Qantas Is Hiring Flight Attendants: What You Need to Know

I have worked in aviation for 45 years. I have coached hundreds of candidates through airline applications, and Qantas is one I get asked about more than any other. People want to know: is it hard to get in? What do they look for? Do I need a qualification first?

This post answers those questions. Straight answers, no fluff.

Where the Jobs Are

Qantas is not one operation. It runs several distinct cabin crew workforces, each with different bases and routes.

Qantas Airways Limited (QAL) handles long-haul international flying. Crew are based in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. If you want to work the A380 to London or the B787 to New York, this is the division you are applying for.

Qantas Domestic (QD) operates domestic routes and some short-haul Asia-Pacific flying. Bases are in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide.

QantasLink covers the regional network. Sunstate Airlines crew are based in Brisbane and Cairns. Eastern Australian Airlines crew work out of Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide. Network Aviation crew are in Perth and fly mostly within Western Australia, with some expansion to Hobart, Newcastle, Darwin, and Christmas Island.

Jetconnect is based in Auckland and Wellington, operating trans-Tasman routes on B737 aircraft. Long-haul cabin crew, based in Auckland, fly across the Qantas network within Australia and to major international destinations including New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Johannesburg.

There is also Qantas Cabin Crew UK, based in London, for those wanting to work from there.

The point is this: “a Qantas job” means different things depending on where you live and what you want to fly. Check which division is recruiting before you apply.

What Qantas Requires

The basics are non-negotiable.

You must be at least 18 years old. You need Australian citizenship or permanent residency (or the right to work without restriction for UK roles). You need a valid passport with no travel restrictions.

The physical requirements are specific. Qantas requires candidates to reach 212 centimetres from the ground using their fingertips. This is about accessing overhead emergency equipment. Your arm span needs to be at least 127 centimetres between knuckles. That replicates the reach needed for emergency door handles.

You must be able to swim 50 metres fully clothed and tread water for 3 minutes unassisted. This is tested. It is not optional.

You need strong English communication skills, both written and verbal. A current First Aid and CPR certificate helps. Qantas also expects demonstrable customer service experience, ideally in a premium or high-pressure service environment.

The Application Process

The process has several stages. Know what they are before you start.

Step 1: Online application. You apply through the Qantas Careers website. This includes a questionnaire and often an online video interview that you complete in your own time.

Step 2: Shortlisting. Qantas reviews applications and selects candidates for the next stage. Not everyone progresses. A clean, specific application matters here.

Step 3: Assessment day. This is where it gets real. The day includes a one-on-one behavioural interview, a group activity, a written comprehension assessment, and the height and reach test. You will be observed the entire time, not just during the formal interview.

Step 4: Checks. If you perform well at the assessment day, Qantas completes reference checks, a background and police check, and a medical assessment including the water safety test.

Step 5: Training. Successful candidates go through an intensive training program covering safety procedures, first aid, emergency equipment, and service standards. Training is unpaid at some divisions and paid at others. Confirm the details for the specific role before accepting an offer.

What Qantas Actually Looks For

I tell every candidate the same thing: Qantas is not just testing whether you can pour a drink. They are assessing whether you will keep people alive in an emergency and make them feel good about the experience the rest of the time.

Safety comes first. Every time. They want to see that you understand this and that you do not just say it.

In the behavioural interview, expect questions about how you have handled difficult customers, how you have worked under pressure, and how you have resolved conflict within a team. These are not trick questions. They want real examples. Prepare specific stories from your work history.

In the group activity, they watch how you behave when things are uncertain. Do you listen? Do you help the group move forward? Do you dominate or disappear? Neither extreme works in their favour.

Presentation matters. Qantas has grooming standards. Come to the assessment day dressed as though you already work for them.

The Pay and Benefits

Starting salaries for new cabin crew typically fall between AU$45,000 and AU$55,000 per year. With experience and seniority, salaries move up. Team Leaders, CSS's or CSM's may earn $75,000 or more. Total earnings including layover allowances, meal allowances, and productivity bonuses can exceed AU$100,000 for experienced crew.

Benefits include staff travel on Qantas and Oneworld partner airlines, discounts on hotels and car hire, flexible leave arrangements, access to an employee wellbeing program, and genuine opportunities to move into senior roles or different parts of the business.

How to Prepare

Get your customer service experience solid. If you have never worked in a role where the customer’s experience was your direct responsibility, that is the gap to fill first.

Get your First Aid and CPR certificates current. Book them now if you have not already.

Practice your swimming. The water assessment catches people who assumed they would be fine.

Work through your STAR examples. Situation. Task. Action. Result. Write them down. Practise saying them out loud until they sound natural.

Research the airline. Know their fleet. Know their routes. Know what they stand for. Interviewers can tell immediately who has prepared and who has not.

If you want help preparing your application, practising interview answers, or understanding what Qantas is really looking for, that is exactly what I do at ReachFTS. I have been coaching aviation candidates for over 20 years. I know what works.

Get in touch here and we can talk about where you are in the process and what you need to work on.

Denise Burns has worked in aviation for 45 years and has coached hundreds of candidates into cabin crew roles across Australian and international airlines. She runs ReachFTS, a specialist flight attendant training and coaching service.