Airport Management Degree

Airport management is the complex of measures and techniques by which the airport personnel performs maintenance and serving of clients inside and outside the airport. Airport management is also the team of staff that run administrative tasks in the airport like making decisions about internal airport operation, and external interoperation with neighboring and foreign airports.

A manager in the airport can be responsible for a broad variety of things. First of all, it is maintenance of clients. As soon as the client enters the airport manager needs to ensure that everything is done to inform and convoy the client for successful getting on board of the plane. Airport manager is in charge of information services for the clients found on airport territory, in arrival halls, departure halls, transit halls and waiting rooms. He is also responsible for providing close relation between the client and other services and facilities in the airport.

Airports daily take a lot of people, but not all of them are travelers. For managers the airport is a place of work. Airport is a unique workplace in which employees are not at the airport itself, and working in numerous companies, placed under his roof. This staff consists of transportation security administration, the local police, fire, food workers and even the media. Hence the problems with customer service from the airport.

With so many working groups working for airport visitors, it is difficult to monitor their activities and to provide adequate service. For all reasons mentioned, becoming a professional with an airport management degree is not such an easy task. It requires training during for many months, and even then, when you get to your workplace, you will run through a 3 months practice with a supervisor to consolidate your skills.

What an Airport Manager Needs to Learn?

First of all, training program for the airport management degree focuses on the basics such as values, expectations, strategies and processes. Studies have revealed the need to implement some changes and pushed to the action group of managers responsible for training. The group identified the following elements:

• Managing costs
• Increased revenue in areas not related to aviation
• Revaluation of the airport business model to create better solutions for achieving the most important goal – improving and enhancing of existing capabilities
• Creating a customer-centric environment

At the same time such training is not enough to deal with diversity groups airlines (providers, county and federal employees), gathered together for passenger service. Both internal and external studies have demonstrated that there is an urgent need to raise the level of customer service the airport to new heights.

The next step was to train managers to contact staff to notice signs indicating the difficulties of the passengers, and respond to them. Now future airport management specialists learn the language of the body – a pause, hesitation, scratching their heads, etc., who report that someone lost or simply in need of assistance. Airports accept people with different cultural traditions and who speak different languages. In addition to these technical aspects of the work, airport officials should be attentive, sensitive and responsive.

For example, if an employee notices a passenger who is undecided before the escalator, he must have guessed that the person never used an escalator before, and needs help.

Where Can I Sign up for Training in Airport Management?

Be careful with choosing the place to go for studying, as not every institute offers airport management degree.

1. Arizona State University. Comprehensive airport management course. BS and MS degrees.
2. University of North Dakota. Program for airport and aviation management degree.
3. Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Located near an airport. Comprehensive practice. BS and MS degrees.
4. Loughborough University. Airport Planning and Managenent course.
5. Saint Cloud State University. Offers BS in aviation. Aviation Management course.
6. Purdue University. BS degree in Aviation Management offered.