Average Aircraft Service Attendants Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Aircraft Service Attendants is $41,540 per year. The middle 50% earn between $37,320 and $47,390, with 27,310 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates . Data covers 45 states and 77 metro areas.
Wage range
Pay distribution
Here is how Aircraft Service Attendants pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $34,320
- 25th
- $37,320
- Median
- $41,540
- 75th
- $47,390
- 90th
- $55,950
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
Aircraft Service Attendants earn close to the national median for all US workers. Solidly middle-income.
Pay is tightly clustered around the median. Most aircraft service attendants earn within a narrow band, with less variation than many other occupations. That is often a sign of standardized roles or union and public-sector pay scales.
BLS projections
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for aircraft service attendants from 2024 to 2034. Growth is above the US average of about 4% across all occupations. This is an expanding field.
- Projected growth
- +5.1%
- 1,400 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 4,300
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave. Annual openings are high relative to the workforce size, reflecting meaningful turnover and new-hire volume.
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
A high-school diploma is typically sufficient for entry, with much of the training happening on the job.
Where Aircraft Service Attendants earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where aircraft service attendants work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is Tennessee at $55,690, about 34.1% above the national median. At the metro level, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA leads with a median of $56,100.
By state
Top-paying states
| State | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | $55,690 | 1,060 |
| Montana | $50,750 | 90 |
| Hawaii | $49,970 | 300 |
| Washington | $48,480 | 1,230 |
| North Dakota | $48,180 | 70 |
| New Jersey | $47,350 | 1,240 |
| Colorado | $46,650 | 850 |
| Utah | $45,640 | 200 |
By metro
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $56,100 | 100 |
| Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $55,690 | N/A |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $51,410 | 160 |
| Bozeman, MT | $50,750 | 40 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $49,940 | 160 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $49,250 | 110 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $48,480 | N/A |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $48,310 | 300 |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see aircraft service attendants pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2021 and 2024, the national median salary for Aircraft Service Attendants rose from $36,390 to $41,540, a gain of +14.2% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +15.8%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2021 median of $36,390 would need to be worth $42,127 in 2024 dollars.
The actual 2024 median of $41,540 is −$587 below that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of -1.4% in purchasing power.
Wages have roughly kept pace with inflation. Nominal pay rose by 14.2%, but inflation absorbed most of it.
- Nominal change
- +14.2%
- 2021–2024
- Cumulative inflation
- +15.8%
- US CPI, 2021–2024
- Real change
- -1.4%
- After adjusting for inflation
Annual history
Median salary over time
Aircraft Service Attendants median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2021
- $36,390
- 2022
- $37,050
- 2023
- $39,110
- 2024
- $41,540
BLS did not publish a median for 2019, 2020, so those years are omitted.
Similar jobs
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Passenger Attendants
- $37,560
- Parking Attendants
- $34,600
- Traffic Technicians
- $58,480
- Bridge And Lock Tenders
- $58,490
- Transportation Inspectors
- $85,750
Common salary questions for Aircraft Service Attendants
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Aircraft Service Attendants workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.