flight attendant

File:Vraagteken vlucht Lockheed Electra naar Istanbul, Bestanddeelnr 910-7819.jpg

The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar positions on passenger ships or passenger trains, but has more direct involvement with passengers because of the confined quarters on aircraft. Additionally, the job of a flight attendant revolves around safety to a much greater extent than those of similar staff on other forms of transportation. Flight attendants on board a flight collectively form a cabin crew, as distinguished from pilots and engineers in the cockpit.

The German Heinrich Kubis was the world's first flight attendant, in 1912 aboard a Zeppelin.{{cite web |author=Grossman, Dan |url=http://www.airships.net/blog/worlds-first-flight-attendant |title=The First Flight Attendant: Heinrich Kubis, 1912 |work=Airships: The Hindenburg and other Zeppelins |date=9 July 2010 |access-date=22 August 2012 |archive-date=11 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711122929/http://www.airships.net/blog/worlds-first-flight-attendant/ |url-status=live}} Kubis first attended to the passengers on board the DELAG Zeppelin LZ 10 Schwaben. He also attended to the famous LZ 129 Hindenburg and was on board when it burst into flames. He survived by jumping out a window when it neared the ground.{{Cite book|title=Guinness World Records 2014|last=Glenday|first=Craig|year=2013|isbn=978-1-908843-15-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/161 161]|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/161}}

Origins of the word "steward" in transportation are reflected in the term "chief steward" as used in maritime transport terminology. The term purser and chief steward are often used interchangeably describing personnel with similar duties among seafaring occupations. This lingual derivation results from the international British maritime tradition (i.e. chief mate) dating back to the 14th century and the civilian United States Merchant Marine on which U.S. aviation is somewhat modelled. Due to international law, conventions and agreements, in which all ships' personnel who sail internationally are similarly documented, see Merchant Mariner's Document, by their respective countries, the U.S. Merchant Marine assigns such duties to the chief steward in the overall rank and command structure of which pursers are not positionally represented or rostered.

File:Nelly Diener cropped.jpg, the first female flight attendant in Europe, hired in May 1934. She was killed on the plane pictured behind her, in the July 1934 Swissair Tuttlingen accident.]]

Imperial Airways of the United Kingdom had "cabin boys" or "stewards"; in the 1920s.{{Cite web|url=https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2013/07/23/before-the-stewardess-the-steward-when-flight-attendants-were-men/|title=Before the Stewardess, the Steward: When Flight Attendants Were Men – Sociological Images|last=Pages|first=The Society|website=thesocietypages.org|access-date=1 September 2016|archive-date=9 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220409102829/https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2013/07/23/before-the-stewardess-the-steward-when-flight-attendants-were-men/|url-status=live}} In the US, Stout Airways was the first to employ stewards in 1926, working on Ford Trimotor planes between Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Western Airlines (1928) and Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) (1929) were the first US carriers to employ stewards to serve food. Ten-passenger Fokker aircraft used in the Caribbean had stewards in the era of gambling trips to Havana, Cuba from Key West, Florida. Lead flight attendants would in many instances also perform the role of purser, steward, or chief steward in modern aviation terminology.

The first female flight attendant was a 25-year-old registered nurse named Ellen Church.{{cite web |url=http://news.travel.aol.com/2009/11/20/history-of-flight-attendant-uniforms/ |title=History of Flight Attendant Uniforms – AOL Travel News |publisher=AOL |date=17 October 2011 |access-date=22 August 2012 |archive-date=7 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707152027/http://news.travel.aol.com/2009/11/20/history-of-flight-attendant-uniforms/}} Hired by United Airlines in 1930,{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/04/12/archives/air-hostess-finds-life-adventurous-they-are-crazy-about-their-jobs.html |title=Air hostess finds life adventurous |work=The New York Times |date=12 April 1936 |page=N1 |access-date=22 July 2018 |archive-date=22 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722150232/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/04/12/archives/air-hostess-finds-life-adventurous-they-are-crazy-about-their-jobs.html |url-status=live}} she also first envisioned nurses on aircraft. Other airlines followed suit, hiring nurses to serve as flight attendants, then called "stewardesses" or "air hostesses", on most of their flights. In the United States, the job was one of only a few in the 1930s to permit women, which, coupled with the Great Depression, led to large numbers of applicants for the few positions available. Two thousand women applied for just 43 positions offered by Transcontinental and Western Airlines in December 1935."The air hostess carries on", The New York Times. 19 April 1936. Page XX12.

File:1949.01. Washing up on Catalina (Suva-Sydney) copy.jpg flight, 1949]]

Female flight attendants rapidly replaced male ones, and by 1936, they had all but taken over the role. They were selected not only for their knowledge but also for their physical characteristics.{{cite web | url=https://lithub.com/liberation-at-30000-feet-on-the-freedom-of-early-airline-stewardesses/ | title=Liberation at 30,000 Feet: On the Freedom of Early Airline Stewardesses | date=12 March 2021 | access-date=15 March 2021 | archive-date=15 March 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210315054016/https://lithub.com/liberation-at-30000-feet-on-the-freedom-of-early-airline-stewardesses/ | url-status=live}} A 1936 article in The New York Times described the requirements:

{{blockquote|The girls who qualify for hostesses must be petite; weight 100 to 118 pounds;{{efn|{{cvt|100|to|118|lb|disp=out}}}} height 5 feet to 5 feet 4 inches;{{efn|{{cvt|5|ft|disp=out}} to {{cvt|5|ft|4|in|disp=out}}}} age 20 to 26 years. Add to that the rigid physical examination each must undergo four times every year, and you are assured of the bloom that goes with perfect health.}}

Three decades later, a 1966 New York Times classified ad for stewardesses at Eastern Airlines listed these requirements:

{{blockquote|A high school graduate, single (widows and divorcees with no children considered), 20 years of age (girls 19{{1/2}} may apply for future consideration). 5'2" but no more than 5'9{{efn|{{cvt|5|ft|2|in|disp=out}} to {{cvt|5|ft|9|in|disp=out}}}} weight 105 to 135{{efn|{{cvt|105|to|135|lb|disp=out}}}} in proportion to height and have at least 20/40 vision without glasses.[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/us/63-years-flying-from-glamour-to-days-of-gray.html "63 Years Flying, From Glamour to Days of Gray"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222083413/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/us/63-years-flying-from-glamour-to-days-of-gray.html |date=22 February 2023}}. The New York Times. 17 March 2012.}}

Appearance was considered one of the most important factors to become a stewardess. At that time, airlines believed that the exploitation of female sexuality would increase their profits; thus the uniforms of female flight attendants were often formfitting, complete with white gloves and high heels.{{Cite journal|last=Boris|first=Eileen|year=2006|title=Desirable Dress: Rosies, Sky Girls, and the Politics of Appearance|journal=International Labor and Working Class History|volume=69 |issue=1|pages=123–142|doi=10.1017/S014754790600007X|s2cid=145145762}}

File:Photography by Victor Albert Grigas (1919-2017) 1 Heathrow Airport - Victoria Station London00622 (48361402931).jpg

In the United States, they were required to be unmarried and were fired if they decided to marry. The requirement to be a registered nurse on an American airline was relaxed as more women were hired, and disappeared almost entirely during World War II as many nurses joined military nurse corps.

Ruth Carol Taylor was the first African-American flight attendant in the United States.{{cite web | url=http://www.alaskasworld.com/NEWS/2005/11/16_black_fa.asp |access-date=7 November 2011| work=Alaska's World|title=Promoting Diversity|date=16 November 2005|first=Don|last=Conrard|publisher=Alaska Airlines|archive-date=24 March 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060324094852/http://www.alaskasworld.com/NEWS/2005/11/16_black_fa.asp}} Hired in December 1957,{{cite web|url=http://www.femininityinflight.com/laborhistory.html#racial|title=Femininity in Flight – Flight attendants & labor history|first=K|last=Barry|access-date=9 December 2016|archive-date=18 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118064543/http://femininityinflight.com/laborhistory.html#racial}} on 11 February 1958, Taylor was the flight attendant on a Mohawk Airlines flight from Ithaca to New York, the first time such a position had been held by an African American.{{cite web|url=http://www.boonvilleherald.com/joe_kelly/2007%20articles/joekelly_080807.htm|title=Welcome to the Boonville Herald|access-date=9 December 2016|archive-date=8 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708083337/http://www.boonvilleherald.com/joe_kelly/2007%20articles/joekelly_080807.htm|url-status=live}} She was let go within six months as a result of Mohawk's then-common marriage ban.{{cite web|url=http://blkav8tor2003.blogspot.com/2010/02/first-african-american-flight-attendant.html|title=Airline Travel...What You Really Need To Know!!!: The First African-American Flight Attendant in the United States.|author= |date=12 February 2010|access-date=9 December 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071338/http://blkav8tor2003.blogspot.com/2010/02/first-african-american-flight-attendant.html|url-status=live}} Patricia Banks Edmiston became the first black flight attendant for Capitol Airlines in 1960 following a legal complaint which resulted in the airline being required to hire her.{{Cite web |date=16 February 2023 |title=Patricia Noisette Banks Edmiston reflects on being one of the first Black commercial airline flight attendants - CBS New York |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/patricia-noisette-banks-edmiston-reflects-on-being-one-of-the-first-black-commercial-airline-flight-attendants/ |access-date=30 June 2023 |website=CBS News |archive-date=30 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630051405/https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/patricia-noisette-banks-edmiston-reflects-on-being-one-of-the-first-black-commercial-airline-flight-attendants/ |url-status=live}}

