Since flight attendants technically (at least based on what the union is saying) are employed to provide a safe and secure flight to the passengers in case of an emergency -is there a certification or a test that the FA's undertake? I know they get training in procedures, but is there such a thing as a test to ensure that the FA's are fit for the job (is any airline doing this)?

Recently i've been travelling with some FA's that have looked really frail and i've begun to wonder if they really can perform their duties in case of an emergency.

inquiring minds would like to know....

The short answer is yes. When I was at an airline they were required to push heavy objects in water and demonstrate a certain amount of fitness on other tasks like getting those doors open quickly! They have a lot of safety rules to learn and they were tested on them. There was a very high flunk out rate.

Oddly enough I do feel safer with the trained FAs on board.

Is this an ongoing requirement that the FA's have to pass on an annual basis or something that they just have to do when hired?
I can see an FA being able to accomplish strenuous tasks when in their 20's that may be nearly impossible when in their 60's.

From what I have heard, its not an ongoing thing. They qualify once when they start. I guess it is assumed they will always have the skills required.

Too lazy to do a search, but didn't a UA pilot 86 a 80ish year old FA a few years ago?

Although not the same as initial hire testing, all f/as must pass recurrent training each year, to make sure they still know all the safety rules, and can still perform evacuations, including opening those doors, which are even heavier than normal when armed.

Is this a FAA requirement or an airline specific rule?

While Air Tran FA's seem to be squared away and physically capable of performing their emergency duties, there are significant number of FA's working for the main line carriers who would be more of a safety risk than a safety aid "in the event of an emergency". I was shown the number of FA's over 70 a couple years ago...it's a big number. Why?

1. FA unions are based on seniority and they negotiate all aspects of the job, regardless of what is publicly reported.
2. The "Senior Betty's", as the more fragile FA's are referred to by their more capable sisters, vote in the largest numbers, do the negotiating, can bid for the easiest/best trips, and conduct/certify the annual recurrent training.

Result? The annual re-certification is a well known joke in the industry.

All certification requirements are set by the FAA. The number of hours of training, classroom time vs. hands-on training, written testing, practical testing with equipment/evacs, physical requirements, annual recurrent training, etc, etc. The guidelines and specifics are all up to the FAA, and they do send people around to airlines' training centers for monitoring.

The original poster asked about physical strength and whatnot, and there are some very basic assessments made during a FA's initial training cycle. After that, there is no physical exam of any kind. FA's can work forever so long as they can open the doors in the training department during annual recurrent training. Me personally...I think we should have some kind of physical exam once every few years. Nothing as stringent as the pilots go through, but there should be something imo.