Station agent vs gate agent

The differences between station agents and gate agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a gate agent has an average salary of $35,855, which is higher than the $30,454 average annual salary of a station agent.

The top three skills for a station agent include loaders, reservations and cushions. The most important skills for a gate agent are reservations, passenger manifest, and airline tickets.

Station agent vs gate agent overview

	Station Agent	Gate Agent
Yearly salary	$30,454	$35,855
Hourly rate	$14.64	$17.24
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	27,176	32,916
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Station agent vs gate agent salary

Station agents and gate agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Station Agent	Gate Agent
Average salary	$30,454	$35,855
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $38,000	Between $28,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Everett, WA	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	GAT Airline Ground Support	-
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between station agent and gate agent education

There are a few differences between a station agent and a gate agent in terms of educational background:

	Station Agent	Gate Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Station agent vs gate agent demographics

Here are the differences between station agents' and gate agents' demographics:

	Station Agent	Gate Agent
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8%	Male, 31.2% Female, 68.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 6.5% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 6.5% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between station agent and gate agent duties and responsibilities

Station agent example responsibilities.

Manage ticket inventory and assist with passenger check-in procedures, baggage loading and unloading.
Check in of domestic and international passenger flights according to FAA guidelines, using SABRE computer program.
Answer inquiries regarding general travel information, airline polices, and TSA and FAA rules and regulations.
Secure tag luggage by loading into TSA approve metal cages and seal them before sending the bags to the airport.
Complete all necessary arrangements for accommodating passengers holding reservations, standby passengers, and their luggage.
Complete all necessary arrangements for accommodating passengers with reservations and stand-by passengers, including cabin upgrades.

Gate agent example responsibilities.

Manage ticket inventory and assist with passenger check-in procedures, baggage loading and unloading.
Alter customer itineraries and seat assignments as necessary to meet FAA mandates and requirements.
Brief passengers according to company and FAA requirements, ensure the completion of all require aircraft forms.
Uphold all TSA safety regulations.
Help TSA que passengers through security.
Ensure passenger satisfaction including making new reservations and reservation changes, and problem resolution.

Station agent vs gate agent skills

Common station agent skills

Loaders, 16%
Reservations, 15%
Cushions, 11%
Ground Operations, 8%
Eagle, 7%
Belt Loaders, 6%

Common gate agent skills

Reservations, 30%
Passenger Manifest, 19%
Airline Tickets, 7%
FAA, 5%
Customer Issues, 4%
Aircraft, 4%