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The differences between airport managers and transportation managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an airport manager and a transportation manager. Additionally, a transportation manager has an average salary of $77,378, which is higher than the $42,405 average annual salary of an airport manager.
The top three skills for an airport manager include customer complaints, business demands and human resources. The most important skills for a transportation manager are customer service, DOT, and supply chain.
| Airport Manager | Transportation Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $42,405 | $77,378 |
| Hourly rate | $20.39 | $37.20 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 5,664 | 25,248 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An airport manager oversees all of an airport's activities. They are responsible for managing flights, communicating with all pilots on takeoff and landing, coordinating airport employees, and ensuring passengers' comfort. They resolve organizational issues and ensure that aviation safety policies are followed. Airports function as the door to a country, so they should be presentable, hospitable, and comfortable.
A transportation manager is an individual who is responsible for directing and managing tasks that involves all the transportation activities within the organization. Transportation managers must ensure that goods and passengers have reached their destination safely by inspecting and providing maintenance to the organization's vehicles. During the hiring process, transportation managers must make sure that drivers and operators have the correct and up to date qualifications. They must also avoid passenger overload and should keep accurate records of passengers and goods that are being transported.
Airport managers and transportation managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Airport Manager | Transportation Manager | |
| Average salary | $42,405 | $77,378 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $62,000 | Between $53,000 And $111,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | - | Virginia |
| Best paying company | - | Accenture |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an airport manager and a transportation manager in terms of educational background:
| Airport Manager | Transportation Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY Farmingdale | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between airport managers' and transportation managers' demographics:
| Airport Manager | Transportation Manager | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.1% Female, 24.9% | Male, 80.3% Female, 19.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 6.1% White, 59.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.1% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |