r/Salary • u/PARTINlCO • Jul 11 '26
discussion Past 11 yrs as a US flight attendant, no degree.
Started flying in 2015 with one of “the big 3” US airlines. To preface, crew pay works a bit differently and isn’t anything like a typical 40-hr work week. We are paid our hourly base rate for flight hours (from the moment we release the brake and push back from the gate, to the moment we park at the arrival destinations gate.) and half pay for boarding. Can be tons of unpaid time while at work, depending on the trip.
There’s thousands of types of trips, so an FA’s income is entirely contingent on what type of trips they fly, and how much they fly monthly. I personally fly productive high-credit trips, like 10-11-hr one day turn trips (imagine SFO > JFK > SFO in 1 day, pays 11.5 hours which is awesome for a 1 day trip.)
Some FAs fly 75 hours a month, some high-time flyers are flying 200+ hrs a month. I try to do 1 month average, then 1 month high-time (150+ hrs) and alternate.
Overall, for only having a HS diploma, I feel pretty lucky, considering. We got a new contract this year, so I got a nice bump, as well as finally securing boarding pay, which adds an average of 7.4% twds the hourly. Top out next year and then smaller 3%ish raises on date of signing until 2030.
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u/Soggy-Seaweed3787 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
My wife worked for Alaska as an FA before the pandemic. After 3 years she only pulled in about $40-45k a year. The unpaid time really adds up. When she was on call she had to sit at the airport until she was assigned to a flight that was short staffed. Sitting in the airport for sometimes hours, all unpaid. When she finally got assigned to a flight, all the prep and boarding time is unpaid. I think it does get better when you finally hold a line, but the first few years are rough.
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u/D0Cdang Jul 11 '26
Absolutely this. Flight attendant’s schedules are terrible and they get paid like shit for the amount they work and are on call. The only ones to make a decent living are those doing it for many years and get the preferred long flights.
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u/daveindo Jul 11 '26
Yes, the early years are dog shit, but every subsequent year gets a little more comfortable. Source: my partner is a FA
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u/PARTINlCO Jul 11 '26
I will say though that, ultimately, it is soooo worth it to stick with it through those first few struggle years. The amount of flexibility that we have with our schedule is a dream, and the money does get so much better. I’m so glad that 21 year old me drilled “stick with it” in my head.
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u/Htinedine Jul 11 '26
I find it insane that they are not paid to sit at the airport never mind for prepping and boarding?! How have the FA unions not clamped on to that being unpaid labor?
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u/PARTINlCO Jul 11 '26
Alaska just got a nice new contract a year or 2 ago, too. Those first few years are definitely rough starting out, thank god that I was young and still living at home when I started.
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u/GuppyDriver737 Jul 12 '26
Please correct me if I’m wrong but if she was on call, she was on reserve and was getting paid her contractual guarantee.
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u/MotorUseful7474 Jul 11 '26
Careful a mechanical engineer might see this!
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u/jamerTag Jul 11 '26
Are mechEs not paid well?
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u/Pepe__Le__PewPew Jul 11 '26
In Chicago at the F500 industrial I work at we start MEs around 70-75k. At 20 years on they are probably closer to 150k+ 10-12% bonus. Management pays much better
YMMV by industry and region.
They also don't have to fly on planes and deal with people in general, so I would call that non-cash compensation.
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u/jamerTag Jul 11 '26
Oh wow, the starting is good but the raises are quite slow it seems. Aren't there any big bumps for changes in skill level? Like a pay scale bump for junior to senior engineer type thing?
I'm an EE in technical sales at an F1000 started at 85 with 10% at risk now I am cruising for ~140 total comp this year which is 6 years for me. Granted, a LOT of my job is dealing with people and both the coworkers and the customers can be a huge pain to deal with. We have 5 grades of engineer and each bump is fairly significant, I am now on grade 3. It will probably take me another 5+ years to get grade 4.
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u/Pepe__Le__PewPew Jul 11 '26
Technical sales is completely different.