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) first complainants were female flight attendants complaining of age discrimination, weight requirements, and bans on marriage.{{cite book|last=Collins|first=Gail|title=When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sQ1HhzuaYkEC&pg=PT59|date=14 October 2009|publisher=Little, Brown|isbn=978-0-316-07166-6|pages=59–}} (Originally female flight attendants were fired if they reached age 32 or 35 depending on the airline, were fired if they exceeded weight regulations, and were required to be single upon hiring and fired if they got married.{{cite web |last=Barry |first=K |url=http://www.femininityinflight.com/activism.html |title=Timeline of Discrimination |publisher=Femininity in Flight |access-date=22 August 2012 |archive-date=16 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816204605/http://www.femininityinflight.com/activism.html}}) In 1968, the EEOC declared age restrictions on flight attendants' employment to be illegal sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.{{cite web |last=Barry |first=K |url=http://femininityinflight.com/activism.html |title=Timeline of Discrimination |publisher=Femininity in Flight |access-date=6 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826083225/http://femininityinflight.com/activism.html |archive-date=26 August 2016}} Also in 1968, the EEOC ruled that sex was not a bona fide occupational requirement to be a flight attendant.{{cite web |url=http://350fem.blogs.brynmawr.edu/1968/02/03/eeoc-finally-rules-that-gender-is-not-a-bona-fide-occupational-qualification/ |title=EEOC finally rules that gender is not a bona fide occupational qualification « National Organization for Women |publisher=350fem.blogs.brynmawr.edu |date=3 February 1968 |access-date=22 July 2015 |archive-date=22 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722080522/http://350fem.blogs.brynmawr.edu/1968/02/03/eeoc-finally-rules-that-gender-is-not-a-bona-fide-occupational-qualification/ |url-status=live}} The restriction of hiring only women was lifted at all airlines in 1971 due to the decisive court case of Diaz v. Pan Am.{{cite web|last1=Tiemeyer|first1=Phil|title=Male Stewardesses: Male Flight Attendants as a Queer Miscarriage of Justice|url=http://www.genders.org/g45/g45_tiemeyer.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520004539/http://www.genders.org/g45/g45_tiemeyer.html |archive-date=20 May 2007|website=Genders|access-date=8 June 2014}} The Airline Deregulation Act was passed in 1978, and the no-marriage rule was eliminated throughout the US airline industry by the 1980s.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/11/business/united-settles-sex-bias-case.html |title=United Settles Sex-Bias Case |newspaper=The New York Times |date=11 July 1986 |access-date=22 April 2022 |archive-date=22 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422055150/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/11/business/united-settles-sex-bias-case.html |url-status=live}} The last such broad categorical discrimination, the weight restrictions,{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/16/opinion/public-private-in-thin-air.html?sec=health |title=Public & Private; In Thin Air |first=Anna |last=Quindlen |newspaper=The New York Times |date=16 May 1993 |access-date=22 April 2022 |archive-date=22 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422055413/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/16/opinion/public-private-in-thin-air.html?sec=health |url-status=live}} were relaxed in the 1990s through litigation and negotiations.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/30/us/accord-on-flight-attendants-weight.html |title=Accord on Flight Attendants' Weight |newspaper=The New York Times |date=30 August 1991 |access-date=22 April 2022 |archive-date=22 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422055151/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/30/us/accord-on-flight-attendants-weight.html |url-status=live}} Airlines still often have vision and height requirements and may require flight attendants to pass a medical evaluation.{{cite web |url=https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/flight-attendants.htm#tab-4 |publisher=U.S. Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics |title=Occupational Outlook Handbook – Flight Attendants |access-date=14 May 2018 |archive-date=12 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230912211538/https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/flight-attendants.htm#tab-4 |url-status=live}}

The role of a flight attendant is to "provide routine services and respond to emergencies to ensure the safety and comfort of airline passengers".{{Cite web|url=https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/flight-attendants.htm|title=Flight Attendants: Occupational Outlook Handbook|publisher=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|access-date=27 March 2019|archive-date=12 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230912211538/https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/flight-attendants.htm|url-status=live}}

Typically flight attendants require holding a high school diploma or equivalent, and in the United States, the median annual wage for flight attendants was $50,500 in May 2017, higher than the median for all workers of $37,690.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/home.htm|title=Transportation and Material Moving Occupations: Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|website=www.bls.gov|access-date=27 March 2019|archive-date=1 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901223346/https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/home.htm|url-status=live}}

The number of flight attendants required on flights is mandated by each country's regulations. In the U.S., for light planes with 19 or fewer seats, or, if weighing more than {{cvt|7,500|lb}}, 9 or fewer seats, no flight attendant is needed; on larger aircraft, one flight attendant per 50 passenger seats is required.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?mc=true&n=sp14.3.121.m&r=SUBPART&ty=HTML#se14.3.121_1391|title=eCFR — Code of Federal Regulations: Title 14, §121.391 Flight attendants.|access-date=27 March 2019|archive-date=6 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506173746/https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?mc=true&n=sp14.3.121.m&r=SUBPART&ty=HTML#se14.3.121_1391|url-status=live}}

The majority of flight attendants for most airlines are female, though a substantial number of males have entered the industry since 1980.Saenz, Rogelio and Evans, Louwanda (June 2009) "[http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2009/usflightattendants.aspx The Changing Demography of U.S. Flight Attendants] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308193515/http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2009/usflightattendants.aspx |date=8 March 2018}}". Population Reference Bureau. Retrieved 16 July 2015.

{{More citations needed section|date=August 2008}}

File:Egypt air Flyght attendant during flight.jpg flight attendant performing a pre-flight safety demonstration]]

Prior to each flight, flight attendants and pilots go over safety and emergency checklists, the locations of emergency equipment and other features specific to that aircraft type. Boarding particulars are verified, such as special needs passengers, small children travelling alone, or VIPs. Weather conditions are discussed including anticipated turbulence. A safety check is conducted to ensure equipment such as life-vests, torches (flash lights) and firefighting equipment are on board and in proper condition. They monitor the cabin for any unusual smells or situations. They assist with the loading of carry-on baggage, checking for weight, size and dangerous goods. They make sure those sitting in emergency exit rows are willing and able to assist in an evacuation. They then give a safety demonstration or monitor passengers as they watch a safety video. They then must "secure the cabin" ensuring tray tables are stowed, seats are in their upright positions, armrests down and carry-ons stowed correctly and seat belts are fastened prior to take-off.{{cite web|url=http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos171.htm|title=Flight Attendants: Occupational Outlook Handbook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|publisher=Bls.gov|access-date=22 August 2012|archive-date=11 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211102138/http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos171.htm|url-status=live}}

File:Aeroflot flight attendant (hostess).jpg flight attendant, Belgrade (2017)]]

Once up in the air, flight attendants will usually serve drinks and/or food to passengers using an airline service trolley. The duty has led to the mildly derogatory slang term "trolley dolly".{{cite book |last=Goddard |first=Steve |title=Seven Floors High |date=2009 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gM-ZEAAAQBAJ&dq=Steve+Goddard,+Seven+Floors+High+%27trolley+dolly%27&pg=PT216 |publisher=AuthorHouse UK |isbn=9781728376097 |quote=I am sure these people were once normal. That is until they walked into BA's superior 'trolley dolly' school. From day one, I am positive it was drummed into them that all economy passengers are scum. |access-date=11 May 2024 |archive-date=22 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722150254/https://books.google.com/books?id=gM-ZEAAAQBAJ&dq=Steve+Goddard,+Seven+Floors+High+%27trolley+dolly%27&pg=PT216#v=onepage&q=Steve%20Goddard%2C%20Seven%20Floors%20High%20'trolley%20dolly'&f=false |url-status=live}} When not performing customer service duties, flight attendants must periodically conduct cabin checks and listen for any unusual noises or situations. Checks must also be done on the lavatory to ensure the smoke detector has not been disabled or destroyed and to restock supplies as needed. Regular cockpit checks must be done to ensure the health and safety of the pilot(s). They must also respond to call lights dealing with special requests. During turbulence, flight attendants must ensure the cabin is secure. Prior to landing, all loose items, trays and rubbish must be collected and secured along with service and galley equipment. All hot liquids must be disposed of. A final cabin check must then be completed prior to landing. It is vital that flight attendants remain aware as the majority of emergencies occur during take-off and landing.{{Cite web| url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/10/25/when-flying-is-taking-off-really-more-dangerous-than-landing/#7e01ac5b266e| title=When Flying, is Taking off Really More Dangerous Than Landing?| website=Forbes| access-date=18 April 2018| archive-date=14 August 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230814171554/https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/10/25/when-flying-is-taking-off-really-more-dangerous-than-landing/#7e01ac5b266e| url-status=live}} Upon landing, flight attendants must remain stationed at exits and monitor the aircraft and cabin as passengers disembark the plane. They also assist any special needs passengers and small children off the aeroplane and escort children, while following the proper paperwork and ID process to escort them to the designated person picking them up.

