Cabin crew
Finnair is an airline of top-performing professionals with a big heart. Diversity is an asset to our work community and we foster a culture of working together. Customers are at the core of everything we do. We are bridging the world and creating opportunities for meaningful encounters.
Being a cabin crew member means challenging yourself and your colleagues every day to create the very best experience for the customers. Strong safety culture, responsibility, and our values – commitment to care, simplicity, courage and working together – guide us in everything we do. At Finnair, we believe that committed employees ensure a safe journey and excellent customer experience.
We are currently not recruiting cabin crew members.
Join a tour of in-flight experience with Finnair cabin crew
Requirements for working as Cabin Crew Member
When the recruitment is open, you must fulfil the following criteria to be considered for a cabin crew position:
- Age of at least 18 years old
- Secondary education completed (upper secondary/vocational school)
- Fluency in English
- Fluency in Finnish is highly valued (additional languages are an advantage)
- Height minimum 160cm and able to reach 218cm
- At least 1 year of experience in hospitality or customer service
- Good general health (min. requirement EASA Part Med Cabin Crew and Finnair Regulations). In general, this means that the applicant should have no long-term medical conditions, especially conditions requiring continuous or recurrent medication or regular follow-up
- Normal colour vision and normal hearing, distant visual acuity using both eyes 0.7 or better (with or without corrective lenses)
- Ability to swim 40 meters
- When wearing a uniform, all visible tattoos must be fully covered, and all visible piercings must be removed (excl. earrings)
- Clean criminal record
- Valid EU passport allowing free worldwide travel
- Eligible to live and work permanently in Finland and arrive to Helsinki Airport within one hour when on stand-by
In addition, you are a team player and have a friendly and warm approach towards customers and colleagues.
Questions and answers
Here you can find more information about the cabin crew position and answers to the most common questions.
Working as cabin crew requires a strong customer service orientation, discretion, great social interaction skills, adaptability, team spirit, flexibility and the ability to take initiative. If you also have a twinkle in your eye and a genuinely positive attitude to life, you may very well be just the kind of person to suit the job.
The work itself is irregular in many ways. Flights and work shifts take place on various weekdays and at various times, with destinations around the world. You may need to work on public holidays, such as Christmas and Midsummer. The work also involves standby shifts.
Full-time employees work approximately 110 hours per month. Working hours vary depending on the month, the person and their qualifications, among other things.
After successfully passing the Finnair recruitment process, you’ll receive a training invitation to Finnair Flight Academy. The training period lasts six to nine weeks depending on your background in aviation. During the training you will learn Finnair’s operating policies and how to act in various safety, first aid and service scenarios.
Defined by the aviation authorities, the safety and first aid skills are the foundation of the cabin crew members’ professional competence. Additionally, service communication and cultural awareness as well as Finnair’s vision and principles of good customer service are essential topics of the training. After the training, you will have the basic level of competence to work as a cabin crew member.
The cabin crew selection process has many phases, including for example:
- online tests
- video assignment
- medical checks
- interviews.
The purpose of the selection process is to evaluate the above-mentioned basic criteria and competencies relevant to cabin crew work. These competencies may vary slightly over time, but they typically include skills and abilities such as teamwork, resilience, customer experience orientation and the ability to follow instructions. During the selection process, you can also ask questions and learn more about the cabin crew members’ work.
Cabin crew training is arranged based on our need for resources. Generally, we offer employment fairly soon after you complete your training. However, passing the training does not automatically guarantee employment.
Most of our cabin crew is based in Helsinki, Finland. If you are interested in a cabin crew role in Singapore, Hong Kong, Delhi, Mumbai and Stockholm, please contact AAP Aviation.
No, the training does not cost anything. Please note that there is no separate compensation for the training period.
The entire training is at Finnair Flight Academy in Vantaa, Finland (Helsinki Airport area). On-site attendance is mandatory.
The training normally takes six to nine weeks. We will arrange several training courses for the selected future cabin crew members. The specific schedule of the training will be clarified during the recruitment process.
During the training, you will learn Finnair’s operating policies and how to act in various safety, first-aid and service scenarios. Defined by the aviation authorities, safety and first-aid skills are the foundation of cabin crew members’ professional competence. Additionally, service communication and cultural awareness as well as Finnair’s vision and principles of good customer service are essential topics of the course. After the training, you will have the basic level of competence to work as a cabin crew member.
Finnair Flight Academy's highly professional instructors will guide and help you during all the phases of the training. We expect you to work hard, focus and give your best in all the exams, lessons and drills; we will evaluate your performance continuously. Your commitment will pay off when you become a certified cabin crew member of Finnair.
