Career profile · Hospitality & Tourism
Flight Attendant
Career summary
A flight attendant, also called cabin crew or an air hostess, looks after passengers on an aeroplane. The main job is safety. You check emergency equipment, show passengers what to do in an emergency, and take charge if something goes wrong. Serving food and drinks is part of the job, but it comes second.
In South Africa you need a cabin crew member licence from the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) to work on a South African aircraft. To get it, you train at a SACAA-approved training school, pass a written exam and a practical skills test, and hold an aviation medical certificate.
SAA's careers page says it gives all its cabin crew training after it hires you. Whichever way you get your licence, the work means early starts, late nights, weekends and time away from home. In return you travel, meet people from everywhere and learn to handle almost anything calmly.
A Day in the Life
No two days look the same, because your roster changes. But each flight follows a set safety routine, from the crew briefing to the checks after landing.
Get ready and brief — You arrive groomed, with your travel documents and licence. You read the latest safety notices and join the crew briefing, where you learn your position on the aircraft and who on board needs extra help.
Check the cabin — Before anyone boards, you check the emergency equipment at your station, make sure the cabin is secure, and check that the galley works and the catering stock is enough for the flight.
Board the passengers — You stand at your boarding position, check boarding passes and watch passengers find their seats. You look out for people who need special care, such as passengers with disabilities or anyone who seems drunk or unwell.
Doors and the safety demo — Doors are closed and cross-checked. You show passengers how seatbelts, oxygen masks and life jackets work, and where the exits are. You give a private briefing to passengers seated at emergency exits and to parents with babies.
Service in the air — You serve food and drinks, then clear the cabin. If turbulence hits or a passenger falls ill, safety comes first and the service waits.
Landing and after — You prepare the cabin for landing. Once passengers leave, you search the cabin for lost property and anything suspicious. Then you fill in your flight reports and note any faults or incidents.
Choose this career if…
- You keep your cool when someone is rude to you
- You stay calm when things go wrong
- You can be firm as well as kind
- You are fine working nights, weekends and public holidays
- You genuinely like people
- You can memorise a lot of material
- You can handle being away from home for long stretches
Mathematics or Maths Literacy?
Worth knowingGrade 10 and 11 · still reversible
You take Mathematics
- The licence rules we read, SAA's cabin crew requirements and the two training schools we checked do not ask for Mathematics. Taking it still keeps other careers open.
You take Mathematical Literacy
- The SAA cabin crew requirements we found ask for Grade 12 and an English pass, not Mathematics.
- Each airline sets its own entry rules, so check every advert before you apply.
Best School Subjects
Essential
- English · The law asks for good English, and SAA asks for a Grade 12 English pass.
Also useful
- Tourism · Gives you a feel for travel, customer service and the airline industry.
- Hospitality Studies · Food and drink service is part of the job.
Professional Registration
Registration with the South Africa Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) is compulsory to practise. Under the Civil Aviation Act 13 of 2009.
caa.co.za— opens in a new tab · Ikhaya Lokundiza, Byls Bridge Office Park, Doringkloof, Centurion, 0157
You register in one of these categories:
- Cabin Crew Member Licence
ou need a cabin crew member licence from SACAA to work as cabin crew on any South African registered aircraft. The licence does not expire, but you pay SACAA a yearly fee on the licence’s anniversary date. To keep using it, you also need a valid aviation medical certificate and yearly recurrent training.
Watch out for fake training schools
SACAA warns that fake organisations pose as approved aviation training schools, and some offer cabin crew training or jobs for a deposit. Only SACAA-approved schools may train you for the licence. Ask SACAA to confirm a school's approval before you pay anything.
Practical Requirements
Recurrent training and check: certificate valid 12 calendar monthsRequirement
Holding the Cabin Crew Member Licence and flying for an airline under Part 121. Your airline must give you recurrent training in evacuations and other emergency drills for the aircraft type you fly. After it, you get a certificate of competency that is valid for 12 calendar months. Without current recurrent training, you may not use your licence.
Required by law · CAR 121.03.8, Civil Aviation Regulations, 2011 (GN R.425 of 2012); CAR 64.02.7(b)
Airline training and supervised familiarisation flights, within 180 daysInternship
Being assigned as cabin crew by a South African airline doing commercial flights in aeroplanes certificated for 20 or more passengers (Part 121). Holding the licence and its ratings is not enough. A Part 121 airline may not assign you as crew, and you may not act as crew, until you finish its approved training programme. The one exception: during familiarisation training you may fly as extra crew, on top of the minimum crew, supervised by a cabin crew member. You must finish familiarisation training within 180 days of finishing the airline's training programme, or requalify through the airline's training.
Required by law · CAR 121.02.11, Civil Aviation Regulations, 2011 (GN R.425 of 2012)
SACAA licence exam, then a skills test within six monthsRequirement
Applying for the Cabin Crew Member Licence, which you need before you may act as cabin crew on a South African registered aircraft. To get the licence you must be at least 18, hold an aviation medical certificate, finish training at a SACAA-approved school, show that your English is good enough, pass a written exam and pass a skills test in front of a designated examiner. The skills test must happen within six months of passing the written exam, and within 90 days before you apply.
Required by law · CAR 64.01.2(1), 64.01.8, 64.01.13, 64.02.1, 64.02.2, 64.02.3 and 64.02.4, Civil Aviation Regulations, 2011 (GN R.425 of 2012); 64.02.1(b) substituted by Notice R.520, GG 42632, 29 March 2019
Alternative careers
Related careers. Each has its own entry requirements — check every one separately.
Travel Agent
Plans and sells trips from the ground, with no flying or safety duties.
Career Ladder
- Cabin crew member · Cabin Crew Member Licence (SACAA)
- Senior cabin crew member · Appointed by your airline (Civil Aviation Regulation 121.02.6)
- Safety and emergency procedures trainer · SACAA designation as an instructor (Civil Aviation Regulation 64.01.10)
Last reviewed October 2026. We work hard to keep this information accurate, but details can change — always verify before making a career decision. Tell us something is out of date.
