Also called: Flight Dispatcher
Plans each airline flight's route, fuel, and weather strategy and shares legal responsibility for it with the captain.
You watch 15 flights at once on a big screen, reroute one around a thunderstorm, and update the fuel plan with the pilot by radio.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 0 years after high school. FAA Aircraft Dispatcher certificate (about 6 weeks of training).
Ways in: Certification. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Aviation Management.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years).
Medium risk for 10 years. AI flight planning optimizes routes and fuel automatically; legal co-responsibility and handling disruptions stay human.
Classes: Earth science or meteorology, Geography, Math, Computer science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 43-5032.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.