Passenger attendants
Provide services to ensure the safety of passengers aboard ships, buses, trains, or within the station or terminal. Perform duties such as explaining the use of safety equipment, serving meals or beverages, or answering questions related to travel.
Passenger attendants provide services to ensure the safety of passengers aboard ships, buses, trains, or within the station or terminal. Perform duties such as explaining the use of safety equipment, serving meals or beverages, or answering questions related to travel. The role reports a median annual salary of $37,560 in the US and is projected to grow 5% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a High school diploma or equivalent, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.44 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Service Orientation, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Monitoring.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £28,738 a year for Air travel assistants (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 6213). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Service and sales workers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Passenger attendants, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 5. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Transportation
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Public Safety and Security
- Psychology
- Administration and Management
- Telecommunications
- Administrative
What you'd actually do
- Secure passengers for transportation by buckling seatbelts or fastening wheelchairs with tie-down straps.
- Provide boarding assistance to elderly, sick, or injured people.
- Respond to passengers' questions, requests, or complaints.
- Determine or facilitate seating arrangements.
- Provide customers with information on routes, gates, prices, timetables, terminals, or concourses.
- Perform equipment safety checks prior to departure.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Passenger attendants do?
Provide services to ensure the safety of passengers aboard ships, buses, trains, or within the station or terminal. Perform duties such as explaining the use of safety equipment, serving meals or beverages, or answering questions related to travel.
How much does Passenger attendants earn?
The median annual salary for Passenger attendants in the US is $37,560.
What is the job outlook for Passenger attendants?
The role is projected to grow 5% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 25,600 workers.
How do I become passenger attendants?
The typical entry education is a High school diploma or equivalent. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Passenger attendants need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Service Orientation, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Monitoring, Coordination. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Passenger attendants?
Our AI-durability model gives Passenger attendants a score of 0.44 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Passenger attendants has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.