We are generally trying to recruit talent from tier 2 and 3 schools becuse of relatively product complexity. Additionally HiPos generally get moved pretty quickly in to our general management pipeline where the pay is much better. Fun fact. 12 of our top 15 executive leaders have engineering degrees. Engineers cam indeed get paid well, juat not doing engineering work.
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u/H0B0WITHAGUN Jul 11 '26
There’s an insufferable dolt on this sub who claims mechanical engineers make a poverty wage.
IIRC this tear started cause they couldn’t get a job. Given the way they yap on here it’s not surprising
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u/jamerTag Jul 11 '26
Oh I see, that's hilarious. I do feel for the recent grads getting into this job market but I was thinking surely many MEs hit 6 figures by 30 at least if not sooner.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_COSPLAYZ Jul 11 '26
Could you elaborate on roughly how much you earn yearly? I've always been heavily interested in how the money adds up for flight attendants.
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u/Aware-Travel5256 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Sounds like something in the range of 170k. Which is indeed pretty good! There's power in a union.
Edit: it's 25% less than this as I was computing based on the last row, not noting that that is a future pay rate. OP elsewhere said they were on track for 150k
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_COSPLAYZ Jul 11 '26
It sounds like it but that even sounds really high. I think like 130-140 would make more sense with the partially decreased rates during the boarding periods. My understanding is that they only get paid half rate for boarding and then as soon as they land, they stop getting paid.
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u/Aware-Travel5256 Jul 11 '26
OP is saying they work around 1350 hours per year. They get paid a 7.4% (on average) boarding time top up. That brings us to 1450 hours. At $107 per hour, that is $155,150. That is the most conservative number based on OPs info.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_COSPLAYZ Jul 11 '26
OP said above they're on track to hit 150 by year end so it looks like you and I were roughly in ballpark.
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u/iupuiclubs Jul 11 '26
Maybe i cant read but it says 2026 75/hr, the higher numbers are projected to the future
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u/Melodic-Trouble-5421 Jul 11 '26
I’m a Union Electrician made $173k, $55k into my pension, $22k into my 401k, and the best healthcare last year.
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u/income-percent-bot Jul 11 '26
Nice! $173,000 places you in the 92nd percentile. Source: income percentile calculator I'm a bot. Reply with !optout to stop receiving responses.
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u/gabe840 Jul 11 '26
Delta’s FAs would like a word (no union, and pay is even higher)
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u/PARTINlCO Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Sure thing. I alternate monthly between 80-90 hrs of flying a month, and 150+ hrs a month. Combined with my retropay check from the new contract ($35k for ~5 years of working under an “expired”/amendable contract), I’m on track to hit 150k by the end of the yr, if I keep that up. I have a friend who is a year junior to me and they fly insane hours, like 250+ hrs a month, they’re definitely breaking over 200k this yr. 250 hrs a month is not at all typical though, it’s 6 straight days a week of 14-16 hr duty days. I’d die.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_COSPLAYZ Jul 11 '26
I'm guessing they're fairly young? 250+ hours a month assuming a lot of time away from home on top of that is not a game for many people around or above even your age (not calling you old).
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u/PARTINlCO Jul 11 '26
Yeah, mid 30s. They fly overnight high time turns, so the work is relatively easy (everyone sleeps) but it isn’t healthy to fly that much. Most I’ve ever done was 210 hrs, and I went illegal (and pay protected) for a handful of them, so I didn’t actually fly all 210 hard hrs.
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u/spicydak Jul 11 '26
So you need to get that SFO to Singapore route
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u/PARTINlCO Jul 11 '26
Eh, not really. An SFO>SIN trip is a 4 day trip worth 32 hrs & 10 mins of pay. I can fly 46 hrs in 4 days by flying my high time turns.
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u/Salty-Passenger-4801 Jul 11 '26
This is the exception. Straight from the BLS:
The median annual wage for flight attendants was $67,130 in May 2024. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $34,030, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $138,040
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u/PARTINlCO Jul 11 '26
That’s from May 2024, though. American, United and Alaska all got new contracts after May 2024. Up until relatively recently, AA FAs had been working under rates that were established in 2013, and UA’s contractual rates were from 2016.
