Alaska Airlines is reopening Flight Attendant applications on July 20 at 9:00 AM Pacific Time, and the window will only stay open for three days. Alaska Airlines runs its hiring in defined windows rather than accepting applications on a rolling basis, and this one has a hard, short deadline attached, so you need to be ready to act!
Applications go through Alaska Airlines’ own careers site, and the process from there runs entirely in-house: an online application, an on-demand video interview (ODVI), and, for those who progress, an in-person stage at Alaska’s own training facility in Seattle.
Alaska Airlines has been expanding its Flight Attendant workforce steadily as it continues to integrate Hawaiian Airlines following their 2024 merger, though it’s worth being upfront that the two airlines still run separate Flight Attendant contracts, separate seniority lists, and separate training programs.
This application window is specifically for Alaska Airlines, flying from Alaska’s six mainland and Alaska-state bases.
Where You’ll Be Based, and What the Job Involves
New hires aren’t assigned a base until partway through training, and Alaska Airlines is upfront that you need to be open to relocating to any of its current bases: Anchorage (ANC), Los Angeles (LAX), Portland (PDX), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), or Seattle (SEA). There’s no relocation assistance provided, so budgeting for your own move to whichever base you land at is a real part of the decision to apply.
Once you’re flying, day-to-day life includes a real mix of Reserve (on-call) time early in your career and, eventually, a bid line with more schedule control as seniority builds. Commuting into your base from elsewhere is allowed but genuinely not recommended by Alaska itself, since flights run full and a seat isn’t guaranteed.
Insight: New hires spend a real stretch of their first year on Reserve, which is standard across every US major, not something specific to Alaska. What’s worth knowing is that a junior base assignment and a junior line for your first year or two is the normal starting point almost everywhere in the US industry, not a sign you’ve drawn a bad hand.
This is a pretty exciting time to join Alaska Airlines. The carrier has only recently started long-haul international flying with Boeing 787 Dreamliners, and its international network is expected to expand significantly over the next few years.
Eventually, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants’ workgroups will merge, giving flight attendants wider access to more destinations and bases.
What’s the Package?
- Salary: starts at $32.96 per TFP (Alaska’s point-to-point mileage-based pay unit, roughly equivalent to $36.59 an hour) at Year 1, rising on a published seniority scale under the current 2025-2028 AFA-CWA contract.
- Training: unpaid, but Alaska pays a $40 daily per diem throughout the six-week course, and provides hotel accommodation (single occupancy) for the duration.
- Travel benefits: free standby travel on Alaska and Horizon Air.
- 401(k): dollar-for-dollar company match up to 8% of eligible pay.
- Vacation: starts at 14 days after one year of service, rising with seniority.
- Uniform: an $892 allotment every two years to cover required and optional pieces.
Remember, initial training is, and while the per diem and provided hotel accommodation help, new hires should budget for six weeks in Seattle without a paycheck before Reserve pay begins. It’s also worth knowing that a genuinely unpredictable Reserve schedule, not a fixed roster, is the realistic starting point for year one, regardless of how quickly you’re hoping to settle into routine.
Worth knowing: If you apply and aren’t successful this time, Alaska allows reapplication six months after a rejection, sometimes referred to as TBNT (“Thanks But No Thanks”). That’s a shorter wait than some US majors, so a rejection here isn’t the long-term closed door it can feel like in the moment.
What Does Alaska Airlines Look For?
No previous flight attendant experience is required, but Alaska does ask for two years of customer or community service experience of some kind. Beyond that:
- Minimum age of 21
- A high school diploma or equivalent
- Ability to fly unrestricted in and out of every country Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines operate to
- Reach 82 inches vertically on tiptoes, without shoes (roughly 5’2″ and up)
- Comfortable in a swimming pool wearing a life vest during emergency training, and in water during an actual inflight emergency
- Able to attend six weeks of unpaid training in Seattle (transportation and accommodation provided)
- Open to relocating to any current or future Alaska base
What is Alaska Airlines’ tattoo policy?
Alaska’s tattoo policy is more specific than a blanket ban: no visible tattoos on the face, front of neck, or chest, one quarter-sized tattoo or smaller per hand (not coverable by a uniform piece), and one per arm, leg, foot, or behind the ear. Alaska Airlines does not allow crew to cover visible tattoos outside the scope of this policy with a Band-Aid, bandage or makeup.
A Professional Standards check happens at check-in for the in-person hiring event itself, so this is worth getting right before you show up, not something to sort out later.
Candidates who accept an offer at the hiring event complete an on-site drug screening, which does test for marijuana regardless of the legal status in your home state.
How to Apply
- Submit your online application once the window opens at 9:00 AM PT on July 20, and avoid creating multiple profiles as Alaska Airlines specifically asks candidates not to. The window closes after three days, so don’t wait until the last minute.
- Complete the on-demand video interview. Find out more details on how to ace this part of the application here: The Complete Guide to the Cabin Crew Video Interview: Part One — What is an On-Demand Video Interview?
- If invited forward, attend the in-person stage at Alaska’s training facility, where the Professional Standards (tattoo/appearance) check and drug screening take place.
- If selected, complete six weeks of unpaid training in Seattle before being assigned a base.
Apply directly through Alaska’s careers site once the window opens.
