Jobs and Skills Australia publishes no median earnings figure for flight attendants (the profile is marked N/A), and we have not verified current airline enterprise agreement rates, so this page shows the award minimum only. Real pay at the major airlines is set by their agreements and depends on base, aircraft type, hours flown and allowances.
The annual figure on this page is the weekly rate times 52 and excludes allowances. Cabin crew are rostered 1,716 to 1,872 hours a year, and the domestic flying allowance is paid on top for each scheduled block hour.
Which award covers flight attendants
Flight attendants (cabin crew) are covered by the Aircraft Cabin Crew Award 2020 [MA000047], which covers employers of aircraft cabin crew throughout Australia. It has three classifications: cabin crew member, cabin crew supervisor on narrow-bodied aircraft with 4 or more crew, and cabin crew manager on wide-bodied aircraft.
Where an enterprise agreement applies to a cabin crew member, its terms apply instead of the award, and the agreement has to leave employees better off overall than the award. Cabin crew at the major airlines are generally employed under enterprise agreements. We could not verify the current Qantas or Virgin Australia agreement rates against the Fair Work Commission's approved text, so we do not publish them here.
The award is the minimum for cabin crew whose employer has no agreement, and the benchmark an agreement has to beat overall. Domestic crew also get a flying allowance for each scheduled block hour on top of the weekly rate.
Read the Aircraft Cabin Crew Award 2020 [MA000047] on the Fair Work Commission’s site (consolidated to 1 July 2026).
Flight Attendant award pay rates 2026–27
These rates apply from the first full pay period starting on or after 1 July 2026. Part-time employees are paid the same hourly rates for the hours they work.
Flight attendant pay rates — Aircraft Cabin Crew Award, 2026–27
Aircraft Cabin Crew Award cl 14.2, from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. Casual rates are the award's Schedule D.2.1 ordinary rates (125% of the minimum hourly rate). These rates exclude the flying allowance and other allowances below.
| Classification | Hourly | Weekly (38 hrs) | Annual | Casual hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabin crew memberThe flight attendant classification | $28.88 | $1,097.40 | $57,065 | $36.10 |
| Cabin crew supervisorNarrow-bodied aircraft, 4 or more crew | $33.69 | $1,280.40 | $66,581 | $42.11 |
| Cabin crew managerWide-bodied aircraft | $39.36 | $1,495.50 | $77,766 | $49.20 |
Annual is the weekly rate × 52, before tax and before superannuation. Casual hourly includes the 25% casual loading.
Flight Attendant penalty rates and overtime
| When you work | Full-time / part-time | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary hours (rostered, any day) | 100% | 125% |
| Overtime: hours beyond 1,872 a year or the roster cycle maximum (domestic and international flying) | 200% | — |
Schedule D lists ordinary rates and overtime only, with no separate weekend or public holiday percentage for cabin crew. Overtime applies to time worked beyond 1,872 hours in a year or beyond the crew member's roster cycle maximum, at 100% additional to the minimum hourly rate. Schedule D publishes no casual overtime rate.
Overtime
- Domestic and international flying: time worked in excess of 1,872 hours in a year, or beyond the roster cycle maximum, is paid at a penalty of 100% additional to the minimum hourly rate (Schedules A.6.1 and C.6.1), which is $57.76 an hour for a cabin crew member.
- Full-time cabin crew are rostered between 1,716 and 1,872 hours a year (cl 9), so the 38-hour week used to convert the weekly rate to hourly is a pay convention, not the rostered week.
- Part-time cabin crew must be rostered for at least 4 consecutive hours a shift (cl 10.4), and a casual cabin crew member has a minimum payment of 4 hours (cl 11.2).
Work out a shift with penalties or overtime using the overtime pay calculator.
Allowances
| Allowance | Amount | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Flying allowance (domestic flying) | $18.40 per scheduled block hour | In addition to the minimum weekly rate, for crew whose rostered flying is predominantly domestic. It is instead of the daily travelling allowance, uniform and grooming, hose, shoe and miscellaneous expense allowances; the meals and incidentals component is $6.88 an hour at June 2026 (Schedule A.1.7). |
| Working on a designated day off (regional flying) | $153.09 per day | Regional flying (Schedule B.2.9(a)(ii), Schedule E.1.1). |
Flight Attendant pay after tax
On the Cabin crew member rate of $1,097.40 a week, a full-time flight attendant earns $57,065 a year before tax.
| Gross annual pay | $57,065 |
|---|---|
| Income tax (after LITO) | −$7,495 |
| Medicare levy | −$1,141 |
| Take-home per year | $48,429 |
| Take-home per week | $931 |
2026–27 resident tax rates with the low income tax offset and the 2% Medicare levy; no HECS-HELP repayment and no Medicare levy surcharge. Superannuation is paid on top by your employer. For the full breakdown see take-home pay on $55,000 (the nearest step to $57,065), or put in your own hours with the weekly pay calculator.
What this page does not show
- Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia cabin crew agreement rates, which we could not verify against the approved agreements.
- International flying and regional flying allowances beyond those listed, and hours-of-work and duty limits in Schedules A to C.
Flight Attendant pay questions
Pay rates for other jobs
How this page is sourced▼
Every minimum rate was read from the Fair Work Commission's consolidated text of the Aircraft Cabin Crew Award 2020, consolidated to 1 July 2026, on 5 October 2026. Casual rates are the award's own published figures wherever it publishes them. Nothing is estimated.
The median comes from Jobs and Skills Australia’s occupation profile and is a market figure, not an entitlement. Take-home figures use the same tax engine as the rest of this site. Award rates change every 1 July, so re-check after the next Annual Wage Review.
Sources & References
- 1Aircraft Cabin Crew Award 2020 [MA000047] — consolidated to 1 July 2026— Fair Work Commission
- 2Pay guides for modern awards— Fair Work Ombudsman
- 3Annual Wage Review 2025–26 decision [2026] FWCFB 3500— Fair Work Commission
Last verified: 5 October 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
Anita Bell
AuthorFounder & Senior Bookkeeper
Accountancy degree (2015); certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One
Anita Bell earned her accountancy degree in 2015 and has worked as a senior bookkeeper with Prime Bookkeeping for over 5 years. This built her skills in Australian and New Zealand tax legislation and industry regulations. She is certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One, and works with payroll and rostering software including Gusto, Deputy, Tsheets and KeyPay. She has strong experience in hospitality, building and construction, financial services, real estate, ecommerce, and medical and health services.
Areas of Expertise