File:Germanwings - Service.jpg delivering in-flight services]]

Flight attendants are trained to deal with a wide variety of emergencies, and are trained in first aid. More frequent situations may include a bleeding nose, illness, small injuries, intoxicated passengers, aggressive and anxiety stricken passengers. Emergency training includes rejected take-offs, emergency landings, cardiac and in-flight medical situations, smoke in the cabin, fires, depressurisation, on-board births and deaths, dangerous goods and spills in the cabin, emergency evacuations, hijackings, and water landings. {{citation needed|date=November 2011}}

{{unreferenced section|date=September 2021}}

On most commercial airliners, flight attendants receive various forms of notification on board the aircraft in the form of audible chimes and coloured lights above their stations. While the colours and chimes are not universal and may vary between airlines and aircraft types, these colours and chimes are generally the most commonly used:

• {{pink|Pink}} (Boeing) or {{red|Red}} (Airbus): interphone calls from the cockpit to a flight attendant and/or interphone calls between two flight attendants, the latter case if a green light is not present or being used for the same purpose (steady with high-low chime), or all services emergency call (flashing with repeated high-low chime). On some airlines Airbus' aircraft (such as Delta Air Lines), this light is accompanied by a high-medium-low chime to call the purser. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner uses a separate red light to indicate a sterile flight deck while using pink for interphone calls from the cockpit.
• {{blue|Blue}}: call from passenger in seat (steady with single high chime).
• {{color|#FFBF00|Amber}}: call from passenger in lavatory (steady with single high chime), or lavatory smoke detector set off (flashing with repeated high chime).
• {{green|Green}}: on some aircraft (some airlines Airbus aircraft, and the Boeing 787), this colour is used to indicate interphone calls between two flight attendants, distinguishing them from the pink or red light used for interphone calls made from the flight deck to a flight attendant, and is also accompanied with a high-low chime like the pink or red light. On the Boeing 787, a flashing green light with a repeated high-low chime is used to indicate a call to all flight attendant stations.

{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2020}}

The chief purser (CP), also titled as in-flight service manager (ISM), flight service manager (FSM), customer service manager (CSM) or cabin service director (CSD) is the senior flight attendant in the chain of command of flight attendants. While not necessarily the most-senior crew members on a flight (in years of service to their respective carrier), chief pursers can have varying levels of "in-flight" or "on board" bidding seniority or tenure in relation to their flying partners. To reach this position, a crew member requires some minimum years of service as flight attendant. Further training is mandatory, and chief pursers typically earn a higher salary than flight attendants because of the added responsibility and managerial role.

{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2020}}

The purser is in charge of the cabin crew, in a specific section of a larger aircraft, or the whole aircraft itself (if the purser is the highest ranking). On board a larger aircraft, pursers assist the chief purser in managing the cabin. Pursers are flight attendants or a related job, typically with an airline for several years prior to application for, and further training to become a purser, and normally earn a higher salary than flight attendants because of the added responsibility and supervisory role.

Minimum entry requirements for a career as a flight attendant is usually the completion of the final year of high school; e.g. the International Baccalaureate. Many prospective attendants have a post-secondary school diploma in an area such as tourism and a number hold degrees having worked in other occupations, often as teachers. Graduates holding degrees, including those with studies in one or more foreign languages, communication studies, business studies, public relations or nursing can be favoured by employers.{{cite web |title=How to become a Flight Attendant |url=https://www.gooduniversitiesguide.com.au/careers-guide/flight-attendant |publisher=Good Universities Guide |access-date=31 January 2024 |date=2024 |quote=...Education level Advanced Diploma/Diploma: 17.6% Bachelor degree: 15.7% Certificate III/IV: 17.3% Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate: 2.5% Year 10 and below: 5.2% Year 11: 4.2% Year 12: 37.5% |archive-date=31 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131011216/https://www.gooduniversitiesguide.com.au/careers-guide/flight-attendant |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Flight Attendants |url=https://vault.com/professions/flight-attendants/requirements |publisher=First Hand |access-date=31 January 2024 |date=2024 |quote=Although there is no specific major that will prepare you for a career as a flight attendant, degrees in hospitality, tourism, public relations, business, communications, psychology, sociology, nursing, anthropology, police or fire science, and education are all good choices. A business degree with an emphasis in customer service or public relations is another excellent option. If you are especially interested in international flights, you might consider getting a degree in a foreign language. |archive-date=31 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131034414/https://vault.com/professions/flight-attendants/requirements |url-status=live}}

Flight attendants are normally trained in the hub or headquarters city of an airline over a period that may run from four weeks to six months, depending on the country and airline. The main focus of training is safety, and attendants are evaluated for each type of aircraft in which they work. One of the most elaborate training facilities was Breech Academy, which Trans World Airlines (TWA) opened in 1969 in Overland Park, Kansas. Other airlines also sent their attendants to the school. However, during the fare wars, the school's viability declined and it closed around 1988.

Safety training includes, but is not limited to: emergency passenger evacuation management, use of evacuation slides / life rafts, in-flight firefighting, first aid, CPR, defibrillation, ditching/emergency landing procedures, decompression emergencies, crew resource management, and security.

In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration requires flight attendants on aircraft with 20 or more seats and used by an air carrier for transportation to hold a Certificate of Demonstrated Proficiency. It shows that a level of required training has been met. It is not limited to the air carrier at which the attendant is employed (although some initial documents showed the airlines where the holders were working), and is the attendant's personal property. It does have two ratings, Group 1 and Group 2 (listed on the certificate as "Group I" and "Group II"). Either or both of these may be earned depending upon the general type of aircraft, (propeller or turbojet), on which the holder has trained.{{cite web |url=http://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviation_industry/airline_operators/airline_safety/info/all_infos/media/2008/FACert.pdf |title=Flight Attendant Certificate of Demonstrated Proficiency |publisher=faa.gov |access-date=22 October 2008 |archive-date=12 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220912183859/https://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviation_industry/airline_operators/airline_safety/info/all_infos/media/2008/facert.pdf |url-status=live}}

There are also training schools, not affiliated with any particular airline, where students generally not only undergo generic, though otherwise practically identical, training to flight attendants employed by an airline, but also take curriculum modules to help them gain employment. These schools often use actual airline equipment for their lessons, though some are equipped with full simulator cabins capable of replicating a number of emergency situations. In some countries, such as France, a degree is required, together with the Certificat de formation à la sécurité (Safety training certificate).{{in lang|fr}}[http://www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/CFS_presentation-2.pdf Certificat de Formation à la Sécurité] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004002601/http://www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/CFS_presentation-2.pdf |date=4 October 2012}}

Multilingual flight attendants are often in demand to accommodate international travellers. The languages most in demand, other than English, are French, Russian, Hindi, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Bengali, Japanese, Arabic, German, Portuguese, Italian, and Turkish.{{cite news|title=Flight Attendant Jobs for Second Language Speakers|url=http://blog.airlinecareer.com/2009/06/flight-attendant-jobs-for-second.html|access-date=9 February 2013|archive-date=11 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511004709/http://blog.airlinecareer.com/2009/06/flight-attendant-jobs-for-second.html}} In the United States, airlines with international routes pay an additional stipend for language skills on top of flight pay, and some airlines hire specifically for certain languages when launching international destinations. Carole Middleton recalled when interviewed in 2018 that "you had to be able to speak another language" when working in the industry in the 1970s.{{cite news |title=Life Really is Normal - most of the time! |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-daily-telegraph-telegraph-magazine/20181201/282475709892582 |access-date=31 January 2024 |publisher=UK Daily Telegraph |date=1 December 2018 |quote="You had to be able to speak another language' |archive-date=6 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206150924/https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-daily-telegraph-telegraph-magazine/20181201/282475709892582 |url-status=live}}

Most airlines have height requirements for safety reasons, making sure that all flight attendants can reach overhead safety equipment. Typically, the acceptable height for this is over {{cvt|152|cm}} but under {{cvt|185|cm}} tall. Regional carriers using small aircraft with low ceilings can have height restrictions.{{cite web| url= https://careers.airnz.co.nz/customers/flight_attendants| archive-url= https://archive.today/20121220105358/https://careers.airnz.co.nz/customers/flight_attendants | archive-date= 20 December 2012| title= Becoming a Flight Attendant – Air New Zealand| access-date= 22 October 2010}}

Some airlines, such as EVA Air, have height requirements for purely aesthetic purposes.

