TransportationCompare

Flight Attendant

O*NET: Flight Attendants·53-2031.00

The Verdict:Flight attendants are safety professionals who physically manage the cabin — demonstrating emergency procedures, evacuating passengers, administering first aid, monitoring threats. They reassure anxious travelers and serve meals in a pressurized tube at altitude. A robot tested could not stay upright in turbulence. Regulations mandate human crew per fifty seats with no pathway to change.

Resilience Score

/100

Resilient

Score tiers

Highly Resilient81–100

Resilient61–80

Moderate Risk41–60

High Risk21–40

Critical Risk0–20

How is this scored?

Task Resilience

How much of this role's daily work remains beyond AI and robotic automation.

30% of score

Physical Presence

The degree to which this job needs a human present — hands-on, in the field, or in the room.

20% of score

Human Necessity

How important the unique human edge is — for trust, accountability, or judgment.

15% of score

Regulatory Shield

How strong the legal requirement is for a human in this job (by law, licensing, or credentials).

13% of score

Technological Maturity

How far AI remains from performing this role's core functions.

10% of score

Displacement Evidence

The volume of jobs in this field being eliminated by AI or automation right now.

12% of score

Score last updated: February 2026Full methodology

Avg Salary

Median annual wage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 release.

$67k

Job Growth (10yr)

Projected change in total number of jobs (not salary) from 2024–2034. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections.

+9.2%

AI Exposure

Percentage of this role's analyzed tasks that AI can handle autonomously or nearly so. 0 of 25 tasks are classified as AI-exposed.

Low exposure

Task Analysis

This role's core work is hard to automate.
19 of 25 tasks require human judgment, presence, or trust. The 24% that are AI-leverage offer an edge — professionals who learn these tools will outperform those who don't.

0exposed

6AI leverage

19human-essential

View all 25 tasks

AI Can Handle This0 tasks

Tasks AI can do autonomously or nearly so

No exposed tasks identified

AI Leverage6 tasks

Master these tools — humans who do outperform those who don't

Attend preflight briefings concerning weather, altitudes, routes, emergency procedures, crew coordination, lengths of flights, food and beverage services offered, and numbers of passengers.

Prepare reports showing places of departure and destination, passenger ticket numbers, meal and beverage inventories, the conditions of cabin equipment, and any problems encountered by passengers.

Operate audio and video systems.

Answer passengers' questions about flights, aircraft, weather, travel routes and services, arrival times, or schedules.

Inspect passenger tickets to verify information and to obtain destination information.

Take inventory of headsets, alcoholic beverages, and money collected.

Human Advantage19 tasks

Tasks requiring trust, presence, or novel judgment

Verify that first aid kits and other emergency equipment, including fire extinguishers and oxygen bottles, are in working order.

Announce and demonstrate safety and emergency procedures, such as the use of oxygen masks, seat belts, and life jackets.

Monitor passenger behavior to identify threats to the safety of the crew and other passengers.

Walk aisles of planes to verify that passengers have complied with federal regulations prior to takeoffs and landings.

Direct and assist passengers in emergency procedures, such as evacuating a plane following an emergency landing.

Prepare passengers and aircraft for landing, following procedures.

Administer first aid to passengers in distress.

Determine special assistance needs of passengers, such as small children, the elderly, or persons with disabilities.

Reassure passengers when situations, such as turbulence, are encountered.

Check to ensure that food, beverages, blankets, reading material, emergency equipment, and other supplies are aboard and are in adequate supply.

Announce flight delays and descent preparations.

Greet passengers boarding aircraft and direct them to assigned seats.

Assist passengers entering or disembarking the aircraft.

Conduct periodic trips through the cabin to ensure passenger comfort and to distribute reading material, headphones, pillows, playing cards, and blankets.

Inspect and clean cabins, checking for any problems and making sure that cabins are in order.

Collect money for meals and beverages.

Heat and serve prepared foods.

Assist passengers in placing carry-on luggage in overhead, garment, or under-seat storage.

Sell alcoholic beverages to passengers.

Resilience Landscape

Flight Attendant lands in Stable, Lower Pay

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Resilience Landscape

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