Delta Airlines Flight Attendant Salary in 2025

Working as a flight attendant at Delta Air Lines (DL) in 2025 carries a certain prestige. Delta is one of the world’s largest and most profitable airlines, based in Atlanta (ATL) but with crew bases across the United States and beyond. Cabin crew here are more than just uniformed hosts, they are safety professionals, trained to deal with emergencies while also representing Delta’s brand in the cabin.

In recent years, Delta has made headlines for raising pay and offering perks to flight attendants. In 2024, the minimum hourly wage for frontline staff, including attendants, went up to $35 per hour, with further increases built into the scale. For 2025, that remains the baseline, and from there pay climbs steadily with each year of service. The headline figures can look impressive, but it’s worth digging into how the pay really works in practice.

Delta Airlines Flight Attendant Salary

Delta attendants are paid hourly rather than on a fixed salary. That means their total annual earnings depend on actual flight hours worked. While airlines often frame the job as 40 hours per week, the reality is closer to 1,300 flight hours per year because only “block time” (from departure gate to arrival) counts. Time spent waiting, boarding passengers, or overnighting on trips isn’t always fully paid.

However, with the raises introduced in mid-2024, the numbers are stronger than before. Here’s how the pay scale looks in 2025, based on 1,300 annual hours:

Step	Hourly Rate (6/1/2024 onwards)	Annual Pay (1,300 hrs)
First Year	$35.50	$46,150
After 1 year	$37.64	$48,932
After 2 years	$40.05	$52,065
After 3 years	$42.65	$55,445
After 4 years	$46.97	$61,061
After 5 years	$53.18	$69,134
After 6 years	$58.19	$75,647
After 7 years	$60.05	$78,065
After 8 years	$61.70	$80,210
After 9 years	$64.02	$83,226
After 10 years	$65.77	$85,501
After 11 years	$68.92	$89,596
After 12 years	$79.80	$103,740

At entry level, attendants earn around $46,000 a year, but by the time they’ve served five years this rises close to $70,000. Seniority really pays off — with twelve or more years behind them, flight attendants can cross the $100k mark, and some senior international crew, with extra duties, report annual incomes closer to $150,000.

Actual Salary vs Advertised

The tricky part is the gap between advertised salaries and the real take-home figure. Airlines sometimes cite numbers based on a “full-time” schedule of over 2,000 hours a year. In practice, crew rarely hit that because not all duties are logged as paid hours.

A more realistic average is 25 hours per week of paid flying, or about 1,300 hours annually. That’s why the table above reflects those actual conditions. The good news is that Delta now also pays attendants for boarding, albeit at half their hourly rate. That adds around $800–1,000 extra per year, a small but appreciated change.

American Airlines Flight Attendant Salary in 2025

Seniority and Extras

Delta’s system heavily rewards longevity. Each year adds a bump in hourly rate, and after a decade the jump becomes significant. On top of this, there are extras:

• International routes often come with higher per diem allowances and can boost annual earnings.
• Lead attendants and those fluent in a second language (called “Language of Destination” crew) get additional pay.
• Profit-sharing can add thousands of dollars. In 2024, employees got a bonus equal to 10.4% of annual pay, roughly another month’s salary.

Moreover, it’s not uncommon for a long-serving flight attendant who bids international routes and qualifies for extras to earn comfortably above $120,000 per year.

Benefits and Perks

Pay isn’t the only attraction at Delta. The airline has worked hard to promote its employee perks:

• Health and Insurance: medical, dental, and vision plans, plus life insurance up to $50,000 basic (optional coverage up to $500,000).
• Retirement: 401(k) plan with company contributions, and the profit-sharing scheme that’s distributed more than $11 billion since 2007.
• Travel: perhaps the biggest perk, with free or heavily discounted standby flights on Delta and partner airlines. Family members can benefit too.
• Paid Leave: vacation can build up to five weeks a year with seniority, alongside maternity, paternity, and sick leave.
• Wellness: discounted fitness membership and financial education programmes.

As a whole, these extras make the overall package competitive, even against airlines with unionised cabin crews.

Where Are Delta Flight Attendants Based?

Delta has a vast route network, and flight attendants can be based to several bases across the US and internationally. Major crew bases include:

• Atlanta (ATL)
• New York (JFK and LaGuardia)
• Los Angeles (LAX)
• Detroit (DTW)
• Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP)
• Salt Lake City (SLC)
• Seattle (SEA)

Moreover, there are also overseas bases at London Heathrow, Paris CDG, Amsterdam, Seoul, and Tokyo. Some newer, smaller bases such as Tampa and Phoenix have been added too.

Assignments depend on seniority — new hires often don’t get first choice of base, and transfers can take years. Life at each base differs: Atlanta and New York tend to be fast-paced with lots of international flying, while Salt Lake or Seattle offer more domestic routes.

What It Takes to Become a Delta Flight Attendant?

Delta is famously selective. For every few thousand positions, hundreds of thousands of people apply. In 2023, roughly 260,000 applications came in for a few thousand jobs.

The baseline requirements are:

• Minimum age: 21 years.
• Education: high school diploma or GED (degree preferred but not essential).
• Fluency in English (extra languages a plus).
• Ability to work legally in the US and travel internationally.
• Physical standards: must be able to reach overhead bins, meet grooming guidelines, and cover tattoos.

Additionally, flexibility is essential. Attendants must work nights, weekends, and holidays, with irregular hours. Appearance matters too: neat hair, conservative jewellery, and limited piercings are enforced.

Delta Airlines Flight Attendant Hiring Process

Getting into Delta as a flight attendant is a multi-step journey. It starts with an online application through the careers page, followed by a Talent Assessment, which measures personality fit and situational judgement. Those who pass then take a Virtual Job Tryout, a simulation that tests decision-making in real cabin scenarios.

Next comes a video interview, usually on-demand, where candidates answer recorded questions. Strong applicants are invited to an in-person event day, often at Delta’s headquarters, where they meet recruiters and take part in group activities.

If successful, they’ll receive a conditional job offer, pending background checks and drug tests. Finally, they’re enrolled in Delta’s intensive training programme.

Training in Atlanta

Delta’s training is held in Atlanta and lasts around seven weeks. It’s widely considered one of the most demanding programmes among US carriers.

The first six weeks focus on safety: evacuations, emergency equipment, firefighting, medical response, and drills that must be completed in strict time limits. Trainees must demonstrate, for example, the ability to evacuate an aircraft in under 90 seconds.

The final week moves to customer service: learning Delta’s style of hospitality, managing difficult passengers, and delivering meals and drinks efficiently.

Throughout, trainees face regular tests — fail twice, and you’re out. Those who graduate, however, emerge with a set of coveted “wings” and a guaranteed position.

The Bigger Picture

By 2025, being a flight attendant at Delta is both demanding and rewarding. The pay has steadily improved, with senior crew comfortably clearing six figures, while even new entrants earn a respectable income compared to many service jobs. Benefits like health cover, travel perks, and profit-sharing make the package more attractive still.

On the flip side, it’s not a nine-to-five role. Hours are irregular, lifestyle is unpredictable, and junior crew may spend years on reserve duty, waiting for call-outs. Competition to get hired is fierce, and training weeds out those unprepared for the intensity of the role.

For those who thrive on variety, travel, and people-facing work, Delta remains one of the best airlines to build a cabin crew career. With solid pay progression, strong brand prestige, and the chance to literally see the world, the role continues to attract thousands of hopefuls each year.

FAQs – Delta Airlines Flight Attendant Salary

Please join our Telegram Channel for the latest aviation updates.

Delta Airlines Pilot Salary in 2025