Average Salary

• From the data it gathered during its national employment survey of May 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics calculated that the average yearly wage for a flight attendant was $43,350, equivalent to $3,613 a month. The bureau also discovered that those individuals among the highest-earning 10 percent received an average greater than $71,280, while those in the bottom 10 percent earned less than $25,420 on average. By April 2011, wage comparison website Salary.com reported that the average pay rate had risen to $55,603.
  
  

Salary by Industry

• The largest numbers of flight attendants working in the United States aviation industry are employed by scheduled air transportation companies. The bureau reported that the average salary for this sector of the industry was $43,290. Flight attendants working for companies providing non-scheduled air transportation services -- private airlines -- earned an average of $42,800.
  
  

Salary by Location

• In its survey of flight attendant salaries among some major cities, pay analysis website SalaryExpert.com reported that New York, Los Angeles, and Boston were among the locations with the highest pay levels -- $61,074, $57,056 and $57,711, respectively. Phoenix was listed at $49,640 while Orlando, of the cities surveyed, had the lowest wage levels -- $48,056. The bureau reported that Arizona, Texas and New York were lucrative locations for flight attendants to be based in, with averages of $51,140, $46,910 and $43,090, respectively. By way of contrast, Hawaii was listed at $29,470.
  
  

Working Conditions

• Flight attendants must be flexible in their approach to work as they can be asked to work a shift at short notice. The role involves working long hours and some journeys require flight attendants to stay overnight in hotels. The hours may be unsociable and are likely to include weekends and public holidays.
  
  

Outlook

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment opportunities for flight attendants to grow by around 8 percent in from 2008 to 2018. This tallies with national estimates, put at between 7 and 13 percent across all occupations for the same period. An expanding population with greater willingness and disposable income to fly will prompt growth in the airline industry as a whole. As such, salary levels should remain competitive. However, the bureau advises that demand is likely to fluctuate with shifts in the economy and competition for vacancies is expected to be keen.