Airline personnel

The various types of airline personnel include:

• Flight crews, responsible for the operation of the aircraft. Flight crew members include:
  • Pilots (Captain and First Officer: some older aircraft also require a Flight Engineer)
  • Flight attendants, (led by a purser on larger aircraft)
  • in-flight security personnel on some airlines (most notably El Al)
• Groundcrew, responsible for operations at airports. Ground crew members include:
  • Aerospace and avionics engineers responsible for certifying the aircraft for flight and management of aircraft maintenance
    • Aerospace engineers, responsible for airframe, powerplant and electrical systems maintenance
    • Avionics engineers responsible for avionics and instruments maintenance
  • Airframe and powerplant technicians
  • Electric System technicians, responsible for maintenance of electrical systems
  • Avionics technicians, responsible for maintenance of avionics
  • Flight dispatchers
  • Baggage handlers
  • Rampers
  • Gate agents
  • Ticket agents
  • Passenger service agents (such as airline lounge employees)
• Reservations agents, usually (but not always) at facilities outside the airport.

Airlines follow a corporate structure where each broad area of operations (such as maintenance, flight operations, and passenger service) is supervised by a vice president. Larger airlines often appoint vice presidents to oversee each of the airline's hubs as well. Airlines employ lawyers to deal with regulatory procedures and other administrative tasks.