What is an Aircraft Dispatcher’s Salary?
The website Payscale lists the average aircraft dispatcher salary as ~ $54,000, with other sources such as Glassdoor reporting the average salary as ~$47,000. It is important to remember that an average salary is an amalgamation of the entire spectrum of salaries. Like any other field, entry-level positions pay the lowest, with airlines increasing the salary of more experienced and successful dispatchers. Entry-level aircraft dispatchers can, at the far end of the spectrum, make a starting salary of $40,000+, while senior aircraft dispatchers can earn upwards of $100,000 – $150,000 at major airlines.
What Affects an Aircraft Dispatcher’s Salary?
Working as an aircraft dispatcher is important work, but it can be stressful and difficult at times. As in most positions, there are far fewer experienced aircraft dispatchers than there are recent graduates from dispatching schools. Long term, career dispatchers are in much higher demand than entry-level dispatchers, so airlines are willing to pay for someone who has more experience.
However, demand for entry-level recruits in the aviation industry has been increasing throughout recent years. Aviation industry experts and insiders foresee airlines offering a higher starting salary for aircraft dispatchers to convince younger potentials to consider a career in aircraft dispatching in the years to come.
Benefits of Becoming an Aircraft Dispatcher
Low Barrier of Entry
Aircraft dispatcher school is very much like a trade school, in that applicants are trained for a specific job. Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements for aircraft dispatcher school. For example, the longest course offered at Sheffield School of Aeronautics is five weeks long. After a Sheffield graduate passes the ADX Exam (usually mid-way into the 5-week class), and successfully completes the overall course, and then finally passes the FAA practical (certification) exam, then they are FAA-certified to work as an aircraft dispatcher. International students attaining the FAA certificate are often able to use their certificate to reduce their own country’s supplemental training requirements, since the FAA certification is the respected standard in the industry.
Sheffield has a job posting board for graduates that is frequently updated by hiring managers in the aviation industry. For the most part, finding and landing your first job as an aircraft dispatcher is not difficult, especially when attending a reputable school that has been in business for decades.
ADF Representation
Representation is also a key benefit that dispatchers enjoy. Aircraft dispatchers are represented by the Airline Dispatchers Federation, or the ADF. The ADF is an organization that represents the interests of airline dispatchers and provides insights into an aviation dispatcher’s salary. You can read more information on salaries here.
Room for Career Growth
As an aircraft dispatcher, you have great potential to expand and grow your career. Once a dispatcher has gained on-the-job experience, the offers for a higher salary and better benefits come pouring in. Alongside the greater opportunities as you move up, working for a better airline also means travel perks for the dispatcher, as well as family members.
Get Your Aircraft Dispatcher License
Sheffield School of Aeronautics is one of the oldest aviation training institutions in the country and is highly regarded among airlines searching for candidates. Contact us today to begin your career in aviation.
Related Readings:
Graduates of Sheffield School of Aeronautics
Sources Used
- https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Flight_Dispatcher/Salary
- https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/aircraft-dispatcher-salary-SRCH_KO0,19.htm
This article was updated in June 2021.
