Tourism

Airline customer service agent

Airline customer service agents make sure passengers and their luggage safely board the right aircraft at the right time.

Annual Salary

£15,000 to £25,000

Working hours

36 to 38 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts

0.5%
Future employment

There will be 0.5% fewer Airline customer service agent jobs in 2027.
In your local area

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

In this role you could:

  • help passengers with self-serve or assisted check in procedures
  • deal with passenger flight queries
  • verify travel documents and provide boarding passes
  • tell passengers about luggage restrictions
  • weigh baggage and collect any excess weight charges
  • take care of children travelling alone, VIPs and people who need special assistance
  • follow strict safety and security measures
  • update computerised records and use equipment like scanners

Working environment

You may need to wear a uniform.

You could work at an airport.

Your working environment may be crowded.

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
College

You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge you need in this job. Relevant courses include:

  • Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Customer Service
  • Level 3 Diploma in Aviation Operations
  • Level 3 Diploma in Travel and Tourism

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
For more information
Apprenticeship

You can get into this job through:

  • an Aviation customer service operative intermediate apprenticeship
  • a Customer service practitioner intermediate apprenticeship
  • an Aviation ground specialist advanced apprenticeship

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
For more information
Direct application

When applying directly for jobs, most employers will expect you to have some GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in subjects like English and maths, or equivalent qualifications.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

  • You may find it useful if you can speak a second language for some jobs.
  • Some employers may prefer you to live near the airport or have your own transport. This is because shifts may be at times when public transport is limited.
  • pass security checks

More information

Career tips

You may find it useful to have experience of working in a customer service role.

Further information

You can find out more information on working in the aviation industry from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport UK.

With experience, you could progress to a supervisory role, or a management position like flight dispatcher.

You could also move into other areas of airport operations, or train to become a cabin crew member.

You can get more advice about jobs in the passenger transport and travel industries from Careers That Move.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • customer service skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to work well with others
  • sensitivity and understanding
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • active listening skills
  • administration skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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