Flight attendant salary in California

Flight attendant earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level flight attendant earnings begin at:

$32.57 per hour

$67,750 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level flight attendant earnings begin at:

$29.49 per hour

$61,330 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level flight attendant earnings begin at:

$25.89 per hour

$53,860 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level flight attendant earnings begin at:

$20.77 per hour

$43,200 per year

10th percentile

Starting level flight attendant earnings begin at:

$13.60 per hour

$28,290 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Flight attendant salary by state

How much does a Flight Attendant earn?

As airlines struggle to stay afloat and find efficiencies during tough economic times, flight attendant wages have felt the pressure as companies attempt to trim the fat in all aspects of their business. As with other professions, flight attendants earn lower salaries at the beginning of their career and work their way up to higher wages. A flight attendant's hourly wage starts out at approximately $21.00/hr. However, by the 14th year, the hourly wage of the flight attendant will have almost doubled (approximately $46-$50.00/hr).

A big part of a Flight Attendant’s salary is compensation for meals when overnighting at a hotel or when meals are not boarded on the aircraft. This is often referred to as a ‘per diem.’ Per diems vary depending on the length of a stay or ‘layover’ at a hotel.

Purser Pay vs. Flight Attendant Pay

According to FlightAttendantsAcademy.com, many F/A’s eventually become Pursers to boost their salary and to assume new challenges and responsibilities. Junior Flight Attendants can nearly double their salary by becoming a Purser. Some airlines require F/A’s to have a minimum of one or more years of service to become a Service Director. At Air Canada for example, in 2011 a purser on a narrow-body aircraft earned $50.14 per hour while a Purser on the B777 earned $67.92 per hour. In addition to these wages, Pursers are also paid the per diems, night premiums and other expenses that a Flight Attendant would be entitled to.

How do flight attendant salaries compare to similar careers?

Flight attendants earn 6% less than similar careers in California. On average, they make less than shipmates but more than cargo and freight agents.

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)