Air Traffic Controllers vs Commercial Pilots
Compare Air Traffic Controllers and Commercial Pilots side by side: median pay, job outlook, AI exposure, education, and top skills. Air Traffic Controllers pays about $25k more.
Median pay$148k
OutlookGrowing
AI exposureModerate 56%, modeled
EducationAssociate's plus FAA academy
Active ListeningSpeakingCritical ThinkingMonitoringReading Comprehension
Median pay$123k
OutlookGrowing fast
AI exposureSome 42%, modeled
EducationHigh school plus license
MonitoringCritical ThinkingActive ListeningReading ComprehensionSpeaking
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Pay and outlook: BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2024-2034). Skills: O*NET 30.3. AI exposure is a modeled estimate. How we model AI exposure.