Flight attendant interview intel — hiring windows, bases, pay and reserve reality, training, culture, and the interview process. Know the airline inside and out before you walk in.
United is a legacy global carrier in its centennial year (it traces its roots to Varney Air Lines, 1926), mid-way through the "United Next" growth era. For flight attendant applicants, the defining fact of 2026 is the new contract: after roughly five years without raises, United's ~30,000 AFA-CWA flight attendants ratified a new agreement on May 12, 2026 (82% yes on 88.85% turnout) — about 31% average wage increases, boarding pay for the first time, $741 million in retro pay, and top-of-scale reaching $100/hour by the end of the agreement. New pay scales took effect May 31, 2026. Any prep material describing United FAs as "in negotiations," "without boarding pay," or "may strike" is now stale.
Hiring-window status (as of August 2026): OPEN — but United windows slam shut. United reopened the general flight attendant application on July 14, 2026, with a posted window through roughly August 14, 2026, subject to early close on applicant volume. History says take that seriously: the October 2024 window closed in about 7 hours after ~7,000 applications. Language-qualified (bilingual) postings open separately with their own caps. United never fully froze FA hiring during the 2024 Boeing-delay period — it throttled to short burst windows — so frame United as "burst windows on applicant caps," not "continuous open req" and not "hiring freeze."
Published requirements (verbatim from careers.united.com, checked August 1, 2026): 21 or older at time of application; high school graduate or GED; at least one year of customer service experience; ability to speak, read, write, and understand English fluently; valid passport; 10-year background check. There is no height or weight requirement — the physical gate is a functional reach spec: a combined "76-inch vertical and 43.5-inch horizontal reach and hold (simultaneous), without shoes on," plus fitting the jumpseat with seatbelt and shoulder harness fastened. A college degree is not required (it helps competitiveness; don't let old content tell you otherwise).
Sources listed at the end of each profile. Data compiled from airline careers pages, union publications, industry press, and candidate-reported interview intel — wave-dependent facts carry as-of dates.
5 of the 149 United-specific questions in the Cleared for Cabin bank, with the key point recruiters listen for. Full coached answers live in the app.
1. A passenger in row 14 tells you before pushback that this is her first flight ever and she's shaking. How do you handle her?
Key point: Get to her eye level, name the specific sounds she'll hear, promise a check-in after climb-out, and actually come back — Core4 'Caring' and 'Dependable' shown, not stated.
2. Tell me about a time you had to work closely with a coworker whose style was very different from yours.
Key point: STAR with a real style difference and YOUR bridging action (not 'we figured it out'), then land explicitly on Core4 — Dependable/Efficient fits. Recruiters score Core4 alignment in the Talent Assessment stage.
3. What is the FAA Certificate of Demonstrated Proficiency, and why does every working flight attendant carry one?
Key point: It's the FAA credential you earn after initial FA training that certifies you on emergency procedures and aircraft-specific equipment; you carry it on every trip and recurrent it every year.
4. What do you know about United's Flight Attendant training program?
Key point: Six-and-a-half weeks in Houston with a $140/week stipend and $1,000 completion bonus; base is assigned during week one based on company need, so 'flexible on base' has to be genuine.
5. What should you actually wear to your in-person interview day at Houston?
Key point: Conservative business professional groomed to uniform standards; cover borderline tattoos, bring shoes you can stand in for 6-8 hours, and remember the reach test is shoeless.
HireVue-format drills on the real 30-second-prep, 2-minute-answer clock, with AI coaching.