This is an exciting time to join Alaska Airlines as a flight attendant. The airline is expanding its international network with new long-haul routes to London and Rome, investing visibly in its fleet and cabin product, and still completing its integration with Hawaiian Airlines, which will eventually see flight attendants work under a single contract.
Like most US airlines, Alaska Airlines’ recruitment process is incredibly competitive and runs across several stages, from your initial application through to an in-person Assessment Day in Seattle.
Our recruitment hub page brings all of our resources together to give you a clear picture of what it’s like to be a flight attendant at Alaska Airlines, helping you not only decide whether this is the airline for you, but also guide you through the entire recruitment process.
Alaska Airlines: Quick Facts
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 21 |
| Minimum height | No fixed minimum; reach test applies instead |
| Reach test | 82 inches vertically on tiptoes, without shoes (roughly 5’2″ and up) |
| Experience required | 2 years of customer or community service experience; no prior Flight Attendant experience needed |
| Education | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Tattoos | No visible tattoos on face, front of neck, or chest; one quarter-sized tattoo or smaller per hand; one per arm, leg, foot, or behind the ear |
| Contract type | Permanent, direct employment under a union contract (AFA-CWA), not a fixed-term contract |
| Base | Assigned partway through training; current bases are Anchorage, Los Angeles, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle |
| Base salary | $32.96 per TFP at Year 1 (roughly $36.59/hour equivalent), current 2025-2028 contract rate |
| Reserve guarantee floor | Approximately $2,966 a month at Year 1, before per diem, Boarding Pay, or the Reserve flying premium |
| Accommodation | Not provided for your assigned base; training accommodation (single occupancy) is provided for the six-week Seattle course |
| Union representation | Yes, AFA-CWA |
What Kind of Airline Is Alaska Airlines?
Alaska’s mainline fleet is predominantly the Boeing 737 family, with five Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners now flying under Alaska’s own brand and operating certificate for its expanding international network. It’s a West Coast and Pacific Northwest-rooted airline, headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, with an origin story that traces back to 1932, connecting remote communities across the state of Alaska.
The single biggest thing shaping Alaska Airlines right now is its 2024 merger with Hawaiian Airlines, with Alaska Airlines as the dominant partner. The combined entity is Alaska Air Group. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines currently operate as separate branded airlines under a single operating certificate, and the plan is for Flight Attendants to eventually work under one merged contract across the group. Alaska Airlines is also actively expanding internationally, including new routes to London and Rome launching in 2026.
Day-to-day, new hire flight attendants can expect a genuine stretch of time on Reserve after training, a base assignment that isn’t confirmed until partway through the process, and six weeks of unpaid training in Seattle before earning a paycheck.
Alaska’s culture is built around four named core values: Own Safety, Do the Right Thing, Be Caring and Kind, and Deliver Performance. These aren’t just wall posters; they’re what the online values-fit assessment screens for before a candidate even reaches the Assessment Day, so it’s worth understanding what each one means in practice.
The Pay and Benefits Package
Alaska Airlines pays in TFP (Trip(s) For Pay), a mileage-based unit rather than straight block hours, on a published seniority scale that runs from roughly $32.96 per TFP at Year 1 to $76.48 at Year 14, with a Longevity Premium on top from Year 16 onward.
It’s worth being upfront that year one is the hardest stretch financially, new hires will spend a lot of time on Reserve, and training itself is unpaid (though a $40 daily per diem and single-occupancy hotel accommodation are provided throughout). Take-home pay climbs substantially with seniority, and the jump from Year 1 to Year 14 is more than double the per-TFP rate before premiums are even factored in.
Worth knowing: Alaska and Hawaiian Flight Attendants still work under separate contracts and separate seniority lists today, despite the merger. A new hire joining Alaska now is joining the Alaska seniority list as it currently exists, not a future merged one.
For the full breakdown, including the complete pay table, per diem, vacation, commuter policy, and every benefit we could verify against the contract, see our full pay and benefits guide: Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Salary and Benefits 2026
The Recruitment Process
The Alaska Airlines recruitment process has multiple stages where candidates are screened and shortlisted:
- Initial application and resume filtering
- Online values-fit assessment,
- On-Demand Video Interview (six or seven situational-based questions)
- In-person Assessment Day in Seattle
- Face-to-face interview (typically the same day)
- Conditional Job Offer
- Drug testing and background checks
For the full stage-by-stage breakdown, see the Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Recruitment: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide 2026.
