Dispatch (is Money Always This Bad)
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Joined: Mar 2005
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From: WILTSHIRE
Dispatch (is Money Always This Bad)
HI HAD A INTERVIEW FOR DISPATCH LAST WEEK SO HOPEFULLY FINGERS CROSSED.I REALLY WANT TO START A CAREER IN DISPATCH AND HAVE A LOT OF INTEREST IN AVIATION.BUT THE MONEY IS REALLY REALLY LOW I MEAN £5.20HR !!!FOR ALL THAT PRESSURE,RESPONIBILTY.MAYBE ITS BECAUSE ITS A SMALL REGIONAL AIRPORT BUT DO THINGS GET ANY BETTER THEN THIS??
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 572
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From: Around
What is called a dispatcher in some UK places is not the same as elsewhere in the world; Chockhead mentioned the States. If you're doing W&B, turn-around supervision etc you'd be doing what is often referred to as Red Capping. If you're doing flight planning, crew briefing and real-time monitoring of enroute flights you'd be a Dispatcher.
Having said all that, UKP 5.2 is not worth getting up in the morning for, whether Red Cap or Dispatcher. A Red Cap in CPH will earn around DKK 25-35K/Month. A Dispatcher with SAS in CPH will earn from DKK 35-45K/Month, a ditto with Maersk Air slightly less. One will of course have to take into consideration the taxes, roughly 40% in DK, but the cost of living in CPH are comparable to those in the London area, with CPH prolly a bit cheaper in all areas par the liquid stuff we like to damage our livers with.
In short, they're offering you a really cr@p deal
Having said all that, UKP 5.2 is not worth getting up in the morning for, whether Red Cap or Dispatcher. A Red Cap in CPH will earn around DKK 25-35K/Month. A Dispatcher with SAS in CPH will earn from DKK 35-45K/Month, a ditto with Maersk Air slightly less. One will of course have to take into consideration the taxes, roughly 40% in DK, but the cost of living in CPH are comparable to those in the London area, with CPH prolly a bit cheaper in all areas par the liquid stuff we like to damage our livers with.
In short, they're offering you a really cr@p deal
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 55
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From: Abu Dhabi
Dispatchers for bmi at MAN are on about £12500. Traffic Co-ordinators are on only about £70 extra per month. bmi have fallen way behind other carriers / handling agents in the last few years, and don't seem to be bothered about addressing this.
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 849
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From: UK
£4.92 in NCL, with something like 56p ph shift allowance. No wonder people are heading to Swissport next door. Dispatchers earning barely half of the wages at some other stations - even CLC in MAN are on double the money and they can't keep people there either it would seem.
Joined: Aug 1998
Posts: 95
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From: UK
I'm sorry to say this but some of you guys have made a rod for your own back. The wannabe pilot types and fanatical spotters are the ones accepting these crappy terms and conditions 
therefore the rate is never going to rise whilst these sorts of mugs are willing to take it.
therefore the rate is never going to rise whilst these sorts of mugs are willing to take it.
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 29
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From: UK
Guys,
The money to be a Dispatcher (Red Cap) will always be on the light side unless the Airlines you are handling pay a proper turnaround rate.
Until this happens forget being paid mega bucks working for a handling agent unless you have been in the business for 5 years + then you may be on a reasonable rate but not brilliant.
If however you are lucky enough to work for a handler that is an Airline then u will proberly get more but be warned the first department they will chop if things get bad will be the Dispatch Dept because a handler will be cheaper.
The money to be a Dispatcher (Red Cap) will always be on the light side unless the Airlines you are handling pay a proper turnaround rate.
Until this happens forget being paid mega bucks working for a handling agent unless you have been in the business for 5 years + then you may be on a reasonable rate but not brilliant.
If however you are lucky enough to work for a handler that is an Airline then u will proberly get more but be warned the first department they will chop if things get bad will be the Dispatch Dept because a handler will be cheaper.
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
From: Europe
In Switzerland, you get salaries above average, but of course cost of living is high as well (similar to London I would say).
For a Flight Dispatcher job (Flight planning not ramp) you can expect around 35-40 GBP (Gross) and that gives you, after taxes, around 25-30 GBP per year, depending of your experience.