File:Singapore Airlines Cabin Crew (cropped).png dressed in Singapore Airlines's distinctive sarong kebaya uniforms]]

The overall presentation of flight attendants' has transformed over the decades. Many early uniforms had a strongly military appearance; hats, jackets, and skirts showed simple straight lines and military details like epaulettes and brass buttons. Many uniforms had a summer and winter version, differentiated by colours and fabrics appropriate to the season: navy blue for winter, for example, khaki for summer. But as the role of women in the air grew, and airline companies began to realise the publicity value of their female flight attendants, more feminine lines and colours began to appear in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Some airlines began to commission designs from high-end department stores and still others called in noted designers or even milliners to create distinctive and attractive apparel. During the 1960s, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) was known for brightly coloured female flight attendant uniforms that included short miniskirts. In the early 1970s, the uniform changed to hotpants.

In the 1930s, the first flight attendant uniforms were designed to be durable, practical, and inspire confidence in passengers with the first female flight attendants dressing in uniforms resembling nurses' outfits. The first female flight attendants for United Airlines wore green berets, green capes and nurse's shoes and other airlines, such as Eastern Air Lines, actually dressed female flight attendants in nurses' uniforms.{{cite news|title=Flight attendants through the years|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-history-stewardesses-flight-attendants-20130516,0,327510.photogallery|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=7 March 2014|archive-date=31 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140731233943/http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-history-stewardesses-flight-attendants-20130516,0,327510.photogallery|url-status=live}} However, by the 1960s a number of airlines were promoting their flight attendant's uniforms as evoking the refinement of haute couture. In March 1962, Air France launched a new model designed by Marc Bohan at Dior, introducing the "Air France" model into its Haute couture collection.{{cite web |title=EARLY INSPIRATIONS |url=https://corporate.airfrance.com/en/creation |publisher=Airfrance |access-date=17 July 2024 |quote=Uniformes: Every detail of the new uniform evokes the refinement of haute couture...In March 1962, Air France launched a new model designed by Marc Bohan at Dior, introducing the "Air France" model into its haute couture collection. |archive-date=25 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225063009/https://corporate.airfrance.com/en/creation |url-status=live}} Hainan Airlines debuted their new flight attendant's uniforms at the 2017 Laurence Xu Haute Couture Show at Paris Couture Week.{{cite web |last1=Street |first1=F. |title=Are these the coolest cabin crew uniforms ever? |date=14 July 2017 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/china-hainan-airlines-uniforms/index.html |publisher=CNN |access-date=17 July 2024 |quote=Hainan Airlines debuted the collection at the 2017 Laurence Xu Haute Couture Show at Paris Couture Week Fall/Winter 2017 – cementing the airline’s status as a fashion force to be reckoned with. |archive-date=17 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717012326/https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/china-hainan-airlines-uniforms/index.html |url-status=live}}

File:Pacific Southwest Airlines female flight attendants.jpg (PSA) was known for brightly coloured female flight attendant uniforms that included short miniskirts. In the early 1970s, the uniform changed to hotpants.[https://web.archive.org/web/20031004231520/http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2001/1008/118_print.html Forbes: October 1, 2001-Under the Radar by Doug Donovan] Photo shows PSA flight attendants in 1960s.]]

Since the 1980s, Asian airlines, especially national flag carriers, usually feature the traditional dress and fabrics of their respective country in their female flight attendants' uniform. It was meant as a marketing strategy to showcase their national culture as well as to convey welcoming warmth and hospitality. For example, Thai Airways flight attendants are required to change from their corporate purple suits into traditional Thai costume prior to passengers boarding.{{cite web|title=The world's best airline is ...|url=http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/life/and-worlds-best-airline-889768|publisher=CNN|access-date=7 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117020641/http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/life/and-worlds-best-airline-889768 |archive-date=17 November 2012}} Garuda Indonesia, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines female flight attendants wear modified kebayas, with batik motifs on them. For example, Garuda Indonesia's design, called 'Lereng Garuda Indonesia' is inspired by the traditional batik motif of 'Parang Gondosuli'.{{cite web|title=Sight: Inspired by the Rich Textile Tradition of Indonesia|url=http://www.garuda-indonesia.com/id/en/garuda-indonesia-experience/service-concept/sight.page|publisher=Garuda Indonesia|access-date=7 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307184959/http://www.garuda-indonesia.com/id/en/garuda-indonesia-experience/service-concept/sight.page|archive-date=7 March 2014}} Vietnam Airlines flight attendants wear red áo dài and Air India flight attendants wear a sari on all passenger flights.

During the mid-1990s, several U.S.-based airlines required female flight attendants to wear shoes with heels. Minimum heel heights ranged from {{cvt|1/2|to|2|in}} mandated by US Airways.{{cite web |url=http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=law_pubs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503063953/http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=law_pubs |archive-date=3 May 2015 |last=Linder |first=Marc |title=Smart Women, Stupid Shoes, and Cynical Employers |publisher=University of Iowa |date=1 January 1997 |access-date=24 May 2016}} Flight attendants at times avoided censure by changing into more comfortable shoes during flights, since their supervisors were less likely to be present there.{{cite book |author1=Jane C. Banaszak-Holl |author2=Sandra R. Levitsky |author3=Mayer N. Zald |title=Social Movements and the Transformation of American Health Care |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OePEMr_9l0wC&pg=PA294 |date=24 June 2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-974214-1 |page=294}}

In 2015, the Israeli airline El Al introduced a requirement that female flight attendants wear high heels until passengers had been seated.{{cite web |url=http://globalnews.ca/news/2063591/i-dont-think-the-girls-thought-they-could-question-it-high-heels-policy-study-author/ |title='I don't think the girls thought they could question it': high heels policy study author |last=Tucker |first=Erika |website=Global News |access-date=16 May 2016 |archive-date=6 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606174414/https://globalnews.ca/news/2063591/i-dont-think-the-girls-thought-they-could-question-it-high-heels-policy-study-author/ |url-status=live}} The airline's workers' union stated that the requirement would endanger the health and safety of the flight attendants and instructed its members to ignore the rule. Later that year the requirement was removed.{{cite web |author=Yedidyah Ben Or|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/200542 |title=El Al Flight Attendants Say Goodbye to High Heels |date=10 September 2015 |publisher=Israel National News |access-date=6 June 2019 |archive-date=6 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606173741/http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/200542 |url-status=live}}

Until 2016, some female crew members on British Airways were required to wear British Airways' standard "ambassador" uniform, which has not traditionally included trousers.{{cite web|url=http://thinkprogress.org/culture/2016/02/06/3746877/british-airways-pants/|title=Because It Is 2016, British Airways Finally Agrees Female Employees May Wear Pants To Work|work=ThinkProgress|access-date=7 March 2019|archive-date=4 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804053934/http://thinkprogress.org/culture/2016/02/06/3746877/british-airways-pants/|url-status=live}}

In 2019, Virgin Atlantic began to allow its female flight attendants to wear trousers and not wear makeup.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/05/business/virgin-atlantic-flight-attendants-makeup.html |title=Virgin Atlantic Won't Make Female Flight Attendants Wear Makeup or Skirts Anymore |date=5 March 2019 |access-date=7 March 2019 |newspaper=The New York Times |last1=Yeginsu |first1=Ceylan |archive-date=6 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306214254/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/05/business/virgin-atlantic-flight-attendants-makeup.html |url-status=live}}

In 2023, Qantas declared that it had ended uniform rules based on gender. Female flight attendants are no longer required to wear high heels, male flight attendants can wear makeup, and flight attendants of any gender can wear the same type of jewellery and have long hair in a ponytail or bun.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/qantas-male-cabin-crew-members-makeup-women-high-heels/|title=Qantas allowing male cabin crew members to wear makeup and women to scrap high-heels - CBS News|date=9 June 2023|website=www.cbsnews.com|access-date=18 May 2024|archive-date=18 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518030841/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/qantas-male-cabin-crew-members-makeup-women-high-heels/|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/09/qantas-allows-cabin-crew-of-any-gender-to-wear-flat-shoes-make-up-and-have-long-hair|title=Qantas to allow flat shoes, makeup and long hair for cabin crew of any gender|agency=Australian Associated Press|date=9 June 2023|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=18 May 2024|archive-date=22 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722150649/https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/09/qantas-allows-cabin-crew-of-any-gender-to-wear-flat-shoes-make-up-and-have-long-hair|url-status=live}}

