Airline salaries can vary greatly due to several factors, including job type, experience level, airline company and location. Deciphering what you’re worth can be dizzying, especially if you’re just starting out in the industry or have stayed in the same position for many years. Fortunately, there are a variety of airline personnel salary tools available that are easy to use and typically provide accurate information on airline pay.

Whether you are considering relocation, an internal job switch or are trying to break into the airline industry, finding average airline pay levels for your position is imperative to ensure you make the right career move. Here are tips to help you get the airline pay scale information you need:

1. Calculate fair airlines salaries using online salary calculators.

2. Use cost of living calculators to factor location into flight attendant salary ranges.

3. Find average airline personnel salaries by researching current postings on job boards.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find the average flight attendant salary based on your job description

Airline salary tools can get as specific as needed. The difference between pilot salaries and flight attendant pay is quite significant, so fill in as many variables as you can on salary tools to get the most accurate information possible.

I recommend: Simply Hired shows a graph of the average flight attendant salary and lets you search for the airline salary pay scale for specific locations. The Economic Research Institute (ERI) provides average salary data for several major cities. You can also order ERI’s Salary Assessor to get detailed information on airline attendant salary ranges.

Determine a fair flight attendant salary based on your area's cost of living

Location, location, location. It's the biggest factor in real estate, but it also plays a major part in job compensation too. If you're considering a job relocation or just searching for flight attendant jobs throughout the country in general, use cost of living calculators to help you find median airline salaries.

I recommend: PayScale and Salary.com have cost of living calculators to help you figure out what you should make in one city versus another.

Use job boards to research a flight attendant salary

Relying on calculators and other salary tools is one route, but you can also conduct your own research to find average airline attendant salary ranges. Take a look at the salaries listed with airline job postings in your area to figure out the going rate.

I recommend: Industry-specific job boards, such as Avjobs, are good places to find airline attendant salary ranges. Industry-wide job boards like Indeed are another great resource. Research all postings that fit in your job description for a few weeks to come up with an average flight attendant pay scale.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Flight attendant salary tools are a great way to choose a career path. As you're researching airline salaries, use the information you've gathered to set realistic goals for yourself. Reevaluate those goals every couple of years to make sure you stay on track.
• •  Recognize that many airlines salaries are influenced by the bargaining agreements entered into by unions.