Flight attendants

This regulation establishes minimum flight attendant requirements for Part 121 air carriers based on aircraft size and seating capacity. Airlines must provide:

• One flight attendant for aircraft with 10-50 seats (if payload capacity exceeds 7,500 pounds) or 20-50 seats (if payload is 7,500 pounds or less)
• Two flight attendants for 51-100 seats
• Two flight attendants plus one more for every 50 seats (or fraction thereof) above 100 passengers

If an airline used extra flight attendants during its emergency evacuation demonstration, it must continue using at least that many attendants on that aircraft configuration going forward—even if it exceeds the minimum requirement.

During takeoff, landing, and taxi, required flight attendants must be positioned near floor-level exits, distributed throughout the cabin, and remain seated with restraints fastened (except for safety-related duties during taxi). These requirements ensure adequate staffing for emergency evacuations.

*This is a plain-English summary for study only. The official 14 CFR text on this page is controlling — always read the current regulation and consult a CFI.*