Air travel assistants: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time air travel assistants in the UK earned a median £28,738 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 26% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
It is in the lowest-paid third of the 382 occupations (79th from the bottom).
Median full-time pay: women £27,075 a year, men £31,311 a year.
Most jobs here are part-time: 11,000 of about 45,000 are full-time.
From £23,305 in 2021, the median is up 23.3%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 46,700 people in this line of work across the UK.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | – | £462.80 | £12.59 | £13,794* | £218.60* | £12.53 |
| 20th percentile | £24,878 | £480.80 | £12.77 | £17,956 | £348.10* | £13.40 |
| 25th percentile | £25,518 | £490.80 | £12.95 | £19,729 | £409.00 | £13.98 |
| 30th percentile | £25,984 | £508.80 | £13.21 | £21,915 | £437.20 | £14.57 |
| 40th percentile | £27,242 | £531.80 | £13.64 | £26,113 | £492.90 | £16.19 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £28,738 | £552.60 | £14.20 | £28,808 | £543.20 | £18.57 |
| 60th percentile | £30,076* | £578.30 | £15.46 | £32,988 | £604.00 | £22.18 |
| 70th percentile | £32,607* | £617.20 | £16.26 | £36,498 | £685.00 | £24.35 |
| 75th percentile | – | £657.20* | £16.99* | £37,467 | £719.90 | £25.71 |
| 80th percentile | – | – | – | £38,665 | £777.50 | £28.01* |
| Mean | £30,709 | £593.50 | £15.35 | £29,463 | £569.40 | £21.11 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £23,305* | £466.00 | £11.68* | £17,086* | £352.70* | 11* |
| 2022 revised | £24,837* | £446.20 | £11.66 | £20,587 | £342.10 | 20 |
| 2023 revised | £28,733 | £547.60 | £14.08 | £19,305 | £528.40 | 27 |
| 2024 revised | £29,968 | £501.90 | £13.14 | £30,115 | £524.80 | 31 |
| 2025 provisional | £28,738 | £552.60 | £14.20 | £28,808 | £543.20 | 45 |
Air travel assistants by region
UK: 46,700 (± 8,400), April 2025 to March 2026.
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What air travel assistants do
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. (ONS SOC 2020, 6213)
Also covers: air hostess, cabin crew, customer service agent (travel), flight attendant, passenger service agent, air steward, aircraft purser, aircraft steward, airline steward, cabin manager, cabin steward, checking-in clerk, chief steward, flight steward, ground hostess, in-flight manager, in-flight supervisor and officer's steward (43 titles in the ONS coding index).
- 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
Entrants usually possess GCSEs/S grades. Fluency in a foreign language may also be required in some posts. Training typically lasts between 3 to 6 weeks followed by a 6 to 12 month probationary period of on-the-job training.
Related
Leisure and travel services (median £30,792) · Travel agents · Rail travel assistants · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026