Career outlook for Aircraft Dispatchers

[Troy McClure]

Maybe if their daddy knew the director or something... lol

Wow Mr. KEV, sorry you couldn't get a job. ...Deplorable? My first gig, which was a part 121 wholly-owned regional, I was hired over the phone (full disclosure, I knew the barista in cafeteria) My second gig I was hired before I left the bldg after a long day of testing and interviews. Sorry Kev, try new after shave stuffs. Axe!

 

[Pferdeflüsterer]

Lots of misleading statements in the posts above...too many to quote. You can get a job as Dispatcher at a Regional Airline right out of school, however: the major airlines or as we call them, "mainline" carriers very rarely hire newbies. Many regionals' HR staff go to the nearby Dx school and interview on the spot. As for "other" airline jobs, actually, Southwest ramp workers are union and the pay is pretty good (better than entry level Dispatcher). I know 2 guys and 1 woman doing it now. They LOVE it. And you can pick your city since they need folks all the time....BUT.....forgetting about airlines....With your experience you could work in any City Police/Fire dispatch office and make GREAT money. I know 2 guys who do it and they LOVE it. Also, if you like airports, most of the big ones have their own Police/Fire dispatch offices as well. LAX, BOS, SFO to name a few...And they hire often and its union and very well paid. With your EMT exp, they would love you! This career path is hit or miss. Some move up fast and some never move up at all. There are 20+ yr veterans making $22/hr at Regionals. But they like it and they like where they live.

If, after all this, you still wanna go to DX school...then I recommend Sheffield down in FLA. Its as good as the others but the big thing is they have the largest "Bro" network. When they see Sheffield on the old CV....doors fly open. unless you are a total McDouche.

Thanks for the input. Logan Massport is notoriously hard to get on. I'll check and see if Fire Dispatch is run by the union. A lot of that involves ... being a firefighter which comes with residency requirements, age requirements and beating out about 100 veterans. Otherwise is Aircraft Dispatching a lot like fire/ems dispatching? I was under the impression it was very different.

 

[manniax]

Otherwise is Aircraft Dispatching a lot like fire/ems dispatching? I was under the impression it was very different.

Calling pljenkins...your assistance is needed on aisle 3.

 

[KiloEchoVictor]

Wow Mr. KEV, sorry you couldn't get a job. ...Deplorable? My first gig, which was a part 121 wholly-owned regional, I was hired over the phone (full disclosure, I knew the barista in cafeteria) My second gig I was hired before I left the bldg after a long day of testing and interviews. Sorry Kev, try new after shave stuffs. Axe!

I've got a job, I just had to work for it without any namedrops or "bro" references, thank you very much. Didn't need any nasty after shave either

 

[DogwoodLynx]

If you were me where would you go to school?

Go where it’s convenient and cost effective.

I lived in DFW so I went to Institute of Flight Operations and Dispatch in Dallas, TX. I didn’t have to pay hotel and food that way.

Someone else might have suggestions closer to you.

Dispatch school teaches you the basics and it doesn’t seem to matter where you go from my experience

 

[crjdxr]

Dispatch school teaches you the basics and it doesn’t seem to matter where you go from my experience

ADX school gets you past the FAA written and oral. It is the 121 dispatching experience (and connections) that counts.

 

[Sandydfw]

Flight dispatch is totally different from 911 dispatching. I would suggest going to Airline Dispatchers Federation - ADF and read the job discription.

 

[Troy McClure]

Otherwise is Aircraft Dispatching a lot like fire/ems dispatching? I was under the impression it was very different.

Oh I never said a word about EMS/Police dispatching being anything like airline dispatching. And to be very very clear...you would NOT need to go to school for it. I was leveraging your 6 yrs as an EMT. Im sure Massport is all mobbed up....but i do know that to work in the SFO dispatch for example, one does NOT need firefighting exp or connections. Any of the above would be significant. My point is this...As an EMT you are/were part of a world that has NOTHING to do with airline dispatching. Which is a fine. You didnt mention why you want a career change. But I know the dispatch offices in the airports are good places to work and they hire often. (I used to think that was a job for me) And with your background it might be an easy transition without school and inhumane wages. But maybe you want out...totally out. So then, I say good luck to you.

 

[Sandydfw]

Thanks for the clarification. I was a little confused on the postings.

 

[Pferdeflüsterer]

Oh I never said a word about EMS/Police dispatching being anything like airline dispatching. And to be very very clear...you would NOT need to go to school for it. I was leveraging your 6 yrs as an EMT. Im sure Massport is all mobbed up....but i do know that to work in the SFO dispatch for example, one does NOT need firefighting exp or connections. Any of the above would be significant. My point is this...As an EMT you are/were part of a world that has NOTHING to do with airline dispatching. Which is a fine. You didnt mention why you want a career change. But I know the dispatch offices in the airports are good places to work and they hire often. (I used to think that was a job for me) And with your background it might be an easy transition without school and inhumane wages. But maybe you want out...totally out. So then, I say good luck to you.

