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Air Transportation

Nature of the Industry  |  Working Conditions  |  Employment  |  Occupations in the Industry
Training and Advancement  |  Job Outlook  |  Earnings

Significant Points

• Although flight crews—pilots and flight attendants—are the most visible occupations, more than three-fourths of this industry's employees work in ground occupations.
• Senior pilots for major airlines are among the highest paid workers in the Nation.
• Except for pilots, most workers in this industry are trained to do their jobs after they are hired.
• More than 40 percent of workers are members of unions or covered by union contract.

Nature of the Industry

The rapid development of air transportation has increased the mobility of the population and created thousands of job opportunities. The air transportation industry involves many activities. Most familiar are the major airlines, which provide transportation for passengers and cargo; and airports, which provide the many ground support services required by aircraft, passengers, and cargo. Air taxi companies and commuter airlines also provide commercial transportation, such as passenger and cargo service, often to and from small airports not serviced by the major airlines. Other companies provide air courier services, which furnish air delivery for individually addressed letters, parcels, and packages, and helicopter and sightseeing airplane services for tourists. This industry also includes services related to air transportation, such as aircraft repair, cleaning, and storage. 

The air transportation industry has been through a period of adjustment and turmoil since the start of Federal deregulation in the late 1970s. Nonetheless, most of the 1980s was a prosperous period for the industry, marked by high earnings and by rapid job growth as new carriers entered the industry. The reduction in air travel that accompanied the recession of the early 1990s exposed many companies to problems of overcapacity and high labor costs. Intense competition—including destructive fare cutting—created a great deal of instability, causing many airlines to go out of business and many persons to lose their jobs. 

The air transportation industry has recovered from the severe financial losses it suffered during the early 1990s. Smaller regional and commuter airlines, which have lower costs than larger airlines, have emerged in recent years to primarily serve shorter routes. Major airlines are regaining profitability and hope to achieve long-term stability by curbing excess capacity and distribution and marketing costs, using their aircraft and crews more efficiently, and reducing their labor costs through negotiations with the major labor unions that represent air transportation workers. 

Working Conditions

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

In 1999, the air transportation industry had 13.3 injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers, compared with 6.3 throughout private industry. Virtually all work-related fatalities resulted from transportation accidents. 

Because airlines operate flights at all hours of the day and night, some workers often have irregular hours or schedules. Flight and ground personnel 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 hotel accommodations, transportation between the hotel and airport, and an allowance for meals and expenses. Pilots and flight attendants employed outside the major airlines also may have irregular schedules. 

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. 

Employment

The air transportation industry provided 1.3 million wage and salary jobs in 2000. Most employment is found in larger establishments—nearly 9 out of 10 jobs are in establishments with 50 or more workers. However, more than half of all establishments employ fewer than 10 workers (chart). 

Most air transportation employees work at major airports located close to cities. A substantial proportion of these employees work at airports that serve as central hubs for major airlines, such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Miami. 

Occupations in the Industry

Although pilots and flight attendants are the most visible occupations in this industry, more than 40 percent of all employees in air transportation work in ground occupations (table 1). For example, aircraft mechanics and service technicians service, inspect, and repair planes, and reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks make and confirm reservations and sell tickets to passengers. 

Aircraft mechanics and service technicians may work on several different types of aircraft, such as jet transports, small propeller-driven airplanes, or helicopters. Many, however, specialize in one section of a particular type of aircraft, such as the engine or the hydraulic or electrical systems. In small, independent repairshops, mechanics and technicians usually inspect and repair many different types of aircraft. 

Many 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. 

Other employees interact with the public. Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks answer telephones, sell tickets, and make reservations for passengers on scheduled airlines. Customer service representatives assist passengers, check tickets when passengers board or disembark an airplane, and check luggage at the reception area and ensure that it is placed on the proper carrier. They also 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. Airline security representatives screen passengers and visitors to ensure that weapons and illegal or forbidden articles are not carried into restricted areas. 

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 upon receipt of their claim check. Aircraft cleaners clean aircraft interiors after each flight. Firms supplying air courier services that deliver individually addressed packages, letters, and parcels employ many truck drivers, light or delivery services to deliver and pick up merchandise or to deliver packages within a specified area. The airline industry also relies on many management, professional, and administrative support workers to keep operations running smoothly. 

Flight crewmembers make up the remainder—about one-fifth—of air transportation employment, and include pilots and flight attendants. Pilots are highly trained professionals who fly airplanes and helicopters to carry out a wide variety of tasks. Although most are airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers who transport passengers and cargo, others are commercial pilots involved in more unusual tasks, such as dusting crops, spreading seed for reforestation, testing aircraft, flying passengers and cargo to areas not serviced by regular airlines, directing firefighting efforts, tracking criminals, monitoring traffic, and rescuing and evacuating injured persons. 

