Ryanair cabin crew interview guide

How Ryanair hires cabin crew: an application, an online English test, an online or recruitment-day interview, then a training course.

About Ryanair

Ryanair Holdings plc calls itself "Europe's largest airline group" and "the parent company of Buzz, Lauda, Malta Air, Ryanair & Ryanair UK", with "a team of 30,000 aviation professionals".¹ Across the group, Ryanair says it carries c.216m guests a year on approximately 3,800 daily flights from 95 bases, connecting over 220 airports in 35 countries with almost 650 aircraft.¹

In the year to 31 March 2026, Ryanair reported record profit after tax of €2.26bn before exceptional items, up 40% on €1.61bn. Revenue rose 11% to €15.54bn and passengers grew 4% to 208.4m, at a 94% load factor.²

The interview process

As Ryanair's cabin crew careers page lays it out, in four steps.³

1. Apply

   Ryanair's first step is to "Submit application to one of the many Cabin Crew roles across our growing network".³

2. Online assessmentEnglish test

   This step depends on your application. Ryanair says: "If we think you'll be a good fit for the role. You will be sent a link to complete an online English test."³ It explains that the test "is a requirement to ensure you can effectively communicate with our guests".³

3. InterviewOnline or in person

   There are two routes. Ryanair says: "You will be invited to complete an online interview at a time that suits you" "or come along to one of our local recruitment days to complete an interview in person".³

4. Course registration

   "If you are successful at the interview, you'll be invited to take part in an upcoming training course", held "across our network".³ Ryanair adds that its "ID and Training teams will also be in touch to update you on all the essential information".³

Ryanair's careers site also lists a Cabin Crew Recruitment Day at London Stansted Airport on 27 October 2026.⁴ The listing says: "Cabin Crew International, recruitment partner of Ryanair Group are currently recruiting for Cabin Crew in Stansted."⁴ The SmartRecruiters page behind its Apply button states: "This Recruitment Event will be held by our official Cabin Crew Recruitment Partner - Cabin Crew International."⁵ Attendance is by invitation: "You will be invited to attend once your application has been reviewed."⁴

The same Stansted listing describes training. Your route to qualifying starts on a 6-week training course "where you will learn all of the fundamental skills that you will require as part of your day-to-day role".⁴ "During the course you will be required to study with exams taking place at regular intervals," and "the training culminates with Supernumerary flights, followed by your Cabin Crew Wings."⁴

What the Stansted listing asks for

Experience is not on the list. The Stansted listing says: "No experience is required, just bags of enthusiasm & team spirit!"⁴ It does set these requirements.⁴

• Height. You must be approximately between 157 cm and 188 cm tall.⁴
• Swimming. You must be able to swim 25 metres unaided, and support someone else.⁴
• English. "Comfortable speaking and writing in English with the ability to successfully pass an English Language Assessment".⁴
• Right to work. "Applicants must hold the unrestricted right to live and work in the UK and / or travel freely throughout the Ryanair Network".⁴

Rosters and the advertised terms

• Shifts. The Stansted listing mentions crew who "report for duty as early as 5 am in the morning on the early roster" and who do "not return home until midnight on the afternoon roster". It lists a "Fixed 5 days on / 3 days off roster pattern".⁴
• The Stansted contract. The role is listed as "Employment Type: Full-time" and "Contract Type: Fixed Term".⁴
• Stansted benefits, in the listing's words. "Free Internationally recognised Cabin Crew Training Course", "Paid training allowance", "A once off Joining Bonus of £1200" and "Uncapped Sales bonus, increasing your earning potential". The listing gives no base salary figure.⁴
• Perks on the main careers page. These include "Allowances paid during initial training", "Paid training (base dependent)", "Unlimited staff travel benefits", "Excellent career progression- Eligible to be Supervisor after 1 year!" and "95+ bases with opportunities to be based locally or abroad". That page gives no salary figure either.³

Practice questions

Toby wrote these for practice. They are not Ryanair's questions. Each one ties to something Ryanair's own pages stress.

How to prepare

1. Check the hard requirements before you apply. The Stansted listing sets an approximate height range, a 25-metre swim while supporting someone else, and an unrestricted right to live and work in the UK and / or travel freely across the network.⁴
2. Treat the English test as part of the interview. Ryanair says it uses the test to make sure you can communicate effectively with guests.³ Read aloud, write short emails and practise explaining things simply.
3. Know both interview routes. Ryanair describes an online interview at a time that suits you, or an in-person interview at a local recruitment day.³ For Stansted, you are invited once your application has been reviewed.⁴
4. Bring enthusiasm and team spirit. Those are what the Stansted listing asks for in place of experience.⁴ Prepare two or three short stories from work, study or volunteering that show both.
5. Be ready to talk about the hours. The listing mentions 5 am report times and getting home at midnight, on a fixed 5 days on, 3 days off pattern.⁴ Think through how you would manage that before you are asked.
6. Plan for study after an offer. The Stansted listing's 6-week course has exams at regular intervals.⁴
7. Rehearse out loud. Answer each practice question above in under two minutes, then tighten the examples that ran long.

Worth mentioning in the interview

These are group-wide figures and plans, not UK-specific.

• For Summer 2026, Ryanair opened 3 new bases, in Rabat, Tirana and Trapani, and 130 new routes.¹
• Ryanair said the group recorded "a record 91% customer satisfaction (CSAT) score" in the quarter to June 2026, up 2% points on a year earlier.¹
• Ryanair says "FY27 traffic remains on track to grow 4% to 216m passengers". Its fleet of 647 aircraft includes all 210 B-8200 "Gamechangers", and it expects its first 15 MAX-10s in Spring 2027.¹
• In the quarter to June 2026, profit after tax fell 34% to €538m from €820m, as the price of the 20% of its jet fuel that was unhedged spiked and fares fell 6%. Passengers grew 6% to 61.3m and revenue rose 1% to €4.38bn.¹
• Ryanair's Q1 outlook cites "significant crew pay increases under new multi-year CLAs" among its cost pressures for FY27.¹
• On 19 June 2026, Ryanair's Board confirmed a contract under which Michael O'Leary will remain Group CEO until April 2032.⁶

Quick answers

More interview guides

• British Airways cabin crew interview guide
• easyJet cabin crew interview guide
• Jet2 cabin crew interview guide
• All cabin crew interview guides

Sources

1. RYANAIR Q1 PAT FALLS 34% TO €538M AS UNHEDGED OIL PRICES SPIKE. TRAFFIC GROWS 6% AT LOWER FARESRyanair investor relations · 20 Jul 2026
2. RYANAIR 2025-26 PAT RISES 40% TO €2.26BN (PRE-EXCEPT.) TRAFFIC GROWS 4% TO 208M DESPITE BOEING DELAYSRyanair investor relations · 18 May 2026
3. Cabin CrewRyanair Careers
4. Cabin Crew Recruitment Day - Stansted - 27th October 2026Ryanair Careers
5. Cabin Crew Recruitment Day - Stansted - 27th October 2026 (Ryanair Group Holdings, SmartRecruiters)SmartRecruiters
6. RYANAIR AGREES CEO CONTRACT TO APRIL 2032Ryanair · 19 Jun 2026

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