Whether you’re a man and dream of becoming a flight attendant, or you’re just curious, you might be wondering if a man can be hired as a flight attendant.
After all, when you think of a flight attendant, you probably picture and associate the role with a woman.
There’s no doubt that being a flight attendant is a wonderful job with lots of perks – thankfully, men can become flight attendants too.
The requirements to become a flight attendant are mostly the same as they are for women, including appearance standards that include specific hair requirements for flight attendants.
While the requirements can vary by airline, this means that aspiring male flight attendants will have to:
The one thing that may be different for male flight attendants is that they’ll have to keep their beard in check.
Most airlines, especially in Europe and the USA, allow male cabin crew to have beards, though they require the beard to be on the shorter side. Not exceeding 1 inch below the chin is a common policy.
Of course, like most jobs, flight attendants can’t be felons, and it’s much more preferable not to have any sort of criminal record, however petty the crime.
All Airlines Hire Male Flight Attendants
All airlines around the world hire flight attendants, including both regional and major carriers like Delta, Southwest, United etc.
While there are typically fewer male flight attendants in regions like Asia and the Middle East compared to Europe and the USA, male flight attendants still exist there.
Percentage of Male Flight Attendants
You probably think that female airline stewards greatly outnumber male airline stewards – and you’d be right.
Using a database of 30 million profiles, Zippia has estimated that there are over 111,833 flight attendants currently employed in the United States.
They estimate that 84% of flight attendants are women, while 16% are men.
Are Most Male Flight Attendants Gay?
We all know that there’s a stereotype about male flight attendants being gay.
Whether right or wrong, historically, the responsibilities of flight attendants are stereotypically more feminine. This is a common reason why the stereotype exists.
While there are no official numbers, the fact is that there is a statistically higher number of gay men working as flight attendants compared to other jobs.
It is estimated that 50% of male flight attendants are gay.
Getting Hired as a Flight Attendant Might Actually Be Easier For Men
Due to the gender disparity, you might be wondering if it’s hard to get hired as a male flight attendant.
As long as a man is able to fulfill all requirements and successfully complete all training, he has as good of a chance as a woman to become a flight attendant.
In fact, it may even be advantageous to be a man and apply to become a flight attendant due to the push in diversity standards to hire more male flight attendants.
What Male Flight Attendants Are Called
A male flight attendant can be referred to in multiple ways, including:
11 Reasons Why More Males Should Become Flight Attendants
Women may dominate the airline industry when it comes to working as flight attendants, but there are many great reasons why males should become flight attendants too.
It may surprise you to learn that the first flight attendant was actually a man.
Heinrich Kubis took care of passengers and served meals on the German airline DELAG on March 1912 (he was also working on and survived the infamous fire onboard the Hindenburg years later).
This was 18 years before Ellen Church became the world’s first air hostess on May 15, 1930.
Back in those days, all female flight attendants were actually registered nurses. It was Ellen Church who convinced Boeing Air Transport to put nurses on board airplanes to calm the public’s fear of flying.
Patricia is a senior flight attendant with over 20 years of experience working for a major U.S. airline, primarily on international long haul flights.
Patricia is passionate about sharing her knowledge and expertise about the unique lives flight attendants lead, offers valuable insights on what it takes to become a flight attendant and what the job entails.
Patricia has been quoted or mentioned in major publications, including Newsweek.
