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The differences between passenger service agents and customer service specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a customer service specialist has an average salary of $33,238, which is higher than the $29,675 average annual salary of a passenger service agent.
The top three skills for a passenger service agent include reservations, reservation system and passenger service. The most important skills for a customer service specialist are customer service, strong customer service, and cleanliness.
| Passenger Service Agent | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $29,675 | $33,238 |
| Hourly rate | $14.27 | $15.98 |
| Growth rate | - | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 34,592 | 223,323 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 45 | 40 |
| Years of experience | - | 12 |
Passenger service agents are professionals who work inside airport terminals to provide assistance and related customer services to the airlines they serve. These agents are required to issue airline tickets for clients while checking if their requested dates of flights are available and then prepare their itineraries accordingly. They must assist passengers with airport check-ins and examine their ticket, passport, and other identifying documents. Passenger service agents must also answer inquiries from passengers as well as handle complaints.
Customer service specialists are employees who are responsible for providing the best customer experience to customers, usually for after-sales transactions. They attend to customers' inquiries and provide answers to their questions on products or services that the company offers. They also address customer complaints and help mitigate the concerns by offering solutions such as instructions on how to fix defects, or processing replacements or refunds. Customer service specialists also listen to customer feedback and ensure that these are logged properly so that proper departments will be able to receive them.
Passenger service agents and customer service specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Passenger Service Agent | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Average salary | $29,675 | $33,238 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $26,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Minnesota | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | dnata | Dell |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | Finance |
There are a few differences between a passenger service agent and a customer service specialist in terms of educational background:
| Passenger Service Agent | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between passenger service agents' and customer service specialists' demographics:
| Passenger Service Agent | Customer Service Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.5% Female, 59.5% | Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 25.8% Asian, 9.1% White, 46.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 7% |