Junior cabin crew
Entry-grade crew in their first one to three years, on the lowest pay band and, at seniority airlines, on reserve.
Definition
Junior cabin crew are the entry grade: crew who have completed initial training and their supervised familiarisation flights but have not yet been promoted. The grade usually carries the bottom of the pay scale, probation for the first months and, at seniority-based airlines, the reserve or standby-heavy rosters that nobody senior wants. Most airlines keep crew in it for one to three years.
What it means for you
This is where the job is hardest and pays least, and where most people who leave the industry leave from. Your leverage is small — you cannot bid your way out of standby — so reliability, attendance and a clean file through probation are what move you up. Choosing a less popular base can get you off reserve years earlier at US carriers.
In practice
A first-year Delta flight attendant earns $36.92 per flight hour and can spend one to three years on reserve depending on base; a new Emirates joiner starts as Grade II Economy on around AED 10,000–12,500 a month, tax-free with housing.
Go deeper
Related terms
4 terms- Senior cabin crewRoles & ranksUnder EASA, the qualified crew member in charge of the cabin (SCCM); more loosely, any experienced crew above the entry grade.
- ReserveRoster & schedulingThe US term for a roster of on-call days rather than assigned trips: you fly whatever crew scheduling gives you, at short notice.
- SeniorityRoster & schedulingYour rank on the airline's crew list by date of hire, which at many carriers decides bidding, base, vacation and reserve.
- Cabin crewRoles & ranksThe trained crew responsible for passenger safety and service in the cabin — called flight attendants in North America.