is relatively low
- You can work with many different people
- You may be able to build a strong network of people
- You do an important job to keep air travel safe
- Working as a stewardess is not extremely stressful
- Risk of burnout is rather low
- You can stay fit at work
- Flight attendants are in high demand
- Decent future outlook for flight attendants
- Hard to replace flight attendants with digital machines
- Flight attendant may be a good job if you are single
Flight attendants can travel the world
One advantage of being a flight attendant is that you can travel the world on a regular basis and can see many exciting places most other people would never get to.
In turn, you can make your life as a flight attendant pretty interesting and can experience much more compared to the average person who just sits in the same office all day long.
You can see many different countries
Since you can travel the world, you can also see many different countries and this can not only be quite interesting but it also allows you to live many different lifestyles and you may also get some inspiration in case you don’t want to live in your home country forever and search for alternatives in this regard.
You can experience many different cultures as a stewardess
Since you can visit many countries and talk to many interesting people, you can also experience many different cultures and can also try many different foods.
In turn, you can really experience how other people all around the world spend their lives and can learn a lot for your own life.
You can see the world from a different perspective
Since you will experience so many new things, you can also adapt positive characteristics and you can just grow as a character in the long run since you will realize how relative life really is and chances are that you will also become a more tolerant person.
Most flight attendants never get bored
Thanks to the many new and exciting things you can experience as a stewardess, chances are that you will also never get bored with what you are doing and many flight attendants can’t wait until the next flight begins.
Many of your friends will envy you
Since working as a flight attendant is still considered a dream job by many people out there, chances are that your friends will really envy you and you will therefore have a pretty high social standing among your circle of friends.
You can visit major cities for free
Another upside to becoming a stewardess is that you can also travel to many fancy places for free.
Not only will you be able to use planes for free, but you will also get paid all the stays in nice hotels necessary to do your job as a flight attendant and you can therefore enjoy yourself quite a lot during work while most other people have to spend lots of money of having this experience.
You can work indoors most of the time
While garbage collectors and many other people have to work outdoors during times of bad weather, you will be working indoors as a flight attendant and can spend your workday in a much more convenient manner.
Flight attendants don’t have to work in a hard physical manner
While you will have to hand out drinks and food and have to work with your hands on a regular basis, you will still not have to lift really heavy stuff compared to tilers and other people who often have to lift heavy things on various occasions of their workday.
Your risk of accidents at work is relatively low
Since air travel is a pretty safe business, your risk of suffering from serious accidents at work will be relatively low compared to police officers or other people who will be at much greater risk of losing their lives at work in the long run.
You can work with many different people
Flight attendants can also meet many different people and can also talk to many passengers which can make their life at work pretty interesting since they can learn quite a lot from these conversations.
You may be able to build a strong network of people
Since you will have the chance to talk to so many new people, you can also build a strong network of people if you know how to do it properly and you may really be able to benefit from this network in the long run.
You do an important job to keep air travel safe
Another benefit of working as a flight attendant is that you will also do an important job for society since you will keep air travel safe and can minimize the risk that passengers get hurt inside the plane and also make sure that they have a really great experience onboard.
Working as a stewardess is not extremely stressful
While you will sometimes have to deal with difficult passengers and also have busy times where you have to get lots of work done, you will still not have high stress levels on a continuous basis and will also have time to take breaks to reload your batteries.
Risk of burnout is rather low
Since being a flight attendant is not very stressful, you will also be at rather low risk of suffering from burnout compared to people working in private equity or other people who have to work long hours with lots of stress on a daily basis.
You can stay fit at work
Since you will get some exercise and have to work in a physical manner, you will also have an easier time staying fit at work compared to financial analysts or other people who just work in classical office environments and sit in office chairs all day long.
Flight attendants are in high demand
Another advantage of working as a stewardess is that flight attendants are in high demand right now and it is therefore relatively easy to find a job all over the world.
