Delta Air Lines has confirmed that flight attendant applications are set to reopen on September 2, 2026, with a new job requisition for its 2027 hiring classes. This follows our May coverage confirming a summer hiring cycle was on the way, and this is Delta’s next confirmed step.
Applications are made entirely online through Delta’s official careers site. As of publication, the requisition isn’t live yet, so hold off submitting anything until it opens. Given how quickly Delta’s postings tend to fill and close, the usual advice applies: watch the careers page closely and be ready to move the moment it does.
Delta is heading into 2027 with its In-Flight Service team already north of 28,000 crew and growing, supporting a network of more than 300 destinations across six continents. Training for this cycle starts in early 2027, which gives candidates who aren’t ready to drop everything right now real time to prepare properly rather than scrambling.
Where You’ll Be Based and What the Role Involves
New hires don’t choose their base going in. Base assignment at Delta is seniority-based, and you’re placed according to operational need rather than preference. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson is the largest base and tends to take on the most junior crew, which works in your favour if you’re focused on building hours quickly. Other major bases include New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Minneapolis, Detroit and Seattle. Transferring to a base you’d actually prefer takes seniority, sometimes years of it, depending on where you want to go.
So-called “language of destination,” or LOD, flight attendants are held to their assigned base for a minimum of two years post-training, so it’s worth thinking through before you apply if you’re going for an LOD role specifically.
Insight: New hire flight attendants start their careers on what Delta calls A-days rather than traditional reserve. It’s a more flexible system than most US carriers run — six on-call days a month, tradeable with other crew, each carrying a guaranteed minimum of around 4.6 hours’ pay even if you’re never called out. It’s still less predictable than a held line, but it’s a softer landing than reserve at some rival airlines.
What’s the Package?
Starting hourly pay is $38.40, rising to $86.32 by year twelve following the most recent increase in June 2026. Flying a typical 75 hours a month on A-days, realistic first-year earnings including boarding pay and per diem run $40,000 to $50,000 before tax.
- Hourly flight pay — paid from pushback to arrival, on a published scale that rewards seniority; the jump from year 11 ($74.55) to year 12 ($86.32) is the single biggest step
- Boarding pay — paid at 50% of the normal flying rate, prorated per leg, so multi-leg domestic days add up faster than the base rate alone suggests
- Per diem — roughly $2.80 an hour domestic, more on international trips, tax-free and yours to keep if you don’t spend it
- Profit sharing — paid out at around 10% of eligible earnings in 2024, a genuine boost in strong years but not guaranteed
- LOD and purser pay — an extra $2.75 an hour for language-qualified crew working their language market, and $6.65 an hour for international pursers
- Travel benefits — standby space-available travel on Delta, buddy passes for friends and family, and access across SkyTeam partners including Air France, KLM and Korean Air
- Other benefits — medical, dental and vision from day one, 401(k) with company match, and paid initial training with meals and shared accommodation covered for anyone living more than 25 miles from Atlanta
Find out more about Delta’s pay and benefits: Delta Air Lines Flight Attendant Salary and Benefits 2026
Remember, Delta’s flight attendants aren’t unionized, so pay increases come at management’s discretion rather than through a negotiated contract. Delta has given a raise every year since 2022, but there’s no formal guarantee that continues. And once you move off A-days onto a held line, there’s no contractual minimum either. Your pay reflects what you actually fly, for better or worse.
What Does Delta Look For?
Previous flight attendant experience isn’t required, but the requirements that are non-negotiable:
- At least 21 years old at the time of application
- High school diploma, GED, or equivalent
- Legally authorised to work in the US (Delta does not sponsor work visas)
- Fluent in spoken, read and written English
- Valid passport with a minimum of 30 months’ validity remaining before training starts
- Able to reach 76 inches and simultaneously span 35 inches, to safely operate an aircraft door
- Willing to complete a pre-employment DOT drug test and background check
- Comfortable with Delta’s appearance requirements, which cover visible tattoos, hair colour and styling, and jewellery, including limits on facial piercings and earring size
Bilingual LOD candidates need fluency in English plus one of: Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Korean, or Swedish, and will be tested on it during the process. If that’s you, flag it. Competition for LOD roles is typically lighter than for general English-speaking positions.
One reapplication note worth knowing regardless of how this cycle goes for you: as of June 2026, unsuccessful candidates can reapply after six months from their disqualification date, once a new requisition number has been posted. Trying to get around this by creating multiple profiles can lead to automatic rejection or a permanent block from applying to Delta at all.
How to Apply
- Submit your online application through the Delta careers site, using the same profile if you’ve applied before
- Take part in the Monroe AI assessment – a new step in the recruitment process in 2026
- Complete the FitMe assessment — a short, values-based questionnaire
- Record your HireVue on-demand video interview if you pass FitMe
- Attend Event Day in Atlanta if you’re invited forward — this is the in-person interview stage
- Receive your Conditional Job Offer, followed by training dates and base assignment
- Complete seven weeks of paid training in Atlanta before joining your assigned base
Bookmark the careers page now so you’re ready the moment it goes live: Delta Flight Attendant Careers
This page is part of our ongoing coverage of Delta Air Lines cabin crew recruitment, covering pay, the application process and what to expect at each stage. If you're getting ready to apply, here's where to go next.