A good expat package in fact, but don't expect to have enough money to rent a nice house close to lake Geneva
For a Flight Dispatcher job (Flight planning not ramp) you can expect around 35-40 GBP (Gross) and that gives you, after taxes, around 25-30 GBP per year, depending of your experience.
A good expat package in fact, but don't expect to have enough money to rent a nice house close to lake Geneva
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 14
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From: Virginia, US
Dispatch
Generally handling agents like Servisair/Globeground and Aviance are the poorest payers in Dispatch as opposed to self handling airlines...however where handling companies do win out is in offering experience on a wide variety of aircraft types and airlines. So if you want good experience and don't mind a little hardship it can reap dividends for the future.
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,045
Likes: 1
From: North of CDG
Correct! In the course of one day, I can end up dispatching/turning around a Dash8, then a 737-300, then a BAe 146, then a 757-200, then a Fokker 100, then an A320, then a 737-500, and so on.
Good fun that way. Saying that CPL/IR holders and the odd plane spotter in the job are helping the wages to stay low is nonsense; what keeps wages low is competition between handling agents to offer the same level of service to the airlines at the lowest possible price. For instance at BHX, all three of the main handling agents (Aviance, Servisair/Globe Ground and Swissport/Groundstar) pay the very same (poor) rates of pay once basic salary and shift pay are taken into account.
Good fun that way. Saying that CPL/IR holders and the odd plane spotter in the job are helping the wages to stay low is nonsense; what keeps wages low is competition between handling agents to offer the same level of service to the airlines at the lowest possible price. For instance at BHX, all three of the main handling agents (Aviance, Servisair/Globe Ground and Swissport/Groundstar) pay the very same (poor) rates of pay
once basic salary and shift pay are taken into account.
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
From: the north
Its all very well saying that the money is not good around the patch, but how many dispatchers (Red caps) are good at the job and are worth paying good salaries?
Too many dispatchers winge and crumble that all managers are bad and that the companies do not know what they are doing, but they spend the turn time chatting up the gate agents or getting the coffee from the front galley.
Dispatch is a good job and can make a massive difference if done correctly. Add to this the skill of manual loadsheets (escpecially on combies etc) and it is really satisfying, even for an 0500 start!
And, how many actually work a full shift? Full of peaks and quiet times, possibly too quiet as this is when most of the winging is done.
Look at your position? Is it actually needed or could a good pax gate manager do the job as well as pulling boarding cards? Thats when companies will make savings and is reality!
About time some of you grow up and if you dont like your job, then get out and stop dragging the better ones down!
UP THE LIONS.....
Too many dispatchers winge and crumble that all managers are bad and that the companies do not know what they are doing, but they spend the turn time chatting up the gate agents or getting the coffee from the front galley.
Dispatch is a good job and can make a massive difference if done correctly. Add to this the skill of manual loadsheets (escpecially on combies etc) and it is really satisfying, even for an 0500 start!
And, how many actually work a full shift? Full of peaks and quiet times, possibly too quiet as this is when most of the winging is done.
Look at your position? Is it actually needed or could a good pax gate manager do the job as well as pulling boarding cards? Thats when companies will make savings and is reality!
About time some of you grow up and if you dont like your job, then get out and stop dragging the better ones down!
UP THE LIONS.....
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
From: Virginia, US
Actually, if you read my post carefully, I wasn't putting down any staff, their jobs nor their abilities to do the job however previous postings have hinted at the social side of dispatch which, when you look at it, is quite a large part of the job. In order to be a successful dispatcher you must have exceptional communication skills: be able to communicate effectively at all levels; baggage handlers, pushback crews, cabin crew, flight deck etc etc. Dispatch is one of the best jobs you can do and I for one love it. If you are a grafter and willing to put in the hours it's a fantastic career; I work for a major schedule airline which handles both charters and other scheduled carriers and have worked damn hard to get here. Most dispatchers are hard workers and very few of them would ever be found doing the bare minimum however I have to say the manner in which dispatch is treated by management is always a contentious issue as very few managers have ever done a manual loadsheet or had to tell a 6'7" baggage handler that he's loaded the wrong bags in the wrong compartment...everyone has their right to gripe and it's not a matter of 'growing up' it's an opportunity to vent our frustrations which is precisely what these forums are here to provide.
