Passenger Attendants
Provide services to ensure the safety of passengers aboard ships, buses, trains, or within the station or terminal. Perform duties such as explaining the use of safety equipment, serving meals or beverages, or answering questions related to travel.
What it pays
Passenger Attendants earn a median of $18.14/hr — about $37,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $13.45/hr; the top 10% earn $22.40/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Passenger Attendants earn a median of $18.14/hr — about $37,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $13.45/hr; the top 10% earn $22.40/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Secure passengers for transportation by buckling seatbelts or fastening wheelchairs with tie-down straps.
- Provide boarding assistance to elderly, sick, or injured people.
- Respond to passengers' questions, requests, or complaints.
- Determine or facilitate seating arrangements.
- Provide customers with information on routes, gates, prices, timetables, terminals, or concourses.
- Perform equipment safety checks prior to departure.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
Much of the work happens outdoors. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0% of passenger attendants are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused, people-focused and hands-on.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
- Flight Attendants
- Crane and Tower Operators
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters
- Locomotive Engineers
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels
- Commercial Pilots
Quick questions
- How much does a passenger attendant make?
- The median pay is $18.14 per hour — roughly $37,500 a year, with the real range running from about $13.45/hr (10th percentile) to $22.40/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a passenger attendant?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a passenger attendant actually do all day?
- Secure passengers for transportation by buckling seatbelts or fastening wheelchairs with tie-down straps. Provide boarding assistance to elderly, sick, or injured people. Respond to passengers' questions, requests, or complaints.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.