Ramp to Dispatch

J

Jet702

Well-Known Member
Hi all,

I currently work the ramp for WN and would like to progress into a dispatching career (preferably with WN if I can). Besides needing to get my license, is it plausible to switch from ramp to dispatch in a decent amount of time? Say about 5 years? I know I won’t have a leg up with others who already have their license/experience, but I have heard that most companies like to hire internally. Any advice would be appreciated. Have a great day!
 
LX Sport said:
can we get a sticky that summaries every thread about this so people can just read that.
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I apologize... I read the thread on the top of this forum I guess I was just looking to see people’s experience going from ramp to dispatch how they navigated it. Once again sorry if this has been brought up before.
 
Summary. Possible? Yes. Harder if you stay on ramp. Get to a position in the NOC as fast as possible, granted a good number of people there have their ticket. Expect 2-3 years minimum in NOC before you get a shot. Keep applying
 
bbmikej said:
Summary. Possible? Yes. Harder if you stay on ramp. Get to a position in the NOC as fast as possible, granted a good number of people there have their ticket. Expect 2-3 years minimum in NOC before you get a shot. Keep applying
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Thank you I appreciate the insight.
 
who'swho said:
That's assuming people would read them.
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Got it... we can delete this thread then. I was just looking for some insight on ramp to dispatch. Clearly I’ve hit a nerve here with some people. A mod can delete this post. Thanks for the help.
 
Jet702 said:
Got it... we can delete this thread then. I was just looking for some insight on ramp to dispatch. Clearly I’ve hit a nerve here with some people. A mod can delete this post. Thanks for the help.
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Relax... they took their time to reply to your post when they could’ve easily ignored it, I don’t think they’re really ticked off. In this business you’ll need thick skin, just because someone sounds aggravated with you don’t pay it any attention, that’s their own problem.
 
DispatchDan said:
Relax... they took their time to reply to your post when they could’ve easily ignored it, I don’t think they’re really ticked off. In this business you’ll need thick skin, just because someone sounds aggravated with you don’t pay it any attention, that’s their own problem.
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Just not trying to cause problems here is all... if this has been addressed multiple times then I understand.
 
Not sure of going directly into DX from the ramp.. More than likely you'll have to climb the ladder and get into the SOC (NOC at WN). I did that with B6 and as long as the company has an open shadow policy and decent networking opportunities you shouldn't have an issue.
 
I don't know specifically about WN, but it is possible. I know a handful of folks from both supervisory and non-supervisory ramp positions now in dispatch at a major.

Get your name out there. If you're good, you're good.
 
While I love promoting internally, I wish externals that left to get dispatch experience could be considered internal again, somehow.

Making that sacrifice should be rewarded.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thank you all for the advice/responses. Dispatch being my end goal I just wasn’t sure if I’m doing a disservice by not getting my ticket right away and just going the regional route? WN is a great company and one I would like to hopefully retire from one day but being a dispatcher is my career goal regardless of where I would like to be.
 
Burrito said:
Other people work the ramp with the intent to dispatch?

Nice.

Hi, other me.
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Always heard “hire from within” mentality so figured it wouldn’t hurt to get the foot in the door so to speak. Just sounds like it’s a bit of a longer road to get there is all without having some experience.
 
I'll be straight to the point: "hire from within" is a great path, but you really need "experience" to get in. Be that as a flight follower with a 135 shop or as a 121 Scheduler with a Supplemental or Charter shop, a major usually looks at what you've got under the hood in operations and the ramp and any other experience is ancillary gain. Don't be afraid to keep searching within the industry, at regional shops, at the ones you aren't totally sure about. Getting your name out there and interviewing still definitely counts. Remember, people in this industry all end up knowing everyone else.

- Burrito.
"Charlotte? Hell with this...Your flightplan's alternate will be full in an hour. Just go to Savannah and call Gulfstream."

(I have a few good quotes from that shop...)
 
