Air Canada (AC), the flag carrier of Canada, is one of North America’s most awarded carriers and scooped up five Skytrax awards in 2024 for its leading hard product and on-board service. It also received recognition for being the continent’s best airline, ahead of fellow competitors American Airlines (AA), Delta Air Lines (DL), and United Airlines (UA).
Much of Air Canada’s success is down to its cavalry of over 10,000 cabin crew members who ensure the wellbeing and safety of the millions of passengers who opt in favor of flying the Quebec-based carrier. Nevertheless, AC remains a controversial airline for paying its cabin crew by the hour, depending on the in-flight time, rather than a fixed amount with additional variables.
After their pilots had a strike in the backend of 2024 citing low salaries, the flight attendant union is also said to be planning similar measures. That said, here is exactly how much Air Canada’s flight attendants are paid alongside the other benefits they enjoy.
Photo: Air CanadaAir Canada Flight Attendant Salary in 2025
Air Canada is infamous for being one of the lowest paying airlines to its cabin crew in comparison to other full-service competitors in North America, in spite of being consistently profitable. The airline also does not offer fixed payment to its flight attendants, but rather pays them by the block hours of each flight, thereby fluctuating each individual’s monthly salary.
As per the latest advertisement for cabin crew on the Air Canada careers website, flight attendants can expect a workload of 65 hours per month with a payment starting from CA$30.02 per hour (US$21). While annual increments are discussed depending on performance, the starting rate for a new employee is subject to vary depending on their overall performance.
Air Canada’s flight attendants have reported annual earnings in the range of CA$21,000 and CA$43,000 (approx. US$14,600 and US$30,000) including bonuses. The overall figure is subject to their seniority (purser, premium cabin crew, etc.) as well as whether they majorly on short-haul or long-haul routes on the airline’s vast network of over 190 destinations around the world.
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Photo: Air CanadaBenefits of AC Flight Attendant
Apart from their annual wage, Air Canada provides its flight attendant members with the following benefits:
- FINANCIAL BENEFITS – Air Canada’s flight attendants can make use of additional financial benefits such as the airline’s pension program or the Employee Share Ownership plan, which they are entitled to after the completion of a certain duration with the airline. They also automatically enter the carrier’s annual bonus scheme.
- INSURANCE POLICIES – As with majority of the carriers around the world, Air Canada provides it flight attendants with leading health insurance policies, covering all possible expenditure around the globe, as well as a coverage for their families. A life insurance plan is also provided to help them financially in case of unfortunate and unforeseen circumstances.
- RECOGNITION PROGRAM – Air Canada has a recognition program called Shine which recognises the performances of its leading employees. This acts as an additional motivator for cabin crew to perform their duties to the best of their abilities as such acknowledgment of their work enables promotion and reads well in future employment opportunities.
- STAFF TRAVEL – Once they have completed 28 weeks on the job, Air Canada flight attendant members are entitled to staff travel benefits. They can avail of free seats on a standby basis on flights, as well as utilize discounts on Air Canada Group’s holiday arm, Air Canada Vacations, which curates all-inclusive vacation packages.
- ALLOWANCES AND DISCOUNTS – Air Canada’s flight attendants can enjoy discounts on the carrier’s car rental, travel, and hotel partners, in addition to staff travel benefits and Air Canada vacation discounts. Additionally, they are also provided layover allowances for meals while transportation to and from the airport is also covered by the airline.
Photo: Air CanadaHow to become a Flight Attendant at Air Canada?
Air Canada requires its flight attendant candidates to fulfill the following requirements.
- Minimum age of 18 years
- Valid Canadian passport that allows travel to all countries served by Air Canada.
- Willingness to relocate to one of our In-Flight bases: Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary.
- Mandatory 8-week full-time training in Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver (at a lower rate)
- To ensure that you have the security clearance required by Transport Canada, we will undertake a criminal background check on all candidates.
- Flight Attendants conduct safety-critical work and as such, Air Canada medical standards must be met in order to qualify for the role. Candidates will be subject to a medical evaluation, including a drug and alcohol test and are expected to be free of any intoxicating substances
- Candidates must be eligible to work in the country of interest, at the time any offer of employment is made and seeking any required work permits/visas or other authorisations which may be required is the sole responsibly of the candidates applying for this position.
- Candidates who speak both English and French fluently are preferred. As Canada’s leading international airline, preference will be given to candidates who are proficient in French, Punjabi, Greek, Japanese, German, Tagalog, Thai, Arabic, Italian, Hebrew, Hindi.
Photo: Air CanadaHiring Process
Air Canada follows the below process for hiring flight attendant personnel:
- APPLICATION – An online application is made through the airline’s career’s page, through which interested candidates can submit their resume as well as any other relevant documents, such as certifications, passports and visas.
- INTERVIEW – The shortlisted candidates are interviewed to assess their past qualifications and other skillsets in accordance to Air Canada’s requirements. In some cases, an online assessment might also be held as part of this round of the hiring process.
- CONDITIONAL OFFER – A conditional offer is made subject to successful clearance of background checks, medical tests and any other legal formalities. The shortlisted candidate must also pass the full eight-week training program to be confirmed as an employee.
Air Canada Flight Attendant FAQs
Air Canada pays its flight attendant a salary starting from CA$30.02 per hour, with reports suggesting the annual compensation can range from CA$21,000 to CA$46,000.
Air Canada’s flight attendants are required to be based out one of the airline’s four operating bases – Calgary, Toronto or Vancouver.
No, Air Canada is not hiring flight attendant actively at the moment. However, they are inviting applications through their careers portal, in anticipation of future openings.
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