Despite doing essential work for the roughly 1 billion passengers per year flying in the United States, airport cleaners, baggage handlers, ticketing agents, caterers, concessions workers, passenger service agents, and lounge workers who make airports and flights operate smoothly are paid low wages with limited access to benefits.
New analysis from the Center for American Progress finds that wages in airport service occupations fall below the private sector standard and that more than 3 in 10 workers in some airport service occupations do not receive employer-provided health insurance. Low pay harms workers’ ability to afford basic necessities such as housing, and nearly half of passenger attendants—who assist passengers who use wheelchairs and provide other services to ensure passenger safety—are rent burdened. This disproportionately harms both workers of color—who make up a majority of workers in many air travel jobs—and the public, as low pay reduces the willingness of well-qualified workers to stay in the field.
The above excerpt was originally published in the Center for American Progress.
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