After all your interview prep, you then get through the interview process and are finally given a date to attend training!
After all the months of preparation, it is time to go to training!
It can be an incredibly daunting experience, knowing all the information that you are about to ingest, but the reward of getting your wings pinned (meaning you’re officially a flight attendant) is one of the best feelings in the world.
Trust me, I still remember it like it was yesterday for me. But it was 8 years ago already!
Where Is the Delta Flight Attendant Training Held?
Delta flight attendant training is held in Atlanta, Georgia.
It takes place at Delta’s headquarters, located close to the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.
Delta has a state of the art training facility where the flight attendant training takes place.
How Long Is Delta Flight Attendant Training?… Is Training Paid?
Flight attendant training will last anywhere from six to eight weeks.
It has changed over the years, but current training sessions are six weeks.
Training is paid while you are there.
The amount is an hourly rate. An equation explaining the training pay is given to trainees on the first day of training explaining how the numbers are decided.
Are Food and Accommodation Provided?
During your time at flight attendant training, accommodation for the duration of your training will be provided.
Food is not provided, but there are food options available to trainees while attending classes at the training center.
What Is the Dress Code? What to Pack?
The dress code for flight attendant training is business casual.
Black slacks, collared white shirts, and similar things are what you should expect to pack.
Trainees will be given a formal list of items that are required once they are given a training date by Delta.
The list will include all the required pieces that will be needed to attend training.
Aside from what you will wear while at the training center, personal care items will also be needed.
These are things like: shampoo, conditioner, face wash, and things of that sort.
Trainees will also need to pack some casual clothes for when you are not in training sessions and for your off days.
Some other items that might be required are a working wrist-watch and closed toed shoes.
Other personal items like phone chargers, electronics, and items wanted for your off time may also be brought along.
Read more: What to pack for your flight attendant training (Packing List included)
What’s an Average Schedule Day at Training?
Your day-to-day life at the training center will vary.
Each week there will be a different theme with the content you are going over.
One week will be wide body aircrafts, another will be narrowbody aircrafts, and another week will cover customer service standards.
While the content will change from week to week, most of the days will be the same. Training days are roughly twelve hours from start to finish.
6 am to 6 pm, 8 am to 8 pm, 10 am to 10 pm, or 12 am to 12 pm.
They are long days, and a lot of information will be given to you.
You will be in class for six days a week, with one day off per week.
Sometimes some days will be shorter, allowing you to leave earlier than usual, giving you a half day off. This will depend on the class, and whether or not you are able to get through the necessary information that day.
Although the days are long, trainees are often given breaks throughout the day, and are given a time for lunch or dinner, depending on what section they are in.
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How Hard is Training?
Delta flight attendant training is not overtly hard, but it is a lot of information in a short amount of time.
Which can be hard for some people depending on learning styles.
The FAA requires that trainees maintain an 80% average through their training period, however, Delta requires a 90% average to successfully complete their training program.
Studying will be something trainees have to expect to do.
From experience, the training is not meant to make you fail.
Your instructors are there to help guide and support you and they want to see you succeed.
If you don’t know something or need clarification, don’t be afraid to ask questions.
If your instructors say something more than once or repeat something, chances are it is something that you are going to need to know down the line!
And as important as the information is, it is also important to take care of yourself.
You will be learning a lot of information while you are there – it can be exhausting and overwhelming at times.
It is vital to make sure you take care of yourself and get a good amount of sleep.
The long days and information overload can really be a large learning curve, so be sure to take care of yourself both mentally and physically.
This will allow for greater success in the training program.
Recommended Steps Before Starting Delta Flight Attendant Training
Going to flight attendant training can be a very daunting task.
The days will seem long and scary from afar, but the reward is so worth the path to get there!
- It is a long journey to get to training, but it is important to follow every step that the company gives you prior to your arrival.
- It is also imperative to follow the shopping guidelines for the attire that you will need when you go to training.
- One thing that can be useful for training is to build up a financial cushion while you are at training. Although you are paid while you are attending training, it is not as much as people think sometimes. By having a small amount of savings saved before you arrive, it can help keep you less stressed while you attend training.
When Do You Get To Choose Your Base? What Choices Are You Given?
One exciting part about training is the fact that you will get to decide what base you will go to once you graduate from training.
You will choose your base within the first week that you are in training.
The options that you get for bases will be based on the operation and where flight attendants are needed.
Usually, the bases that are needed are in large cities, like Atlanta, New York, Boston or Detroit.
As classes go through training and graduate, some of these bases will fill up.
The airline will tell you what options are available to you within the first few days. (After three months, you have the option to transfer out if there are openings in another base. But you will have one base for your first three months of flying.)
They let you choose your base fairly early in the training process so that it will allow you to be able to find a place to live within the base by the time that you get there.
💡 My tip: once you know your base, start to try to find flight attendants who are based there or flight attendant groups on Facebook. These FAs or groups can help you find good areas to live that are close to the airport or availability at crashpads.
Read more: Crashpads for Flight Attendants: Ultimate Guide
Once You Finish the Training, What Is the Time Frame to Actually Start Working at Your Assigned Base?
After you graduate training, you will report to your base within a few days.
It is usually somewhere between three and five days where you will report.
Within your first few days, you will have some meetings with managers and new hire mentors.
They will help get you acclimated with the base and start getting you out on the line.
You will be on probation for six months after you graduate from training.
You will have monthly meetings with your manager, and these meetings are designated to help make sure you are performing well!
How Long Is the Probation Period?
The probation period for Delta flight attendants is six months.
After the six month mark, you are free and clear of any probationary period.
Conclusion
Flight attendant training at Delta Airlines is where you learn to evacuate airplanes in an emergency, learn the service flow for a transoceanic flight, and where you spend hours and hours with other hopeful trainees.
It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You will be put into a class of 20 or so people and spend the majority of the next six weeks with these people. It will seem like a short time, but these people will quickly become family to you because you all go through something that really makes you bond with one another. I met some of my best friends during my time at flight attendant training.
Your life is going to change in many ways when you are at training and will change even more once you get on the line and start flying, but there is nothing like crossing that stage in your new uniform and getting those wings pinned onto you!
I remember getting my wings pinned by my mentor and it is still a memory I cherish to this day.
It is going to be hard work, but the reward will be worth it! Make sure that you have fun and keep your eyes pointed towards the sky. You can do it!
