By country / Indonesia
How to become cabin crew in Indonesia
A huge domestic market with low basic pay - and a Gulf and Asian route out for the fluent.
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Indonesia has one of the largest domestic aviation markets in the world, and pramugari recruitment runs almost continuously. Garuda Indonesia sits at the top with the best packages and the hardest entry; Lion Air Group (including Batik and Wings), Citilink, AirAsia Indonesia, Super Air Jet and Pelita all hire in volume, often through open recruitment events (walk-in) advertised at short notice in Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Denpasar and Makassar.
The pay structure is the thing to understand. Indonesian basic salaries are very low - Lion Air and Citilink junior crew basics sit in the Rp 2.5-4 million range - and almost all real income comes from flying-hour allowances of roughly Rp 150,000-250,000 per hour plus per diems. A busy month can reach Rp 15-20 million total; a quiet month is dramatically less. Garuda crew, with international routes and foreign-currency per diems, reach Rp 15-30 million.
For Indonesians targeting the Gulf or the Asian majors, English is the deciding variable. Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines all recruit Indonesians, and service attitude is rarely the problem - the group exercise conducted entirely in English is. Candidates who are confident in Bahasa Indonesia but hesitant in spoken English get filtered at exactly that stage.
What Indonesia employers and recruiters expect
Age
Typically 18-25 for Indonesian carrier open recruitment (Garuda and Lion Air apply tight age bands to freshers); 21+ at joining for Emirates and Qatar Airways.
Education
SMA/SMK (senior high school) minimum for local carriers; D3 diploma preferred at Garuda. A tourism, hospitality or pramugari diploma helps at the local screening stage but is never required by Gulf carriers.
Height / reach
Indonesian carriers typically require around 158-160 cm for women and 170 cm for men with proportionate weight; Gulf carriers measure 212 cm arm reach on tiptoe instead.
Language
Bahasa Indonesia plus English. For local carriers a working level of English is enough; for Gulf and Singapore carriers, spoken fluency under pressure is the decisive requirement.
Medical
A DGCA Indonesia (Kemenhub) recognised cabin crew medical, plus swim ability, before the initial safety training programme.
Documents
KTP, SMA/SMK certificate, SKCK police certificate, and a passport valid 12+ months for any international application.
Airlines that recruit here
AirAsiaActively hiring · Kuala Lumpur
EmiratesActively hiring · Dubai
Qatar AirwaysActively hiring · Doha
Etihad AirwaysActively hiring · Abu Dhabi
Singapore AirlinesActively hiring · Singapore
Malaysia AirlinesActively hiring · Kuala LumpurWhat you can realistically earn
Lion Air Group / Citilink junior pramugari
Rp 2,5 - 4 juta basic, Rp 12 - 20 juta total per month
Basic is very low; the total depends on flying hours at roughly Rp 150,000-250,000 per hour plus per diems. Roughly USD 720-1,200 total at about Rp 16,700 to the dollar - and a light roster month is much less.
Garuda Indonesia cabin crew
Rp 15 - 30 juta per month total
Roughly USD 900-1,800. International routes with foreign-currency per diems are what put Garuda at the top of the domestic market.
Gulf carrier (Emirates / Qatar), junior
AED 10,000 - AED 12,500 per month equivalent
Roughly Rp 45-56 juta per month equivalent, tax-free, with accommodation and transport provided.
The route to a Gulf or international carrier
Emirates and Qatar Airways run open days and assessment days in Jakarta, and periodically in Surabaya, Denpasar and Medan, announced only on their own careers sites. Singapore Airlines also recruits Indonesian cabin crew for Singapore-based roles. The realistic obstacles for Indonesian candidates, in order: spoken English under pressure in the group exercise and final interview (this is the single biggest filter - a TOEIC score does not prove you can facilitate a group discussion in English); arm reach of 212 cm on tiptoe, which is a real constraint for many candidates and is worth measuring honestly before you spend money attending; visible tattoos in uniform areas; and the pre-joining medical, particularly dental. Practical preparation that works: read safety announcements aloud in English daily, do timed mock group discussions with friends, and prepare three specific service stories. Experience at Garuda, Citilink or AirAsia Indonesia counts genuinely in your favour with Gulf recruiters, so the local-first route is sensible rather than second best.
