When you picture a flight attendant, you probably think of someone super glamorous, jetting off to cool places all the time. But IRL? The job's tough—long hours, hard work, and the pay's kinda meh since they don't get paid for boarding, delays, or waiting between flights. Getting hired is no joke either: you usually need to speak at least two languages, have hospitality experience, and be cool with moving anywhere. Oh, and there's this height thing—airlines set a min and max. Sounds random, right? It's not about looks; it's all about safety.
Planes are cramped (especially the tiny ones), so the max height makes sure crew can zip around without bonking their heads. The min? So they can grab stuff from overhead bins on their own. Fun fact: they're *not* supposed to hoist your giant suitcase for you—that's a huge pet peeve for most. They'll help elderly folks or anyone injured, but otherwise, you're on your own. Those bins hold serious gear like fire extinguishers, med kits, and oxygen tanks. In an emergency, every second counts—no time to hunt down a taller coworker.
So what's the actual height deal? It varies by airline and their planes. Ranges from about 4'11" min to 6'4" max. QantasLink (Australia) has a low min of 5'0" for their small regional jets. Some Euro carriers like Norwegian or Air Europa want women at least 5'4" and guys 5'6". KLM and Lufthansa go up to 6'2" or 6'4" max.
Cool twist: Not every airline measures you like at a theme park. Some do a "reach test" instead. Cathay Pacific, for example, needs you to stretch to 6'8" (tiptoes allowed!). Shorter peeps can practice arm reaches to nail it—way fairer than just height. Bottom line: They test everyone hard to make sure they can handle the job and keep you safe up there.