Massport is indeed 'all mobbed up' but everything here feels pretty clannish to be honest. I'll look into it.

 

[airdave37130]

I was working for AA as a pilot scheduler when i got my ticket from IFOD in Dallas. i applied twice as an internal employee when a dispatch position opened up and both time i got the TBNT email because i didn't have the experience they wanted and i could not afford to go down to a regional to get the experience. I have since moved on to FEDEX pilot scheduling with the hope of getting hire internally which they do, or so im told, so i will move up to dispatch in about 1 year. if you can afford go to school and work for a regional for up to 5 years then thats the best way to go in my opinion

Dave

 

[DogwoodLynx]

I was working for AA as a pilot scheduler when i got my ticket from IFOD in Dallas. i applied twice as an internal employee when a dispatch position opened up and both time i got the TBNT email because i didn't have the experience they wanted and i could not afford to go down to a regional to get the experience. I have since moved on to FEDEX pilot scheduling with the hope of getting hire internally which they do, or so im told, so i will move up to dispatch in about 1 year. if you can afford go to school and work for a regional for up to 5 years then thats the best way to go in my opinion

Dave

Agreed.

 

[PuddlePirate]

Just throwing this out there. It’s not always “grind at a regional for 3 years,” or “work five years here and then move on to the majors.” There are several dispatchers out there who have been at the regionals a long time and have tried for years to get on with multiple majors. You are not guaranteed a happy ending here. I’m not trying to be a downer or scare you away, just letting you know the side of the story that hurts. Really evaluate your life and if you can accept that risk. I’m sure most people choosing the career aren’t thinking that they’ll be ok the rest of their life making regional pay.

 

[Scarebus]

Just throwing this out there. It’s not always “grind at a regional for 3 years,” or “work five years here and then move on to the majors.” There are several dispatchers out there who have been at the regionals a long time and have tried for years to get on with multiple majors. You are not guaranteed a happy ending here. I’m not trying to be a downer or scare you away, just letting you know the side of the story that hurts. Really evaluate your life and if you can accept that risk. I’m sure most people choosing the career aren’t thinking that they’ll be ok the rest of their life making regional pay.

This.

For the average 35 year career, I’d put the odds of going straight from a regional to one of the big 4 at around 20%. The other 80% either become regional lifers or start all over at another airline (or airlines) before making it big 10+ years after getting their license.

 

[A-9er]

Pfd,

You'll be able to get a job soon after school, but it'll most likely be at a regional airline. That means you'll have to move. Even if you can live on regional pay where you are (doable in most regional cities), you might not want to. You'll be looking at a minimum of 35-40 flights for your shift, if not more than that; depending on the shift and the shop, you could easily do 50-60 or more flights during a shift! They're not evenly spaced out, either; it's not like you get 4, 5, or 6 flights per hour for 10 hours. The flights will come in bunches, meaning you may have to do 10-15 in an hour. Then there's the matter of always doing the same flights day after day, week after week, year after year. Would you want to be a regional lifer?

Even if you don't make one of the mainline carriers; if you don't make the Big Four; don't despair. There are cargo airlines out there, and I'm not just talking about FedEx & UPS, either. You have Kalitta in MI, Western Global and Amerijet in FL, and so on. Kalitta pays pretty decently; though not tops in the industry, the cost of living is a lot lower in MI, so your salary will go farther in Ypsilanti than it will in a major airline's city. After a stint at Kalitta or WG, you could maybe get in to FedEx or UPS since you'll have cargo experience. There are also the ULCCs, the ultra low cost carriers such as JetBlue, Allegiant, or Frontier.

Yes, you'll be able to get a job after school, but it'll probably be at a regional, which means you'll likely have to move to take the job. Then count on spending at least 2-3 years to build experience. Though you might not make it to a major with just 2-3 years, going to a cargo carrier or ULCC would certainly be in the cards, and you can have a rewarding career there.

If you want to commute, it should be easier for you since you live by BOS; it's a larger airport, so direct flights should be an option. If you want to commute, try to avoid connections at all costs! The more connections you make, the more chance there is of getting bumped off your flight. Even if you have no problem making it out on the first flight, you could very well get bumped in the connecting city; that happened to me once. Though I made it back with plenty of time, I spent an afternoon finishing a John Grisham novel @ DTW! If you can do a direct flight, that's a lot better for commuting; once you're on, you should be ok. As a nonrev, you'll fly standby, which means you'll be among the last to board. Anyway, you could take a crash pad in your regional city, then fly back to BOS on your days off. One of my trainers commuted, and he made it work...

As for me, I tried out commuting, and I didn't like it. The closest airport to my house isn't a large airport; that meant a connecting flight, and connections are always a PITA! You're near BOS, so I'd think that some direct flights will be available to you. Direct flights would make a commute easier. I was going to rent a crash pad where my regional was. The landlord was a AA pilot based out of NYC. He commuted. He made it work because he was able to get direct flights to and from NYC. I'd only commute if there were direct flights between my base and my house.

Those are my rambling thoughts. I hope they help, and good luck!