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Airline Sales and Service Agents
What they do?
The following is a summary of main duties for some occupations in this unit group:
A. Airline passenger and ticket agents help customers plan travel time and routes, prepare and issue tickets, assign seats, prepare boarding passes, check baggage, attend boarding gates, assist pre-boarding passengers and provide information on fares and flight schedules and routes.
B. Airline baggage agents trace lost, delayed or misdirected baggage for customers.
C. Airline cargo agents weigh cargo and compute freight costs, calculate charges for services and insurance, process bills of lading, cargo manifests and other documents, trace lost or misdirected cargo and maintain shipping and other records.
D. Airline reservation agents reserve seats for tour companies, travel agencies, wholesalers and the general public using computerized systems, provide information on airline passengers and process mileage points.
E. Airline station agents complete pre-flight documents regarding passenger and cargo load, catering count, special requests and other flight information and relay operational messages to operations control and downline stations. They also perform duties of ticket, baggage and cargo agents.
F. Airline load planners calculate load weights for compartments of aircraft using charts and computers and plan load to distribute and balance cargo.
Where they find work?
1. Transportation and warehousing - 91.0%
2. Administrative and support waste management and remediation services - 7.0%
What education do I need?
1. Completion of secondary school is usually required.
2. Several weeks of on-the-job and classroom training are provided for all occupations in this unit group.
3. Airline station agents usually require experience as a ticket, baggage or cargo agent.
4. Load planners require a restricted radio operator's licence and usually require airline operations experience.
5. Most recent entrants have an undergraduate university degree.
High School Subject that will help:
1. Business
2. Geography
3. English (Communication)
4. A Second Language
What can you expect to make:
The average hourly wages for Airline Sales and Service Agents is $17.67/HR, which is above average for occupations in the sale and service sector and are close to the average for all intermediate occupations. These wages grew at an average rate from 2002 to 2004.
Average Wage
Expected Wage by Age
Unemployment:
3% of Airline Sales and Service Agents are unemployed. This rate is below the average for intermediate occupations.
Unemployment
Trends in Unemployment
Current Job Outlook:
The job outlook for Airline Sales and Service Agents is considered Below Average because:
1. Employment grew at a below-average rate.
2. Hourly wages ($17.67) are close to the average ($18.07), and the rate of wage growth is close to the average.
3. The unemployment rate (3%) is close to the 2004 average (7%).
Future Job Prospects:
Your job outlook will continue to be Below Average because:
1. The employment growth rate will likely be close to the average.
2. Although the retirement rate will likely be average, the number of retiring workers should contribute to job openings.
3. The number of job seekers will likely match the number of job openings.
Highest Concetration:
The highest concentrations Airline Sales and Service Agents are found in New Brunswick and British Columbia while the lowest concentrations are in Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan.
Unionization Rate:
The unionization rate (70%) is above the average (32%) for all occupations.
Useful Experience:
1. Dealing with the public
2. Customer service
3. Computer use
Part Time Workers
Part time workers:
17% of Airline Sales and Service Agents are employed only on a part-time basis. There were 11,400 workers employed in these occupations in 2004, an increase of 10% since 1997.
Age Demographics
Age Demographics:
Despite an expected older-than-average worker (37), the retirement rate to 2009 will likely be average because they also tend to retire at a later age (58).