Your step-by-step plan
- 01Prepare the basic documents first: KTP, ijazah SMA/SMK, SKCK, and a passport if you intend to apply internationally.
- 02Measure your height and arm reach honestly against a wall on tiptoe before spending money on travel to a walk-in - this is where most rejections happen in the first minute.
- 03Follow the official career pages and verified social accounts of Garuda, Citilink, Lion Air Group and AirAsia Indonesia for open recruitment announcements, which come with very little notice.
- 04Attend walk-ins properly prepared: printed CV with a full-body and close-up photo, formal grooming, hair neatly up, and originals of your certificates.
- 05In parallel, work systematically on spoken English - it is the one investment that opens the Gulf, Singapore and Malaysia routes that pay several times the local package.
- 06After one to two years of local flying, apply to Emirates, Qatar, Etihad or Singapore Airlines; verified airline experience materially strengthens the application.
Avoid these traps
- ⚠Paid pramugari schools that charge tens of millions of rupiah and imply airline placement are the biggest local trap. Garuda, Lion Air, Citilink and AirAsia all run their own Kemenhub-approved initial training after selection. A diploma may help you pass an administrative screen at some local carriers, but no school can place you and none should claim to.
- ⚠Fake open recruitment announcements on Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp - complete with airline logos and a registration fee of Rp 200,000-2,000,000 for "administration" or "medical check" - are extremely common. No Indonesian airline charges candidates for recruitment. Cross-check every announcement against the airline's official careers page.
- ⚠Be wary of "job order" agents offering Gulf cabin crew placement for a fee. Emirates, Qatar and Etihad recruit only directly, and charging recruitment fees to workers is illegal in the UAE and Qatar. Any overseas placement should be checked against BP2MI registration.
- ⚠Understand the pay structure before you accept. A contract quoting a Rp 3 juta basic is normal in Indonesia, but it means your income is entirely roster-dependent. Ask what the flying-hour rate is and what the typical monthly hours are - that is your actual salary.
Training providers in Indonesia
Listed for reference — remember that airlines train their own crew for free.
Garuda Indonesia Training Center (GITC)
Jakarta · Free — airline-paid
Recruitment is announced on Garuda's own site city by city — never pay an intermediary claiming to place you into a GITC intake.
Do you actually meet the requirements?
Answer five questions about your age, reach, tattoos, languages and documents — we check them against every airline's published requirements and show you exactly where you stand.
Frequently asked questions
Syarat menjadi pramugari lulusan SMA apa saja?
Ijazah SMA/SMK, umumnya usia 18-25 tahun, tinggi badan sekitar 158-160 cm untuk wanita dengan berat proporsional, sehat jasmani dengan surat sehat penerbangan, bisa berenang, tidak ada tato yang terlihat, serta SKCK dan KTP. Bahasa Inggris aktif menjadi nilai tambah besar. Maskapai melatih sendiri pramugarinya setelah lolos seleksi - Anda tidak wajib mengambil sekolah pramugari berbayar.
Berapa gaji pramugari per bulan di Indonesia?
Gaji pokok pramugari junior di Lion Air Group atau Citilink hanya sekitar Rp 2,5-4 juta, tetapi dengan tunjangan terbang sekitar Rp 150.000-250.000 per jam terbang dan uang saku, totalnya bisa mencapai Rp 12-20 juta per bulan tergantung jam terbang. Garuda Indonesia sekitar Rp 15-30 juta. Bulan dengan jadwal terbang sedikit berarti pendapatan jauh lebih kecil.
How can an Indonesian apply to Emirates or Qatar Airways cabin crew?
Apply on emiratesgroupcareers.com or qatarairways.com/careers and attend an open day in Jakarta - never through an agent, and never paying a fee. The decisive requirements are 212 cm arm reach, no visible tattoos, and spoken English fluent enough to lead a group discussion. One to two years at Garuda, Citilink or AirAsia Indonesia first makes the application considerably stronger.