From baggage handlers to pilots, here's how much everyone who works in air travel makes

Andy Kiersz

May 18, 2019, 17:00 IST

From baggage handlers to pilots, here's how much everyone who works in air travel makes

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides data on wages and employment in the air transportation industry.
Airports and airlines employ a wide variety of workers, and salaries range from around the median wage to very high paying.
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Airports and airlines employ a wide variety of workers, and salaries range from around the median wage to very high-paying.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics program offers data on employment and wages across different occupations and industries.

According to that report, there were about a half-million Americans employed in the air transportation industry in May 2018, the most recent year for which data is available.

Airline jobs tend to be fairly high-paying. The median annual wage for an employee in the air transportation industry was $60,550, well above the overall median wage of $38,640.

Here are all the occupations for which at least 5% of air transportation industry establishments reported having employees, ranked from lowest to highest wage, along with their median annual pay and the number of people in that job:

23. Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers earn a median of $36,880 a year, and 40,500 are employed in the air transportation industry.

22. Secretaries and administrative assistants earn a median of $39,660 a year, and 1,810 are employed in the air transportation industry.

21. Office clerks earn a median of $41,110 a year, and 2,170 are employed in the air transportation industry.

20. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks earn a median of $43,950 a year, and 1,530 are employed in the air transportation industry.

19. Cargo and freight agents earn a median of $44,630 a year, and 7,590 are employed in the air transportation industry.

18. Customer service representatives earn a median of $47,620 a year, and 15,520 are employed in the air transportation industry.

17. Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks earn a median of $50,680 a year, and 67,740 are employed in the air transportation industry.

16. Stock clerks and order fillers earn a median of $52,880 a year, and 4,960 are employed in the air transportation industry.

15. Flight attendants earn a median of $56,230 a year, and 116,770 are employed in the air transportation industry.

14. Services sales representatives earn a median of $61,200 a year, and 3,470 are employed in the air transportation industry.

13. Aircraft cargo handling supervisors earn a median of $61,860 a year, and 3,150 are employed in the air transportation industry.

12. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers earn a median of $64,490 a year, and 1,950 are employed in the air transportation industry.

11. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers earn a median of $68,750 a year, and 9,340 are employed in the air transportation industry.

10. Maintenance and repair workers earn a median of $70,510 a year, and 2,390 are employed in the air transportation industry.

9. Accountants and auditors earn a median of $73,120 a year, and 1,130 are employed in the air transportation industry.

8. Business operations specialists earn a median of $77,560 a year, and 2,030 are employed in the air transportation industry.

7. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians earn a median of $80,470 a year, and 39,760 are employed in the air transportation industry.

6. Commercial and charter pilots earn a median of $83,420 a year and 14,770 are employed in the air transportation industry

5. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers earn a median of $88,000 a year, and 4,360 are employed in the air transportation industry.

4. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers earn a median of $112,020 a year, and 2,330 are employed in the air transportation industry.

3. General and operations managers earn a median of $114,390 a year, and 3,000 are employed in the air transportation industry.

2. Air-traffic controllers earn a median of $129,180 a year, and 20,430 are employed by the FAA and other federal agencies.

1. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers earn a median of $146,880 a year, and 74,180 are employed in the air transportation industry.

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