Your Alaska Airlines Recruitment Guides
Before You Apply
Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Salary and Benefits 2026 The full pay scale, per diem, benefits, and the honest reserve-year reality, sourced directly from the current AFA-CWA contract.
Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Bases: Everything You Need to Know How base assignment actually works, what each current base is like, and the honest reality of commuting and seniority.
The Recruitment Process
💡 Top Article: Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Recruitment: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide 2026 Every stage of the process, from application to training, including what to expect on Assessment Day itself. If you read just one guide, make it this one.
The Alaska Airlines Cheat Sheet for the Flight Attendant Assessment Day 2026 Fleet facts, the Hawaiian merger explained properly, and the airline knowledge worth having ready before your Assessment Day.
Appearance and Presentation
Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Appearance and Grooming Standards Alaska’s tattoo policy in full, plus the real story behind its gender-neutral grooming standards, including the legal case that actually got it there.
Get Ready for the Online Assessments
Cabin Crew Values Fit Practice Assessment A practice tool for the values-fit online assessment that Alaska Airlines candidates face after the initial resume paper sift.
Companion Guides
The Cabin Crew CV and Resume Hub Start here if your resume needs work before you apply anywhere.
The Online Assessments Hub General preparation for ODVIs, personality tests, and situational judgement assessments across every airline we cover.
The Assessment Day Hub General assessment day preparation that applies regardless of which airline you’re walking into.
Is Alaska Airlines Right for You?
Alaska Airlines suits candidates who value a union-negotiated, transparent pay structure and don’t mind the standard US-industry trade-off of a demanding first year on Reserve before things settle. If you’re drawn to a West Coast and Pacific Northwest network, and a company clearly investing in its own growth right now, including a major merger and new international routes, Alaska is a strong choice.
The honest other side: the unpaid training presents a real financial gap to plan for, six weeks in Seattle without a paycheck before Reserve pay begins. Base assignment isn’t in your control, and there’s no relocation assistance for your first move. And the Hawaiian merger, while a genuine growth story, also means real uncertainty: the eventual mechanics of a combined Flight Attendant contract haven’t been worked out yet, and anyone joining now is joining mid-transition, not a settled, finished structure.
How Alaska Compares to Its Rivals
Delta doesn’t operate under a collective bargaining agreement, so pay increases happen unilaterally rather than through negotiation, a different model from Alaska’s union-negotiated structure.
United offers a significantly larger international network and generally a higher top-of-scale pay ceiling, but comes with its own long, Reserve-heavy path to schedule stability.
JetBlue runs a smaller, all-narrowbody network and a different, faster-moving hiring process, with a distinctive dual pay-scale election system Alaska doesn’t have. JetBlue new hires also don’t learn their base until after training, the same as at Alaska.
Southwest also operates an all-narrowbody fleet and, like Alaska, doesn’t currently fly long-haul international routes, though Alaska’s Hawaiian integration and new European routes are actively changing that picture for Alaska specifically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pay starts at $32.96 per TFP at Year 1 (roughly $36.59 an hour equivalent), rising to $76.48 per TFP by Year 14, under the current 2025-2028 AFA-CWA contract. A new hire’s guaranteed Reserve floor works out to roughly $2,966 a month before per diem and other add-ons.
21 years old.
There’s no fixed height minimum. Instead, candidates must reach 82 inches vertically on tiptoes, without shoes, roughly equivalent to 5’2″ and up.
No previous Flight Attendant experience is required, but two years of customer or community service experience is.
Yes, within specific limits: no visible tattoos on the face, front of neck, or chest, one quarter-sized tattoo or smaller per hand, and one per arm, leg, foot, or behind the ear.
An online application, a values-fit assessment, an On-Demand Video Interview, an in-person Assessment Day in Seattle, a final face-to-face interview (typically the same day), and often a same-day Conditional Job Offer, followed by drug testing and background checks.
Six weeks, unpaid, at Alaska’s Seattle training facility, with a $40 daily per diem and single-occupancy hotel accommodation provided throughout.
Not entirely. Alaska merged with Hawaiian in 2024 as the dominant partner, forming Alaska Air Group, and the two airlines now operate under a single operating certificate while keeping separate brands. Flight Attendants at the two airlines still work under separate contracts and seniority lists, with a merged contract planned but not yet worked out.
Yes. Alaska allows reapplication six months after a rejection, sometimes referred to as TBNT (“Thanks But No Thanks”).