Are you unsure if you can work as a flight attendant if you have a felony No problem! This article explains, “Can you be a flight attendant with a felony.”
Imagine taking a position in the beautiful skies. Perhaps you wish to be a flight attendant for an airline.
But Can you be a flight attendant with a felony?
Let’s look at this!
You give a quick answer to this question No, you can not be a flight attendant with a felony, or previous criminal record that’s because a flight attendant is required to provide alcohol to passengers, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not want to hire someone who uses drugs and alcohol frequently.
You cannot work as a flight attendant if you have been convicted of a felony within the last five years or if there were multiple felonies. This is necessary because most airlines demand that all flight attendants be allowed to enter and exit Canada legally.
Any American citizen convicted of a felony is prohibited from entering Canada, per Canadian law, until they successfully execute the process of Canadian Criminal Rehabilitation. You might be able to get an exemption from Canadian Immigration as a felon to be qualified to work as a flight attendant.
Continue reading to learn more about airlines’ pre-employment screening and what you should do if you are worried that a past mistake would make it more difficult for you to become a flight attendant.
Let’s Begin!
Can You Be A Flight Attendant With A Felony?
If you have a criminal conviction, the FAA will not consider you for a position as a flight attendant.
If you wish to work as a flight attendant, you must be open about your criminal background, and if you think you can hide any previous criminal conviction and get away with it, you are deceiving yourself.
This situation can lead to unpleasant consequences!
If this is found out, you will not be considered for a flight crew position and could also be prosecuted for the crime of lying on an application. You can end up going back to jail as a result of this.
The greatest thing you can do is conduct a background investigation on yourself to determine what the FAA might discover.
You might also examine if you qualify to get your record cleared. In this manner, you would be able to truthfully declare on a job application that you had never been charged with a crime.
Even though you’ve done many things wrong in the past, you don’t have to let those mistakes define you. How you bounce back from those errors defines who you are.
Do not give up if you want to work as a flight attendant because you feel discouraged.
If you’re prepared to take the required plan to resolve your criminal history, it won’t be simple, but you can lead an honorable life that includes having the opportunity to work as a flight attendant.
Who Is a Flight Attendant?
A flight attendant attends to passengers’ routine needs and handles emergencies. The safety and security of aircraft passengers are the flight attendant’s responsibility.
You frequently provide emergency and safety equipment demonstrations as a flight attendant. You provide food, drinks, and snacks. Additionally, you would need to be equipped to handle crises and aid passengers in deplaning an aircraft.
Although there is much to it, it may be a fulfilling job.
What are the requirements to become a flight attendant?
You need a GED or high school diploma to work as a flight attendant. This isn’t always necessary because some airlines require a college degree.
Although some employers have more significant minimum age restrictions, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) states that you must be at least 18 years old. You must have 1 or 2 years of employment in a service sector and familiarity working with the general public simply due to the nature of the job.
You must also meet physical standards. The height range needed to access the overhead bins is 5’0″ to 5’11,” and you need to be able to adjust your eyesight to a minimum of 20/40.
Background Check for Airline
You must complete two background checks before working as a flight attendant: one for the airline and the other for the nation’s aviation authority.
For instance, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the United Kingdom are two examples.
The background check conducted by the airline is comparable to the one shown by any employer before hiring a new employee. The background checks are different for each airline and company; however, they typically involve looking into prior criminal convictions, including running a criminal background check to see if there have been any arrests, convictions, or warnings, administering a drug test, and frequently checking their credit score.
Airlines have to maintain strict standards for all of their employees.
The benefit of conducting a criminal background check, a drug test, and a credit check on prospective new hires is that airlines must ensure they uphold a good reputation and reduce the chance that one of their employees would get into difficulty and damage the airline’s reputation.
Background Check for Aviation Authority
The aviation authorities uphold the certification of all flight attendants. The Authority won’t renew your license, and you won’t be able to serve as a flight attendant if you don’t pass the background investigation conducted by the Aviation Authority.
Any prior convictions, including those involving an aircraft, serious offenses, felonies, or time served in jail, would disqualify you from working as a flight crew.
The airline will typically incorporate the same checks before you start working there because you have to undergo the Aviation Authority criminal check to qualify as a flight attendant.
Drug Test Before Employment
A complete drug test will be carried out before the Flight Crew training begins. Additionally, Flight Attendants will undergo sporadic drug and alcohol tests during their flying careers.
Positive outcomes frequently result in immediate termination.
Taking charge of numerous people’s safety is a duty that comes with being a flight attendant. Even a tiny amount of alcohol or drugs in your system can substantially impair your capacity to make decisions and carry out the necessary safety precautions.
