Also called: Systems Operations Manager, Ops Control Center Director, Duty Manager
Runs the airline's nerve center, deciding what to cancel, delay, or reroute when storms or breakdowns hit.
A thunderstorm closes Chicago O'Hare, so in minutes you and your team decide which flights to cancel, where to park planes, and how to move crews so tomorrow isn't ruined. It's like a giant live puzzle with thousands of passengers riding on your choices.
Estimated.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 10 years after high school. Bachelor's in aviation or business plus years as a dispatcher, crew scheduler, or ops analyst.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Aviation Management, Operations Management, Supply Chain Management.
Growing about average. Steady at large airlines.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI recovery tools suggest cancellations and reroutes; final calls in a storm and leading the center stay human.
Classes: Algebra II, Geography, Business.
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.