Bases, pay, training, hiring windows and the interview process — from dated sources.
Last updated August 2026 — dated facts carry their own as-of dates below.
American is the world's largest airline by fleet (1,013 mainline plus 567 regional aircraft at year-end 2025), headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, with ten hubs anchored by the DFW super-hub. It is mid-pivot toward premium (Flagship Suite 787-9P, A321XLR transatlantic since March 2026) while running financially near breakeven — record Q2 2026 revenue of $16.7B but only $71M GAAP net income on a fuel-cost spike. That margin picture matters to FA applicants for one concrete reason covered under Pay below: profit sharing that looks good on paper pays out little while AA isn't making much profit.
Hiring-window status (as of August 2026): CLOSED. Aggregators tracking the jobs.aa.com flight attendant page report the application as closed with a "check back soon" note. American hires in discrete windows that historically fill within days. The recent arc: active post-COVID waves through 2023–early 2024; a summer 2025 hiring freeze (applicants were emailed that interviews and summer training classes were pushed to fall — no official AA statement); and, since Spirit Airlines shut down on May 2, 2026, a "Supporting Spirit" portal prioritizing former Spirit employees' applications — roughly 2,000 former Spirit employees across all workgroups (not 2,000 flight attendants) had applied by June 2026. Any future window will have a large experienced-FA pool competing in it.
Requirements below are quoted from third-party reproductions of the most recent posting cycle (2025–2026) because the posting itself is offline while the window is closed — re-verify verbatim when a window opens: at least 20 years of age (younger than Delta/United's 21); high school diploma or GED; roughly two years of customer service experience; a valid U.S. or foreign passport with applicable visas, the legal right to work in the U.S., and unrestricted travel rights (note: this is work authorization, not a citizenship requirement — ignore content claiming otherwise). No published height minimum — the gate is functional: jumpseat and harness without modifications or extenders, cabin aisle, emergency exits, overhead bins, tested at the in-person day.
The single most important expectation-setter in the posting's own words: be "able to attend up to 6 1/2 weeks of unpaid training in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas," and accept reserve duty that "may continue for an undetermined amount of years."
FA bases per recent posting and candidate reporting: BOS, CLT, ORD, DFW, LAX, MIA, NYC (JFK/LGA), PHL, PHX, SFO, DCA. SFO's inclusion is notable (it is not a pilot base). Treat this as an intel-grade list and verify against the live posting when a window opens.
New hires are assigned by operational need, not preference. The posting's reserve language — "an undetermined amount of years" — is the honest framing: commonly reported expectation is around two years of reserve before holding a line, but it varies sharply by base seniority, and nobody can promise you a timeline.
American runs a Language of Destination/Origin ("Speaker") program: bilingual applicants can apply as language-qualified FAs, proficiency is tested by ALTA Language Services, qualified Speakers earn a language premium on assigned routes, and owe up to a one-year base commitment once assigned. Recent recruiting has specifically sought languages such as Hebrew, Greek, Hindi, Dutch, Japanese, and Korean on top of core Spanish/Portuguese/French demand.
The governing contract is the five-year APFA agreement ratified September 12, 2024 (87% yes on 95% turnout, ending ~5 years of negotiation), with compensation effective October 1, 2024. Headline provisions:
First-year numbers (step-and-date perishable — re-check the current-year scale): $36.81/hour under the 2025 step, rising annually toward roughly $40/hour starting pay by the end of the term (2029). Monthly guarantees are 71 hours (lineholder) / 75 hours (reserve), putting the bare first-year floor around $31,300 before boarding pay, per diem, premiums, and profit sharing. Beware search results still ranking pre-October-2024 rates (the $30.35/hour era) — they are stale.
American Airlines flight attendants reportedly need to be at least 20, hold a high school diploma or GED, and have two years of customer-service experience — per third-party posting reproductions; verify against the live requisition.
Requirements change between hiring windows — confirm them on the American Airlines careers page before you apply.
Data compiled from airline careers pages, union publications, industry press, and candidate-reported interview intel — wave-dependent facts carry as-of dates. Candidate reports are unofficial; confirm requirements on the airline's own careers site.