A 2018 study found higher instances of melanoma, breast, uterine, gastrointestinal, cervical, and thyroid cancers reported in flight attendants in contrast to the general population.{{Cite journal|last1=McNeely|first1=Eileen|last2=Mordukhovich|first2=Irina|last3=Tideman|first3=Samuel|last4=Gale|first4=Sara|last5=Coull|first5=Brent|date=23 March 2018|title=Estimating the health consequences of flight attendant work: comparing flight attendant health to the general population in a cross-sectional study|journal=BMC Public Health |volume=18|issue=1|pages=346|doi=10.1186/s12889-018-5221-3|issn=1471-2458|pmc=5865289|pmid=29566648 |doi-access=free}} Specifically, the increased cancer cases reported were seen in breast cancer (3.4% of flight crew compared to 2.3% in the general population - a 50% increase), cervical cancer (1.0% compared to 0.70%), gastrointestinal cancer (0.47% compared to 0.27% – a 74% increase), thyroid cancer (0.67% compared to 0.56%) and higher rates of both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers with reports of the latter increasing with every five years spent in the job. The study did not look into what causes this increase, but the authors said increased exposure to ionizing radiation from time spent in the thinner upper atmosphere, poor cabin air quality as well as disrupted sleep and meal cycles could be factors.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/cabin-crew-cancer-risk-flight-attendant-radiation-exposure-sleep-cycle-obesity-smoking-a8416166.html|title=Flight attendants have a higher risk of all types of cancers, finds study|date=26 June 2018|website=The Independent|access-date=5 April 2019|archive-date=22 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222084917/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/cabin-crew-cancer-risk-flight-attendant-radiation-exposure-sleep-cycle-obesity-smoking-a8416166.html|url-status=live}}

Other studies have found increased rates of breast and skin cancer,{{Cite journal|last1=Tokumaru|first1=Osamu|last2=Haruki|first2=Kosuke|last3=Bacal|first3=Kira|last4=Katagiri|first4=Tomomi|last5=Yamamoto|first5=Taisuke|last6=Sakurai|first6=Yutaka|date=May 2006|title=Incidence of cancer among female flight attendants: a meta-analysis|journal=Journal of Travel Medicine|volume=13|issue=3|pages=127–132|doi=10.1111/j.1708-8305.2006.00029.x|issn=1195-1982|pmid=16706942|doi-access=free}} reduced respiratory health,{{Cite journal|last1=Ebbert|first1=Jon O|last2=Croghan|first2=Ivana T|last3=Schroeder|first3=Darrell R|last4=Murawski|first4=Judith|last5=Hurt|first5=Richard D|date=26 September 2007|title=Association between respiratory tract diseases and secondhand smoke exposure among never smoking flight attendants: a cross-sectional survey|journal=Environmental Health|volume=6|issue=1 |pages=28|doi=10.1186/1476-069X-6-28|issn=1476-069X|pmc=2064907|pmid=17897468 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2007EnvHe...6...28E}} adverse reproductive and perinatal outcomes,{{Cite journal|last1=Grajewski|first1=Barbara|last2=Whelan|first2=Elizabeth A.|last3=Lawson|first3=Christina C.|last4=Hein|first4=Misty J.|last5=Waters|first5=Martha A.|last6=Anderson|first6=Jeri L.|last7=MacDonald|first7=Leslie A.|last8=Mertens|first8=Christopher J.|last9=Tseng|first9=Chih-Yu|date=March 2015|title=Miscarriage Among Flight Attendants|journal=Epidemiology|volume=26|issue=2|pages=192–203|doi=10.1097/EDE.0000000000000225|issn=1044-3983|pmc=4510952|pmid=25563432}} musculoskeletal injuries,{{Cite journal|last1=Griffiths|first1=Robin F.|last2=Powell|first2=David M. C.|date=May 2012|title=The occupational health and safety of flight attendants|journal=Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine|volume=83|issue=5|pages=514–521|issn=0095-6562|pmid=22606869|doi=10.3357/ASEM.3186.2012}} and higher rates of mental health conditions in flight attendants.{{Cite journal|last1=Feijo|first1=Denise|last2=Luiz|first2=Ronir R.|last3=Camara|first3=Volney M.|date=April 2014|title=Common mental disorders among civil aviation flight attendants|journal=Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine|volume=85|issue=4|pages=433–439|issn=0095-6562|pmid=24754205|doi=10.3357/ASEM.3768.2014}}

Flight attendants and crew members are known to be exposed to cosmic ionizing radiation which is a form of radiation that comes from space and intensifies as altitude above sea level increases. The International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization lists ionizing radiation as a known human carcinogen. Passengers are also exposed to this type of cosmic radiation, but they spend considerably less time on average in the air than crew members. An online travel agency report found, in particular, that travelling adults in Britain spend on average 306 hours on flights to holiday destinations during their lifetime.{{Cite web|url=http://www.airport-world.com/news/general-news/5181-brits-will-spend-12-days.html|title=Brits will spend 12 days onboard flights in a lifetime|last=Bates|first=Joe|website=Airport World|access-date=5 April 2019|archive-date=15 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115051623/http://www.airport-world.com/news/general-news/5181-brits-will-spend-12-days.html}} In contrast, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration, a flight attendant can spend up to 30 hours of flight time in seven consecutive days and in some cases more.{{Cite web|url=https://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2000s/media/200721.pdf#page=23|title=Flight Attendant Fatigue|last=Mary|first=M. Connors|website=U.S. Federal Aviation Administration|page=13|access-date=5 April 2019|archive-date=22 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222083409/https://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2000s/media/200721.pdf#page=23|url-status=live}} The effect of cosmic radiation on air crew members is a subject of a growing body of research.{{Cite journal|last1=Lim|first1=M|last2=Bagshaw|first2=M.|date=July 2002|title=Cosmic rays: are air crew at risk?|journal=Occupational and Environmental Medicine|volume=59|issue=7|pages=428–433|doi=10.1136/oem.59.7.428|issn=1351-0711|pmc=1740325|pmid=12107289}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aircrew/cosmicionizingradiation.html|title=CDC - Aircrew Safety and Health - Cosmic Ionizing Radiation - NIOSH Workplace Safety & Health Topics|date=8 November 2018|website=www.cdc.gov|access-date=5 April 2019|archive-date=18 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230818035627/https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aircrew/cosmicionizingradiation.html|url-status=live}}

Cabin crew members are also regularly exposed to more UV radiation than the general population, which can make these workers more vulnerable to skin cancers.{{Cite web |last=Nierenberg |first=Cari |date=26 June 2018 |title=Why Cancer Rates Are Higher in Flight Attendants |url=https://www.livescience.com/62913-cancer-risk-flight-attendants.html |website=Live Science |access-date=5 April 2019 |archive-date=27 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527234336/https://www.livescience.com/62913-cancer-risk-flight-attendants.html |url-status=live}}

The U.S. National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP) reports that aircrew have the largest average annual effective dose of all U.S. radiation workers.

Poor cabin air quality is a subject of ongoing study in relation to symptoms such as headache, fatigue, fever, and respiratory difficulties among many others that have been reported by flight attendants, particularly on long-haul routes. There is also much concern regarding the transmission of contagious diseases, particularly tuberculosis. An open question remains whether these complaints are due to poor cabin air quality or to other factors inherent in flights, such as lowered barometric pressure, hypoxia, low humidity, etc.{{Cite journal|last=Rayman|first=Russell B.|date=March 2002|title=Cabin air quality: an overview|journal=Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine|volume=73|issue=3|pages=211–215|issn=0095-6562|pmid=11908887}} Other chemical contaminants found in the cabin may include engine leakages, pesticides and flame retardants, which contain compounds that may act as hormone disruptors and increase the risk of some cancers.{{Cite journal|last1=Pinkerton|first1=Lynne E.|last2=Hein|first2=Misty J.|last3=Grajewski|first3=Barbara|last4=Kamel|first4=Freya|date=July 2016|title=Mortality From Neurodegenerative Diseases in a Cohort of US Flight Attendants|journal=American Journal of Industrial Medicine|volume=59|issue=7|pages=532–537|doi=10.1002/ajim.22608|issn=0271-3586|pmc=4915549|pmid=27184412}}

Flight attendants often have disrupted sleep cycles. They are more likely to have disruptions in their sleep patterns because they may work at night, cross time zones, and have irregular schedules. There is some evidence linking sleep disruptions to increased cancer risk.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/lack-sleep-increases-your-risk-some-cancers|title=Lack of Sleep Increases Your Risk of Some Cancers – National Sleep Foundation|website=www.sleepfoundation.org|access-date=5 April 2019|archive-date=4 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204205842/https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/lack-sleep-increases-your-risk-some-cancers|url-status=live}} Flight attendants may also have different lifestyle behaviours related to diet, physical activity, and health care than the general population which could affect overall health and cancer risk.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/study-examines-cancer-rates-among-flight-attendants.html|title=Study Examines Cancer Rates Among Flight Attendants|website=www.cancer.org|access-date=5 April 2019|archive-date=16 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416101343/https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/study-examines-cancer-rates-among-flight-attendants.html|url-status=live}}

