Air France

Three main prerequisites: the CCA (Cabin Crew Attestation) obtained from an approved school, a valid aircrew medical certificate (carried out at a CEMPN or by a DGAC-approved doctor), and a TOEIC score sufficient to ensure fluent operational English.

Selection generally includes written tests (English, logic, comprehension), an individual interview, a group exercise or interview, and a role-play assessing behaviour and customer service sense — Air France assesses interpersonal skills as much as technical competence.

Each cabin crew member is attached to a main sector — short/medium-haul or long-haul (itself divided by geographic zones). In practice this sub-sectorisation remains flexible, and a change of sector is possible during one's career depending on operational needs.

The typical path runs from flight attendant/steward to Chef de Cabine (short-, medium- or long-haul), then Chef de Cabine Principal on long-haul exclusively. Some cabin crew subsequently move into training or ground management roles.

Pay combines a guaranteed minimum, flight and night hours worked, overnight allowances, and bonuses linked to rotation and sector. Air France is generally considered to offer a good balance between flying workload and pay level.