jobfacts

Air travel assistants

SOC 2020 6213

Air travel assistants issue travel tickets and boarding passes, examine other documentation, provide information and assistance at airport terminals and look after the welfare, comfort and safety of passengers travelling in aircraft.

Also calledAirport information assistantAirline customer service agentAirline passenger service agentAir travel assistantCabin crewFlight attendantand 41 more titles
Typical full-time pay£28,7002025 Provisional
People in the job47,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month226↑ 7.1%on last year · 338th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time air travel assistants earn, 2025
£28,700 typical£24,900lowest 20%n/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less than£24,900
25%£25,500
Median£28,700
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £28,700
South East!£27,600
South West!£26,200
East of England!£24,600
North East!£22,700
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £28,700
South East£27,600 (small sample)
South West£26,200 (small sample)
East of England£24,600 (small sample)
North East£22,700 (small sample)
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £28,700
  • 2024 £30,000
  • 2025 Provisional£28,700
↑ 0% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 226 jobs for air travel assistants are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026532
Jul 2026191
Jun 2026149
May 2026164
Apr 2026192
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026184
Jan 2026197
Dec 2025100
Nov 2025204
Oct 2025334
Sept 2025233
Aug 2025166
Jul 2025211
Jun 2025218
May 2025220
Apr 2025230
Mar 2025222
Feb 2025202
Jan 2025197
Dec 2024116
Nov 2024216
Oct 2024252
Sept 2024287
Aug 2024220
Jul 2024257
Jun 2024231
May 2024325
Apr 2024278
Mar 2024259
Feb 2024236
Jan 2024228
Dec 2023195
Nov 2023203
Oct 2023453
Sept 2023309
Aug 2023303
Jul 2023319
Jun 2023546
May 2023679
Apr 2023277
Mar 2023289
Feb 2023299
Jan 2023473
Dec 2022425
Nov 2022364
Oct 2022365
Sept 2022335
Aug 2022310
Jul 2022311
Jun 2022327
May 2022424
Apr 2022333
Mar 2022403
Feb 2022339
Jan 2022404
Dec 2021263
Nov 2021259
Oct 2021291
Sept 2021254
Aug 2021209
Jul 2021212
Jun 2021191
May 2021156
Apr 2021153
Mar 2021163
Feb 202172
Jan 202176
Dec 202069
Nov 202068
Oct 202095
Sept 202088
Aug 202079
Jul 2020108
Jun 202072
May 202079
Apr 202087
Mar 2020187
Feb 2020317
Jan 2020261
Dec 2019209
Nov 2019273
Oct 2019226
Sept 2019271
Aug 2019262
Jul 2019238
Jun 2019232
May 2019228
Apr 2019201
Mar 2019205
Feb 2019204
Jan 2019257
Dec 2018185
Nov 2018246
Oct 2018229
Sept 2018222
Aug 2018211
Jul 2018221
Jun 2018241
May 2018291
Apr 2018225
Mar 2018265
Feb 2018225
Jan 2018219
Dec 2017124
Nov 2017205
Oct 2017194
Sept 2017201
Aug 2017293
Jul 2017204
Jun 2017252
May 2017283
Apr 2017304
Mar 2017303
Feb 2017249
Jan 2017334
Is there a shortage of air travel assistants?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was critical.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsAbove usual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertainty in change in hours worked.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
20%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for leisure and travel services, which includes air travel assistants. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London151
Manchester20
City of Edinburgh18
Reigate and Banstead15
Leeds10
Birmingham9
Glasgow City8
Liverpool7
Nottingham7
West Northamptonshire7
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where air travel assistants are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of air travel assistants
19%!
34%!
19%!
20%!
8.7%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–2419% (small sample)
25–3434% (small sample)
35–4419% (small sample)
45–5420% (small sample)
55–648.7% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent37%
Higher education below degree!7.8%
A levels or equivalent30%
GCSEs or equivalent!22%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent37%
Higher education below degree7.8% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent30%
GCSEs or equivalent22% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: passenger air transport (42%), service activities incidental to air transportation (30%), other passenger land transport nec (6.3%), travel agency activities (4.4%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
37%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
5
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
1 to 18 months
typically

Routes in

Airport information assistant

You can get into this job through:

College

You could take a college course in customer service or aviation operations, which will give you some of the skills and knowledge needed for this role.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do an Aviation Customer Service Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, or Customer Service Practitioner Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could find work on a temporary or seasonal contract in an airport before being offered a permanent position.