Many of the flight attendants working today were exposed to second-hand in-flight smoke until 1998 with partial smoking bans enacted in 1988. The long-term effects of this historical secondhand smoke exposure have not been well characterized.{{Cite journal|last=Repace|first=J|date=March 2004|title=Flying the smoky skies: secondhand smoke exposure of flight attendants|journal=Tobacco Control|volume=13|issue=Suppl 1|pages=i8–i19|doi=10.1136/tc.2003.003111|issn=0964-4563|pmc=1766146|pmid=14985612}}

Flight attendants are exposed to verbal and sexual harassment.{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/gulliver/2018/05/21/the-sexual-harassment-of-flight-attendants-is-a-massive-problem|title=The sexual harassment of flight attendants is a massive problem|date=21 May 2018|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=8 April 2019|issn=0013-0613|archive-date=26 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726042246/https://www.economist.com/gulliver/2018/05/21/the-sexual-harassment-of-flight-attendants-is-a-massive-problem|url-status=live}} Studies in the United States and Australia have found that the vast majority (two-thirds) of flight attendants experience sexual harassment in the course of their careers, including sexual assault, inappropriate touching and sexual comments both by colleagues and passengers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.afacwa.org/metoo|title=#MeToo in the Air|website=Association of Flight Attendants-CWA|access-date=5 April 2019|archive-date=5 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605010632/https://www.afacwa.org/metoo|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.twu.com.au/home/campaigns/cabin-crew-sexual-harassment-survey/|title=TWU – Transport Workers Union (TWU) – Campaigns|website=www.twu.com.au|access-date=5 April 2019}}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}

{{blockquote|Flight attendants describe the verbal sexual harassment as comments that are "nasty, unwanted, lewd, crude, inappropriate, uncomfortable, sexual, suggestive, and dirty". They also report being subjected to passengers' explicit sexual fantasies, propositions, request for sexual "favours" and pornographic videos and pictures.}}

The studies also found that 70% of flight attendants who experience sexual harassment on the job "chose not to report the incident because they did not think it would be dealt with appropriately or they were concerned reporting it would make the situation worse" and "their airline was not doing enough to put a stop to harassment",{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/cabin-crew-sexual-harassment-australia-airlines-twu-report-a8574116.html|title=Majority of flight attendants have experienced sexual harassment, new survey finds|date=8 October 2018|website=The Independent|access-date=5 April 2019|archive-date=28 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328023937/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/cabin-crew-sexual-harassment-australia-airlines-twu-report-a8574116.html|url-status=live}} and that "they have not noticed any employer efforts over the past year to address sexual harassment at work."

The concept of emotional labour as the process of managing feelings and expressions to fulfil the emotional requirements of a job through a publicly visible facial and bodily display within the workplace (as opposed to the concept of emotion work, i.e. the management of one's feelings in private life) was first established and linked to the profession of flight attendants by Professor Emerita of Sociology Arlie Hochschild, in her book, The Managed Heart.{{Cite book |title=The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling |last=Hochschild |first=Arlie Russell |author-link=Arlie Russell Hochschild |date=1983 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0520048003 |location=Berkeley |oclc=9280843}} According to Hochschild, flight attendants do emotional labour to enhance the status of the customer and entice further sales by their friendliness,{{Cite book|title=The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling |last=Hochschild |first=Arlie Russell |date=1983|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0520048003|location=Berkeley|pages=16|oclc=9280843}} and support this effort by evoking feelings that make the "nice" display seem natural.{{Cite book|title=The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling|last=Hochschild |first=Arlie Russell |date=1983|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0520048003|location=Berkeley|pages=165|oclc=9280843}} With regard to how flight attendants are supposed to use their smile in the job, the author writes:

{{Blockquote|[I]n the flight attendant's work, smiling is separated from its usual function, which is to express a personal feeling, and attached to another one—expressing a company feeling. The company exhorts them to smile more, and "more sincerely," at an increasing number of passengers. The workers respond to the speed-up with a slowdown: they smile less broadly, with a quick release and no sparkle in the eyes, thus dimming the company's message to the people. It is a war of smiles.{{Cite book|title=The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling|last=Hochschild |first=Arlie Russell |date=1983|publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0520048003|location=Berkeley|pages=127|oclc=9280843}}}}

Hochschild notes that corporate logic in the airline industry generates a series of links between competition, market expansion, advertising, heightened passenger expectations about rights to display, and company demands for acting; and when conditions allow this logic to work, private use of emotional exchange gives way to corporate use of emotional exchange.{{Cite book|title=The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling|last=Hochschild |first=Arlie Russell |date=1983|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0520048003|location=Berkeley|pages=90|oclc=9280843}}

Hochschild also writes of how flight attendants are trained to control passengers' feelings during times of turbulence and dangerous situations while suppressing their own fear or anxiety.

The emotional labour performed by flight attendants and cross-cultural aspects of it have since been actively studied and are a topic of ongoing research.{{Cite journal|last1=Lee|first1=Chongho|last2=An|first2=Myungsook|last3=Noh|first3=Yonghwi|date=1 September 2015|title=The effects of emotional display rules on flight attendants' emotional labor strategy, job burnout and performance|journal=Service Business|volume=9|issue=3|pages=409–425|doi=10.1007/s11628-014-0231-4|s2cid=144953839|issn=1862-8508}}{{Cite book|last=Okabe|first=Noriko|title=Advances in Human Factors, Business Management and Society |chapter=Role Ambiguity and Trust Repair of Flight Attendants: Emotional Labor of Human Service Employees |date=2019|editor-last=Kantola|editor-first=Jussi Ilari|editor2-last=Nazir|editor2-first=Salman|editor3-last=Barath|editor3-first=Tibor|volume=783|series=Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing|publisher=Springer International Publishing|pages=84–96|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-94709-9_9|isbn=9783319947099|s2cid=150082931}}{{Cite journal|last=Williams|first=Claire|date=1 November 2003|title=Sky Service: The Demands of Emotional Labour in the Airline Industry|journal=Gender, Work & Organization|volume=10|issue=5|pages=513–550|doi=10.1111/1468-0432.00210|issn=1468-0432}}{{Citation|last1=Taylor|first1=Ian|chapter=Chapter 7 Cultural Differences in Emotional Labor in Flight Attendants|date=1 January 2006|volume=2|pages=167–191|series=Research on Emotion in Organizations|publisher=Emerald Group Publishing Limited|doi=10.1016/s1746-9791(06)02007-4|last2=Brotheridge|first2=Céleste M.|title=Individual and Organizational Perspectives on Emotion Management and Display|isbn=978-0-7623-1310-5}}

File:Air Serbia flight attendants.jpg flight attendants (Tourist Fair Belgrade 2017)]]

File:CTB 8004 (11267950195).jpg wrap advertising on a double-decker bus in Hong Kong featuring a flight attendant]]

In the 1960s and 1970s, many airlines began advertising the attractiveness and friendliness of their flight attendants. National Airlines began a "Fly Me"; campaign using attractive female flight attendants with taglines such as "I'm Lorraine. Fly me to Orlando." Braniff International Airways presented a campaign known as the "Air Strip" with similarly attractive young female flight attendant changing uniforms mid-flight.{{cite web |url=http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2006/06/23/askthepilot191/ |title=Ask the pilot |work=Salon.com |date=23 June 2006 |access-date=14 July 2006 |archive-date=3 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203035727/http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/2006/06/23/askthepilot191/}} In the United States, many airlines had a policy such that only unmarried women could be flight attendants,{{cite web |url=http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,3211,00.html |title=Flight attendant history 2 |publisher=United Airlines |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060621021230/http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,3211,00.html |archive-date=21 June 2006}} as well as a mandatory retirement age of 32 for flight attendants because of the belief women would be less appealing and attractive after this age. Many of the women were recruited as seniors in college and in beauty pageants.{{cite news |title=They Don't Want Wings Clipped |last=Serling |first=Robert |date=13 September 1963 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

