Less than two weeks after American Airlines closed a highly anticipated flight attendant hiring window, the Fort Worth-based carrier is already preparing to reopen recruitment… What on Earth is going on?
As it stands, American Airlines says it will reopen flight attendant recruitment on October 30, although we have no idea how long the hiring window will remain open.
What is so bizarre is that American Airlines only just closed flight attendant applications on October 19, so this latest hiring round is coming just two weeks after the last one closed.
There is a very good reason for this, though: American Airlines has just overhauled the way it recruits flight attendants, adding new layers to the process and introducing AI to the shortlisting process. Essentially, AA was concerned that some candidates who made it through the old recruitment process didn’t end up being very good crew members.
American is being really tough in the initial selection process, cutting lots of candidates in the initial shortlisting rounds before anyone even gets to meet a real human recruiter. The fact that the airline is reopening the hiring window so soon means that it cut a significant number of applications from the earlier October recruitment round.
While only AA knows the number of candidates it wants to invite to in-person Assessment Day events at its Dallas Fort Worth facility, it sure looks like the airline is on the hunt for more candidates, having filtered out lots of applications from its two-week window in early October.
Who this hiring window is for
When American Airlines reopens the hiring window on October 30, it will only be looking for applications from candidates who didn’t apply earlier this month. If you missed out on submitting your application in early October, now is your chance to get your resume ready and submit your application.
If you already applied in early October and are still waiting for AA to get back to you, there is no need to submit a new application. In fact, doing so could do more than good. AA says that with so many applications to review, it could take some time to hear back, so patience at this stage is key.
For candidates who didn’t make it through the initial application stage in the early October round, you won’t be able to submit a new application just yet. Candidates have to wait 12 months from the date of the last communication you received from American before you are eligible to submit a new application, unless you are directly told otherwise.
Remember, submitting a new application before you become eligible could end up with you being blacklisted from any future recruitment.
AA’s new recruitment process is really tough
If you submitted an application earlier in October and were cut in the initial shortlisting process, don’t feel too dejected. You are in very good company, as it appears that American is being really tough on who it is progressing through the recruitment process.
The fact that you got cut at an early stage isn’t necessarily a reflection that you aren’t good enough to become an American Airlines flight attendant.
In most cases, being cut at an early shortlisting stage isn’t because a candidate lacks the skills or experience, but because their resume wasn’t optimized to truly reflect how good they would be for this role.
American also uses situational judgment tests to shortlist candidates, which can really throw candidates off, so preparing for these assessments can be really useful.
Before you submit an application for AA, we highly recommend reviewing our Resume Writing Hub and Online Assessment Hub.
American wants candidates to know what they are getting themselves into
As part of its overhaul of the entire recruitment process, American has tried to be as open and honest with candidates about what they are getting themselves into. The biggest takeaway is that AA admits that life can be pretty tough for a new hire flight attendant.
Unlike some airlines, landing a career as a flight attendant at American Airlines is a long-term career move, which will require quite a few sacrifices in your first few years.
New-hire flight attendants start on straight ‘reserve,’ which means you won’t be given a set schedule and will, instead, be required to get to the airport within two hours for last-minute callouts. This lasts for two full years, before you go on alternate months of holding a line and then reserve.
Only after five years will you be able to hold a permanent line in which you get a set schedule for the month ahead. This is a big commitment, but AA is looking for candidates who are in this for the long haul.
What to do now
If you are thinking of applying for the October 30 hiring round, preparation is key. Visit our American Airlines recruitment hub to get all the details on how much you could earn as a new-hire crew member, along with a step-by-step application guide, a cheat sheet for the in-person Assessment Day, and practice tests for the online assessments.
This page is part of our ongoing coverage of American Airlines flight attendant 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.