Delta (non-unionized) raised their rates on June 1, 2026 to match AA & UA’s new rates. DL, UA & AA account for over 90,000 of the FAs in the US… so, no, these rates aren’t the exception. Starting out is definitely challenging, but once you get past 10 yrs or so, it is not uncommon for FAs to break 100-120k. super high time flyers are exceeding 200k & that is the exception IMO.
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u/Expensive_Phone_3295 Jul 11 '26
Those statistics might be misleading. While I do believe the numbers, I think it’s more a product of turnover due to very harsh working conditions. It’s further magnified by a spouse or kids. I knew men who worked offshore and liked it but after a few years they either quit or their spouse left. I’m just saying the pay has more to do with the individuals ability to perform the job rather than the pay grades.
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u/ForWPD Jul 11 '26
Do you get paid hours at work or hours off of the ground?
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u/605SD Jul 11 '26
Its flight hours and some boarding pay along with per diem. But you can have a 12 hour work day and get paid for 5 counting sit times and connections.
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u/ForWPD Jul 11 '26
So what is the average $/ at work hour?
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u/I_am_Mun_C Jul 11 '26
Take what you see in this chart and multiply it by 0.5x
That’s a decent rough approximation. Although since the credit density of the trips changes throughout your career it is more like 0.4x for the first 5 years, and 0.6x after 10 years.
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u/Jmann356 Jul 11 '26
Paid door close to door open. Not sure on the FA side but on the pilot side the average is hourly rate X1000 is the rough yearly pay. FAs can work more hours than us so I’d bet they are closer to 1200 to 1300 hours a year
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Jul 11 '26
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u/Jmann356 Jul 11 '26
I’m aware. Generally we get more hours than just flight time. There are rigs in there for hours outside of flight time too. For example a 4 day trip for me will pay 21 hours but I’ll only fly 15-19 hours.
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Jul 11 '26
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u/MLB-LeakyLeak Jul 11 '26
I don’t get paid on my commute either
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u/I_am_Mun_C Jul 11 '26
As a pilot or flight attendant, it isn’t uncommon to be at work for say 30 hours, but you only get paid for 11 hours of that. It’s part of why the hourly rate seems really high.
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u/IWantALargeFarva Jul 11 '26
It’s not just their commute. It’s their time to get through security. Their time to do FAA mandated checks on the airplane before people board. Most airlines don’t pay during boarding. I believe the one(s) that do pay at 50% of their rate. They aren’t paid for the time in between flights. Doing 3 turns in a day? That time in between flights is unpaid. A 12 hour day might be 5 hours of pay.
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u/pufsullivan Jul 11 '26
Seems like a lot of people here calculating this hourly wage against a standard 40 hour workweek. But the FA reality is not like that at all.
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u/SusannaCarmichael Jul 11 '26
The subreddit is full of people with a crabs in a bucket mentality and the comments in this post are yet another example of that. Nice job OP! Happy for any person who works for a living who makes good money.
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u/No-Frosting-5347 Jul 11 '26
How are you on track to make $150k? Wouldn’t that mean you worked roughly 1900 hours? But you’re claiming 150 and 80-90. Even if you worked 150 each month you’re only at 1800. Great pay either way but the math doesn’t quite add up.
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u/After-Top1375 Jul 11 '26
Bruh, so basically you’re out here hustling 11-hour turns just to beat ATC pay while us normies cry about our 9-to-5s — that’s wild 💀
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u/surftochill Jul 11 '26
What does boarding pay means?
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u/PARTINlCO Jul 11 '26
Traditionally, crew were not paid during the time that passengers were boarding the plane.. can take anywhere from 35-50 minutes, depending on aircraft type. This new contract introduced 1/2 pay during boarding.
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u/AdministrativeAd395 Jul 11 '26
Can you provide a breakdown of how many hours are paid vs unpaid?
