• Nature of the Industry
• Working Conditions
• Employment
• Occupations in the Industry
• Training and Advancement
• Outlook
• Earnings
• Sources of Additional Information

Significant Points:

• Although flight crews—pilots and flight attendants—are the most visible occupations, the vast majority of the industry's employees work in ground occupations.
• Senior pilots for major airlines are among the highest paid workers in the Nation.
• A bachelor�s degree is increasingly required or preferred for most pilot and flight attendant jobs.
• Job prospects generally are better in regional and low-fare carriers than in major airlines, where competition for many jobs is keen; a unique benefit—free or reduced-fare transportation for airline employees and their immediate families—attracts many jobseekers.

Air travel in the United States grew at a rapid pace until 2001, expanding from 172 million passengers in 1970 to nearly 642 million in 2003. However, over the next 3 years, a combination of factors—including the events of September 11, 2001, and an economic recession—combined to reduce traffic to 1996 levels. Nevertheless, air travel remains one of the most popular modes of transportation.

Airlines transport passengers and freight over regularly scheduled routes or on routes, called �charters,� specifically designed for a group of travelers or a particular cargo. Several classes of airlines function in the United States. As of 2004, there were 15 major airlines—12 passenger and 3 all cargo—which the U.S. Department of Transportation defines as having operating revenues of more than $1 billion. The largest of these, often called the Big Six, generally have a �hub� and also fly internationally. A hub is a centrally located airport designated by an airline to receive a large number of its flights from many locations, and at which passengers can transfer to flights to any of the locations served by the airline�s system. In this way, the greatest number of passengers, from as many locations as possible, can be served in the most efficient way with a given set of resources.

In competition with the Big Six are low-cost, low-fare carriers. These carriers have traditionally not used hub and spoke systems and have offered flights between limited numbers of cities. They primarily have focused on flying shorter routes (400 miles or less) and on serving leisure travelers. But some low-fare carriers are expanding their routes to include longer transcontinental and nonstop flights. These moves have helped low-fare carriers expand their customer base to include more business travelers.

Another type of passenger airline carrier is the commuter or regional carrier. As of 2004, there were approximately 75 of these carriers. Regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul scheduled airline service connecting smaller communities with larger cities and with hubs. Some of the largest regional carriers are subsidiaries of the major airlines, but most are independently owned, often contracting their services to the majors. The regional airlines� fleet consists primarily of smaller 19- to 68-seat turboprop and 40- to 70-seat jet aircraft. The regional airlines are the fastest growing segment of commercial aviation with 1 out of every 7 domestic airline passengers flying on a regional airline during at least part of his or her trip.

Air cargo is another sector of the airline industry. Cargo can be carried in cargo holds of passenger airlines or on aircraft designed exclusively to carry freight. Cargo carriers in this industry do not provide door-to-door service. Instead, they provide only air transport from an airport near the cargo�s origin to an airport near the cargo�s destination. Companies that provide door-to-door delivery of parcels either across town or across the continent are classified in the couriers and messengers industry.

Most sectors of the airline industry were in a downturn in 2002, with several passenger airlines having declared bankruptcy and others on the verge of doing so. After 6 relatively successful years in the late 1990s, fueled by an increase in passenger volume and a booming economy, the growth in airline passenger traffic began to slow in 2001, coinciding with the economic recession. After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, passenger traffic dropped steeply, causing airlines to cut flights, lay off workers, and park surplus aircraft. Although passenger volume has since recovered somewhat, the growth rate in the industry will likely continue to be depressed for several years.

As the low-fare airlines continue to compete and gain market share over the higher-cost major airlines, and as passenger traffic remains lower, managing costs has become more critical to the survival of some airlines. Labor costs are the airlines� largest cost component—amounting to over 40 percent of some airlines� operating costs—and reducing these costs is a key part of the recovery plans of several major airlines. Reducing costs usually involves getting their constituent labor groups to restructure their wages, benefits, and work rules while continuing to improve labor productivity.