Apply directly

You can apply directly to become an airport information assistant. Most employers will expect you to have a good standard of general education, including GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths, or equivalent qualifications.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Experience in customer service would give you an advantage when looking for work. Foreign language skills might also be useful for some jobs.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for airport information assistant. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Airline customer service agent

You can get into this job through:

College

You could take a college course to learn some of the skills and knowledge you need in this job.

Relevant courses include:

  • customer service
  • aviation operations
  • travel and tourism
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship at an airport, for example:

  • Aviation Customer Service Operative Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Customer Service Practitioner Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Customer Service Specialist Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship

These take around 1 year to complete and combine on-the-job training and time spent with a learning provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Apply directly

You can apply for jobs directly if you have customer service experience, for instance from working in a shop, bank, travel agency or contact centre.

Employers might also expect you to have:

  • GCSEs, including maths and English, or equivalent qualifications
  • good communication skills
  • IT skills
  • a friendly personality

What you’ll need

  • pass security checks

You may find it useful if you can speak a second language for some jobs.

Some employers may prefer you to live near the airport or have your own transport. This is because shifts may be at times when public transport is limited.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You'll find information about jobs and careers in airline customer service by:

  • checking the careers sections of airport websites
  • applying to airlines or companies that supply support services to airports
  • applying to recruitment agencies that hire customer service agents

There are likely to be more jobs advertised in the run-up to the summer season and other busy holiday periods.

Further information

You can get more information about careers in the wider travel industry from Take Off in Travel.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for airline customer service agent. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Cabin crew

You can get into this job through:

College

You could do a college course like an introduction to cabin crew, or study a cabin crew module as part of a broader travel and tourism course.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Cabin Crew Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

This will take around 12 months to complete. You'll do on-the-job training and spend time with a college or training provider.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Apply directly

You could apply directly to airlines for a cabin crew job. Airlines set their own entry requirements, which can vary.

You'll be expected to have a good standard of spoken and written English. You'll also need to show that you have great customer service skills, so experience of working directly with the public is useful.

Some airlines and private training providers run short cabin crew preparation courses, which may help your chances of getting a job, though these are not essential.

What you’ll need

  • be over 18 years of age
  • have a good level of fitness
  • pass a medical check
  • pass enhanced background checks
  • have a valid passport with no restrictions for the countries the airline travels to
  • live within 90 minutes of your base
  • have good written and spoken English

You'll also be expected to:

Many airlines ask that you're able to swim up to 25 metres.

There are also rules about height and weight, which vary between airlines. As a general guide, most look for people between 5ft 2in (157cm) and 6ft 2in (188cm), with weight in proportion to height.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Certain airlines have online career quizzes you can do to test whether working as air cabin crew is for you, before you apply.

Being able to speak a second language may give you an advantage for some jobs.

Further information

You can get more information about careers in the wider travel industry from Take Off in Travel.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for cabin crew. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

5 for this job
Level 2About 1 year

Aviation customer service operative

You gain
Category 9 Certificate in Dangerous Goods awareness
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • receives passengers at airport terminal, examines tickets and other documentation, checks in luggage and distributes boarding passes
  • checks emergency equipment, distributes reading material, blankets and other items, and ensures that the aircraft is ready for the receipt of passengers
  • welcomes passengers on board the aircraft, guides them to their seats and assists with any hand luggage
  • ensures that sufficient stocks of meals and beverages are on board the aircraft prior to take off and serves passengers during the flight
  • sells duty-free goods during the flight
  • makes announcements on behalf of the pilot, demonstrates the use of emergency equipment and checks that safety belts are fastened
  • directs and instructs passengers in the event of an emergency, ensures safety procedures are followed

Skills

  • analyse work-related written reports
  • carry out pre-flight duties
  • communicate verbal instructions
  • conduct full-scale emergency plan exercises
  • deal with challenging work conditions
  • deliver outstanding service
  • execute flight plans
  • follow verbal instructions
  • give instructions to staff
  • handle stressful situations
  • handle veterinary emergencies
  • inspect cabin service equipment
  • maintain relationship with customers
  • manage the customer experience

Knowledge

  • airport planning
  • air transport law
  • common aviation safety regulations

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Leading and persuading

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for leisure, travel and related personal service occupations, a group of 11 jobs that includes air travel assistants.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 5.6%about 41,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035421,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.