Skills
Flight Attendant Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in flight attendants, and how to build and show them.
Flight Attendants need technical skills such as emergency procedures, first aid and cpr, and aircraft safety equipment, plus people skills like customer service and calm under pressure. They also use tools such as Emergency exits and slides and Fire extinguishers and oxygen bottles.
Technical (hard) skills
- Emergency procedures
- First aid and CPR
- Aircraft safety equipment
- Service procedures
- Security procedures
- Conflict management
People (soft) skills
- Customer service
- Calm under pressure
- Teamwork
- Adaptability
Tools, equipment and technology
- Emergency exits and slides
- Fire extinguishers and oxygen bottles
- AEDs and first aid kits
- Service carts and galley equipment
- Interphones and PA systems
- Crew scheduling apps
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how flight attendants put their skills to work:
- How to secure the cabin for takeoff
- How to respond to an in-flight medical emergency
- How to handle a disruptive passenger
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Emergency procedures” and “First aid and CPR.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “customer service,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as FAA Certificate of Demonstrated Proficiency near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our flight attendant glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Flight Attendant training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.