The regulation of aircraft safety falls under the purview of the Aviation Authorities; there is no room for error. Remember that after you start flying, you won’t be allowed to take drugs because some drugs exit the body far more slowly than alcohol does; for instance, marijuana could stay on your head for up to three months after you smoke it.
Background Check for Flight Attendants
Background checks on flight attendants frequently go back ten years. Anything from the previous ten years that might be problematic for you should preferably be disclosed. It’s usually preferable to address any concerns you may have than to keep them to yourself and have them surface after the background check, as doing so could result in your termination from the position.
Failing to disclose something or lying about it could result in losing the job. Being truthful, assisting, and providing the same or more information when questioned about an occurrence is always preferable.
Verifying Prior Criminal Convictions: Is It Possible To Work As A Flight Attendant If You Have A Felony?
The most serious offenses you can commit are felonies. They come with significant fines and lengthy prison terms. Typically, a felony is defined as any sentence to more than one year in prison.
You cannot work as a flight attendant if you’ve ever been charged with a crime, and you would not be allowed to pass the airline or the Aviation Authority’s criminal record checks for a flight attendant.
Can Someone With A Misdemeanor Work As A Flight Attendant?
A felony is more severe than a misdemeanor. Less than one year in prison, transitory penalties, and lower fines are part of a misdemeanor.
Whether or not you be employed as a flight crew if you’ve committed a misdemeanor depends on the airline’s policy and the specifics of the offense. Any conviction may automatically disqualify you from employment with some airlines. However, other airlines might be more understanding in your specific situation, depending on what the misdemeanor was for when it occurred and other aspects.
Even if you were never imprisoned for a misdemeanor conviction during the previous ten years, you must disclose it on the Criminal History Check. Your misdemeanor will be recorded on the criminal record if you confess it or not.
Therefore, if you don’t disclose it, you merely come off as dishonest, and they won’t hire you. However, if you explain it, provide as much detail as you can, and state that it was a careless error that won’t happen again, you could still be able to land a job. It largely depends on your situation.
Do not attempt to conceal it, as they will discover it!
Can You Still Work As A Flight Attendant After A Violation?
Infractions are often the least serious sort of offense, and they are less severe than misdemeanors. They usually include breaking the law, but no jail time is involved, and it won’t appear on the criminal background. Typically, the punishment consists only of paying a fine. An infraction includes receiving a traffic ticket or doing other minor offenses like littering.
Because there is no evidence of it on your criminal record, you won’t need to disclose them during your background check as a flight attendant.
Can Someone With A DUI Work As A Flight Attendant?
Whether or not this poses an issue for you if you already have a DUI (drunk driving) on the record will depend on each airline’s policy. Some airlines may not allow this to prevent you from becoming a flight attendant, depending on the length of time since the offense, how much you were over the limit, and other factors.
Do not let a DUI on your driving record prevent you from applying. The airline will then decide if they wish to hire you or not.
Does the Felony’s Type Affect the Punishment?
The nature of the felony does matter, as you might anticipate. Let’s examine this problem.
The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) instituted a new procedure that mandates certification for flight attendants in 2003. You can’t work as a flight crew without accreditation. The FAA has implemented a new policy that prevents anyone who fails to obtain certification (and employment) as a flight crew.
The list of offenses the FAA has determined is significant enough to bar you from becoming certified as a flight crew is available here. This covers all felonies and violent crimes that might not be felonies.
Can Someone With A Poor Credit Score Still Work As A Flight Attendant?
Nowadays, credit checks are frequently included as part of background checks. Although airlines will have different standards, having a low credit score alone shouldn’t immediately bar you from working as a flight attendant.
Why did you fail the background check for flight attendants?
The background checks on some people will come up negative. Don’t worry; the aviation authority won’t necessarily bar you from working as a flight attendant because of it. The severity of your situation and circumstances will determine if you’ll be able to appeal your case, offer more information, or whether the airline is a little more forgiving. The aviation authority will evaluate each case separately on a case-by-case basis.
Conclusion:
We hope that by the end of this guide, all of your concerns about your query “Can you be a flight attendant with a felony” are clarified as we have tried to explain all aspects in the best possible manner. Airlines take into account various factors when doing their background checks on you. Ensuring the safety of every passenger aboard the plane is a significant obligation of a flight attendant; while conducting background checks, airlines and Aviation Authorities give your past much consideration. It’s always important to be up forward and honest about anything that can provide a problem for you. Give facts about your history in a transparent and forthright manner; the airlines will then decide in a just way. Withholding information could result in your immediate dismissal from the position, but voluntarily disclosing your background could result in you still being offered the chance to work as a flight attendant—provided you don’t have any criminal convictions.
It’s always best to try because you never realize if the airline would approve you or not. You’ll never know if you don’t try! Even if you fail, you’ll see that you tried your hardest!
