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How to Become a Flight Attendant After 50

Some airlines are looking for ‘golden candidates’ with more life experience


spinner image a woman flight attendant is putting luggage in an overhead bin
Gregg Segal/Gallery Stock

Youlandar Harris of Ruleville, Mississippi, was a retired police officer in her 50s who was looking for a new career opportunity. She tried nursing but didn’t find it to be a good fit. Then she began looking into becoming a flight attendant — and her path became clear.

“I have been enjoying life after 50 — going international, going to different states. I am loving it,” she says.

If you’ve ever found yourself wanting to combine your love of travel with an exciting, demanding, people-oriented career, becoming a flight attendant might be just the ticket. While competition for flight attendant jobs is fierce, employment in the field is expected to grow at a rate of about 11 percent over the next decade, which is much faster than average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Flight attendants earned an average of $63,760 per year in 2022, the BLS says.

The ‘golden’ ticket

Over the past two to three years, Lynn Van Ort — executive director of The Travel Academy, an Eagan, Minnesota–based company that prepares flight attendant candidates to apply to airlines — has seen a shift in what airlines are looking for. She says airlines are asking for “golden candidates”: prospective flight attendants age 40 and older with life experience that will make them better at their jobs.

“Not only are they able to provide stellar service to first-class passengers, but they can also easily relate to mothers with babies with them or teenagers that are being too loud,” Van Ort says. She adds that more-seasoned people are prime candidates for the rigors of flight attendant training now.

Deanna Castro, founder of Future Flight Attendant, a virtual coaching program for flight attendant candidates, agrees. “I always tell people, ‘There’s no expiration date on your dreams,’ ” she says. “I know people become flight attendants in their late 60s. There’s not an age limit. There’s no retirement age for [flight attendants].”

If you’re interested in becoming a flight attendant after age 50, here are some basics you should know — and prepare for — as you dive into this competitive and exciting career.

1. Understand the hiring process

Mauricio Herrera, a flight attendant based in Miami, Florida, was 45 years old and had worked in information technology since the late 1990s. But the long days of sitting at his desk were taking a toll on his body, and he was looking for something new. When he and his wife took a road trip to the Delta Flight Museum during the pandemic, he had his aha moment.

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“That’s really what kicked it into high gear for me. It’s like, ‘Wow, this is really what I want to do next as a career change midlife,’ ” he says. After a stint as a ramp attendant at Tampa International Airport, he applied for a job at Frontier Airlines and began the interview process.

The process for becoming a flight attendant is a lengthy one, Castro says. Depending on the airline, applying and going through training could take anywhere from a few months to roughly a year. Herrera says it took approximately six months from the time he applied to the time he finished training and was hired.

Van Ort says the process includes informational screening interviews, which are typically conducted electronically, although they may be observed by a human. Then there may be a video interview. If you make it past these rounds, you may be invited for a face-to-face interview. Pass muster there, and you may receive a conditional job offer that requires you to attend the airline’s training program, which could take at least a few months. Once you successfully complete training, you must pass a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) exam.

2. Will I need a background check to become a flight attendant?

Aside from the sheer length of the process, there are some challenges and potential pitfalls along the way, Castro says. For example, you have to make sure your résumé is submitted in the proper electronic format and contains the exact keywords the automated tracking systems use to prescreen the many résumés the airlines receive. In addition, it’s important to brush up on your interviewing skills — both video and in-person — as airlines are looking for polished candidates who can interact well with their customers, Castro says. And if you don’t make the cut at any point, there is typically a waiting period of six months to a year before you can reapply.

One more thing to be aware of: Airlines typically require a 10-year background check. A history of crime or alcohol or drug offenses could disqualify candidates from consideration.

3. What’s the flight attendant training program like?

After you make it through the screening and interview process and are offered a conditional job, you will likely be invited to the airline’s training program, which may last from three to six weeks. “Once you’re invited to training, you’re not guaranteed a job until you have your wings pinned at the end of training,” Castro says. “It’s very grueling and very intense, and many people don’t make it all the way through. They end up going home.”

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Candidates must be able to be away from home for the training period. Flight attendants typically need a high school diploma and, to work international flights, may also have to be fluent in a foreign language, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

From a physical perspective, training may require opening and closing heavy doors and other similar activities, so you should be physically capable of meeting the demands of the job. During the training process, the airline can release you at any time, Van Ort adds. In addition, flight attendants need good communication and negotiation skills, as well as patience and an ability to follow rules. After all, at 35,000 feet, following the rules is important, Van Ort says. Harris notes that her negotiation and people skills from her time in law enforcement have been helpful in her new career.

4. What’s it like starting work as a flight attendant?

Once a candidate completes training and is offered a job, they must be ready to travel wherever they are needed. Castro says that most airlines put new flight attendants “on reserve,” which means they are just there to cover what anyone else isn’t available to do. “If there’s a flight delay and the crew can’t make it, they’re going to call you and put you on the flight. You’re not going to know your schedule ahead of time — you will know what days you work, but not where you’re going or what you’re doing. One day you could be in Paris, France, and the next day you could be in Wichita, Kansas,” she says.

But once you start gaining seniority — this point varies by airline, Castro says — you can begin picking and start “bidding” on the flights you want to work as much as a month ahead of time.

Van Ort says preparation is essential to understand what airlines are looking for and to be ready for what will be a competitive, rigorous hiring process. Herrera adds that before you apply to an airline, it’s a good idea to talk to flight attendants about the job if possible. “Be patient and do the study you need. Do your research online,” he says. “Talk to people in the industry, because it’s a life-changing decision.”

“If this is something you really want to do, it’s going to get hard. You’re going to shed tears. You’re going to get frustrated,” Harris says. “But if you keep going and you keep pushing, you will definitely get through it.”

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