The airline industry faces many challenges in the future. Airlines must focus on cost control, cash preservation, and cautious growth. The goal of the industry is to be prepared to respond quickly to economic recovery. Passenger volume should slowly improve, but it will take longer for rapid employment growth to return to the air transportation industry.

Working conditions in air transportation vary widely, depending on the occupation. Most employees work in fairly comfortable surroundings, such as offices, terminals, or airplanes. However, mechanics and others who service aircraft are subject to excessive noise, dirt, and grease and sometimes work outside in bad weather.

In 2003, the air transportation industry had 11.0 injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers, compared with 5.0 throughout private industry. Virtually all work-related fatalities resulted from transportation accidents.

Airlines operate flights at all hours of the day and night. As a result, many workers have irregular hours or variable work schedules. Flight and ground personnel, including mechanics and reservation and transportation ticket agents, may have to work at night or on weekends or holidays. Flight personnel may be away from their home bases frequently. When they are away from home, the airlines provide them with hotel accommodations, transportation between the hotel and airport, and an allowance for meals and expenses. Flight attendants typically fly from 65 to 85 hours a month. In addition to flight time, they have about 50 hours a month of duty time between flights.

Flight crews, especially those on international routes, often suffer jet lag—disorientation and fatigue caused by flying into different time zones. Because employees must report for duty well rested, they must allow ample time to rest during their layovers.

The air transportation industry provided 515,000 wage and salary jobs in 2004. Most employment is found in larger establishments—2 out of 3 jobs are in establishments with 1,000 or more workers. However, 86 percent of all establishments employ fewer than 50 workers (chart 1).

Most air transportation jobs are at large airports that are located close to cities and that serve as hubs for major airlines.

Although pilots and flight attendants are the most visible occupations in this industry, two-thirds of all employees in air transportation work in ground occupations (table 1). Two of the largest ground occupations are aircraft mechanics and service technicians and reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks.

Aircraft mechanics and service technicians service, inspect, and repair planes. They may work on several different types of aircraft, such as jet transports, small propeller-driven airplanes, or helicopters. Many mechanics and technicians specialize, working on the airframe (the body of the aircraft) or the powerplant (the engines) or avionics (the parts of an aircraft that depend on electronics, such as navigation and communication equipment). In small, independent repair shops, they usually inspect and repair many different types of aircraft.

Some mechanics and technicians specialize in scheduled maintenance required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Following a schedule based on the number of hours flown, calendar days, cycles of operation, or a combination of these factors, mechanics inspect the engines, landing gear, instruments, and other parts of aircraft and perform necessary maintenance and repairs.

A reservation and transportation ticket agent is most often the first employee that passengers meet after entering the airport. Ticket agents work at airport ticket counters and boarding gates and use computers to provide customer service to incoming passengers. They can make and confirm reservations, sell tickets, and issue boarding passes. They also may work in call centers, answering phone inquiries about flight schedules and fares, verifying reservations, issuing tickets, and handling payments. Customer service representatives assist passengers, check tickets when passengers board or disembark from an airplane, and check luggage at the reception area and ensure that it is placed on the proper carrier. They assist elderly or handicapped persons and unaccompanied children in claiming personal belongings and baggage, and in getting on and off the plane. They also may provide assistance to passengers who become ill or injured.

Other ground occupations include airplane cargo agents, baggage handlers, and aircraft cleaners. Airplane cargo agents take orders from shippers and arrange for transportation of their goods. Baggage handlers, classified under laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand, are responsible for loading and unloading passengers� baggage. They stack baggage on specified carts or conveyors to see that it gets to the proper destination and also return baggage to passengers at airline terminals. Aircraft cleaners clean aircraft interiors after each flight.

