The glory days of being a flight attendant may have come and passed, but officials at American Airlines are expecting a flurry of applicants, as they will open hirings soon for up to 1,500 positions.
The new hires will replace some 2,250 attendants who took a $40,000 buyout as part of the airlines bankruptcy reorganization. The buyouts were part of a concessionary contract reached between American Airlines and the flight attendants union. That contract was reached in August. The new hires will be the first that the company has made in eleven years.
American says that it's flight attendants averaged about $45,000 per year, not counting travel expenses. New hires are expected to make less money, although exact figures haven't been announced. They are also anticipated to not work as many hours.
As an industry, US flight attendants averaged nearly $38,000 a year as of 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Industry critics have railed for years against the decline of the flight experience, and this has affected industry operations as well as attendant duties. These days, being a flight attendant includes such diverse duties as passenger hosting, addressing medical emergencies, even training in preventing terrorism.
The new contract calls for new hires to be trained on international routes.
American will post job openings on their website in November. They'll begin hiring in December and the new staff will begin training in January. It will take a year to bring the entire 1500 on board.
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