Decent future outlook for flight attendants
Not only will you have decent job prospects right now, but flight attendants will also be needed for many years to come since the number of air travel passengers will likely continue to go up even further.
Hard to replace flight attendants with digital machines
Flight attendants are also almost impossible to replace by intelligent machines and while many jobs in other industries will be lost in this regard in the future, you will not have to worry as a flight attendant in this regard.
Flight attendant may be a good job if you are single
Being a flight attendant can also be great in case you are single right now and don’t have to provide for your family.
In such a case, you can travel to many interesting places and can really make nice memories before you finally fall in love and settle down.
Now that you know all the upsides to working as a flight attendant, we also have to talk about all the drawbacks of a flight attendant career so that you are better able to decide whether you still want to become a flight attendant or rather want to work in a different field.

Disadvantages of Working as a Flight Attendant
- Flight attendants are away from home quite often
- You will not see your kids often
- Your partner may start cheating on you
- You have to work on weekends
- Stewardesses have to work during nighttime
- Your natural sleeping pattern may get destroyed
- Flight attendants often don’t make really good money
- Stewardesses may not be able to save enough for retirement
- You may not be able to afford lots of luxury
- You have to be flexible as a flight attendant
- Some passengers are just difficult
- You don’t have a really high social standing as a stewardess
- You have to deal with rumors regarding affairs at work
- Limited promotion opportunities for flight attendants
- Flight attendants can’t work remotely
- You can’t start your own business as a stewardess
- Time pressure can be a problem
- You may have to get lots of schooling
- Not a good job if you suffer from fear of flying
- Processes are rather standardized
- There will not be much room for creativity
- Hard to make a real impact on society
- Jet lag can be annoying
Flight attendants are away from home quite often
One problem with being a flight attendant is that you will have to travel quite a lot and will be away from home quite often which makes it hard for you to spend time with your loved ones as often as you might wish.
You will not see your kids often
If you have kids, working as a flight attendant can also be quite annoying since you will not be able to see your kids grow up much since you will be away all the time and you may regret that in your later years.
Your partner may start cheating on you
Since you will be away from home quite often, you may also lose the emotional connection with your partner and your spouse may therefore cheat on you sooner or later.
You have to work on weekends
Another downside to being a flight attendant is that you also have to work on weekends quite often and will have a pretty exotic schedule in general which makes it hard for you to relax since your natural rhythm may be adversely affected quite a lot.
Stewardesses have to work during nighttime
Not only do you have to work on weekends, but you also have to work during nighttime as a stewardess and this can be mentally as well as physically demanding since our bodies are not used to working exotic hours and you may therefore get pretty tired with your job in the long run.
Your natural sleeping pattern may get destroyed
Since you will have to work at nighttime, also your natural sleeping pattern may get destroyed sooner or later and if you don’t get enough sleep, you may suffer from all sorts of health problems sooner or later.
Flight attendants often don’t make really good money
Another disadvantage of working as a flight attendant is that you will just not make really good money and if you compare yourself to your friends who might go to college and work in a fancy position later on, you may get really frustrated with your own pay.
Stewardesses may not be able to save enough for retirement
Since you don’t make great money as a stewardess, you will also have a rather hard time saving and investing enough money for retirement and may get into serious financial problems once you get older and have to quit your active career.
You may not be able to afford lots of luxury
Due to your low salary, you will also not be able to afford many nice things and you may also have a rather hard time providing for your family as a steward.
You have to be flexible as a flight attendant
You should also know that your schedule will change quite a lot and that you will have to be quite flexible as a flight attendant since you will never know when flights are canceled and whether they are late or not before those things happen.
Some passengers are just difficult
Another problem with becoming a flight attendant is that passengers can be difficult and you may therefore get into many unpleasant discussions and may really get fed up with those people who may try to bring you down in the long run.
You don’t have a really high social standing as a stewardess
While you will do an important job for society, you will still have a rather low social standing compared to judges or other people who are admired by more people out there.
