The Datum Report

Occupation 6213 · Caring, leisure and other service occupations

Air travel assistants

Air travel assistants issue travel tickets and boarding passes, examine other documentation, provide information and assistance at airport terminals and look after the welfare, comfort and safety of passengers travelling in aircraft.

How people enter it

Entrants usually possess GCSEs/S grades. Fluency in a foreign language may also be required in some posts. Training typically lasts between 3 to 6 weeks followed by a 6 to 12 month probationary period of on-the-job training.

What the work involves

• receives passengers at airport terminal, examines tickets and other documentation, checks in luggage and distributes boarding passes
• checks emergency equipment, distributes reading material, blankets and other items, and ensures that the aircraft is ready for the receipt of passengers
• welcomes passengers on board the aircraft, guides them to their seats and assists with any hand luggage
• ensures that sufficient stocks of meals and beverages are on board the aircraft prior to take off and serves passengers during the flight
• sells duty-free goods during the flight
• makes announcements on behalf of the pilot, demonstrates the use of emergency equipment and checks that safety belts are fastened
• directs and instructs passengers in the event of an emergency, ensures safety procedures are followed

Also called

Air hostess · Cabin crew · Customer service agent (travel) · Flight attendant · Passenger service agent

What it pays

Every regional figure

ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.

Common questions

Classified alongside this

Leisure and travel service occupations n.e.c. · Rail travel assistants · Sports and leisure assistants · Travel agents