Flight Attendant Interview Questions & Answers

Traveling the world, working with young, intelligent and good-looking people, and helping the
passengers to safely reach their destination.

Flight attendant looks like a wonderful job, especially for people who have never worked in the
skies.

Let’s have a look at the interview process for this interesting position, and what you should do to
succeed, and to secure your place on board, without having to pay for a flight ticket.

We can start with the questions you will face.

 Tell us something about yourself. Go with a short answer. Keep eye contact. Remember
that they watch how you talk, how you smile, etc. They try to imagine whether it would be a
pleasure to talk to you onboard. How you speak and conduct yourself is actually more
important than what you say–at least at this point of your interview. Nevertheless, you should
speak about relevant things, such as your passion for aviation industry, your customer
service experience, your language skills, etc.
 Have you ever flown with an aircraft before? How did you feel about the cabin crew
and their work? Try to stay positive. Talk about your experience with a good service.
Mention that the experience of a passenger helped you to understand the job of a flight
attendant, at least to some extent. You can even say that your experience motivated you to
apply for the job with them.
 What do you think are the main duties of the flight attendants on the short distance
and long distance flight? You can summarize your answer in a single sentence. Comfort
and safety of the passengers from the moment they enter the aircraft until the moment they
leave the plane, is the main duty of the stewards. Or, you can say that the goal is to make
their flight an unforgettable experience, in good means, of course. Alternatively you can list
the duties, such as giving instructions on passengers’ safety, distributing meals, etc.
 What do you think characterize a great flight attendant nowadays? In my opinion, the
qualities of a great FA haven’t changed much in the last fifty years. Staying nice and attentive
to passengers’ needs throughout the flight, and ready to handle every situation that can occur
on board, characterizes a great steward.
 How many languages do you speak on an intermediate level, or better? In many
interviews you will have to pass a written language exam, so it is better to not exaggerate
about your language skills. But you can always say that you work on your language skills,
reading books, taking language lessons, etc, or at least that you want to learn languages.
 How do you imagine a typical day of a cabin crew member? This varies from one airline
to another. Search forums or the website of the company to find more about the daily
routine of an FA. How many hours per day do they fly? Where do they sleep? What are the
shift patterns? In any case, tell them that you are ready to work hard, and do not expect an
easy ride in work.
 What do you consider the most difficult thing about this job? You can say that dealing
with irate or undisciplined passengers is the toughest aspect, or perhaps smiling and
showing positive emotions while you experience a difficult period in your personal life
(which happens to everyone).
 What caught your eye exactly on our job offer, our airline? This is your chance to
praise them for their good service. Every airline has some competitive advantage–if they
did not have one, they would be out of business. You can point out the list of their
destinations, their vision, corporate values, the way the flight attendants work, their history
and reputation, the recognition of their brand, anything… The key is to show them that you
did your homework, and that you have a good reason to apply with them.
 Why do you believe you can be a good flight attendant? Show some confidence in your
skills. Tell them that people enjoy talking to you, that you have good understanding of the
job, that you know what is expected from you. You can also list your strengths that are
relevant for the job.
 Do you prefer to work in a team, or alone? Everything that happens on board is a
teamwork. You should stress that you like to work in a team. The only exception is if you
apply for a job with an airline company that operates small aircraft, and has only one flight
attendant on board of every plane. If this is the case, you should say that you enjoy working
alone, and can handle your tasks without supervision or intervention of another person.
 Do you have any preference when it comes to flight destinations? Everyone has some
dream destinations, but you should keep your expectations low–at least in an interview.
Once you establish yourself in the job and prove your skills, you will have a chance to
choose the places to fly to. Anyway, you can say, at least vaguely, that you prefer this or
that city, but stress that you’d not mind flying elsewhere.
 Behavioral & situational questions – testing your atitude

 How would you handle the situation when two passengers were arguing and disturbing the
rest of the travelers?
 How would you react if there was a passenger on the flight who claimed to be extremely sick
and demanded an emergency landing?
 How would you choose the right people to sit next to the emergency exits?
 How would you ensure the maximal possible customer satisfaction in your daily job?
 Imagine that one of your colleagues got sick unexpectedly. You have to take their shift, after
a week that has been physically and mentally demanding on you. What would you do?
 What do you consider the biggest mistake you have ever made when dealing with other
people?
 Describe a time when you felt pressure in work.

Special tip: I know that the questions are not easy. But most airlines have to conduct interviews
in this manner, since they receive hundreds of job applications and want to choose only the best
candidates.

If you are not sure how you’d answer these questions in your interview, have a look at the new
eBook I wrote for you, Get Onboard.

Multiple brilliant answers to thirty difficult flight attendant interview questions (including
behavioral questions), and winning interview strategies will help you a lot to make the best
possible impression and land the job. Thank you you for checking it out.
 Your charisma matters a lot–more than your education

You should have excellent communication skills, you should look good (this doesn’t apply with
low-cost airlines), and have at least some charisma. It would be tough to become a cabin crew
member if you lacked any of these.

The good news is, however, that you do not need any higher education, or previous working
experience, to be considered for the job of a flight attendant. Airlines have excellent training
programs. If they hire you, they will teach you everything you need to know to become an
excellent steward.

And believe me, there’s a lot to learn, because you’d take care of many things that passengers
have no clue about. They just cannot notice from the comfort (or discomfort) of their seats.

Having said that, your success (or failure) in an interview depends mostly on the quality of your
interview answers, and whether you can convince the hiring managers that you have the
right personality for this job.

Conclusion: right attitude, motivation, good answers

Job of a flight attendant is all about people. Do the others feel good with you? Do they feel
safe? Are you attentive to their needs? Is talking to you a pleasure, or a pain?

“Safety and happiness of a passenger is my first priority” should be your interview “mantra”.

When you struggle to find a good answer to any question, remember it. And if you still need help,
after everything you’ve read on this page, check the “Get Onboard” eBook. Thank you, I wish you
good luck!