Airline industry - Coursework Example

The airline industry is one of the most powerful industries in the world. In this industry generated $712 billion in sales in the US and 986billion worldwide (Plunkett Research). The demand and supply of airline tickets varies a lot by season. In the good season which is Christmas and summer the demand for airline travels goes up. During this season since the supply cannot keep up with the demand the prices of air travel tickets goes up. During low season the airlines utilize a lower pricing strategy in order to attract more customers.

As prices goes down the demand for air travel rises. During off season the supply of air travel exceeds its demand. The airline industry has many positive effects over the economy. Airlines provide a fast and safe transportation method that allows humans to travel long distances in short periods of time. This method of transportation is perfectly suited to serve the needs of tourist. The tourism revenues of countries depend on the ability of airlines to bring tourist into their country. There are millions tourist coming into the United States every year.

These tourists help the economy by spending money in the consumer markets. Another way the airline industry helps the economy is by carrying merchandise from one location to another. The international trade system depends on the airline industry to transport goods between countries. The airline industry also positively impacts the economy by generating thousands of jobs. The billions of dollars generated in revenues by the industry pay income taxes to local governments. The labor market for the airline industry is composed of different positions including pilots, stewardess, maintenance crew, security crew, engineers, ticket sales representatives, and management.

The most important position in the airline industry is the pilots. The requirements to become a pilot include perfect vision, a bachelor degree in aviation, perfect criminal record, good credit, and extensive flight experience including being a co-pilot in airline prior to becoming a pilot. Another important set of workers in the airline industry is the maintenance crew. Airplanes require refueling before every flight and other mechanical maintenance to perform on a recurrent basis. The stewardesses are also an important group of workers because they are the ones that provide customer service while the passengers are on a flight.

There exist wage inequalities in the airline industry. The pilot positions in the airline industry are dominated by males. Since there a lot more pilots that are males with extensive experience the average salary of male pilots is higher than the average salary of female pilots. Wage inequality exists in the airline industry evidenced by the fact that the revenues of the industry are climbing, but the salaries paid in the industry have remain stable. Another indicator that wage inequalities exist is the lack of salary scales by position and experience within the industry.

The wages in the airline industry are traditionally low. In the San Francisco Airport approximately 78% of the employees make less than $10 an hour (Associatedcontent). Work Cited Page Associatedcontent.com. 2011. “Wage Inequality in the Airline Industry.” 25 April 2011. < http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/427470/wage_inequality_in_the_airlines_industry.html?cat=3> Plunkett Research. 2011. “Airline, Hotel, and Travel Industry Overview.” 24 April 2011.