# Flight Attendants

US SOC code 53-2031. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/53-2031

Also called: Cabin crew, Cabin crew member, In-flight service attendant, Airline steward, Airline stewardess.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **131,650** US flight attendants, with median pay of **$63,580** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://airandspace.si.edu/explore/stories/flight-attendants) of **200** from 1935, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for flight attendants: Automated emergency equipment + onboard defibrillators, 1990 to 2010.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 8.8% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=53-2031&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **14.6%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.35** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.35. BLS counted **93,550** of these jobs in May 2013 and **131,650** in May 2025. The count moved sharply in one step, May 2020 to May 2021, when BLS changed how it estimates these counts, so no change is derived here.

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Flight Attendants employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1930
- Latest US employment: 131,650 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $63,580 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [9]
- Outlook: +8.8% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [18]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 64311)
  - Employment, 2020: 11,840. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [7]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 64311 Pursers and flight attendants, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$57,200. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [12]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 64311 Pursers and flight attendants, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 20 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1935 | 200 (estimate) | n/a | Est., National Air and Space Museum… [1] |
| 1968 | n/a | $4,800 (estimate) | Est., Smithsonian [8] |
| 1970 | 40,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Smithsonian [2] |
| 2000 | 126,380 | n/a | BLS OEWS 2000 [3] |
| 2010 | 88,020 | $37,740 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 87,190 | $38,020 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 84,960 | $37,240 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 93,550 | $40,520 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 98,510 | $42,290 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 108,510 | $44,860 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 113,390 | $48,500 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 119,000 | $50,500 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 118,770 | $56,000 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 120,840 | $56,640 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 116,260 | $59,050 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 96,900 | $61,640 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 108,480 | $63,760 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 126,020 | $68,370 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 130,110 | $67,130 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 131,650 | $63,580 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (65)

### Employment series

1. [National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian) — "Flight Attendants" (origins of the profession, 1935 head count)](https://airandspace.si.edu/explore/stories/flight-attendants), Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
2. [Smithsonian — "Meet the Flight Attendants Who Fought For Equality During the Civil Rights Era" (jet-age growth and 1960s-70s labor history context)](https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/meet-flight-attendants-who-fought-equality-during-civil-rights-era), Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
3. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
5. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
6. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

8. [Smithsonian — "Meet the Flight Attendants Who Fought For Equality During the Civil Rights Era" (low pay and forced turnover under age/marriage bans)](https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/meet-flight-attendants-who-fought-equality-during-civil-rights-era), Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
9. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
10. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
11. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
12. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

13. [National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian) — "Flight Attendants" (early propeller-era cabin duties)](https://airandspace.si.edu/explore/stories/flight-attendants), Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
14. [FAA — "Ellen Church and the Advent of the Sky Girls" (first cabin attendant duties and requirements)](https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/history/pioneers/Ellen_Church_and_the_Advent_of_the_Sky_Girls.pdf), Federal Aviation Administration
15. [Flight attendant — Wikipedia (jet-age expansion, 1958 onward; service standardization)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_attendant), Wikipedia
16. [Airbus — "Smart Catering: reducing cabin food waste with AI" (camera-based tray recognition and route demand prediction)](https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/stories/2026-04-smart-catering-reducing-cabin-food-waste-with-ai), Airbus
17. [aiOla — speech-driven safety checks for flight crews ("Future of AI in Aviation")](https://aiola.ai/blog/future-of-ai-in-aviation/), aiOla

### Forecasts and exposure studies

18. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 53-2031 Flight attendants (2025: 133.7 thousand; 2035: 145.5 thousand; +8.8%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=53-2031&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
19. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 53-2031 Flight Attendants: probability 0.35, rank 250 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
20. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 53-2031.00, human-rated β 0.146)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

21. [FAA — "Ellen Church and the Advent of the Sky Girls"](https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/history/pioneers/Ellen_Church_and_the_Advent_of_the_Sky_Girls.pdf), Federal Aviation Administration
22. [Smithsonian — "Meet the Flight Attendants Who Fought For Equality During the Civil Rights Era"](https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/meet-flight-attendants-who-fought-equality-during-civil-rights-era), Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
23. [Flight attendant — Wikipedia (1968 EEOC rulings on age and sex discrimination)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_attendant), Wikipedia
24. [Justia — Diaz v. Pan American World Airways, Inc., 346 F. Supp. 1301 (S.D. Fla. 1972)](https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/346/1301/1878815/), Justia / US District Court
25. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Flight Attendants (pay structure and collective bargaining context)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/flight-attendants.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Predecessors & successors

26. [Flight attendant — Wikipedia (Heinrich Kubis 1912, early stewards on Zeppelins and 1920s airlines)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_attendant), Wikipedia
27. [FAA — "Ellen Church and the Advent of the Sky Girls" (registered nurses recruited as first stewardesses)](https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/history/pioneers/Ellen_Church_and_the_Advent_of_the_Sky_Girls.pdf), Federal Aviation Administration

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Flight Attendants (53-2031.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/53-2031.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Flight Attendants](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/flight-attendants.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OEWS May 2024 — Flight Attendants median wage $67,130 (national flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), accessed 2026-10-07
- [MightyTravels — How Airlines Are Leveraging AI Chat Trainers (February 2025)](https://www.mightytravels.com/2025/02/how-airlines-are-leveraging-ai-chat-trainers-to-transform-in-flight-service-in-2025/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [SITA CrewTab Retail — onboard shopping and ancillary revenue](https://www.aircraftit.com/vendors/sita/crewtablet/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Airbus Smart Catering — camera-based tray recognition updates stock in real time (April 2026)](https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/stories/2026-04-smart-catering-reducing-cabin-food-waste-with-ai), accessed 2026-06-05
- [OAG — Three Smart Ways Airlines Are Using AI to Improve Operations (August 2025)](https://www.oag.com/blog/three-smart-ways-airlines-are-using-ai-to-improve-operations-in-august-2025), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.