As the business aviation industry continues to face a workforce shortage, salaries are pushing up, with several positions up by double digits and at least one position experiencing a 30 percent increase, according to the 2018 NBAA Compensation Survey. NBAA found an average of 3 to 4 percent increase across the 16 positions involved in the survey. The cash compensation for non-flying aviation department managers jumped 30 percent, to $205,000; maintenance foremen were up 14 percent, to $127,000; and senior captains' salaries climbed 12 percent, to $164,000, the survey data indicates.

“The survey shows that our members are adjusting and keeping up with industry trends,” said Peter Korns, NBAA’s manager of tax, operations, and workforce engagement. “As our industry continues to work to attract and retain quality talent, we are seeing real efforts to fairly compensate pilots and mechanics who might otherwise seek out alternative opportunities.”

Korns added that the survey was largely in line with expectations. But not all salaries increased. “We see some significant decreases in dispatcher and line service personnel salaries—down 12 percent and 10 percent, respectively—which is cause for further analysis,” he said.

The survey, which has been ongoing since the late 1960s, included two new questions—one involving whether a company uses sign-on bonuses and another regarding tracking of flight and duty hours, including weekend work or remain overnight (RON) stays. More than half answered yes to the bonus question for pilot, maintenance, and aviation management roles. But this dipped below half for flight attendants, dispatchers, and line service personnel. The second question was to ensure legitimacy in recorded hours, NBAA explained.

This year’s survey marked its largest data set to date, encompassing 790 NBAA operating member companies that provided data for 4,130 employees.