During your career, you will need to participate in annual trainings on safety and service topics. It is also important that you are up to date all the time with the safety and service procedures while working.
The workdays vary a lot depending on the flights you have during the shift. Some days you might operate to Oulu twice, other days you might operate a long-haul flight to Asia or North America.
All cabin crew members operate on both domestic and international flights.
Living in another city than Helsinki or Vantaa is possible. It is anyway important to consider that the flights will be operated from Helsinki Airport. The work also involves standby shifts, during which you must be prepared to report to work on one hour’s notice.
When wearing uniform, you must cover all visible tattoos with make-up or tattoo cover-up tape. Also, all visible piercings must be removed, excluding earrings.
Yes, you may wish for a maximum of 6 days off in a month.
Full-time employees work about 110 hours a month.
Part-time employees work 45–90 hours a month.
Cabin crew member’s salary varies a lot depending on what kind of flights you fly and when.
The basic salary of full-time employment and the hourly salary of part-time employment depend on how much experience you have as a cabin crew member. If you have previous cabin crew experience, it will be taken into account according to CLA (Collective Labor Agreement).*
The salary consists of basic salary, salary additionals (approx. 30-40% of the basic salary) and daily allowances. Salary additionals include e.g. Sunday allowance or night duty allowance. The monthly basic salary ranges currently from about 1700€ gross pay to around 2800€ gross pay for crew members with long experience. The salary grade has an effect on salary additionals as well.
*Salary is based on the agreement between the Service Sector Employers PALTA and Transport Workers’ Union AKT.
Our crew needs travel documents such as visas to enter some countries. The visa regulations vary between countries; for example, Finnish citizens do not need a visa to enter Vietnam, but French citizens do. There can be limitations to granting a crew visa to some nationals.
Career stories
At home in the air: the story of the Terttunen family on blue and white wings
In the Terttunen family, almost all family members have found their way to the world of aviation and Finnair – father Ilkka and son Tomi are pilots, while mother Heidi and daughters Inka and Anna are cabin crew. Finnair’s impact can be seen in all aspects of the family’s life, filling their shared years with countless unforgettable memories. In June 2024, their eventful journey culminated in a flight together to Los Angeles.
When the sky is not the limit: Experiences of three brand-new Finnair cabin crew members
Arttu, Lisa and Niina have all started as Finnair cabin crew members this spring of 2024. All three had previously dreamt about a career in the skies, and now they share their job experience so far. Some aspects of their new job have been surprising, but at the same time, they are all truly enjoying their new career as cabin crew.
When your childhood dream becomes your way of life – 45 memorable years at Finnair
Katriina Veikkola retired at the end of April, after working for 45 years as a Cabin Crew at Finnair. Her incredible career includes training for variable job tasks and aircraft types, countless new destinations around the globe and an ever-lasting love for customer service throughout the years.
Reuse and recycle: extending the lifecycle of cabin crew uniforms
The concept of recycling clothing is pretty straightforward: when you no longer wish to wear specific garments, you recycle them. However, when it comes to cabin crew uniforms, recycling involves more than just sorting through your wardrobe and taking the discarded clothes to the appropriate place. So, what does the recycling process entail when we talk about cabin crew uniforms?
Meet the ultimate flying Finnair family
For the Kaipainen family, flying and Finnair are a true family affair. Markku Kaipainen has been a Finnair pilot since 1989. His wife Maria Kaipainen was a Finnair cabin crew member when they met over 17 years ago. His daughter and Maria’s stepdaughter, Maiju Kaipainen, works as a Finnair gate agent.
"Finnair flight attendants had a key role in building Finland's country image" says long-time employee Arja Torkkomäki
Arja Torkkomäki worked at Finnair as a flight attendant, instructor, and purser between 1973 and 2004, and feels that the years left only good memories. Some of the highlights for her include the opening of the world with new routes, state visits, and many heart-warming brief moments with passengers.
Liisa Lindgren started at Finnair in 1962 - and she still feels like a flight attendant at heart
Liisa Lindgren has worked both as cabin crew and in Finnair marketing. According to her the 1960's was a lovely, optimistic time to start work at the airline. Meeting customers and close relations with colleagues made workdays rewarding.
From cabin crew and flight crew to developer – and back!
Annika and Antti work in the Internal Digital Development team at Finnair and develop software and applications for Finnair’s employees. When it comes to developing something for our cabin crew and flight crew, their previous experience as a cabin crew member and a pilot is a huge benefit.
Our cabin crew’s favorite destinations
Our cabin crew members share their favorite destinations from around the world. Get inspired and find tips for your next trip!
Contact us
If you have questions, please contact us via email. You can follow the open positions online and on social media.