Except on small aircraft, two pilots usually constitute the cockpit crew. 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 newer aircraft are designed to be flown without a flight engineer. 

Most airline flights have one or more flight attendants on board. Their 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. 

Training & Advancement

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 extensive specialized training. Mechanics and pilots must be certificated by the FAA; skills for many other air transportation occupations can be learned on the job. 

Pilots must have a commercial pilot’s license with an instrument rating, and must be certified to fly the types of aircraft 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. 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 fly larger planes. 

Applicants for flight attendant jobs must be in excellent health. Employers prefer those who have completed some college and have experience in dealing with the public. Speaking a foreign language also is an asset. Applicants are trained for their jobs at company schools; the length of training usually lasts from 2 to 7 weeks, depending on the size and the type of carrier. Training may include crew resource management, which emphasizes teamwork and safety. 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 who are in good physical condition. 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 head mechanic and, sometimes, to supervisor. Most other workers in ground occupations learn their job through a combination of company classroom and on-the-job training. At least a high school education is required for most jobs. 

A good speaking voice and a pleasant personality are essential for reservation and transportation ticket agents and customer service representatives. Reservation agents also need some keyboard skills. Airlines prefer applicants with experience in sales or in dealing with the public and most require a high school education, but some college is preferred. Some agents and service representatives advance to supervisor or other 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, promotional opportunities for many ground occupations are limited due to the narrow scope of the duties and the specialized skills of some occupations. Some may advance to supervisor or other administrative positions. 

Job Outlook

Wage and salary jobs in the air transportation industry are projected to increase by 25 percent over the 2000-10 period, compared with 16 percent for all industries combined. Passenger and cargo traffic is expected to expand in response to increases in population, income, and business activity. Employment in other air transportation activities also is expected to rise as more aircraft are purchased for business, agricultural, and recreational purposes. 

Air travel has become an affordable means of transportation for more and more people. Demographic and income trends indicate favorable conditions for leisure travel in the United States and abroad over the next decade. An aging population, in combination with growing disposable income among the elderly, should increase the demand for air transportation services. Also, business travel will contribute to demand as world trade expands, companies continue to go global, and the economies in many foreign countries expand. However, growth in business travel will be somewhat restricted as U.S. corporations continue to downsize and automate operations, eliminating many middle management positions and reducing the base of both current and future business travelers. In addition, communication technologies—such as fax machines, computer networks, and teleconferencing—have somewhat reduced the need for business travel. 

Besides job openings created by employment growth, many openings also will arise as experienced workers retire or transfer to other industries. Job opportunities may vary from year to year, however, because the demand for air travel—particularly pleasure travel, a discretionary expense—fluctuates with ups and downs in the economy. 

New technology is not expected to have any significant effect on air transportation occupations over the 2000-10 period; most laborsaving technology already has been introduced and should have minimal impact on future employment. Job opportunities in the air transportation industry are expected to vary depending on the occupation. 

Pilots are expected to face strong competition for jobs through the year 2010. The number of job openings resulting from the need to replace pilots who retire or leave the occupation traditionally has been very low. Aircraft pilots usually have a strong attachment to their occupation because it requires a substantial investment in specialized training that is not transferable to other fields, and it commonly offers very high earnings. However, many of the pilots who were hired in the late 1960s are approaching the age for mandatory retirement and, thus, several thousand job openings are expected to be generated each year. 

Customer service representatives and reservation and transportation ticket agents also are expected to face keen competition for available positions because the jobs offer reasonably good pay and the opportunity to travel, and require little education beyond high school. 

Opportunities should be favorable for persons seeking flight attendant jobs because the number of applicants is expected to be roughly the same as the number of job openings. Those with at least 2 years of college and experience in dealing with the public should have the best chance of being hired. The majority of job openings for flight attendants should be due to the need to replace flight attendants who transfer to other occupations or who leave the labor force. Many flight attendants are attracted to the occupation by the glamour of the airline industry and the opportunity to travel, but some eventually leave in search of jobs that offer higher earnings and require fewer nights away from their families. 

Opportunities also should be favorable for aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and service technicians. The likelihood of fewer entrants from the military and a large number of retirements, points to favorable opportunities for students just beginning technician training. Opportunities will be somewhat better for mechanics working in general aviation than for commercial airlines; mechanics will face competition for jobs at the commercial airlines because these jobs tend to pay more. Opportunities should be better with rapidly growing commuter and regional airlines and at FAA repair stations. 

Opportunities also are expected to be good among unskilled entry-level positions, such as baggage handler and aircraft cleaner, because the turnover rate of these jobs usually is high.  

Earnings

In 2000, 41.3 percent of all workers in the air transportation industry were union members or were covered by union contracts, compared with 14.9 percent of all workers throughout the economy.

Source: Career Guide to Industries, Bureau of Labor Statistics

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