Pursers and flight attendants
Career Overview
Airline pursers and flight attendants:
- Make sure passengers and crew members are comfortable and safe during flights
- Work for airline companies
Ship pursers
- Attend to the safety and comfort of passengers aboard ships
- Work for tour or cruise ship companies
Job Titles
Duties
Flight attendants
- Greet passengers
- Explain and demonstrate safety procedures
- Check the general condition of the aircraft cabin
- Make sure that all necessary supplies are on board
- Pay attention to safety of passengers during take-offs, landings and emergencies
- Serve food and beverages to passengers and make flight announcements
Flight pursers, customer service directors and passenger service directors
- Coordinate the activities of flight attendants
- Provide service to passengers during flight and complete reports
Ship pursers
- Supervise ship attendants
- Arrange activities for passengers
- Conduct ship's business, such as signing on crew, maintaining payroll records, helping passengers prepare customs declarations and supervising baggage storage
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
965% Employed Full Time
45%Key aspects of work in this occupation:
- Work takes place in an indoor setting, but may also involve exposure to outdoor weather conditions
- Work involves being in an airplane or ship, which could be a potential source of injury or accident
Career Pathways
There is little mobility between airline pursers and ship pursers.
It is an advantage for pursers and flight attendants to speak more than one language.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
It’s important to understand what kinds of occupations align with your interests.
For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
- Flight attendants and flight pursers require the completion of secondary school and a training program approved by Transport Canada
- Flight pursers/customer service directors require experience as a flight attendant
- Ship pursers may require experience as a ship attendant
- Flight attendants and ship pursers usually require experience working with the public
Education programs in B.C.
Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Being able to solve novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings.
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
965Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 0 | 0.0% |
| Kootenay | 0 | 0.0% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 800 | 82.9% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 0 | 0.0% |
| Northeast | 0 | 0.0% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 70 | 7.3% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 85 | 8.8% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
800Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | Not available | Not available |
| Kootenay | Not available | Not available |
| Mainland/Southwest | 700 | 1.2% |
| North Coast and Nechako | Not available | Not available |
| Northeast | Not available | Not available |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 40 | 0.5% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 60 | 1.1% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing | 770 |
| Retail Trade | 10 |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 10 |
Resources
Resource information is currently not available.
