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Japan Airlines and ANA ground staff and cabin crew jobs are filled through a recruitment calendar that is quite different from what many overseas applicants expect. Japan Airlines (JAL) and ANA (All Nippon Airways) hire mostly through structured new-graduate intakes (新卒採用) that open once a year, plus shorter experienced-hire windows (中途採用 or career recruitment) that can open and close within a few weeks. Both airlines operate their main hubs at Haneda Airport and Narita International Airport, and both groups have scaled up hiring since air travel recovered. Understanding how these cycles work is the single most useful step for anyone hoping to wear a JAL or ANA uniform, whether at a check-in counter or in the cabin. These roles suit people who enjoy service work, can handle shift rosters and are serious about Japanese language and customer etiquette.
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The hiring companies are not always the airline itself. JAL group ground staff at Haneda and Narita are recruited by JAL Sky, which handles passenger service and station operations, while JAL (日本航空) recruits its own cabin crew through the JAL Group recruitment site. On the ANA side, ANA Airport Services recruits passenger service, ramp and operations staff at Haneda, ANA Narita Airport Services covers Narita, and ANA (全日本空輸) recruits cabin crew directly through its recruit pages. These companies regularly advertise ground staff and cabin crew positions, and openings appear on their official recruit sites during each recruitment season. This article does not confirm any live vacancy; please check the current listings on each official site before preparing an application.
A note on visas: ramp and baggage roles within these groups may potentially fit the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) Aviation field under airport ground handling, depending on exact duties and occupational classification. Check-in and gate roles are not part of that field’s listed duties, and cabin crew is not an SSW occupation at all, so the SSW route should not be seen as a path into the cabin.
JAL & ANA Ground Staff and Cabin Crew Jobs 2026 – Quick Overview
| Job Title | Ground Staff (Passenger Service), Cabin Crew |
| Country | Japan |
| Location | Haneda Airport (Tokyo) and Narita International Airport (Chiba) |
| Employers (examples) | JAL Sky, ANA Airport Services, ANA Narita Airport Services, Japan Airlines, ANA |
| Industry | Aviation – airline passenger service and in-flight service |
| Indicative Salary | Ground staff about ¥213,000 – ¥224,500; cabin crew about ¥270,000 – ¥280,000 including flight allowance (new-graduate figures) |
| Experienced Salary | Increases with tenure, grade and allowances; national survey data shows cabin crew of all ages averaging about ¥405,000 per month plus bonus |
| Education | Vocational school, junior college, technical college, university or graduate school for most new-graduate courses |
| Experience | None for new-graduate intake; prior service for experienced-hire windows |
| Japanese | High level, business and customer-service Japanese |
| Work Type | Full-time regular employment |
| Work Schedule | Shift rosters (ground) and flight rosters (cabin) |
| Accommodation | Applicants usually live within commuting range of the base airport |
| Overtime | Possible for ground staff during delays and peaks; cabin pay tied to flight hours |
What Does a Ground Staff Member and Cabin Crew Member Do?
Ground staff look after passengers from arrival at the terminal to the aircraft door, and cabin crew take over from that point until landing.
- Check in passengers and verify travel documents
- Accept checked baggage and explain fare or weight rules
- Manage boarding gates and make announcements in Japanese and English
- Rebook passengers affected by delays or cancellations
- Assist passengers who need wheelchairs or special help
- Coordinate with station operations on gate and timing changes
- Handle lost-and-found and arrival enquiries
- Carry out pre-flight safety checks of cabin equipment
- Give safety demonstrations and check seat belts and baggage storage
- Serve meals and drinks and run in-flight sales
- Respond to medical situations and in-flight emergencies
- Look after families, elderly travellers and unaccompanied children
- Complete flight reports and pass information to the next crew
- Represent the airline brand with consistent, polite service
Types of JAL & ANA Ground Staff and Cabin Crew Jobs
Ground Staff – Main Base Course (JAL Sky)
JAL Sky’s Main Base Course is the core ground staff (グランドスタッフ) track, centred on passenger service at the home airport. For the FY2027 intake JAL Sky planned about 150 Main Base hires.
Ground Staff – Global Field Course (JAL Sky)
The Global Field Course (総合職) is a smaller career track with a higher starting salary, with about 10 hires planned for FY2027.
Passenger Service Staff (ANA Airport Services / ANA Narita Airport Services)
The ANA airport companies hire passenger service staff for Haneda and Narita. ANA Narita Airport Services planned about 15 passenger hires and about 30 ground handling hires for FY2027.
Operations Management Staff
Both groups also recruit station operations or operations management staff who coordinate flights, gates and ground teams behind the scenes.
