What are the Cabin crew salary and work hours?
Cabin crew work hours and salary is really depending on the airline you work for but in general, there are things that are in common.
If you’re thinking of a specific airline, you can try to google or contact a cabin crew member and ask about the salary or work hours. In general, you’re expected to fly any day and any time of the day. In aviation, we don’t have weekends. We have days off and work days. Sometimes your weekend might be a Tuesday.
How many hours Cabin crew work?
Work hours can be depending on the season quite a lot. In general, you can have 100 flight hours in 28 consecutive days or 50-60h/7 days and 900 hours in any calendar year and 1000 hours in any 12 consecutive calendar months. Flight hours are calculated from the time the aircraft moves and comes to a full stop at the destination. As a cabin crew, you do work more hours than just the flight hours. You will also have a block of duty hours. These are the hours that you’re on duty. Cabin crew duty hours usually start before the flight as there will be briefings and checks to be done before passengers can board the plane and the door can be closed.
Your duty hours would also carry on after the plane has stopped as passengers need to be deboarded and there are other duties and checks to be done after passengers have left the plane. As an example, your flying/block hours might be only 76h/28 days but your duty hours are 128h/28 days. In one week you can be flying 60 hours a week but that will then mean that you won’t be flying as much the next three weeks as there are limits on how much you can fly in 28 days.
On top of this, it is good to remember that there are no days off because it is a holiday or it is a weekend. The job is a 24/7 job. You will work in the middle of the night and on Christmas day or on your birthday. You will miss a lot of important family days so be mentally prepared for it.
How much does the cabin crew earn?
This will depend on the airline you are working but in general, the pay isn’t good. Expect to earn on the lower scale of your country’s pay scale. Usually in aviation, your basic pay is low.
As an example, it can be as low as 1100-1400€ a month in Finland or 2200€ in Denmark or 1100£ in the UK. On top of this, you will get different kinds of payments depending on the airline and the country where the contract is made.
You generally get paid for every flying hour and depending on the airline, you might get paid by duty hour. In most companies, you’re able to get commissions on sales or extra if you’re flying during the night or weekend.
Most airlines also pay per leg. For example, you could be flying HEL-CPH-ARN-HEL. This means you have 3 legs and you get a set payment for each leg flown.
You also get paid if you are having a layover or you’re positioning to a different base.
What should you then expect to get home after tax?
It’s difficult to answer as taxation is different in different countries and all the extras are depending on how much you’re flying. On a bad month, you can barely make ends meet and on a good month, you will be able to put some money aside for a bad day. But it’s good to know that if you’re going to a bank and you’re negotiating a loan, most banks only count your basic pay as your salary and as we know it, it isn’t much.
Being a cabin crew is not well paid but it’s a lifestyle choice. You have to love the lifestyle because money isn’t the thing that gets you through that door every day.
Do you think cabin crew salary is aligned with the duties and responsibilities that cabin crew have on board a plane not forgetting that the job is 24/7? There are no days off because it’s the holidays or because it’s the weekend. Depending on the airline you work for, you may get access to Staff Travel or other perks. These perks can be really good if you would like to explore the world, but vary hugely from airline to airline.
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