Also called: Flight Dispatcher, Aircraft Dispatcher, Flight Operations Coordinator
Plans every airline flight and shares legal responsibility with the captain for whether it's safe to go.
From an operations center full of screens, you plan routes around thunderstorms, figure out fuel, and track 15-20 flights at once. If a plane has a problem over the ocean, you're the voice on the ground helping the crew decide where to divert. You never fly, but you're watching every flight.
Estimated; senior dispatchers at major airlines can top $150k.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 1 year after high school. FAA Aircraft Dispatcher certificate from a ~6-week course; must be 23 to hold it.
Ways in: Certification, On-the-job training, 2-year college. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Aviation Management, Meteorology, Aeronautical Science.
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years). Grows with airline flight volume.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI flight-planning tools pick routes and fuel loads; licensed dispatchers still sign off, but each handles more flights.
Classes: Earth science, Algebra II, Geography.
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.