In 1968, the EEOC declared age restrictions on flight attendants' employment to be illegal sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Emirates have long sponsored international sporting events and employ their flight attendants to present awards at Wimbledon and other events.{{cite web |last1=Tran |first1=C. |title=Inside the life of an Aussie flight attendant working for Emirates - from job perks to living in Dubai |date=23 March 2024 |url=https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/inside-the-life-of-an-aussie-flight-attendant-working-for-emirates-from-job-perks-to-living-in-dubai-c-14015379 |publisher=7NEWS App |access-date=16 July 2024 |archive-date=16 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716030817/https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/inside-the-life-of-an-aussie-flight-attendant-working-for-emirates-from-job-perks-to-living-in-dubai-c-14015379 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Emirates sponsors Wimbledon |date=13 March 2024 |url=https://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2024/03/emirates-sponsors-wimbledon/ |publisher=TTR Weekly |access-date=17 July 2024 |archive-date=16 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716012000/https://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2024/03/emirates-sponsors-wimbledon/ |url-status=live}}

Flight attendant unions were formed, beginning at United Airlines in the 1940s, to negotiate improvements in pay, benefits and working conditions.From Skygirl to Flight Attendant, Women and the Making of a Union by Georgia Panter Nielsen, ILR Press/Cornell, Ithaca, New York (1982){{ISBN|978-0-87546-093-2}} Those unions would later challenge what they perceived as sexist stereotypes and unfair work practices such as age limits, size limits, limitations on marriage, and prohibition of pregnancy. Many of these limitations have been lifted by judicial mandates. The largest flight attendants' union is the Association of Flight Attendants, representing nearly 60,000 flight attendants at 19 airlines within the US.{{cite web|title=Association of Flight Attendants – About AFA|url=http://www.afacwa.org/about_afa|access-date=25 January 2014|archive-date=4 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230804044543/https://www.afacwa.org/about_afa|url-status=live}}

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants{{cite web|url=http://apfa.org/|title=Association of Professional Flight Attendants – Home|access-date=9 December 2016|archive-date=21 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221000012/https://apfa.org/|url-status=live}} represents the flight attendants of American Airlines, the world's largest carrier. APFA is the largest independent flight attendant union in the world.{{cite web|url=http://hub.aa.com/en/nr/pressrelease/apfa-nations-largest-independent-flight-attendant-union-calls-for-approval-of-oneworlds-immunity-application|title=Newsroom – Home – American Airlines Group, Inc.|access-date=9 December 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093432/http://hub.aa.com/en/nr/pressrelease/apfa-nations-largest-independent-flight-attendant-union-calls-for-approval-of-oneworlds-immunity-application}}

In the UK, cabin crew can be represented by either Cabin Crew '89, or the much larger and more powerful Transport and General Workers' Union.

In Australia, flight attendants are represented by the Flight Attendants' Association of Australia (FAAA). There are two divisions: one for international crews (long-haul) and one for domestic crews (short-haul).

In New Zealand, flight attendants can be represented by either the Flight Attendants and Related Services Association (FARSA) or by the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU).

In Canada, flight attendants are represented by either the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) or by the Canadian Flight Attendants Union (CFAU).

Originally female flight attendants were required to be single upon hiring, and were fired if they got married, exceeded weight regulations, or reached age 32 or 35 depending on the airline. In the 1970s, the group Stewardesses for Women's Rights protested sexist advertising and company discrimination, and brought many cases to court. In 1964, United States President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law which prohibited sex discrimination and led to the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1968. The EEOC ruled that sex was not a bona fide occupational requirement to be a flight attendant. For flight attendants, this meant that they had an official governing body to report offences to and allowed them to successfully challenge age ceiling and marriage bans in relation to their effectiveness as employees.{{Cite book|title=Femininity in Flight: A History of Flight Attendants|last=Barry|first=Kathleen|publisher=Duke University|year=2007|location=Durham, NC|pages=128–129}}

In 1968, the EEOC declared age restrictions on flight attendants' employment to be illegal sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The restriction of hiring only women was lifted at all airlines in 1971 due to the decisive court case of Diaz v. Pan Am. The no-marriage rule was eliminated throughout the US airline industry by the 1980s. The last such broad categorical discrimination, the weight restrictions, were relaxed in the 1990s through litigation and negotiations. By the end of the 1970s, the term stewardess had generally been replaced by the gender-neutral alternative flight attendant. Also, during the 1980s and 1990s, more men were allowed to apply as flight attendants, helping to create more usage of this term. More recently the term cabin crew or cabin staff has begun to replace 'flight attendants' in some parts of the world, because of the term's recognition of their role as members of the crew.

Actions of flight attendants in emergencies have long been credited in saving lives; in the United States, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and other aviation authorities view flight attendants as essential for safety, and are thus usually required on Part 121 aircraft operations.{{cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/121.391 |title=14 CFR 121.391 – Flight attendants. | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute |publisher=Law.cornell.edu |access-date=22 July 2015 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222083413/https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/121.391 |url-status=live}} Studies, some done in light of the 1985 Manchester Airport disaster (British Airtours Flight 28M), have concluded that assertive cabin crew are essential for the rapid evacuation of aeroplanes.{{cite web |url=http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/2005/aug/44-47.pdf |title=Evacuate, Evacuate, Evacuate |publisher=casa.gov.au |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822140626/http://casa.gov.au/fsa/2005/aug/44-47.pdf |archive-date=22 August 2006}}{{cite web |url=http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/2006/pdf/grant_20040239.pdf |title=Evacuation Commands for Optimal Passenger Management |publisher=atsb.gov.au |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060913154209/http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/2006/pdf/grant_20040239.pdf |archive-date=13 September 2006}} Notable examples of cabin crew actions include:

The role of flight attendants received heightened prominence after the September 11 attacks when flight attendants (such as Sandra W. Bradshaw and CeeCee Lyles of United Airlines Flight 93; Robert Fangman of United Airlines Flight 175; Renee May of American Airlines Flight 77; and Betty Ong and Madeline Amy Sweeney of American Airlines Flight 11) actively attempted to protect passengers from assault, and also provided vital information to air traffic controllers on the hijackings, as did many passengers.{{cite web |url=http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,50102,00.html |title=Flight attendant history 10 |publisher=united.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061130135620/http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,50102,00.html |archive-date=30 November 2006}}

In the wake of these attacks, many flight attendants at major airlines were laid off because of decreased passenger loads.

