Airline companies are hiring more cabin crew, not only in Hong Kong but also across the world in places including Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and South Korea. Last year, about 2,000 people joined the industry as members of the cabin crew and the trend looks promising.

Four local airlines – Cathay Pacific Airways, Dragonair, Hong Kong Airlines and Hong Kong Express – are spending copious amounts of money to buy new aircraft. Not only are these carriers expanding their market shares in the Greater China region, they are also increasing their activity in North America and Europe. Constant expansion is expected until 2030.

Since the turnover of cabin crew is relatively high, the only thing that a company can do to ensure that it is business as usual is to keep on hiring staff. Employment activity in the industry is expected to maintain its momentum, with candidates usually attracted by the excitement of travelling and the relatively high starting salary.

On average, salaries start at about HK$15,000 with attractive travel benefits and other incentives. But in recent years, pay has fallen, and there are a variety of different pay scales across the same job function. Despite this, compared with other jobs, the starting salary for a cabin crew is still attractive to fresh graduates.

Gigi Lau, marketing manager, Hong Kong Aviation Academy