Cabin Crew – New Graduate (JAL and ANA)
The main entry route into the cabin is the annual new-graduate recruitment run by JAL (客室乗務職) and ANA, with crew based at Haneda for ANA’s new-graduate intake.
Cabin Crew – Experienced and Career Return
Both airlines have run short experienced-hire windows, and JAL also offers a “career return” track for former JAL crew.
Overseas-Based Cabin Crew (JAL)
JAL hires cabin crew locally at eight overseas bases: Bangkok, Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, Manila, London and Frankfurt. This is separate from Japan-based recruitment.
JAL & ANA Ground Staff and Cabin Crew Salary 2026
| Position | Indicative Monthly Salary |
| JAL Cabin Crew (new graduate) | ¥270,000 |
| ANA Cabin Crew (new graduate) | ¥280,000 |
| JAL Sky Ground Staff (Main Base Course) | ¥213,000 |
| ANA Airport Services Ground Staff | ¥224,500 |
| Ground Operations Staff | ¥230,000 |
Cabin crew figures combine base pay with a flight allowance of about ¥50,000 (JAL base ¥221,000 at about 70 flight hours a month; ANA bachelor’s base ¥232,901 at about 80 flight hours), while ground staff figures are published new-graduate starting pay, and actual earnings vary by employer, shift, allowances and overtime. All figures are indicative and do not represent a guaranteed salary.
JAL & ANA Ground Staff and Cabin Crew Jobs for Foreign Workers
For Japan-based cabin crew, the JAL and ANA requirements reviewed for this article do not state a nationality requirement. However, these are regular Japanese employment contracts, so in practice an applicant needs a residence status that permits the work, and applicants must live within commuting range of Haneda or Narita (ANA specifies within two hours by public transport). Strong Japanese is effectively essential because training and service are delivered in Japanese.
The SSW Aviation field covers airport ground handling (ramp, cargo and baggage handling, cabin cleaning, aircraft guidance) and aircraft maintenance. Within the JAL group, JAL Ground Service has hired SSW workers since FY2023. Passenger service counters and cabin crew are outside these listed duties, so applicants should not assume every vacancy qualifies for SSW.
For foreigners outside Japan who want a JAL cabin role, the overseas-base programme is the realistic option. JAL’s first Manila intake of 20 crew joined on January 24, 2025, selected from about 1,000 applicants, which shows how competitive these openings are.
Japanese Language Requirement
Japanese ability is central for both roles at JAL and ANA.
- Ground staff serve mostly Japanese-speaking passengers and use formal keigo daily
- Cabin crew training, safety procedures and announcements are run in Japanese
- JAL lists TOEIC 600+ (or GTEC LR 260+) as desirable for new-graduate cabin crew
- ANA lists TOEIC around 600 or GTEC Business around 260 as desirable
- JAL’s FY2027 terms may require a TOEIC L&R score at the time of entry
For SSW(i) ground handling roles, the standard is JFT-Basic A2 or above, or JLPT N4 or above.
Eligibility
- Graduate (or expected graduate) of a vocational school, junior college, technical college, university or graduate school for JAL new-graduate cabin crew
- Ability to live within commuting range of Haneda or Narita
- English ability at the levels listed as desirable by each airline (cabin crew)
- A residence status that permits regular employment in Japan, for non-Japanese applicants
- Willingness to work shifts, weekends and holidays
- Prior cabin experience for experienced-hire windows, as stated in each notice
Education Qualification
Both airlines recruit mainly from graduating students, so your education stage determines which recruitment window you enter.
- Final-year students apply in the new-graduate cycle for the following April
- Diploma, associate and bachelor’s graduates are all accepted for JAL cabin crew
- ANA pays slightly different starting rates by education level (¥224,999 for junior college or vocational, ¥232,901 for bachelor’s, ¥236,239 for graduate school, including a ¥30,000 job adjustment allowance)
- Tourism, hospitality or language studies help, but any major is generally acceptable
Daily Work of a Ground Staff Member
- Report for the shift and attend the morning or evening briefing
- Review the day’s flights, delays and special passenger notes
- Open check-in counters and confirm system access
- Check in passengers and accept their baggage
- Handle seat requests, upgrades and document checks
- Move to the gate and confirm boarding time with operations
- Announce and manage boarding in priority groups
- Reconcile passenger numbers and close the flight
- Assist arriving passengers with transfers or lost baggage
- Write handover notes for the next shift
Safety and security procedures, such as document verification and restricted-area rules, are followed at every step.
Working Hours
- Ground staff work rotating shifts that follow the flight schedule
- Early starts before the first departures and late finishes after the last arrivals
- Cabin crew work to monthly rosters with layovers on longer routes
- Flight allowances are linked to monthly flight hours
- Days off are rostered rather than fixed to weekends
Airline operations run from early morning to late night every day of the year, so irregular hours are part of the job.
