These days you will find many Flight Attendants who are male. There was a time though when this was not the case and airlines wouldn’t hire men to be Flight Attendants. Times have changed and nowadays a male is absolutely more than welcome to apply to become a Flight Attendant if he meets all the other Flight Attendant requirements such as age, height, weight etc. So if you are a male and dream of the Flight Attendant life of getting paid to travel then read on!
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History Of Male Flight Attendants
Whilst it may seem like a bizarre question to ask if men can be Flight Attendants, a few decades ago there was no such thing as men Cabin Crew – they didn’t exist. Only women were hired to be Cabin Crew! Most probably because the majority of the passengers were males travelling for business, so it seemed like a good idea to have young attractive women working as the Flight Attendants.
However in the 1970’s and 1980’s several lawsuits were made against airlines for these gender discriminatory practices, and so over time with this and the changing marketplace (not mostly businessmen travelling by airplane but females and families too) males also became hired as Flight Attendants.
Nowadays Are There Male Flight Attendants? – Can Men Be Flight Attendants?
Nowadays there are thousands of men Flight Attendants. You can find male Flight Attendants literally in any airline in the world – from big airlines to regional airlines. A guy can most definitely be a Flight Attendant these days.
Flight Attendants who are men can be referred to as a Flight Attendant or Cabin Crew just like a woman can. Both of these terms can refer to Flight Attendants who are men or women. The terms Air Steward and Flight Steward refer specifically to a male, whereas the terms Air Stewardess and Air Hostess are specifically for women.
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Are Most Male Flight Attendants Gay?
This is a question I have been asked so many times. It’s true that lots of male Flight Attendants are homosexual, but you will definitely find many male Flight Attendants who aren’t gay, especially in Qatar, Etihad and Emirates as the Cabin Crew salary is very good, and especially males who come from a country with a passport that isn’t very strong.
Having a job as a Flight Attendant can actually be a great job for a straight male – you get to work with mostly young beautiful women all day, and you get paid to travel. If you come from a country that doesn’t have a strong passport and you usually require a visa to travel to most countries, it can actually be a really smart idea to work as a Flight Attendant if you are a male, as the airline sorts out all the visas during your work trips, which can save you so much money and headache (visas can be very expensive, time consuming and streusel to organise!) and you can experience countries and destinations you otherwise would have never had the chance to explore.
Whether you are gay or not it doesn’t matter – if you have a dream to become a Flight Attendant don’t let anybody stop you! Send in your Cabin Crew CV and go attend that Cabin Crew Open Day/Assessment Day! The aviation industry is incredibly friendly and accepting of people from every background, so don’t ever think for a second that you don’t deserve that job.
Requirements and Benefits For Men To Become Cabin Crew
A male who is interested in becoming a Flight Attendant should be aware of the pros and cons of being a Flight Attendant, as well as the requirements to be a Flight Attendant. Pros of being a Flight Attendant include cheap flights for you and your family, the opportunity to travel with your work and discover new places, cultures and people to name just a few.
Requirements to be a Flight Attendant generally include, but are not restricted to:
Most airlines do not allow for Flight Attendants to have any tattoos visible whilst they are wearing the Cabin Crew uniform. They can however have tattoos that will definitely not be visible whilst they are wearing their Flight Attendant uniform – for example on their torso, back, upper thigh etc. Flight Attendants are not allowed to use bandages or cosmetics to cover up tattoos that would otherwise be visible whilst wearing the Cabin Crew uniform.
In most airlines, female Flight Attendants are only allowed to have one ear lobe piercing per ear and male Flight Attendants are not allowed to have any visible piercings. Nose, lip and tongue piercings and piercings on other parts of the ear, face or body are not allowed when wearing the Cabin Crew uniform.
- Age limit for Flight Attendants
Whilst many airlines have age requirements for their Flight Attendants to be a minimum age of 18, you will find that in some airlines such as Etihad, Emirates and Qatar and airlines based in the USA such as Delta, the minimum age requirements are age 21. This is because 21 is the legal age for consuming and serving alcohol in the countries where these airlines are located. Other airlines will require you to be at least 19 or 20 when you apply, so it just depends on the individual airline.
- Height Requirements for Flight Attendants
The height requirements for Flight Attendants varies across different airlines, but an average minimum height is around 159cm (5’2″) without shoes. Some airlines also do an arm reach test. For the arm reach test, an average reach of 212cm (6’9″) is required. In the arm reach test, you will need to reach up to a certain height marker on the wall with either of your arms.
- Weight Requirements for Flight Attendants
There aren’t specific weight requirements for Flight Attendants – many airlines will check to see that the prospective Cabin Crew look a healthy weight and that they will be able to fit in the Cabin Crew Uniform. Flight Attendants still need to have a relative level of fitness to be able to assist in emergency situations and open the heavy cabin doors, to be able to sit in the jumpseat and fasten their harness, and to be able to spend a long time on their feet. Being a Flight Attendant is a physical job – it involves a lot of lifting and the Cabin Crew Roster requires a lot of energy, so generally people who apply to become Cabin Crew are relatively healthy and you will rarely see overweight or fat Flight Attendants.
Additional Resources
There are many other resources on this website to help current and aspiring Flight Attendants, as well as those of you who aren’t Cabin Crew but have someone close to you who is. Why not check out:
Funniest Flight Attendant Jokes
Best Gifts For Flight Attendants
Most Annoying Thing Passengers Do According To Flight Attendants