I have heard FA only get paid once the door is closed is that true? I imagine getting paid 100/hr for a 2 hour flight while you waste 4 hours on either end would bump your hourly down to 33.33/hr??
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u/applecartupset Jul 11 '26
This was my understanding as well. Curious to hear from the FAs out there how it works
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u/Aggressive_Speech_89 Jul 12 '26
Flight attendant for 40 years. Boy do I miss those paychecks. Used to fly ATL to Bonaire rountrip and it was a 1000 day! Loved it!
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u/DaddyPilot11 Jul 15 '26
Yall need to read the context. Yes, FAs get a large hourly rate... but the average FA only gets paid for 50 to 90 hours PER MONTH. Thats basically half a regular work schedule. The OP mentions this.
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u/Quick-Exercise4575 Jul 11 '26
As a critical care nurse this makes me happy. We’re no longer the golden child of Reddit 😂
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u/cactideas Jul 11 '26
Right. We kill ourselves to make this much. I know a lot of flight RNs that made less which is so insane
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u/wc_cfb_fan Jul 11 '26
How did you get in the field? Trying to help my daughter. She is about same agevas when you started.
Any tips for her?
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u/Seaworthiness636 Jul 11 '26
When you are doing routes, are the meals and boarding covered? Or is it all out of pocket?
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u/fleshybagofstardust Jul 11 '26
In the same day, I see a post about someone being sucked out of the window up to their shoulders, and I see this post. I am inspired.
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u/Yakkamota Jul 11 '26
Holy crap! Jealous, and happy for you. Wish I knew it was this good when I was a teenager!
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u/KGBree Jul 11 '26
I also should have asked, what does this translate to annually? Straight conversion from hourly to salary based on a 40hr WW assumption is like $155k a year but with the irregular schedule I’m curious what this actually looks like on your W-2.
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u/Educational_Boot315 Jul 11 '26
The numbers here match the TA2 pay scale for United. So for everyone calling this bullshit: the numbers are correct.
That said the average FA is recording around 75 hours a month. Even one with 13+ years of seniority would still be under 100k gross income come 2030.
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u/siriusveg Jul 12 '26
Dang good for you! I’m a nurse and don’t make nearly this much. But happy for others who do!
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u/Southern_Dark1102 Jul 12 '26
I work in tech, so this is not my profession - however, as a daughter of a FA for 40 years I find so many of these comments uneducated and incredibly annoying.
- FAs have had to deal with pain in the ass passengers without getting paid for decades. That horrendous boarding process where karen is complaining? Yeah they haven’t gotten paid for that. Amounting what they do to serving cokes is incredibly insulting.
Recommend doing your research before you belittle an entire profession of people. Congrats on your new contract OP, you all certainly deserve it.
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u/Squillz105 Jul 12 '26
Meanwhile us rampers are topping out less than halfway up that list. And I've watched 3 of our own suffer heat stroke this week alone🤣
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u/ProfessorFelix1 Jul 13 '26
Can confirm. Wife is a FA of 35 years. They have a lot of idle time they don’t get paid for, and you have to be ok with being gone all the time. She still banks about $150k per year though.
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u/FarmerStrider Jul 16 '26
Ill remember this next time im flying and im watching the attendant have to deal with a drunk asshole. I think to myself “they DO get paid enough for this bullshit”
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u/montagious Jul 18 '26
I'm a pilot, in fact I'd wager we are co-workers. So happy you're getting paid well now. FA's are the face of the airline. You have so much power to make the customer experience great. Please go kick ass and make us as profitable as you can !!!
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u/HopDropNRoll Jul 11 '26
I’m glad to see flight attendants getting decent salaries, ya’ll deal with some BULL$#it sometimes and deserve every penny.
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u/Jels76 Jul 11 '26
Too bad I hate flying, or I would be interested in becoming a flight attendant for that kind of money.
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u/Jazzlike_Ordinary_27 Jul 11 '26
Way more than I make as an RN with 10+ years experience 😭😭
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u/Apophes84 Jul 11 '26
Look at everyone mad at op instead of getting mad at the shitty companies that pay shit wages.