Flight crewmembers make up 33 percent of air transportation employment, and include pilots and flight attendants. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers are highly trained professionals who fly and navigate jet and turboprop airplanes. Generally, the most experienced pilot, or captain, is in command and supervises all other crewmembers. The pilot and copilot split flying and other duties, such as communicating with air traffic controllers and monitoring the instruments. Some aircraft have a third pilot in the cockpit—the flight engineer or second officer—who assists the other pilots by monitoring and operating many of the instruments and systems and watching for other aircraft. Most new aircraft are designed to be flown without a flight engineer. Small aircraft and helicopters that transport passengers and cargo and perform activities such as crop-dusting, monitoring traffic, firefighting, and rescue missions are flown and navigated by commercial pilots.

Airline flights must have one or more flight attendants on board, depending on the number of passengers. The attendants� most important function is assisting passengers in the event of an emergency. This may range from reassuring passengers during occasional encounters with strong turbulence to opening emergency exits and inflating escape chutes. More routinely, flight attendants instruct passengers in the use of safety and emergency equipment. Once in the air, they serve meals and snacks, answer questions about the flight, distribute magazines and pillows, and help care for small children and elderly and disabled persons. They also may administer first aid to passengers who become ill.

The airline industry also relies on many management, professional, and administrative support workers to keep operations running smoothly.

The skills and experience needed by workers in the air transportation industry differ by occupation. Some jobs may be entered directly from high school, while others require specialized training. Most positions in the airline industry involve extensive customer service contact, requiring strong interpersonal and communication skills. Mechanics and pilots require specialized formal training and must be certified by the FAA. Skills for many other air transportation occupations can be learned on the job or through company-sponsored training.

Pilots must have a commercial pilot�s license with an instrument rating, must have a medical certificate, and must be certified to fly the types of aircraft that their employer operates. For example, helicopter pilots must hold a commercial pilot�s certificate with a helicopter rating. Pilots receive their flight training from the military or from civilian flying schools. Physical requirements are strict. A medical exam, from an FAA-designated physician, must be taken to get a medical certificate. With or without glasses, pilots must have 20/20 vision and good hearing and be in excellent health. In addition, airlines generally require 2 years of college and increasingly prefer or require a college degree. Pilots who work for smaller airlines may advance to flying for larger companies. They also can advance from flight engineer to copilot to captain and, by becoming certified, to flying larger planes.

Applicants for flight attendant jobs must be in excellent health. Employers increasingly prefer applicants who have a college degree and experience in dealing with the public. Speaking a foreign language also is an asset. Airlines operate flight attendant training programs on a continuing basis. Training usually lasts from 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the size and the type of carrier, and may include crew resource management, which emphasizes teamwork and safety. Courses also are provided in personal grooming and weight control. After completing initial training, flight attendants must go through additional training and pass an FAA safety exam each year in order to continue flying. Advancement opportunities are limited, although some attendants become customer service directors, instructors, or recruiting representatives.

When hiring aircraft mechanics, employers prefer graduates of aircraft mechanic trade schools, particularly those who gained experience in the military and are certified. Additionally, employers prefer mechanics who are in good physical condition and able to perform a variety of tasks. After being hired, aircraft mechanics must keep up to date on the latest technical changes and improvements in aircraft and associated systems. Most mechanics remain in the maintenance field, but they may advance to lead mechanic and, sometimes, to crew chief or shop supervisor.

A good speaking voice and a pleasant personality are essential for reservation and transportation ticket agents and Customer service representatives. Airlines prefer applicants with experience in sales or in dealing with the public, and most require a high school education, although some college is preferred. Formal company training is required to learn how to operate airline computer systems, issue tickets, and plan trips. Agents and service representatives usually are promoted through the ranks. For example, an experienced ticket agent may advance to lead worker on the shift. Agents who obtain additional skills, experience, and training improve their chances for advancement, although a college degree may be required for some administrative positions.

Some entry-level jobs in this industry, such as baggage handler and aircraft cleaner, require little or no previous training. The basic tasks associated with many of these jobs are learned in less than a week, and most newly hired workers are trained on the job under the guidance of an experienced employee or a manager. However, advancement opportunities for many ground occupations are limited because of the narrow scope of duties and specialized skills necessary for other occupations. Some may advance to supervisor or to another administrative position.

