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Work like flight attendant certainly looks like a glamorous career, with all those things world travel And cheap flights.
But have you ever wondered how much cabin crew actually earn for the hours they spend in the air? Plus all the training and work that happens on the ground.
Speaking to 9Travel, Brittany James, who has worked as a flight attendant at Emirates for nine years, revealed some of the incredible benefits of her job.
From ‘money can’t buy’ to being able to fly her family across the world, the 31-year-old Aussie, originally from Adelaide, knows she has been incredibly lucky.
“I made the most of every opportunity and I think it led to who I am today,” Brittany says.
How much do flight attendants earn?
If you work for Emirates, a flight attendant’s salary consists of a number of components. A basic salary, plus a flight allowance.
“The hours you fly contribute to that basic salary and you can also receive a subsistence allowance,” Brittany explains.
“And then you can also get a transportation allowance, because if you live in an accommodation, they will pick you up and take you to work.”
But the biggest advantage: it’s all tax-free.
”That’s really nice, especially when I hear all my friends in Australia talking about how much tax they pay!”
As an Economy Class Cabin Crew (Grade 2) team member, the basic salary is AED4,835 ($1,948) per month, and the Flying salary is AED66.30 ($26.72) per hour, based on average. 80-100 hours per month.
The average monthly salary is approximately AED10,802 ($4,353 AUD) per month, with the annual amount coming in at around $52,000 depending on flight schedules. And again, that’s tax free.
Brittany started in economy class, has since worked her way up to business class and has been working in first class since the beginning of this year. But her role is twofold: she works half the time on the ground as a trainer at the aviation school, which she has been doing for 2.5 years.
“As you progress in the company, your wages and salaries increase and your flying pay increases,” she says. “And we are part of the company’s profit share. We have had such great results, so it was very generous. Everyone in Dubai knows when Emirates will announce their profit share.”
Benefits of being a flight attendant
In addition to her flying pay, Brittany says team members also get a place to live in Dubai (if they need it).
“We have apartment complexes all over the city. We have some close to the marina. We have some close and downtown, and most of them are very new, very large,” she tells 9Travel.
“Usually you share with two, maximum three people. But they all have their own bedroom and bathroom, and each apartment has a gym, swimming pool, sauna, basically everything you need.
“Every apartment complex also has security. And we have our own laundry, which is through Emirates. So you just hand in a uniform and pick it up two days later. If I want to have my own stuff dry-cleaned, it’s so easy and cheap. Last time I put three pairs of pants and three blazers in there and it cost me like $12.”
Brittany jokes that she can’t remember the last time she ironed
Cheap flights, hotels and more
She also has access to something called a FACE card: Emirates’ flight attendant club.
This will allow Brittany to benefit from further discounts on items such as restaurants, gyms, beach clubs, salons, car rentals, hotels and more.
“Everything that Emirates has a partnership with, and that’s so many of the places we go on holiday ourselves,” she says.
And those benefits can extend to her family as well.
“I usually fly my parents over, and then they get a hotel. I go ahead and see which hotels I can get a discount at and I book for them the hotel that they are coming to visit me.”
And who could forget the best advantage of all: cheap flights for themselves, depending only on the flight load and the standby list.
“We get our selection mid-month for the following month so we can do some planning. You can swap flights if something doesn’t fit your schedule, or many of our crew members are also doing other things, like studying, so they have to take exams , or they have a wedding,” she explains to Brittany.
You can also offer to be placed on certain flights if you want to go somewhere.
“We can go into the system and we get five bids that we can submit and say, ‘on this day I want to go here’. You can also enter a whole country. So usually my bids are Australia, or Japan.”
Free flights for life
After working for Emirates for 15 years, Brittany reveals that they get free tickets for life.
“I have been with the company for nine years. It is already 2024 and it has gone so quickly.”
She’s so happy she went for the job in the first place, and despite her parents wanting her to return home soon, Brittany has no plans to change careers in the near future.
“I’ve had experiences that money literally can’t buy. Experiences like standing on the side of an arena with the best tennis players in the world, literally so close. In Formula 1, standing on the track, with the drivers passing by me Still, after nine years I pinch myself during a photo shoot at the Opera House.
Adelaide will always be home
From Monday, October 28, Emirates will resume daily flights from Adelaide, reconnecting South Australians with Dubai and the rest of the world.
Flight EK441 departs Adelaide at 10:35 PM and arrives in Dubai at 5:15 AM the next day; Flight EK440 departs Dubai around 2am and reaches Adelaide at 8.50pm the same day.
As an Adelaide resident, Brittany says there is also plenty to see and do for international visitors to her home city.
“I grew up on the beach, so you should definitely do that; the southern beaches, Port Willunga and everything in the area,” she says. “The wineries, absolutely. And just the food in Adelaide. I think we’re a bit forgotten.’
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