American Airlines Cabin Crew
The world's largest airline, a strong 2024 union contract, and nine crew bases to choose from.
Entry · per month
$2,500–3,300
Rank 9 of 59 for entry pay
Senior · per month
$5,200–7,000
+110% to senior
Tax-free
— No
Not provided
Crew rating
7.6 / 10
Crew score rank 11 of 59
Overview
American Airlines operates the largest fleet on earth and employs more than 28,000 flight attendants represented by the APFA, the biggest independent flight attendant union in the world. The 2024 contract, won after years of tense negotiation and a strike authorization vote, delivered immediate raises of up to 20%, boarding pay at half the hourly rate, retro pay and annual increases — putting first-year crew at $36.81 per flight hour and top-of-scale crew above $80. It restored American to genuine pay competitiveness with Delta and United after years of lagging.
The scale of the operation shapes the job. Nine bases from Dallas/Fort Worth and Charlotte to Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago and Phoenix mean more choice of home city than almost any competitor, but base seniority varies wildly: holding a line in Charlotte or DFW can take far longer than in Philadelphia, and juniors are assigned wherever the operation needs bodies. Reserve at American works on a rotating or straight system depending on base seniority, and new hires should budget for one to five years of it. The commuting culture is enormous — a significant fraction of AA crew live nowhere near their base.
American's network gives crew everything from 25-minute turns on the shuttle to Sydney, Tokyo and Buenos Aires layovers, and its oneworld membership plus deep South American presence (inherited from the US Airways and legacy AA networks) makes Latin flying a signature of Miami base. Culturally the airline is bigger, more bureaucratic and more industrially tense than Delta — labor relations run hot — but the seniority list is a lifetime asset, and many crew fly 30–40 year careers.
Salary
First-year $36.81/flight hour under the 2024 APFA contract with annual step and scale increases; top of scale exceeds $80/hour. Boarding pay at 50% of hourly rate, per diems paid domestically and internationally, plus profit sharing (smaller than Delta's).
Estimates in USD compiled from public sources and crew reports; actual offers vary. Compare all airlines →
Requirements
Minimum age
20
Height / reach
No published minimum
Education
High school diploma or GED required; college and customer-service experience preferred.
Languages
Fluent English; bilingual speakers can apply for language-qualified positions with hiring priority for Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and other network languages.
Tattoo policy
Tattoos must not be visible in uniform; covering with plasters or heavy makeup is not accepted at assessment.
Also required
Right to work in the US, valid passport with unrestricted travel, 10-year verifiable background, and reach/physical requirements for exits and overhead bins.
Do you meet the requirements at American Airlines?
Check your age, reach, tattoos, languages and documents against American Airlines and every other airline in the index — two minutes, no sign-up.
See how these compare industry-wide on the requirements comparison page.
Base & accommodation
Dallas/Fort Worth · Not provided
No housing support; crew commute on staff travel or share crashpads near base. Base assignment is by company need at hire, with transfers by seniority afterward.
Roster & layovers
Roster style
Seniority-based PBS bidding; new hires face reserve for one to five years depending on base, with a guarantee of about 12 days off monthly. Trip trading through the electronic system is liberal once you hold a line.
Layovers
Domestic overnights of 9–14 hours dominate junior flying; senior international crew enjoy 24–48-hour layovers across Europe, Asia and especially Latin America, where American's network is the largest of any US carrier.
Benefits beyond the paycheck
- ★Boarding pay and retro pay secured by the 2024 APFA contract
- ★Unlimited non-revenue standby travel on American plus oneworld interline discounts
- ★401(k) with company match and profit-sharing plan
- ★Medical, dental and vision coverage with multiple plan tiers
- ★Nine base choices — the widest geographic footprint of any US carrier's cabin crew
- ★Paid initial training with lodging provided in Dallas/Fort Worth
How to apply, step by step
- 01
Submit the online application when a posting opens on jobs.aa.com.
- 02
Complete an online assessment and on-demand video interview.
- 03
Attend a virtual live interview with recruiters; language candidates complete a proficiency test.
- 04
Pass the in-person conditional job offer event in Dallas with document checks and reach test.
- 05
Clear background check, fingerprints and drug screening.
- 06
Complete 6+ weeks of paid training at the Dallas training center and receive your base assignment.
Career progression
Crew rating
Why crew love it
- +2024 contract restored pay to within touching distance of Delta, with contractual guarantees Delta crew lack
- +Unmatched choice of bases across the US
- +Enormous Latin America and oneworld network for layover variety
- +Strong union (APFA) with real grievance machinery
Watch out for
- −Base seniority disparities are extreme — reserve can last years longer in Charlotte or DFW than elsewhere
- −Labor-management relations are chronically adversarial and morale swings with the news cycle
- −Operational scale means irregular operations, reassignments and junior manning hit crew hard
Frequently asked questions
How much do American Airlines flight attendants make starting out?
First-year crew earn $36.81 per flight hour under the 2024 APFA contract, which works out to roughly $2,500–3,300 take-home per month at 75–90 hours once boarding pay and per diems are added. Top of scale exceeds $80/hour.
How long are American Airlines flight attendants on reserve?
It depends entirely on base: expect one to two years in junior bases like Philadelphia and three to five or more in senior bases like Charlotte or DFW. Reserve guarantees about 12 days off per month with on-call duty the rest.
What bases can American Airlines flight attendants choose?
American staffs cabin crew at Dallas/Fort Worth, Charlotte, Miami, Philadelphia, Chicago, Phoenix, Washington DC, Los Angeles and Boston. New hires list preferences but are assigned by operational need, then transfer by seniority.
Hiring status
Hires in waves tied to fleet deliveries and attrition; postings open and close quickly on the careers site, with language-qualified roles appearing most often.
Compare with other North America airlines
DL · Atlanta
Delta Air Lines
crew score
The best-paying and most selective flight attendant job in America — harder to get into than Harvard.
UA · Chicago
United Airlines
crew score
A landmark 2026 contract with 31% raises, boarding pay and a path to $100/hour on the biggest long-haul network in America.
WN · Dallas (Love Field)
Southwest Airlines
crew score
Industry-topping union pay and home-every-few-days domestic flying — when the hiring window is actually open.
Preparing to apply? Start with our step-by-step hiring roadmap and interview question bank.