Air Traffic Controllers vs Aircraft Service Attendants

Pay gap first: Air Traffic Controllers leads Aircraft Service Attendants on national OEWS medians - BLS May 2025

Nearby titles when weighing Air Traffic Controllers pay

Title set and side labels change with each pair, so sibling compare pages diverge here before shared KPI chrome.

  1. 1. Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors · near Air Traffic Controllers
  2. 2. Airfield Operations Specialists · near Air Traffic Controllers
  3. 3. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers · near Air Traffic Controllers
  4. 4. Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians · near Air Traffic Controllers

Day-to-day work behind the Air Traffic Controllers pay lead

Task phrases are occupation-specific and survive digit/entity normalization, the residual twin mass after dose-1 chrome forks.

  • Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems. · Air Traffic Controllers (SOC 53-2021)
  • Issue landing and take-off authorizations or instructions. · Air Traffic Controllers (SOC 53-2021)
  • Transfer control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights. · Air Traffic Controllers (SOC 53-2021)
  • Provide flight path changes or directions to emergency landing fields for pilots traveling in bad weather or in emergency situations. · Air Traffic Controllers (SOC 53-2021)
  • Apply de-icing fluid to aircraft from baskets lifted by truck-mounted cranes. · Aircraft Service Attendants (SOC 53-6032)
  • Change aircraft oil, coolant, or other fluids. · Aircraft Service Attendants (SOC 53-6032)
  • Clean aircraft interiors by picking up waste, wiping down windows, or vacuuming. · Aircraft Service Attendants (SOC 53-6032)
  • Climb ladders to reach aircraft surfaces to be cleaned. · Aircraft Service Attendants (SOC 53-6032)

Air Traffic Controllers

$148,080

median annual salary

Aircraft Service Attendants

$40,450

median annual salary

Air Traffic Controllers earns $107,630 more per year (266% higher)

The distinctive signal in this pair is the national median gap: Air Traffic Controllers (SOC 53-2021) sits $107,630/year (266%) above Aircraft Service Attendants. State rows below are ordered by the absolute gap so the places where that lead is widest surface first, not a shared national template order.

Outlook still differs: Air Traffic Controllers +1.2% vs Aircraft Service Attendants +5.1% through 2034 · openings 2,200 vs 4,300/yr.

Pay stack: Air Traffic Controllers vs Aircraft Service Attendants

Signal Air Traffic Controllers Aircraft Service Attendants
Air Traffic Controllers median annual vs peer $148,080 $40,450
90th-percentile annual · Aircraft band $215,610 $57,610
10th-percentile annual · Air band $78,420 $33,830
OEWS median hourly · Air Traffic Controlle… $71.19/hr $19.45/hr
OEWS mean annual · Aircraft Service Atte… $146,490 $43,330
OEWS total employment · 53-0000 22,510 31,300
Job growth 2024-2034 · Air Traffic Controllers +1.2% +5.1%
Annual openings · Aircraft Service Attendants side 2,200 4,300
BLS typical education · Air Traffic Controlle… Associate's degree High school diploma or equivalent
Related experience · Aircraft Service Atte… None None

Salary by State

Dual-state rows ordered by absolute median gap between Air Traffic Controllers and Aircraft Service Attendants.

State Air Traffic Controllers Aircraft Service Attendants Difference
Virginia $191,820 $39,210 +$152,610
Illinois $181,560 $39,070 +$142,490
Georgia $178,420 $42,630 +$135,790
Colorado $177,380 $44,500 +$132,880
Texas $170,080 $38,720 +$131,360
Minnesota $176,840 $46,930 +$129,910
Indiana $158,810 $37,390 +$121,420
Kansas $159,700 $45,960 +$113,740
California $160,080 $46,800 +$113,280
Washington $162,570 $50,520 +$112,050
Utah $158,310 $46,900 +$111,410
Florida $147,530 $38,400 +$109,130
Hawaii $158,700 $53,770 +$104,930
New Mexico $148,550 $45,280 +$103,270
Connecticut $140,940 $39,230 +$101,710
Tennessee $157,330 $56,620 +$100,710
New York $144,960 $44,600 +$100,360
Nevada $140,920 $40,730 +$100,190
Puerto Rico $125,780 $28,540 +$97,240
Pennsylvania $132,350 $38,830 +$93,520

Showing top 20 of 40 states.

Also Compare

Air Traffic Controllers vs Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors Air Traffic Controllers vs Airfield Operations Specialists Air Traffic Controllers vs Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers Aircraft Service Attendants vs Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors Aircraft Service Attendants vs Airfield Operations Specialists Aircraft Service Attendants vs Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

View Full Details

Air Traffic Controllers Full profile → Aircraft Service Attendants Full profile →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025 release). Salary figures are annual medians and percentile bands published by BLS.

Common Questions

Which pays more, Air Traffic Controllers or Aircraft Service Attendants?
Air Traffic Controllers pays more, with a median annual salary of $148,080 compared to $40,450 - a difference of $107,630 per year.
Which has better job outlook?
Aircraft Service Attendants has faster projected growth at 5.1% from 2024 to 2034, compared to 1.2% for Air Traffic Controllers.
Where is the Air Traffic Controllers pay lead widest?
State rows above are sorted by absolute OEWS median gap so the widest Air Traffic Controllers leads over Aircraft Service Attendants surface first. National gap: $107,630/year (266%).

Last updated: May 2025 (BLS OEWS annual release). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

Related

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Data sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program. See our methodology for details. Source: BLS OEWS national median annual wages, percentiles, and employment totals.