You have to deal with rumors regarding affairs at work
Since affairs at work are pretty common in the air travel industry, you may also have to deal with many rumors in this regard even if you are not guilty and don’t have affairs at work at all and this may become really annoying in the long run.
Limited promotion opportunities for flight attendants
You should also keep in mind that you will have rather poor promotion opportunities as a flight attendant and while your friends may climb the corporate ladder, you may get stuck in your position and may get really frustrated due to that in the long run.
Flight attendants can’t work remotely
You also have to be present at your workplace in person and can’t work remotely as many other people who work in classical office jobs and you may therefore have a harder time managing your professional and your private life at the same time.
You can’t start your own business as a stewardess
As a stewardess, it is also almost impossible to start your own business and if you want to work self-employed in the long run, you should rather become a digital marketer or learn other skills that make it much easier to make your goal.
Time pressure can be a problem
You should also know that you will have a rather short time window when you can distribute drinks, foods and other things, especially on short flights when aviation times are pretty low.
Thus, you will also have to deal with some time pressure and have to develop an efficient routine to get your tasks done in time.
You may have to get lots of schooling
While you don’t need a fancy college degree for becoming a flight attendant most of the time, you still have to get some schooling before you can work in this field and this means that you have to make a certain financial commitment before you can start making money.
Not a good job if you suffer from fear of flying
You should also not become a flight attendant if you suffer from fear of flying since you would have to worry at work all day long and would just not get happy with what you are doing in the long run.
Processes are rather standardized
You should also know that processes in the air travel industry are pretty standardized and that you will therefore do many repetitive tasks over and over again.
There will not be much room for creativity
Since tasks are pretty repetitive, you will also not have lots of room for creativity during your workday as a flight attendant and may not get happy with your job in the long run.
Hard to make a real impact on society
While you can make many people happy, you will still not have the same high positive social impact as teachers and other people who can really alter the thought process of many people on a daily basis.
Jet lag can be annoying
You should also keep in mind that you will have to deal with jet lag quite often and may therefore suffer from headaches and other unpleasant symptoms on a regular basis.

Top 10 Being a Stewardess Pros & Cons – Summary List
Being a Stewardess Pros | Being a Stewardess Cons |
---|---|
Flight attendants can travel the world | Flight attendants are away from home quite often |
You can see many beautiful places for free | Your private life may suffer quite a lot |
You can talk to many interesting people | Jet lag may become a problem |
Stewardesses don’t need a college degree | Flight attendants don’t make good money |
Flight attendants can work indoors | Hard to save and invest enough for retirement |
Many of your friends will envy you | You can’t work from home |
You don’t have to deal with lots of stress | Your natural sleeping pattern may suffer |
You can work in a rather safe environment | You have to work on weekends and holidays |
Flight attendants are in high demand | Flight attendants often have to work at nighttime |
Decent future outlook for stewardesses | Time pressure can be significant |
Should You Become A Flight Attendant?
While flight attendants can travel the world and can experience many different countries and cultures, they also don’t make really good money and are away from home quite often which makes it hard for them to spend enough time with their family.
In the end, it is on you to evaluate all the pros and cons of being a stewardess so that you can better decide whether you still want to work as a flight attendant or rather want to work in a different field.
If you come to the conclusion that a stewardess career is not for you, you may also want to check out the following articles:
Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a brewer
Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a driving instructor
Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a trucker
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_attendant
Own research and interviews.
About the author
My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people about the different career paths that are possible in our current state of the world.
In my opinion, people often make the mistake to choose their profession solely based on how much money they can earn from it instead of doing what makes them really happy.
This is quite sad and I just want to give people a more objective picture of what a fulfilling career could look like.
I did the same when I started working in consulting after finishing my Master’s degree in Economics.
However, I’ve quit pretty soon after that since I haven’t found true meaning in my job.
Now I can do what I really love to do and I want to enable as many other people as well to go this exciting path towards happiness instead of money.
I conducted various interviews with employees to give you a good impression of what working in different fields will look like and that you can make the best possible decision regarding your future career choice.
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