Accommodation
- Japan-based applicants are expected to live within commuting range of their base
- Housing support depends on the company and employment terms
- Hotel accommodation is provided for cabin crew on layovers
- Commuting costs are commonly covered by an allowance
Check how any company housing or allowance is reflected in your salary deductions before accepting an offer.
Benefits
- Japanese social insurance coverage
- Flight allowances for cabin crew
- Shift and overtime allowances for ground staff
- Bonuses as set by each company
- Structured training programmes
- Uniforms provided
- Staff travel benefits are commonly offered in the airline industry
The exact package depends on your company, grade and contract.
Career Growth
Ground Staff → Senior Ground Staff → Team Leader → Supervisor
- Ground staff can move into operations or training roles
- The JAL Sky Global Field Course is designed as a broader career track
- Cabin crew progress through seniority to purser or chief roles
- JAL’s career return track allows former crew to rejoin
- Experience at a group company can help when internal positions open
Skills That Can Improve Your Chances
- Business-level Japanese and keigo
- A TOEIC score around 600 or above
- Hospitality, hotel or retail customer service experience
- Calm handling of complaints and disruptions
- Clear, friendly communication
- Teamwork across departments
- Good grooming and professional presentation
- Basic first aid knowledge
- A third language for international routes
- Strong time management for shift and roster work
Documents Required
- Online entry sheet (ES) completed on the recruit site
- Japanese-style CV and self-introduction
- Graduation certificate or expected-graduation certificate
- Academic transcripts
- TOEIC or GTEC score report
- Photographs meeting the stated specifications
- Residence card and passport, for non-Japanese applicants
Requirements differ between companies and between new-graduate and experienced windows.
How to Apply Online
Step 1: Prepare Your CV
Write your CV and entry sheet in Japanese, focusing on service experience and why you chose this airline.
Step 2: Describe Your Skills
Give real examples of teamwork, problem solving and customer care instead of listing adjectives.
Step 3: Gather Certificates
Keep graduation documents, transcripts and your TOEIC or GTEC score ready before the window opens.
Step 4: Check the Job Category
Use the JAL Group recruitment site for JAL and JAL Sky, and the ANA recruit pages for ANA and its airport companies, and confirm whether the posting is new-graduate or experienced.
Step 5: Complete Required Tests
Expect aptitude or web tests during screening, and SSW applicants for ramp roles must also pass the aviation skills test.
Step 6: Attend the Interview
Interviews usually run over several rounds and test your Japanese, service mindset and presentation.
Step 7: Review the Contract
Check base pay, allowances, training period terms and the starting date before signing.
Step 8: Complete Immigration Procedures
If you are not yet resident in Japan, confirm with the employer which residence status applies and complete the process before joining.
JAL & ANA Ground Staff and Cabin Crew Jobs 2026 – FAQs
When do JAL and ANA usually open cabin crew recruitment?
New-graduate recruitment opens once a year ahead of an April start, for example ANA’s FY2026 cycle opened on March 1, 2025. Experienced windows are announced separately.
What is the difference between 新卒 and 中途 recruitment?
新卒 is the annual new-graduate intake for students, while 中途 is mid-career recruitment for people with work experience, often with a much shorter application window.
How quickly do experienced-hire windows close?
Sometimes very quickly. ANA’s experienced cabin crew recruitment announced on June 2, 2025 closed on June 18, so keep documents ready in advance.
Can I become JAL or ANA cabin crew through the SSW visa?
No. Cabin crew is not an SSW occupation; SSW Aviation covers ground handling and aircraft maintenance only.
Is this a guaranteed job offer?
No. This article only explains how recruitment typically works; selection is decided by the employers.
Should I pay someone to submit my application?
Never pay unlicensed agents. JAL and ANA group companies take applications through their official recruit sites.
Are recruitment numbers the same every year?
No. JAL planned about 700 new-graduate cabin crew for April 2025 but about 300 for 2027, so intake sizes change with each cycle.
Can I apply to both JAL Sky and ANA Airport Services?
They are separate companies with separate selection processes, so check each company’s terms before applying to both.
Final Words
JAL and ANA careers reward applicants who understand the calendar. Learn which window fits you, prepare your Japanese and TOEIC early, and watch the official recruit sites closely so you are ready the moment a new cycle opens.
Disclaimer: All salary figures mentioned in this article are indicative estimates based on general industry patterns and may vary by employer, location, experience, and contract terms. They do not represent a guaranteed salary, job offer, or visa approval. This website is not affiliated with Japan Airlines or ANA.