Airports Council International Compensation Survey USA - 2025

Western Management Group has been engaged by the Airports Council International – North America to develop and conduct the annual compensation survey of positions which are unique within Airports/Airport Authority organizations within the United States.

In creating this survey, we consulted with ACI-NA and its Compensation and Benefits Survey Working Group (C&B Working Group), whose members have extensive HR backgrounds.  The survey is designed to create airport human resource profiles, (e.g., governance, annual budget, employment demographics) in three principal areas: compensation, human resource policies and practices, and benefits.  

The 2024 survey results included participation from 135 U.S. airports.

We also have a Canadian version of the ACI-NA Compensation and Benefits Survey.

We would like to thank the members of the Advisory / Design Team, for their support and assistance in designing this survey.

Edmonton Regional Airports Authority
Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport District
Houston Airport System
Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority
Sacramento County Airport System
Tucson Airport Authority
Victoria Airport Authority
Wayne County Airport Authority

• Total Cash Compensation data including Base Salary,  Performance Bonuses, Team Awards, Discretionary Bonuses, and Profit Sharing/Gainsharing
• Geographic breakouts of data for major regions, states, and over 100 major metropolitan areas throughout the U.S.
• Breakouts available by revenue, budget, headcount, total passengers, total cargo, governance type and airport size
• 135 U.S. participants were included in the 2024 edition
• 138 benchmark jobs, each with detailed job descriptions

New Survey Jobs

Manager GIS
GIS Analyst
Manager Pass and ID

Please refer to the survey Input Instructions for a full list of updated and revised survey content.

All survey results are delivered via our DataCentral® online survey report tool, and the report fees for your company will depend on the size of your airport. 

With DataCental you will have YEAR ROUND access to both the Standard Reports which includes data from ALL participants on ALL jobs, and the Custom Reports where you can create your own report selections based on your choice of companies, product sectors, geographies, revenue, etc. With the Custom Report you have complete control of the complexity of analyses, comparisons, and customization of results from the survey database, and you can run an unlimited number of reports to satisfy your needs on a 24x7 basis. All results are provided in both PDF and XLS Formats, including uploadable XLS versions.

• Job Descriptions:  Uploadable job descriptions in Excel, Word and Adobe Acrobat are also provided at no additional cost.

• Summary Report:  Displays a line of data for each job, including basic statistics such as:

• Detail Report:  Provides a full page of data analysis for each job, including statistics on each pay element such as:

• Breakout Report:  Includes Employee Weighted Average or Median pay data for each job broken out by Geographic Area, Revenue, Airport Size, Headcount, Cargo, Passengers, and more.

• Uploadable Excel Report:  Provides a job-by-job spreadsheet report with all of the major statistics and pay elements laid out in a readily uploadable format for third party analysis software.

And much more!

• Uploadable Excel Breakout Report:  Similar to the Uploadable Excel Report above, PLUS adds the ability to split the results into categories such as Region or State.

• Market Comparison Report:  Provides a tabular and graphic comparison of your own company data to that of your selected market. An easy way to show competitive standing of your company.

NEW AND REVISED POSITIONS INDICATED IN BOLD RED ITALICS

C-SUITE

Chief Executive Officer-Aviation & Port (CEO)
Chief Executive Officer-Aviation Only (CEO)
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Chief Audit Officer
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Chief Engineering Officer

ACCOUNTING / FINANCE / AUDIT / PROCUREMENT

Director Finance and Administration
Manager Accounting
Supervisor Accounting
Supervisor Accounts Payable
Supervisor Accounts Receivable
Controller
Treasurer
Manager Grants
Grants Specialist
Budget Manager
Rates and Charges Specialist
Finance / Accounting Assistant
Manager Audit
Internal Auditor
Risk Manager
Director of Procurement
Manager Procurement and Contracts

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES

Director Information Technology and Telecommunications
Manager Information Technology
Information Technology Administrator
Information Technology Technician
Information Technology Support Specialist
Manager GIS
GIS Analyst

LEGAL / HUMAN RESOURCES

General Counsel
Senior Staff Attorney
Staff Attorney
Director Human Resources and Administration
Director Human Resources
Manager Human Resources 2
Manager Human Resources 1
Human Resources Generalist
Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist (EEO)
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Programs Manager (DBE)
Human Resources Assistant

MAINTENANCE / GROUNDS

Director Facilities Maintenance
Manager Facilities Maintenance
Supervisor Facilities Maintenance
Manager Airfield Maintenance
Supervisor Airfield Maintenance
Airfield Electrician Lead
Airfield Electrician
Electro/Mechanical Systems Technician
Airfield Equipment Operator
Airport Maintenance Operator 3
Airport Maintenance Operator 2
Airport Maintenance Operator 1
Dispatcher - Maintenance
Manager Environmental Programs
Environmental Services Program Manager
Environmental Services Specialist
Noise Abatement Program Manager
Noise Abatement Analyst
Manager Wildlife Program
Wildlife Management Specialist
Supervisor Fleet Maintenance
Fleet Maintenance / Equipment Technician
Asset Manager

MARKETING / PUBLIC RELATIONS

Vice President Business Development & Marketing
Manager Marketing
Marketing & Advertising Specialist
Director Public or Government Affairs
Manager Public or Government Affairs
Public or Government Affairs Specialist
Manager Airport Art Program
Airport Art Program Coordinator
Community Programs Manager
Director Customer Experience
Customer Relations Manager
Customer Service Representative/Receptionist

OPERATIONS

Manager Airport
Manager Airport Operations
Airport Operations Duty Manager
Airport Operations Specialist
Airport Operations Duty Agent
Director Commercial Services
Manager General Aviation
Aircraft Attendant Line Services
Manager Aviation Services
Manager Parking and Ground Transportation
Manager Ground Transportation
Manager Parking
Manager Communications Center
Supervisor Communications Center
Dispatcher - Emergency
Dispatcher/Receptionist - Non Emergency
Manager Pass and ID
Supervisor Pass and ID
Pass and ID Clerk
Supervisor Airport Traffic Enforcement
Transportation Coordinator
Airport Traffic Officer
Airport Baggage Handling System Analyst

PLANNING / CONCESSIONS / DEVELOPMENT

Director Business Development
Manager Air Service Development
Director Airport Planning
Manager Airport/Airspace Planning
Airport Architect
Planner
Program Manager - Technical
Project Manager - Technical
Program Manager - Non-Technical
Project Manager - Non-Technical
Director Real Estate
Manager Real Estate/Concessions
Property Administrator
Properties Specialist 2
Properties Specialist 1
Manager Airport Construction
Airport Engineer
Construction Project Coordinator

SECURITY / SAFETY

Director Public Safety
Manager Airport Security
Emergency Preparedness Specialist
Security Operations Specialist 2
Security Operations Specialist 1
Public Safety Chief
Public Safety Captain
Public Safety Officer
Airport Police Chief
Airport Police Captain
Airport Police Sergeant
Airport Canine Handler
Airport Police Officer
Airport Fire Chief
Airport Fire Captain
Airport Fire Lieutenant
Airport Fire Fighter
Airport Fire Fighter Paramedic
Safety Program Manager