Flight attendant vs gate agent

The differences between flight attendants and gate agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a gate agent has an average salary of $35,855, which is higher than the $33,607 average annual salary of a flight attendant.

The top three skills for a flight attendant include passenger safety, customer service and emergency equipment. The most important skills for a gate agent are reservations, passenger manifest, and airline tickets.

Flight attendant vs gate agent overview

	Flight Attendant	Gate Agent
Yearly salary	$33,607	$35,855
Hourly rate	$16.16	$17.24
Growth rate	21%	-
Number of jobs	45,878	32,916
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	49	45
Years of experience	-	-

Flight attendant vs gate agent salary

Flight attendants and gate agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Flight Attendant	Gate Agent
Average salary	$33,607	$35,855
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $43,000	Between $28,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Philadelphia, PA	-
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	-
Best paying company	Lockheed Martin	-
Best paying industry	Transportation	-

Differences between flight attendant and gate agent education

There are a few differences between a flight attendant and a gate agent in terms of educational background:

	Flight Attendant	Gate Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY Farmingdale	-

Flight attendant vs gate agent demographics

Here are the differences between flight attendants' and gate agents' demographics:

	Flight Attendant	Gate Agent
Average age	49	45
Gender ratio	Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9%	Male, 31.2% Female, 68.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 7.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 7.6% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 6.5% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	29%	12%

Differences between flight attendant and gate agent duties and responsibilities

Flight attendant example responsibilities.

Conduct flight operations dispatch in a fast pace FBO environment.
Maintain F/A mailboxes, filing, expense and APIS reports.
Check customers in, run cash register, clean the whole facility.
Coordinate hotel reservations, car rentals, and arrange special event logistics.
Initiate and cancels NOTAMS (notices to airmen) on airfield facilities/conditions.
Coordinate and confirm customs, handling, APIS and landing and parking permits.

Gate agent example responsibilities.

Manage ticket inventory and assist with passenger check-in procedures, baggage loading and unloading.
Alter customer itineraries and seat assignments as necessary to meet FAA mandates and requirements.
Brief passengers according to company and FAA requirements, ensure the completion of all require aircraft forms.
Uphold all TSA safety regulations.
Help TSA que passengers through security.
Ensure passenger satisfaction including making new reservations and reservation changes, and problem resolution.

Flight attendant vs gate agent skills

Common flight attendant skills

Passenger Safety, 20%
Customer Service, 14%
Emergency Equipment, 13%
Non-Emergency Situations, 7%
CPR, 6%
Medical Emergencies, 5%

Common gate agent skills

Reservations, 30%
Passenger Manifest, 19%
Airline Tickets, 7%
FAA, 5%
Customer Issues, 4%
Aircraft, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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