Working as a flight attendant certainly looks like a glamorous career, what with all the world travel and bargain flights.

But have you ever wondered how much cabin crew actually earn for the hours and hours they spend in the air? Plus all the training and work that happens on the ground.

Speaking to 9Travel, Brittany James, who has been working as a flight attendant with Emirates for nine years, has revealed some of the incredible perks of her job.

From “money-can’t-buy experiences” to being able to fly her family around the globe, the 31-year-old Aussie, originally from Adelaide, knows she’s been incredibly lucky.

“I’ve made the most of every opportunity and I think that’s created who I am today,” Brittany tells us.

How much do flight attendants earn?

Working for Emirates, a flight attendant’s pay is made up of a few components. A base salary, plus flying pay

“The hours that you fly adds to that basic salary and on top of that, you can also get a live-out allowance,” Brittany explains.

“And then on top of that, you can get a transport allowance, because if you live in accommodation, they pick you up and take you to work.”

“That’s very nice, especially when I hear all my friends in Australia talk about how much tax they’re paying!”

As an Economy Class Cabin Crew (Grade 2) team member the Basic salary is AED4,835 ($1,948) per month, and the Flying pay is AED66.30 ($26.72) per hour based on avg. 80-100 hours per month.

The average monthly pay comes in at around AED10,802 ($4,353 AUD) per month, with the annual amount landing in the vicinity of $52,000 depending on flight rosters. And again, that’s tax free.

Brittany started in economy class, and has since worked her way up through business class and has been working in first class since the beginning of the year. But her role is two-fold as she works half the time on the ground as a trainer in the aviation college, which she’s been doing for 2.5 years.

“As you do progress in the company, your wage and salary increases and your flying pay increases,” she shares. “And we’re part of the company’s profit share. We’ve had such amazing results, so it’s been very generous. Everyone in Dubai knows when Emirates announces their profit share.”

Perks of being a flight attendant

Apart from her flying pay, Brittany says team members are also given a place to live in Dubai (if they need it).

“We have apartment complexes spread out all over the city. We have some close by the marina. We have some close to and in downtown, and most of them are very new, very big,” she tells 9Travel.

“You usually share with two, maximum three people. But all your own bedroom and bathroom, and every apartment has a gym, pool, sauna, everything you need really.

“Every apartment complex has security as well. And we have our own laundry, that’s through Emirates. So you just hand in a uniform and two days later, pick it up. If I want to get my own stuff dry cleaned it’s so easy and cheap. Last time I put in three pairs of trousers, three blazers and it cost me like $12.”

Brittany jokes she can’t remember the last time she ironed.

Cheap flights, hotels and more

She also has access to something called a FACE card – the flight attendant club of Emirates.

With that Brittany can enjoy further discounts on things like restaurants, gyms, beach clubs, salons, car hire, hotels, and more.

“Anything that Emirates has a partnership with, which is so many places that we’re going on our own holiday,” she says.

And those benefits can extend to her family as well.

“I usually fly my parents over, and they’ll get a hotel. I’ll go on and I’ll have a look to see which hotels do I get a discount at and I’ll book them the hotel to come and visit me.”

And who could forget the best perk of all – cheap flights for herself, depending on flight load and standby list only.

“We get our roster middle of the month for the next month so we can plan a little bit. You can swap out flights if something doesn’t suit your schedule, or, a lot of our crew are also doing other things on the side, like studying, so they’ve got exams they need to take, or they have a wedding,” she Brittany explains.

You can also bid to be placed on certain flights if there is somewhere you’ve been wanting to go.

“We can go into to the system and we get five bids that we can put in and say, ‘on this day I want to go here’. You can put a whole country in, as well. So usually my bids are Australia, or Japan.”

Free flights for life

Once you’ve worked for Emirates for 15 years, Brittany reveals they get free tickets for life.

“I’ve been in the company nine years. It’s 2024 already, And it’s gone so fast.”

She’s so glad she went for the job initially, and despite her parents wanting her to return home soon, Brittany isn’t planning on changing careers in the near future.

“I’ve had experiences that literally money can’t buy. Experiences like standing on the side of an arena with the world’s best tennis players literally this close. At Formula One standing on the track, with the drivers walking past me. Still, after nine years, I’m pinching myself. Doing a photo shoot at the Opera House. Who can say that they’ve that!”

Adelaide will always be home

From Monday October 28 Emirates will restart daily flights from Adelaide, reconnecting South Australians with Dubai and the rest of the world.

Flight EK441 will depart Adelaide at 10:35pm and arrive into Dubai at 5:15am the following day; flight EK440 is wheels up at Dubai around 2am to reach Adelaide at 8:50pm the same day.

As an Adelaide local, Brittany says there is plenty to see and experience for international visitors coming to her home city as well.

“I grew up by the beach, so you definitely have to do that; the southern beaches, Port Willunga and anything around that area,” she shares. “The wineries, absolutely. And just the food in Adelaide. I think we get forgotten a little bit.”