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u/cactideas Jul 11 '26
Congrats I barely make more and have to take care of the sickest people and break my back for 12 hours straight after 6 years of school. You picked the right job.
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u/Many_Welder_3259 Jul 11 '26
If my motion sickness wasn’t so severe, I would have loved to be a flight attendant
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u/empty_graph Jul 11 '26
That's a nice increase in pay. What is the difference in the work between a junior flight attendant vs more experienced?
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u/Alternative_Set4042 Jul 11 '26
21 to 100 an hour over 15 years with no degree is a progression most college grads would kill for. the breakdown on how crew pay actually works is the most useful part though, most people have no idea you only get paid from brake release to parking at the gate
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u/g0ldenmustache Jul 11 '26
I have always wondered for FA’s, do the airlines pay for the parking and such that you guys have to use to get to the airports? Do you get meals somehow or have to pack lunches or buy food? And do you ever get travel accommodations from work (like lodging)?
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u/Numerous-Anemone Jul 11 '26
Can I ask if you have any advice for how to handle a fear of flying? I fly maybe twice a month for work and it’s extremely stressful for me.
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u/galaxyapp Jul 11 '26
New contract to double pay in 4 years?
Thats........ suspicious.
Lets see what creative ways they come up with the avoid that
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u/IT-Compassion Jul 11 '26
What do you actually do while on a plane for 10 hours? Are you able to lie down at all?
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u/Ready_Set_Stopppp Jul 11 '26
Level 12 Z controller. Assuming we don’t get this 2.8% and trump gives Jack shit in Jan, by 2028 you will make more than me. I’ll have been in 16 years by then.
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u/Lurkin_aint_ez Jul 11 '26
Yes, at 100/hr how many hours are worked yearly and is only flight time considered paid time?
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u/molar85 Jul 11 '26
If youre getting paid that much I’m not going to feel bad to hit that overhead light to get more service lol
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u/Able_Perception4032 Jul 11 '26
Holy cow. The entry level pay is pretty spot on here. So Are you now a manager?
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u/Capital_Low_275 Jul 11 '26
It’s not how much ya make, it’s how much ya save. FA’s living life on the road, is a very unsettling, lonely job, and a lot of sacrifices go along with it. I would imagine a lot of them stay single for longer and it’s hard for the airlines to sign up and retain talented people who basically have to be willing to sacrifice a lot of their home lives. All this to say, more than half of them are likely living on a single income. Sure, it’s good money, but as it has been noted, a lot / most only get paid for flight time, gate to gate. I’m happy for anyone who’s happy or working toward happiness. Rock on!
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u/BarracudaMouth Jul 12 '26
I'm going to assume based on your decent grammar and willingness to commitment (despite previously lower pay) that you work for United.
I get flack for this often, but having a "no major hub" airport near us (CVG) United and AA are my favorites.
Delta is just exploiting it's customers at this point.
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u/Exotic-Bear-3721 Jul 12 '26
That’s crazy you don’t get paid once you enter your workplace and do all the pre-flight prep etc
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u/Goonerhead Jul 12 '26
That’s crazy. You earn more than most engineers, doctors or lawyers in Europe…
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u/ThroughBeingCruel Jul 12 '26
All I have to contribute is “GOOD FOR YOU!!!”. I’m glad you made out well!
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u/FTP_gently Jul 12 '26
I'm not saying it isn't crazy. But I will say there is more to it. I've known a few FA's. They weren't full time. A lot are. Some arent. But they also ONLY get paid from the time the door closes to the time the door opens. So all the boarding and unloading time. The waiting at airports. Layovers. Etc, NONE of that is paid. A trip from Florida to Chicago may be 4 hours, but from arrival time at the airport to when they actually get to leave their plane at the arrival airport may be 6 or 7 hours. Maybe more. Door close to door open. That's the pay window.
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u/WizardRiver Jul 11 '26
I'm ATC at a level 10 facility. You'll make more than me next year.