Aviation salaries increasing by at least 3 percent

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Aviation job salaries in 16 positions have increased between 3 percent and 4 percent from 2017, according to a survey of National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) members.

The positions with the largest increase are aviation department managers with a 30 percent spike, maintenance foremen with a 14 percent jump, and senior captains with a 12 percent increase.

“The survey shows that our members are adjusting and keeping up with industry trends,” Peter Korns, NBAA manager of tax, operations, and workforce engagement, said. “As our industry continues to work to attract and retain quality talent we are seeing real efforts to fairly compensate pilots and mechanics who may otherwise seek out alternative opportunities.”

The NBAA has been conducting the Compensation Survey for more than 50 years. The survey is sent to human resources personnel and aviation managers.

Two questions were added to this year’s survey. The first asks if companies use sign-on bonuses to attack talent. The second asks whether companies formally track weekend days worked, flight hours and duty hours.

The survey is a valuable resource to NBAA members, the organization said.

A few positions experienced a salary decrease. Dispatchers had salaries drop 12 percent, and line-service personnel had salaries fall 10 percent.