Career-PathGPS
← All education and training
Career

Passenger Attendants

Typical education: High school diplomaModerate pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Provide services to ensure the safety of passengers aboard ships, buses, trains, or within the station or terminal. Perform duties such as explaining the use of safety equipment, serving meals or beverages, or answering questions related to travel.

Kinds of work

  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $37,720 Median per year · $18.14/hr Most earn $27,970–$46,590

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Count and verify tickets and seat reservations and record numbers of passengers boarding and disembarking.
  • Adjust window shades or seat cushions at the request of passengers.
  • Open and close doors for passengers.
  • Provide boarding assistance to elderly, sick, or injured people.
  • Signal transportation operators to stop or to proceed.
  • Determine or facilitate seating arrangements.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
6% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 4,300 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Support activities for air transportation63.6%
  • School and employee bus transportation3.7%
  • Scenic and sightseeing transportation, water3.5%
  • Other transit and ground passenger transportation3.4%
  • Facilities support services3.3%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: None

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: NoneEntry-level

This is an entry-level job. You usually need only a high school diploma and no prior work experience, so you can often start right after school. Most people reach it within about a year of finishing school.

  1. High school diploma

    About 4 years

    Finish high school and build customer service, communication, and safety-awareness skills through classes, jobs, and activities.

  2. Passenger Attendant

    0-1 years

    Start on the job, where you learn safety procedures, passenger assistance, and service duties on ships, buses, trains, or in stations and terminals.

Where it can lead

  1. First-Line Supervisor of Passenger Attendants

    1-2 years of experience first

    You move from doing the service work to leading a team of attendants, scheduling shifts, handling problems, and training new staff. Strong reliability and clear communication help you move up.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take English, speech, or public speaking classesClear speaking and listening help you explain safety instructions and answer passenger questions well.
  • Join a club or team that involves helping peopleRoles like student council, a service club, or a sports team build teamwork and responsibility.
  • Get a part-time job in customer serviceWorking at a store, café, or front desk teaches you how to handle busy, varied crowds with patience.
  • Volunteer with an event or community groupHelping at events or with a local organization shows you can guide people and follow safety rules.
  • Learn basic first aid or CPR if your school or town offers a classKnowing emergency basics is useful in a job where you help keep people safe.

In college

  • Take courses in communication, customer service, or hospitalityThese classes build the people skills and service mindset that passenger attendants use every day.
  • Get a part-time campus or town job in a service roleJobs like campus dining, the library desk, or event staff show employers you can serve the public reliably.
  • Take a first aid, CPR, or emergency response courseSafety training is central to this job, and it is often available through schools, the Red Cross, or local groups.
  • Look for a transportation or travel-related internship or part-time jobExperience at a bus company, airport, train station, or travel business helps you understand how these workplaces run.
  • Join a student travel, hospitality, or service organizationCampus groups can help you meet people in the field and learn about job openings.

Tips for getting started

  • Get any customer-facing job you can, such as working at a store, restaurant, or front desk. Employers look for people who stay calm and friendly with the public.
  • Practice speaking clearly and staying calm in busy places. Passenger attendants often explain safety rules and answer travel questions under time pressure.
  • Ask a school counselor or local transit or travel employer what training they offer new hires, so you know what to expect before you apply.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

Related careers