{{More citations needed section|date=August 2020}}

• In April 1936, flight attendant Nellie Granger aided survivors after the crash of TWA Flight 1, then walked {{cvt|4|mi}} through a snowstorm to find help, before returning to the crash scene.{{Cite news |last=Grahama |first=Frederick |date=7 January 1940 |title=Winged Hostess: The girl on the plane may also be a heroine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/01/07/archives/winged-hostess-the-girl-on-the-plane-may-also-be-a-heroine.html |newspaper=The New York Times |page=117 |access-date=22 July 2018 |archive-date=28 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828170643/https://www.nytimes.com/1940/01/07/archives/winged-hostess-the-girl-on-the-plane-may-also-be-a-heroine.html |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,848531-1,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514221121/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,848531-1,00.html |archive-date=14 May 2011|title=Transport: On Cheat Mountain |magazine=Time |date=20 April 1936 |access-date=19 April 2011}}
• Senior Purser Neerja Bhanot saved the lives of passengers and crew when Pan Am Flight 73 was hijacked. She was killed while protecting children from the terrorists. After her death she received the Special Courage Award from the United States Department of Justice and India's highest civilian honour for bravery, the Ashoka Chakra.
• Naila Nazir, Pakistani flight attendant (employee of Pakistan International Airlines) who received 1985's Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) Heroism Award for her brave handling of tense and dangerous situation during the 13 days of the Flight PK-326 hijacking ordeal.{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofpia.com/hijackings.htm/|title=History of PIA|date=2 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090720054137/http://www.historyofpia.com/hijackings.htm|archive-date=20 July 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://www.flightsafety.org/hero.html/|title=FSF Heroism Award|date=2 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090714013543/http://www.flightsafety.org/hero.html|archive-date=14 July 2009}}
• 1985 Manchester Airport disaster (British Airtours Flight 28M), the two forward flight attendants, Arthur Bradbury and Joanna Toff, repeatedly crawled into the smoke filled and burning cabin to drag a number of passengers to safety, and were subsequently awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal. The two rear flight attendants, Sharon Ford and Jacqui Ubanski, who opened the rear doors but were overwhelmed by fire and smoke were awarded the same medal posthumously.
• Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 751, when cabin crew recognised an emergency landing was imminent and commanded the passengers to "bend down ... hold your knees" to adopt the brace position.{{cite web |url=http://home3.inet.tele.dk/stefan-g/STEFANBOG.pdf |title=Det gælder dit liv! |publisher=home3.inet.tele.dk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070615113909/http://home3.inet.tele.dk/stefan-g/STEFANBOG.pdf |archive-date=15 June 2007}}
• Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529, whose sole flight attendant, Robin Fech, provided emergency briefings, brace and evacuation commands to the passengers when the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia aircraft sustained serious damage to one of its engines and crash landed. The NTSB accident report commended "the exemplary manner in which the flight attendant briefed the passengers and handled the emergency".{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/1996/AAR9606.pdf |title=NTSB Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Inc., Flight 529 |publisher=ntsb.gov |access-date=29 June 2020 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222083407/https://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/1996/AAR9606.pdf |url-status=live}}
• BOAC Flight 712, where a flight attendant, Barbara Jane Harrison, died saving passengers from an on-board fire and was posthumously awarded the George Cross.
• British Airways Flight 5390, in which a flight attendant was able to prevent a pilot from being lost through a cockpit window that had failed.
• Southern Airways Flight 242, on which the cabin crew provided safety briefings to their passengers, and on their own initiative, warned passengers of the impending crash by commanding passengers to adopt the brace position. At least one flight attendant is known to have assisted in rescuing trapped passengers.{{cite web |url=http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/2001/may/16-19.pdf |title=Am I alive? |publisher=casa.gov.au |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106175910/http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/2001/may/16-19.pdf |archive-date=6 January 2007}}
• Air Florida Flight 90, in which Kelly Duncan, the lone surviving flight attendant, passed the only life vest she could find to a passenger. She is recognised in the NTSB report for this "unselfish act".{{cite web |url=http://amelia.db.erau.edu/reports/ntsb/aar/AAR82-08.pdf |title=Full NTSB Accident Report |publisher=amelia.db.erau.edu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080817013255/http://amelia.db.erau.edu/reports/ntsb/aar/AAR82-08.pdf |archive-date=17 August 2008}}
• TWA flight attendant Uli Derickson who protected passengers during the TWA Flight 847 hijacking by assisting with negotiation efforts.
• TWA Flight 843, when a TWA Lockheed L-1011 Tristar aircraft crashed after an aborted takeoff in 1992. The aircraft was destroyed by fire. Nine flight attendants, along with five off-duty flight attendants, evacuated all 292 persons on board without loss of life. The NTSB in their after accident report noted, "The performance of the flight attendants during the emergency was exceptional and probably contributed to the success of the emergency evacuation."{{cite web |url=http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR93-04.pdf |title=NTSB Report |publisher=airdisaster.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070615113908/http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR93-04.pdf |archive-date=15 June 2007}}{{cite web |url=http://www.twaflight843.com/ |title=TWA Flight 843 |publisher=twaflight843.com |access-date=6 January 2007 |archive-date=26 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126221848/http://www.twaflight843.com/ |url-status=live}}
• On British Airways Flight 2069, cabin crew stopped the plane from being crashed by a mentally ill passenger.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1092642.stm |title=Crew's training saved terror flight |publisher=news.bbc.co.uk |date=29 December 2000 |access-date=15 January 2007 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222083406/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1092642.stm |url-status=live}}
• Crew on American Airlines Flight 63 prevented shoe bomber Richard Reid from blowing up the plane.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1725627.stm |title=Explosives scare forces down plane |publisher=news.bbc.co.uk |date=23 December 2001 |access-date=15 January 2007 |archive-date=15 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115094430/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1725627.stm |url-status=live}}
• Flight attendants on QantasLink Flight 1737 prevented their plane from being hijacked by a passenger with mental health issues. Two of them were taken to hospital with stab wounds.{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/29/1054177673194.html |title=Heroes foil Qantas hijack attack |newspaper=theage.com.au |location=Melbourne |date=30 May 2003 |access-date=15 January 2007 |archive-date=26 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160526224018/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/29/1054177673194.html |url-status=live}}
• Aloha Airlines Flight 243 suffered a decompression which tore an {{cvt|18|ft}} section of fuselage away from the plane. The only fatality was flight attendant C.B. Lansing who was blown out of the aeroplane. Flight attendant Michelle Honda was thrown violently to the floor during the decompression but, despite her injuries, crawled up and down the aisle reassuring passengers.{{cite news |url=http://starbulletin.com/2005/12/22/features/story05.html |title=243 is horrific Aloha flight story |publisher=starbulletin.com |access-date=15 January 2007 |archive-date=30 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730225734/http://starbulletin.com/2005/12/22/features/story05.html}}
• Flight attendants on Air Canada Flight 797 (Sergio Benetti, Judi Davidson, Laura Kayama) used procedures which were not specifically taught in training such as moving passengers to the front of the aircraft to move them away from the fire and smoke, and passing out towels for passengers to cover their nose and mouths with while the cabin was filling with smoke. Chief Flight Attendant Sergio Benetti was the first to open the front door of the aircraft, and escaped out that way, leaving all passengers and other crew behind.
• US Airways flight attendant Richard DeMary helped to evacuate surviving passengers and another crew member from the burning wreckage of USAir Flight 1016, which crashed during a go-around in adverse weather conditions after a failed landing attempt at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.{{cite web |url=http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/1998/nov/dc9crash.pdf |title=Training saves lives |website=www.casa.gov.au |access-date=15 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060621010435/http://www.casa.gov.au/fsa/1998/nov/dc9crash.pdf |archive-date=21 June 2006}}
• Flight attendants on US Airways Flight 1549 successfully evacuated all passengers from the aircraft within 90 seconds even though the rear was rapidly filling with water.
• Nine cabin crew members aboard Air France Flight 358 successfully evacuated the aircraft within 90 seconds after the A340-300 overran a runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The NTSB stated that the actions of the cabin crew contributed to the 100% survival rate.
• The flight attendants of Philippine Airlines Flight 434 kept the passengers calm after a bomb exploded during the flight from Cebu to Tokyo. Though one passenger was killed during the explosion, they took care of the injured passengers.
• Paul Hayes, the director of air safety at Ascend, a British-based aviation consultancy, told Reuters, "The cabin crew (of Japan Airlines Flight 516) must have done an excellent job. It was a miracle that all the passengers got off considering the wreckage shown in many images.{{cite web |last1=Rich |first1=Motoko |last2=Ueno |first2=Hisako |last3=Soto |first3=Kaly |last4=Bubola |first4=Emma |name-list-style=and |date=2 January 2024 |title=Plane Explodes in Flames While Landing at Airport in Tokyo |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/02/world/asia/tokyo-haneda-plane-fire.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240102191422/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/02/world/asia/tokyo-haneda-plane-fire.html |archive-date=2 January 2024 |access-date=2 January 2024 |website=The New York Times}}

One exception was the accident on Air Canada Flight 797, when the investigative board found that "misleading" reports about the fire by the flight attendant in charge "influenced the captain's decision to delay the initiation of a descent", and that such "delay increased the time for the fire to propagate and the time that passengers were exposed to the toxic environment before the aeroplane could be evacuated". The accident killed 23 passengers; none of the flight attendants sustained any injuries. Chief Flight Attendant Sergio Benetti was the first to open the front door of the aircraft, and escaped that way, leaving all passengers and other crew behind.

File:Female flight attendant of Air Dolomiti.jpg|Air Dolomiti flight attendant

File:SAS DC-9, interior of cabin.jpg|Scandinavian Airlines flight attendants in the 1960s

File:SANDRA FORCE1.png|Southwest Airlines flight attendant

File:Hostess der Swissair 1953.jpg|Swissair flight attendant, 1953

File:A Wizz Air Airbus A320 típusú repülőgépének fedélzete légiutas-kísérővel.JPG|Wizz Air flight attendant

File:Emirates flight attendant in the Airbus A380 bar.jpg|Emirates flight attendant in the A380 bar for Emirates

{{main|List of notable flight attendants}}

{{Portal|Aviation}}

• Flight attendants in popular culture

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite book |last=Barry |first=Kathleen |year=2007 |title=Femininity in Flight: A History of Flight Attendants |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fGVy_CsvIwgC |location=Durham, NC |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=978-0822339465}}
• {{Cite book |last=Tiemeyer |first=Phil |year=2013 |title=Plane Queer: Labor, Sexuality, and AIDS in the History of Male Flight Attendants |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yoQkDQAAQBAJ |location=Berkeley, CA |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520274761 |oclc=871014980}}
• {{Cite book |last=Vantoch |first=Victoria |year=2013 |title=The Jet Sex: Airline Stewardesses and the Making of an American Icon |url=https://archive.org/details/jetsexairlineste0000vant |url-access=registration |location=Philadelphia |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-4481-6}}
• {{Cite book |last=Wulfhart |first=Nell McShane |year=2022 |title=The Great Stewardess Rebellion: How Women Launched a Workplace Revolution at 30,000 Feet |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/636297/the-great-stewardess-rebellion-by-nell-mcshane-wulfhart/ |location=New York |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=9780385546454 |oclc=1309091093}} {{Google books|GSs5EAAAQBAJ|The Great Stewardess Rebellion: How Women Launched a Workplace Revolution at 30,000 Feet}}.

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{{Commons category|Flight attendants}}

{{commercial air travel|state=collapsed}}

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Category:Personal care and service occupations

Category:Occupations in aviation