Airline dispatcher vs traffic director

The differences between airline dispatchers and traffic directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a traffic director has an average salary of $58,729, which is higher than the $45,071 average annual salary of an airline dispatcher.

The top three skills for an airline dispatcher include FAA, and . The most important skills for a traffic director are control traffic, patrol, and general maintenance.

Airline dispatcher vs traffic director overview

	Airline Dispatcher	Traffic Director
Yearly salary	$45,071	$58,729
Hourly rate	$21.67	$28.24
Growth rate	1%	8%
Number of jobs	4,408	6,271
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	38	45
Years of experience	-	4

Airline dispatcher vs traffic director salary

Airline dispatchers and traffic directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Airline Dispatcher	Traffic Director
Average salary	$45,071	$58,729
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $78,000	Between $31,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Covanta
Best paying industry	-	Media

Differences between airline dispatcher and traffic director education

There are a few differences between an airline dispatcher and a traffic director in terms of educational background:

	Airline Dispatcher	Traffic Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Aviation	Business
Most common college	SUNY Farmingdale	Stanford University

Airline dispatcher vs traffic director demographics

Here are the differences between airline dispatchers' and traffic directors' demographics:

	Airline Dispatcher	Traffic Director
Average age	38	45
Gender ratio	Male, 77.8% Female, 22.2%	Male, 48.8% Female, 51.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.9% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 6.1% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	7%	5%

Differences between airline dispatcher and traffic director duties and responsibilities

Airline dispatcher example responsibilities.

Manage dot hrs for drivers as far as what tasks can be done in a certain amount of time.
Dispatch aircraft in accordance with FAA regulations and company define policies.
General terminal maintenance including minor electrical, mechanical, and plumbing repairs.
General terminal maintenance including minor electrical, mechanical, and plumbing repairs.

Traffic director example responsibilities.

Manage TMS rate and routing tables.
Manage vendor invoices ensuring timely payment to ensure processes run smoothly.
Manage all inbound material which include part shortages, EC changes, QC inspection parts and sequence material.
Communicate KPI results to key stakeholders on a weekly basis.
Create a routing guide and orchestrate implementation of new TMS.
Coordinate with logistics teams to ensure deliveries/services are meet during ships port stay.

Airline dispatcher vs traffic director skills

Common airline dispatcher skills

FAA, 100%

Common traffic director skills

Control Traffic, 17%
Patrol, 16%
General Maintenance, 16%
Direct Traffic, 11%
Customer Inquiries, 8%
Account Executives, 5%

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Airline Dispatcher vs Traffic Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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