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The differences between flight engineers and flight attendants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a flight engineer has an average salary of $85,035, which is higher than the $33,607 average annual salary of a flight attendant.
The top three skills for a flight engineer include FAA, flight operations and simulator. The most important skills for a flight attendant are passenger safety, customer service, and emergency equipment.
| Flight Engineer | Flight Attendant | |
| Yearly salary | $85,035 | $33,607 |
| Hourly rate | $40.88 | $16.16 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 2,042 | 45,878 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 44 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A Flight Engineer monitors and controls various aircraft systems, such as airplanes and helicopters. They ensure that all components of the plane are in proper working order, as well as diagnose and rectify problems that may arise.
A flight attendant is known as a steward or stewardess, an air host or hostess, and works majority in airlines, some in private business jets, or a few other aircraft. Also commonly referred to as a cabin crew, flight attendants act as an ambassador between the airline they work with and the passengers by primarily taking charge of their safety and comfort during the entire flight. They do more than serving meals, refreshments, and drinks to passengers as they must also check the supplies and emergency equipment, secure sufficiency, and make sure everything is in order. They greet the travelers, help in their luggage being stowed properly, and ensure they are in their correct and assigned seats.
Flight engineers and flight attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Flight Engineer | Flight Attendant | |
| Average salary | $85,035 | $33,607 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $129,000 | Between $25,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Gilbert, AZ | Philadelphia, PA |
| Highest paying state | Arizona | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Learjet | Lockheed Martin |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Transportation |
There are a few differences between a flight engineer and a flight attendant in terms of educational background:
| Flight Engineer | Flight Attendant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Aviation | Business |
| Most common college | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | SUNY Farmingdale |
Here are the differences between flight engineers' and flight attendants' demographics:
| Flight Engineer | Flight Attendant | |
| Average age | 44 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3% | Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 6.9% Asian, 2.7% White, 81.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 29% |