As of 2019, American Airlines is the largest airline in the United States based on total passengers transported. If you’re thinking of becoming a flight attendant, you can’t go wrong with applying to and hopefully being hired by American Airlines.
This article has background information on American airlines, salaries, schedules, hubs, and other important information for becoming a flight attendant there. This article will also show you how to become a flight attendant for American Airlines.
American Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world. Their fleet is currently almost 1000 aircraft strong. Along with their subsidiaries, they fly over 5400 flights per day. They currently have over 128,000 employees including over 27,000 flight attendants. Their headquarters is in Fort Worth, Texas and they have hubs in 10 other metropolitan areas.
American Airlines and it’s associated companies have been in business for over 90 years and has annual revenues of over $44 billion.
In order to become a flight attendant with American Airlines, you’ll first have to meet the basic requirements of a flight attendant. Although some of the requirements are set by the FAA for all flight attendants, there are also some that are specific to American.
Here is a list of the requirements for American Airlines according to their website:
Although these are the requirements to be considered, American Airlines considers the best candidates to also have these qualifications:
If you meet these requirements, you should go ahead and submit an application on their employment website found here.
If this is the first time you are applying to be a flight attendant, make sure to read through our article written specifically to help people without previous experience. It’s a guide to help you become a flight attendant with no experience.
The pay for flight attendants at American Airlines is very competitive.
The starting pay range for a beginning flight attendant is in the range of $27/hour (according to Glassdoor) and $28 /hour according to Payscale. These are based on flight attendants who work there now reporting their income.
As you progress in your career, you can expect to earn quite a bit more. Experienced flight attendants with over 5 years of seniority can expect to make more than $35/hour.
Once you’ve earned more experience and seniority, you can expect to earn much more. The top 10% of flight attendants at American Airlines make over $68/hour.
American Airlines flight attendants also report that they also have the ability to earn additional income due to perks like bonuses and profit sharing.
These additional sources of income depend on several factors like the profitability of the company and your own personal performance. On average, the annual bonus for flight attendants is $1200. The average profit sharing is $500.
Fight attendants at American Airlines have reported total bonus and profit sharing annual income to be as much as $15,000 annually.
American Airlines offers an in-person training for all new flight attendants (called Flight Attendant trainees) in Fort Worth, Texas. The training program is unpaid, but the airlines does pay for your room and board in addition to providing you with 3 meals per day.
American’s training program for flight attendant trainees takes 6 1/2 weeks to complete. It includes training on topics like customer service, passenger safety, emergency medical services, aircraft specific training, American’s culture, and a lot more.
Their training program typically includes around 150 trainees that are expected to train 5-6 days per week for the entirety of the 6 1/2 week program. Upon completion, new flight attendants are assigned to one American’s hubs to begin work.
American Airlines Headquarters is located in Atlanta, Georgia. Below is a list of their current hubs:
As a flight attendant working for American Airlines, you will be based out of one of these hubs.
When first starting out as a flight attendant at American Airlines, you will be listed as a reserve flight attendant. This means you’ll be on call to take shifts as needed. You will eventually be listed as “holding a line” meaning you get a normal scheduled schedule.
As time goes on and you gain more experience you can expect to have less time as a reserve employee and more control over your schedule.
As you build seniority you will also be able to have your pick of the more desirable flight times and locations. Experienced flight attendants will make more money, and can also choose a schedule that they prefer.
For more detailed info on how flight attendant schedules work, see our guide on it here: Flight Attendant Schedules
There are several large employment sites that allow employees (current and former) to rate what it was like working at American Airlines as a flight attendant.
Here is a listing of those scores. The average scores for the largest airlines are as follows:
American Airlines has also won several awards as an organization as a great place to work. This includes being listed as one of the best places to work for disability inclusion (perfect score of 100) for 4 years in a row.
According to American Airlines themselves, the best place to apply is directly on their website. You can view open positions and apply for a job with them directly on their employment page here.
American Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world and a great place to begin your career as a flight attendant. They have hubs located in many parts of the country which makes finding one near you easier than many other airlines. They offer competitive pay, benefits, and an in-depth training program.
