International Flight Dispatchers

airdave37130

Well-Known Member
What does British Airways and Lufthansa call their dispatchers, or any of the big international carriers. I have been looking and haven't found a thing.

Thanks
Dave
 
Which countries/airlines will sponsor the visa for dispatchers? Seems not all will.

Would love to get some information about options with foreign carriers, even if not in the US.


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I have interviewed at a couple of EU carriers. But I have dual citizenship and speak 3 languages....You MUST speak the local language first and foremost, then english of course. Also, in the end, the pay is just meh... and there is ZERO jumpseating. Also, the so-called "flight benefits" are paltry at best. Not the same as the USA! Also, to them a Dispatcher is the Ramp Manager. They basically turn the plane, w&b, etc. and lousy pay. No special lic or cert. needed. If you are still interested, look for Operations Officer or Flight Ops Officer etc....I had to do a lot of digging and eventually met up with folks on LinkedIn that helped a little. Keep in mind, while the EU is trying to come up with a universal DX license, there are countries that do not require one. So just be careful, some of the OCC jobs are "flight follower" and such. No real flight planning or dispatching going on. Lastly, SWISS does run an office out of JFK (or was it LGA?)....They advertised a few months ago. Talked to a person there who said you'd have to live in your car in the parking garage for the first year!!
 
Oh and fyi...for BA ...you will need a BS/A in Aviation (something), And preferably an ATP lic. or at least Comm/multi/IFR . And dispatch cert as well....
 
EU wasn’t my goal. But you brought up a lot of what I’ve found when I looked. You have places like the UAE that do some shady stuff, and then the UK that seems to pay poverty wages to everyone in the airline industry.

I saw Qantas post for a “Flight Dispatch Officer” that was at their IOC/SOC/NOC and not at the airport a while back, but you needed to be an AU citizen.

CX and SQ are up right now, but don’t want to live either of those places, and not sure I’d like the environment at SQ anyways.

DX doesn’t really seem to exist outside a handful of countries, sadly.

I’d even consider something like Aer Lingus or Air Canada if the benefits and pay were worth it.


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Which countries/airlines will sponsor the visa for dispatchers?
None of the major European ones. I have looked into it. Both Germany and the UK have laws stating that if a citizen is available to do the job, they have to hire them. Also, the airlines are not given permission to sponsor anyone and it is almost impossible to get a work visa without a job lined up/sponsorship.
 
Hi everyone, just need some advice and input form some experienced DX's. I got my DX certificate last month. Applying few places.

A nearby position open up at JFK with Swiss Air for a "Flight Dispatcher" position. However my concern is this is not really a dispatcher position and more of a double check/assist someones work kind of thing. After some reading, I got the vibe that Europeans really don't view this position as highly in the airlines compared to the U.S. With this position being in the U.S., would you have that same the same "operational control" as the PIC or would that be with someone who is operating out of the main SOC? I would rather have operational control than be an auditor type of person.

Swiss is already a big airline but if I'm looking to get into the American majors in the future, would this position be a good position to start with? If I wanted to move up with Swiss, I believe they would have limited growth and I would have to go to Switzerland if I want to move up. I read on this form that some majors would not consider you because you don't have as much hands on experience as compared to a U.S. regional dx.

Jump seating is important to me as a privilege of being a DX. Would being with Swiss allow me to jump seat with a U.S. carrier or would I only be allowed to jump seat with Swiss only?

Lastly, Linkedin estimate says this position should pay around 80K for this position but sounds like a dream especially as this looks like a starting position. Another person said they pay peanuts? Anyone know the reality of how much they would pay?
 
No jumpseat, not even on Swiss, don’t trust LinkedIn salaries, and no to the operational control aspect as far as I’m aware.


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Not sure if any Russian airline counts as a "big international carrier", but here is some info:

In Rossiya Airlines, Aeroflot, Utair, S7 Airlines (and some others) dispatchers are called Flight Dispatchers and they basically do what real Flight Dispatchers in the US of A do.
Russian License required, Medical certificate as well. (FAA License is highly respected, but AFAIK, not recognised by Russian CAA).
No official jumpseating, but there is ID90.
Salary: about 15000-18000 USD/year after all the taxes deducted (is it NET salary?)
Usually 12-hour shifts (Day/Night/48hrs off). Some small companies have shifts 24hrs on/72hrs off.
Annual paid leave: 28 days by law (may be longer).
 
I've heard that KLM has a US-like dispatch office for their flights, and that Air France started copying their model after AF447 went down and nobody at the company noticed for hours because they weren't being actively flight followed. Of course, you'd need EU citizenship to apply, as well as being able to speak French or Dutch in addition to English. No idea on the pay or jumpseating benefits. I would agree that dispatch at many international carriers isn't seen as the same role as it is in the USA. A good source for more information might be IFALDA's web site (International Federation Of Airline Dispatchers Association)
 
I've known a few guys who got their DX license with me here in NYC work for Swiss in their JFK office. It's a good way to get some experience but don't expect major pay and benefits. I have also heard the "prepare to live out of your car for the first year" thing as well.
 
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