KLM Flight Attendant Salary and Benefits

KLM Airlines offers a lot of opportunities for those who are worthy to become one of their team members. If you’re a fresh graduate or someone who doesn’t have any experience yet, you might want to try your luck with KLM Airlines as they are a company that provides great benefits and a great working environment as well. KLM has a solid reputation for offering different destinations and high-quality services. Skytrax has awarded KLM a 4-Star rating for onboard and airport service and quality. As a Flight Attendant working for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, you will get the chance to earn a gross starting pay of €2,338.27 per month ($2,624.24). This rate is according to KLM Career website. Earning as an FA is limitless since you still get bonuses, stock options, commissions, profit sharing, and tips all of which may add up to your compensation.

In a previous post, we’ve shared with you some of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ basic requirements for the flight attendant position such as age, physical restrictions, proficiency in swimming, and in some languages. If you want to become a part of their aviation company, you must also possess other customer service skills such as enthusiasm, helpfulness, a positive attitude, and more.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the national airline of The Netherlands. The airline is based in Amstelveen and has a hub at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. It is a subsidiary of Air France-KLM and a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. KLM was founded in 1919 and is the world’s oldest running airline, with 35,488 employees and a fleet of 110 (excluding subsidiaries) as of 2021. KLM serves 145 locations with scheduled passenger and cargo routes. So if this is your airline of choice as a career hub, here are the benefits you will probably get as soon as you get hired.

klm crew on duty
Image: KLM

Cash Salary Breakdown

  • Basic Salary –  Currently, there are no publicized details regarding the basic salary of FAs in this airline. Though there is a provided gross pay per month through the airline’s career website. The published rate is a gross starting pay of €2,338.27 per month ($2,624.24).
  • Flying Pay – Currently, there are no provided rates for the FA’s flying pay at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. This flying pay is also known as per hourly rate. As an FA you will be paid for every hour you fly on air at a specific rate.
  • Layover Allowance – Currently, there are no publicized per diem pay or layover allowance for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines cabin crews. The per diem pay is intended to cover the expenses of all your meals and other necessities during a stopover.
klm flight crew in cabin
Image: KLM

Benefits

  • Medical Insurance – Flight Attendants are covered with comprehensive medical insurance. Some airlines even pay a significant portion of the expense, making the monthly premium for medical and prescription drug coverage for employees and their families very low and reasonable. As a KLM Royal Dutch Airline FA, you will be elligible for health and life insurance, as well as dental care.
  • Pension – As a KLM Royal Dutch Airline employee, you may also be eligible for a retirement plan tailored to your employee group and intended to provide better financial stability. This type of benefit is not just for you, but your family.
  • Daily Allowance – Flight Attendants at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines get daily allowance when on location or assigned destination.
  • Profit Sharing – A profit-sharing plan allows FAs to receive a portion of their company’s profits based on quarterly or annual earnings. It is up to the airline to determine how much of its profits to distribute. Contribution percentage to a profit-sharing plan are made solely by the corporation; employees are not permitted to make them.
  • Travel Allowance and Discounts – Flight Attendants at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines gets travel allowance and discounts on hotels, car rentals, etc.

Working at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

If you’re just starting out your career, KLM Airlines is a great company to start your flight attendant journey with. Assuming that you’ll be a complete newbie, don’t be afraid to ask your colleagues if there are anything you need help with as the employees in this company strives to help each and everyone by offering support to one another.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines offers the successful candidates with a contract for a full-time employment. However, you won’t be starting right away when you’re hired by the company. Usually, they will require you first to undergo a basic course which will help you to learn everything you need to know as KLM Airlines’ cabin crew.

Video: KLM Intern On A Mission – Cabin Attendant For A Day – Part 1

To see exactly what a life of a KLM Flight Attendant looks like, here is a video that will bring you inside. As an FA, you need to know the entire process of starting the day. This career might be very fashionable and luxurious to see, but there is a lot of work you need to do in here. Exert effort, passion, and time to become one of the best FAs in your fleet.

