Industry group, 4881
Support Activities for Air Transportation
272,420 people work in this industry in the US, at mean pay of $62,610 a year (BLS, May 2025). What follows is how much of their working time the best AI models could finish, when, and in which jobs and tasks. Estimates.
of the paid hours. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
a year: 134 million hours at what they cost. Not a forecast of savings.
- 27%
- 12%
- 60%
of the paid hours are within reach now in tasks people already bring to Claude. Another 19% is within reach in tasks not yet seen there.
Across the US: 30% within reach now and 36% by the end of 2028, on the long-run pace at four in five. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
Share of the paid hours within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
What handing the work over would take
For the 204,253 people in jobs so far, 75% of the industry's people; the others are in the totals above and join this split as the review reaches their jobs. Shares of their working time within reach now, at the pace and reliability chosen above. Estimates. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
about 65 million hours a year. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
about 49 million hours a year. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
about 37 million hours a year. Short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the totals.
What their work is made of
- 19%
- 12%
- 9%
- 7%
- 53%
Each task's time split among five kinds of doing, judged one task at a time; only documents and systems can count as within reach.
What changes for the people
For the 204,253 people in jobs reviewed task by task so far, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five: the shares of their working time, from each job page's own map, weighted by how many people here do that job. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job. Estimates.
Conversation, in-person and hands-on work.
Desk work within reach in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs.
Desk work within reach that is small if wrong, with lighter checks.
What most people here would learn first
How many of them have each skill among the first two things to learn on their job's page. Every state, and the US
- The hands-on craft78,097 (38%)
- Judgment where errors are severe76,300 (37%)
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself70,777 (35%)
- Signing off under your license46,460 (23%)
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts42,340 (21%)
- The conversations25,533 (13%)
- Running AI inside the business systems23,510 (12%)
- Dealing with people outside the organization12,750 (6%)
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this industry's paid hours were within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 2%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 17%. Today's estimate: 24%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 55% of the working time of the people in this industry as physical work. For 37% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 25% in a purpose-built cell, 12% in a structured facility. 0.49 of 3.
- Not physical 45%
- No robot shown 18%
- In a purpose-built cell 25%
- In a structured facility 12%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. Weighted by the people in each occupation; each job's page names the robot behind each rated task.
Where the hours are
Jobs by hours within reach now. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index. The 40 largest jobs hold 86% of the people.
| People | Pay here | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Service Representatives | 8,470 | 64% | 11 million | $39K |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 42,580 | 11% | 9.5 million | $73K |
| Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks | 11,940 | 36% | 9 million | $39K |
| Cargo and Freight Agents | 6,030 | 50% | 6.2 million | $39K |
| Aircraft Service Attendants | 19,500 | 15% | 6.1 million | $43K |
| General and Operations Managers | 6,130 | 45% | 5.7 million | $109K |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 28,860 | 9% | 5.4 million | $39K |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | 4,980 | 47% | 4.9 million | $88K |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 3,720 | 54% | 4.2 million | $55K |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,960 | 56% | 3.5 million | $46K |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 1,740 | 88% | 3.2 million | $54K |
| Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks | 1,840 | 72% | 2.8 million | $62K |
People: BLS counts for this industry, May 2025. Pay here: the median paid for the job in this industry, else its mean, else the national median. 140 smaller jobs (36,840 people) count in every total but are not listed. Task data covers 98% of the industry's people; the rest are in BLS "all other" groups with no task list, or in counts BLS does not publish.
The tasks with the most hours within reach by the end of 2028
Across the whole industry, on the chosen pace and reliability.
- Complete forms describing tasks completed.Aircraft Service Attendants5 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Record numbers of units handled or moved, using daily production sheets or work tickets.Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand4 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Read and interpret maintenance manuals, service bulletins, and other specifications to determine the feasibility and method of repairing or replacing malfunctioning or damaged components.Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians2.5 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Make and confirm reservations for transportation and accommodations, using telephones, faxes, mail, and computers.Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks2.3 million hours60% of the task within reach
- Obtain and examine all relevant information to assess validity of complaints and to determine possible causes, such as extreme weather conditions that could increase utility bills.Customer Service Representatives1.9 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Conduct routine and special inspections as required by regulations.Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians1.9 million hours20% of the task within reach
- Plan routes, itineraries, and accommodation details, and compute fares and fees, using schedules, rate books, and computers.Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks1.9 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Provide customers with information on routes, gates, prices, timetables, terminals, or concourses.Passenger Attendants1.8 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Complete contract forms, prepare change of address records, or issue service discontinuance orders, using computers.Customer Service Representatives1.8 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Develop or implement electronic maintenance programs or computer information management systems.First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers1.7 million hours100% of the task within reach
Scan a typical company in this industry
The industry's largest jobs, in the proportions BLS counts across the whole industry, at the pay it pays, run through the company scan. A starting point before you have a roster, or a benchmark for the one you have. Or choose the whole industry: every occupation BLS publishes for it with task data, at its nationwide headcount, the sector report ($249 for the full report, or included in Pro).
Next to this industry
Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- Freight Transportation Arrangement251,630 people48% now, 55% by 2028
- Support Activities for Road Transportation114,040 people26% now, 27% by 2028
- Support Activities for Water Transportation94,920 people24% now, 28% by 2028
- Support Activities for Rail Transportation42,340 people19% now, 22% by 2028
- Other Support Activities for Transportation37,610 people28% now, 31% by 2028
How it is built: BLS counts the people in each job in this industry; each job's tasks and their lengths give its share within reach at a date; the industry's share is those shares weighted by people. Value is pay times 1.43 for benefits and payroll costs. Seen in Claude use splits today's share by whether Anthropic saw people bring each task to Claude in 2025; other AI tools are not counted. How it works
Questions about this industry
- How much of the work in Support Activities for Air Transportation is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 24% of the paid hours in Support Activities for Air Transportation are within reach of AI models now and 27% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which jobs in Support Activities for Air Transportation carry the most hours within reach?
- By hours within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index): Customer Service Representatives (8,470 people, 64% of their time, about 11 million hours a year); Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (42,580 people, 11% of their time, about 9.5 million hours a year); and Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks (11,940 people, 36% of their time, about 9 million hours a year).
- Which tasks in Support Activities for Air Transportation carry the most hours within reach by the end of 2028?
- Complete forms describing tasks completed (Aircraft Service Attendants, about 5 million hours a year); Record numbers of units handled or moved, using daily production sheets or work tickets (Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, about 4 million hours a year); and Read and interpret maintenance manuals, service bulletins, and other specifications to determine the feasibility and method of repairing or replacing malfunctioning or damaged components (Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians, about 2.5 million hours a year).
- What would people working in Support Activities for Air Transportation learn first?
- Among the 204,253 people in jobs reviewed task by task, the skills most often among the first two things to learn on their job's page are the hands-on craft (78,097 people); judgment where errors are severe (76,300 people); and reviewing work you did not do yourself (70,777 people). By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 69% of their working time stays with people, 24% becomes checking a model's work and 7% can be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- How is this estimated?
- BLS counts the people in each occupation in Support Activities for Air Transportation (May 2025); each occupation's share of working time within reach comes from its O*NET tasks, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval, and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. The industry's share is those shares weighted by people. Task data covers 98% of its people, and 75% are in occupations reviewed task by task. Data checked November 10, 2026.
Embed these figures on your site
A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.