Wage and salary jobs in the air transportation industry are projected to increase by 9 percent over the 2004-14 period, compared with 14 percent for all industries combined. However, the number of job openings may vary from year to year, because the demand for air travel—particularly pleasure travel, a discretionary expense—fluctuates with ups and downs in the economy. In the long run, passenger and cargo traffic is expected to continue expanding in response to increases in population, income, and business activity. Job prospects generally are better in regional and low-fare carriers than in major airlines, where competition for many jobs is keen.

Despite a recent slowdown in passenger air travel, demographic and income trends indicate favorable conditions for leisure travel in the United States and abroad over the next decade. The aging of the population, in combination with growth of disposable income among older people, should increase the demand for air transportation services. Also, business travel should improve as the U.S. economy and world trade expand, companies continue to go global, and the economies in many foreign countries become more robust. However, as businesses also try to reduce costs, they are resorting to cheaper alternatives to flying and finding new ways to communicate. Many business travelers are using other means of transportation—for example,, driving or using the railway system—and are conducting more business by phone, e-mail, and better quality and lower cost videoconferencing technologies.

International cargo traffic is expected to increase with the economy and growing world trade. It should also be stimulated by the development of global electronic commerce and manufacturing trends such as just-in-time delivery, which requires materials to be shipped rapidly. Growth of domestic air cargo traffic is not expected to increase as much as international cargo, primarily because of the rise of time-definite trucking. Increasingly, shipments will be sent via trucks, as opposed to aircraft, because trucks are reliable, trackable through GPS technology, and more cost effective.

Job opportunities in the air transportation industry are expected to vary depending on the occupation. Employment of pilots and flight attendants is projected to grow through 2014 as the economy and passenger traffic rebound from the severe industry downturn. In the near term, the best opportunities will be with the faster growing regional and low-fare carriers. College graduates and former military pilots can expect to have the best job prospects. In addition to growth, turnover among flight attendants will produce job openings as many in this occupation leave for more stable work schedules or better salaries.

The number of reservation and transportation ticket agents will grow more slowly than the overall industry as more airlines phase out paper tickets and allow passengers to purchase electronic tickets over the Internet. However, the safety and security responsibilities of these jobs will continue, thereby preventing job declines. Competition for ticket agent and customer service representative jobs will continue to be keen as many more people are likely to apply for these jobs than there are openings, in part because of the travel benefits.

Opportunities should be excellent for aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and service technicians. The likelihood of fewer entrants from the military and a large number of retirements indicates excellent opportunities for students just beginning technician training. Most job openings are likely to be at smaller airlines since these airlines typically pay less than major airlines, leading to fewer applicants. Competition for jobs is expected to be stiff at major airlines; applicants with experience should have the best job prospects.

Opportunities also are expected to be good for those seeking unskilled, entry-level positions, such as baggage handler and aircraft cleaner, because many workers leave these jobs and need to be replaced.

Senior pilots for major airlines are among the highest paid workers in the Nation. Earnings in selected occupations in air transportation appear in table 2.

Most employees in the air transportation industry receive standard benefits, such as paid vacation and sick leave; life and health insurance; and often profit-sharing and retirement plans. Some airlines provide allowances to employees for purchasing and cleaning their company uniforms. A unique benefit—free or reduced-fare transportation for airline employees and their immediate families—attracts many jobseekers.

In 2004, about 50 percent of all workers in the air transportation industry were union members or were covered by union contracts, compared with 14 percent of workers throughout the economy.

[Please note that the earnings and salary data listed here is usually from government sources and may be dated, so please make adjustments accordingly. If you would like to access current salary data for literally thousands of occupations, access our Salary Wizard.]

Information about specific job opportunities and qualifications required by a particular airline may be obtained by writing to personnel managers of the airlines.

For further information on how to apply for a job in the air transportation industry, contact:

• Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20591. Internet: http://www.faa.gov

Information on these key air transportation occupations may be found in the 2006-07 Occupational Outlook Handbook:

• Aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and service technicians
• Aircraft pilots and flight engineers
• Flight attendants
• Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks

*Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Used by permission.