How to be a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Flight Attendant

KLM Airlines is a company that not only focuses on their customers but also pays attention to their employees. This aviation company holds their employee’s hand and guides them throughout the learning process until they can already perform their duties on their own.

The work environment is ideal for everyone because of the great leadership skills of the management. Workers know how to work efficiently together and support their fellow colleagues which have been an important factor to KLM’s success.

If you think you have what it takes to become one of the team, then you should definitely try your luck and impress them with your resume. For the meantime, here are the qualities KLM Airlines is looking for in a candidate:

Basic Requirements

  • At least 21 years of age
  • With a height measurement of between 1.58 cm and 1.90 cm
  • Can swim well without the aid of a floatation device
  • Has a HAVO/MBO4 diploma
  • Proficient in English and Dutch
  • Has no visible tattoo, piercing, or tooth decorations
  • Can work full-time
  • Willing to relocate

Other Requirements

  • Enthusiastic and helpful
  • Possess a positive attitude
  • Has a decent/professional look
  • Prepared to wear the KLM uniform and respect the regulations
  • Energetic and responsible
  • Flexible

Job Application with KLM Airlines

One of the best things about this airline company is that their doors are open to both the experienced professionals and newbies or beginners in this kind of career. So if you’re lucky to be given the opportunity to work for them, you can always ask your colleagues or mentors for some tips and bits of advice to help you kick-start your flight attendant career!

KLM Airlines encourages their crews to help another in any way possible to have a better teamwork for the day-to-day operations. What more could anyone ask for, no?

Preliminary Screening

The moment you have successfully sent it your application, you’ll receive an e-mail stating that the company has indeed received it as an official confirmation. Afterward, their recruitment team will assess whether your credentials and skills match the position that you’re applying for.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia (Under CC)

Initial Interview

Within two weeks after you have received the e-mail confirmation, you will receive an update regarding the status of your application. If you’ve been shortlisted, the company will invite you to meet them for the initial interview with the recruiter and one of the managers.

Background Check

The company will then course a security check and additional assessment as you move on to the next stages.

Follow-up Interview

If KLM Airlines saw you as a strong candidate for the job, they will invite you for the follow-up interview to further know you better, and vice versa. This is an opportunity for you to ask questions if you’d like. The interviews usually happen at Schiphol Airport, or any nearby place, so it will be good to familiarize yourself with the area.

This part of the application is the most crucial because if you’re cleared for the security check and have impressed the recruiters, they will gladly hand you an employment contract and give you details about the things you’ll need to do or prepare before having you onboard.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does KLM have strong ties?

KLM is a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, which provides travelers with even more options by operating 1,063 destinations in 173 countries. Transavia and Martinair are entirely owned subsidiaries of the KLM Group. Transavia is the Netherlands’ top low-cost airline, carrying about 9 million passengers in 2018 from Amsterdam, Eindhoven, and Rotterdam. The airline have built strong partnerships over the decades of its existence.

2. As a trainee, am I going to receive a holiday or per diem pay?

Most of the time trainees do not receive any holiday or per diem pay, this is because the said benefit is only allotted for “employees.” If you were just in the training phase, you are not eligible for this type of benefit.

3. How many locations does KLM serve?

The world is at your fingertips with KLM serving over 150 destinations and a network of over 500 destinations, and this is all made possible throught its global partnerships.

4. What is the difference of Gross pay and Net pay?

Employees’ “gross pay” is what you earn before taxes, benefits, and other payroll deductions that are will be deducted from their salary. Net pay, often known as “take-home pay, is the amount left over after all withholdings deducted. So the mentioned monthly pay in KLM Career page tends to be the amount you will earn before taxes and other deduction.

5. Where is this airline located?

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the national carrier of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen and has its main hub at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

klm crew and pilots
Image: KLM

Summary

Based on the given data of KLM Career’s website,a Flight Attendant working for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines can earn a gross starting pay of €2,338.27 per month ($2,624.24). KLM is the world’s oldest airline that still operates under its original name. KLM and KLM Cityhopper are the heart of the KLM Group. This airline provides direct connections to significant economic centers throughout the world with a wide network of 92 European locations and 70 intercontinental destinations.