Aircraft Service Attendants
Service aircraft with fuel. May de-ice aircraft, refill water and cooling agents, empty sewage tanks, service air and oxygen systems, or clean and polish exterior.
31,300 people do this job in the US. $40,450 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 15%
- 0%
- 85%
Anthropic's data does not cover this job.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 4%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 15%. Today's estimate: 15%.
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.
The tasks
Sorted by . 11 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apply de-icing fluid to aircraft from baskets lifted by truck-mounted cranes.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 19% | 33 min17 min to 58 min | Stays with people | |
| Inspect aircraft components to locate cracks, breaks, leaks, or other problems.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 17% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Refuel aircraft using hoses connected to fuel trucks.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 15% | 29 min17 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Complete forms describing tasks completed.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 12% | 17 min8 min to 29 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Load baggage or cargo for crew or passengers.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 11% | 42 min17 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Tow aircraft to gates or hangars using tugs, tractors, or other vehicles.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 8% | 25 min13 min to 42 min | Stays with people | |
| Guide aircraft to designated areas using hand signals, batons, or other methods.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 7% | 13 min4 min to 21 min | Stays with people | |
| Refill aircraft potable water tanks.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Radio to flight dispatchers or other personnel to discuss incoming or outgoing aircraft.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 3% | 4 min3 min to 8 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Empty aircraft lavatory systems or refill them with sanitizer fluid.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 2% | 17 min8 min to 33 min | Stays with people | |
| Climb ladders to reach aircraft surfaces to be cleaned.Done daily by most who do it. | 1% | 13 min4 min to 25 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians7% now, 8% by 2028
- Avionics Technicians6% now, 15% by 2028
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers4% now, 4% by 2028
- Commercial Pilots24% now, 27% by 2028
- Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment3% now, 3% by 2028
- Rail Car Repairers3% now, 3% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).