QXDX said:
You've got the wrong attitude about it. Don't think about how long it will take. Think about how you can develop your professional skills so that you can qualify for the job. It will take as long as it takes.

You're already working for the carrier you want to work for. Good for you. Now start to develop yourself. The next logical step would be to get off the ramp, and start working in operations. Generally speaking, dispatchers interact with operations agents more often than any other work group outside the NOC. Now you're in operations. You'll be learning and speaking the same language as the NOC staff (by language, I mean the technical terms used by the various NOC departments). Next step after that would be a position in the NOC. There are probably a number of options available to you; crew scheduling, FLIFO, aircraft routing, etc). This would be a good time to start working on your certificate. Once you have it, you're as qualified as you can be without actual experience.

Regardless of the path you take, remember these things
1) Be willing to do jobs others don't want to do
2) Be interested in what others do, even if it's outside your job area
3) Pursue additional training and education
4) Develop a positive attitude toward your colleagues

and the Golden Rule: Attitude and Gratitude

Attitude: Always strive for a positive attitude because it tends to be infectious among other co-workers. Good attitudes are infectious, and people will associate those good feelings with you.

Gratitude: Every challenge or setback is an opportunity for you to shine. Be grateful for them.
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Thank you for this. In regards to the timeline I just had a 5 year “plan” that I wanted to put forth. Reading everyone’s responses including yours makes me realize it isn’t realistic to get to dispatch in that time frame without gaining valuable skills that I would need for the position. I’ll start working my way to get into the NOC and better my career aspirations. Thank you again.
 
You're already working for the carrier you want to work for. Good for you. Now start to develop yourself. The next logical step would be to get off the ramp, and start working in operations. Generally speaking, dispatchers interact with operations agents more often than any other work group outside the NOC. Now you're in operations. You'll be learning and speaking the same language as the NOC staff (by language, I mean the technical terms used by the various NOC departments). Next step after that would be a position in the NOC. There are probably a number of options available to you; crew scheduling, FLIFO, aircraft routing, etc). This would be a good time to start working on your certificate. Once you have it, you're as qualified as you can be without actual experience.

Regardless of the path you take, remember these things
1) Be willing to do jobs others don't want to do
2) Be interested in
QXDX said:
You've got the wrong attitude about it. Don't think about how long it will take. Think about how you can develop your professional skills so that you can qualify for the job. It will take as long as it takes.

You're already working for the carrier you want to work for. Good for you. Now start to develop yourself. The next logical step would be to get off the ramp, and start working in operations. Generally speaking, dispatchers interact with operations agents more often than any other work group outside the NOC. Now you're in operations. You'll be learning and speaking the same language as the NOC staff (by language, I mean the technical terms used by the various NOC departments). Next step after that would be a position in the NOC. There are probably a number of options available to you; crew scheduling, FLIFO, aircraft routing, etc). This would be a good time to start working on your certificate. Once you have it, you're as qualified as you can be without actual experience.

Regardless of the path you take, remember these things
1) Be willing to do jobs others don't want to do
2) Be interested in what others do, even if it's outside your job area
3) Pursue additional training and education
4) Develop a positive attitude toward your colleagues

and the Golden Rule: Attitude and Gratitude

Attitude: Always strive for a positive attitude because it tends to be infectious among other co-workers. Good attitudes are infectious, and people will associate those good feelings with you.

Gratitude: Every challenge or setback is an opportunity for you to shine. Be grateful for them.
Click to expand...
This is great advice! Especially about getting into being an Ops Agent as a next step! You can go straight to Dispatch from there. Every class that comes through, quite a few of the internals are coming from an Ops Agent position. But Flifo and Crew Scheduling are great avenues as well! And Network!!!! I can’t stress this enough! If you know someone in the NOC, get it set up to go sit with a dispatcher as many times as you can! This is a big part of success in my humble opinion!! Good luck to you!!
 
One of my friends went from being a WN gate agent to WN dispatcher. WN put her through training and she got her certificate through them.
 
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