Flight attendants have been an integral part of aviation since the earliest days of Airlines. Today, flight attendants still play a crucial role in ensuring passenger safety as they fly. They are also often tasked with providing tailored service to passengers, especially for those sitting in first class or business class cabins. While many associate flight attendants with major airlines, such as Delta Air Lines or United Airlines, flight attendants are also present on many private jet operations.

This article will examine the two career paths of flight attendants, profiling the roles and responsibilities in each, but ultimately comparing the pay between the two. Each route for flight attendants has similar fundamentals, but the lifestyle and clientele can make for different pay structures. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of how flight attendants on private jets and commercial airlines are paid.

Roles And Responsibilities

Flight attendants, no matter in which industry, share some universal roles and responsibility. Above all, safety. Flight attendants are responsible for ensuring cabin safety throughout the flight. This can include briefing passengers on safety procedures, such as emergency exits from the aircraft, and providing assistance to distressed passengers. This second point is very important in the world of private aviation. On a private jet, there may only be one passenger in the cabin. If there were no flight attendants on board and the passenger had a medical emergency, it would be very difficult for the pilots up front to be informed. But with flight attendants, there is a higher level of safety and awareness, not only for passengers but for the flight crew as well.

Another role of flight attendants is providing onboard service. With the airlines, this is often in the form of meal and drink service throughout the aisles. In premium cabins and on more luxury airlines, such as Emirates and Singapore Airlines, flight attendants do more in this regard. They take custom food and drink orders, provide bed turn-down service, and can even be staffed at the onboard bar. On private jets, flight attendants act more like concierge members, in charge of creating a holistic luxury experience. Private jet flight attendants are responsible for a wider range of tasks as well, everything from the catering to stocking to cleaning.

While providing similar support in both industries, the flight attendant role on an airline is much more standardized than on a private jet. There is a cadence to the job that is not present when flying private. For example, a high-net-worth passenger may request a particular meal 20 minutes before they arrive at the airport, and in most cases, it is up to the flight attendant to make that happen. On the airlines, this simply does not happen. These differences in responsibilities can influence salaries and earning potential.

Commercial Pay

Flight attendant pay with the airlines is based on the number of flight hours and follows a clear structure, not dissimilar to pilot pay. While the dollar amounts vary from one airline to another, the trend is that with each year of experience, the hourly pay increases. The tables below show the pay structures for flight attendants at United Airlines, the world’s largest airline, and for Endeavor Air, one of the main regional airlines in the United States.

Source: United

Source: Endeavor Air

Both United and Endeavor offer a per diem for every hour spent away from your dedicated base in addition to the hourly rate. For United, it is $2.40 per hour for domestic trips and $2.90 an hour for international trips. These pay structures are not applicable to the entire industry, but they give a good idea of what to expect. Southwest Airlines has the highest ceiling for hourly flight attendant pay in the US in 2025 at $93.31 per hour after 13 years of experience.

The hourly pay structure also makes it hard to give an accurate estimate of a yearly salary. Endeavor states that « the average estimated annual salary for a first-year flight attendant is $27,000, » which is well below the nationwide starting salary average of $47,079. However, several factors affect these estimates. Airline, number of hours worked, types of trips worked, and even home state can all be factors. In 2025, the average airline flight attendant salary ranged anywhere from $48,960 in Nevada to $117,580 in New York.

Private Pay

Flight attendant pay on private jets is much more varied and much harder to get a clear answer on. Within this industry, there are two categories flight attendants fall under: full-time and contract or freelance. For instance, large companies with a fleet of business jets can hire full-time flight attendants as internal employees or employ them temporarily for a particular trip. Both career routes for flight attendants are popular in the private/business aviation industry.

For flight attendants who work freelance, pay is typically in the range of $500–800 per day for domestic trips. This number increases to over $1,200 per day for international trips. Expenses such as hotels and meals are also covered in almost all cases. Contract flight attendants with specialized skills like culinary training can charge higher rates as well. There is strong earning potential in this career path, but freelance flight attendant salaries can fluctuate widely depending on demand and availability.

Full-time flight attendants on private jets often earn more, with salaries ranging anywhere from $60,000 to $120,000. For those working for a large corporation, like NetJets, salaries come with traditional benefit plans and bonuses (see table below for NetJets flight attendants’ vacation time). The real money for full-time flight attendants is in corporate aviation and private clients. In 2023, CNBC reported that Netflix was seeking to hire a flight attendant for one of its private jets and offered a salary of $385,000. This is more than many airline pilots make, even on legacy carriers. Flight attendants who work for a single ultra-high-net-worth family can earn a comparable, if not higher, salary. These examples highlight the greater earning potential for flight attendants on private jets compared to airlines.

Source: NetJets

Additional Income Factors

It is important to consider other factors that contribute to flight attendants’ total income. For commercial flight attendants, it is standard to receive overtime pay for long duty days. This can come in the form of an increased hourly rate or a premium on top of the base hourly rate. In addition, working for a large airline can sometimes mean that flight attendants are the beneficiaries of profit sharing. Delta is an airline that has paid out profits to its employees before. Working for large companies, such as Delta, also means flight attendants can be eligible for end-of-year bonuses and other benefits such as medical and retirement plans. Lastly, as airline employees, flight attendants receive flight benefits that can result in discounted or free flights for themselves and their family members. While not a form of payment, it can increase effective pay by reducing the amount spent on travel per year.

For private jet flight attendants, additional income can come in a few ways. First, if working with or for high-net-worth clients, flight attendants may receive tips. Especially if working for a familiar client on long international trips or around the holidays, these tips can be quite substantial. Second, attendants may receive daily allowances during layovers. Lastly, private flight attendants receive higher pay for short-notice availability and for working on large jets. Income streams in the private jet line of service are less traditional.

Lifestyle Differences

Commercial flight attendants have a predictable schedule known weeks, if not months, in advance. Like pilots, the schedule is based on seniority and there are guaranteed days off to plan around. Flight attendants on airlines work with designated crews, which creates a team atmosphere on the job. There is a clear separation between work and home, and the profession can feel routine. Overall, the commercial side follows established standards and emphasizes the crew, not the individual.

Private jet flight attendants lead a very different life. The pace of work is much more variable and all dependent on the client, not an airline schedule. Even when working for a large company, flight attendants are often on-call and have to be ready to deliver exceptional service at a moment’s notice. There is a lot more emphasis placed on the individual and their ability to provide luxury service. This is why many private jet flight attendants come from the hospitality industry. The types of trips also vary a lot. Travel can consist of long, international flights or multiple short hops between cities in a certain region.

Final Thoughts

Overall, private jet flight attendants can earn a lot more than commercial flight attendants. But while the pay ceiling is higher, the work comes with much more unpredictability and higher service expectations. This is why private attendants are paid more: they ultimately have to do more work. Commercial roles offer more stability, strong benefits, and a clear career progression. It is a safer long-term plan, but it has a lower pay ceiling.

In the end, both career paths for flight attendants offer an exciting opportunity to travel the world. For those passionate about the service industry, it comes down to a lifestyle choice. But if you are looking for the highest paying route, choose private jets.