# Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks

US SOC code 43-4181. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/43-4181

Also called: Ticket agent, Gate agent, Reservation agent, Travel clerk, Airline ticket agent.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **118,710** US reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks, with median pay of **$44,390** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **167,390**, in May 2007. The earliest figure here is [a Census count](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1883/dec/vol-04-transportation.html) of **40,000** from 1880, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: Self-service kiosks and mobile check-in, 2008 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 2.5% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=43-4181&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **52.9%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1840
- Latest US employment: 118,710 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $44,390 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [10]
- Outlook: +2.5% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [29]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 64312)
  - Employment, 2020: 12,875. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [8]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income, the EXACT SUM of the cited cells for NOC 64312 + 64313 (this US occupation has no single NOC unit-group equivalent), combined as Airline and ground/water transport ticket and service agents, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. A sum of cited cells, not an estimate. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$55,600. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [13]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 64312 Airline ticket and service agents, the dominant constituent of the combined Airline and ground/water transport ticket and service agents (NOC 64312 + 64313), Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). This is the cited median of the dominant group, not a blend of the constituent medians. Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1880 | 40,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1880 [1] |
| 1950 | 110,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Bureau of Transportation Statistics [2] |
| 1956 | n/a | $3,900 (estimate) | Est., Approximate 1956 median annual earnings… [9] |
| 1990 | 175,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Bureau of Labor Statistics [3] |
| 2000 | 199,700 | n/a | BLS OEWS 2000 [4] |
| 2003 | 165,990 | $26,220 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 159,910 | $27,750 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 160,120 | $28,120 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 157,650 | $28,540 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 167,390 | $29,820 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 163,880 | $31,070 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 142,500 | $31,250 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 121,250 | $31,740 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 126,790 | $33,300 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 135,930 | $32,400 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 141,900 | $33,990 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 138,260 | $33,510 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 138,810 | $35,170 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 146,350 | $35,230 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 148,220 | $36,280 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 132,050 | $37,220 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 123,660 | $38,380 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 110,020 | $39,430 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 100,860 | $39,900 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 119,130 | $39,160 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 119,270 | $40,610 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 127,440 | $41,460 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 118,710 | $44,390 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (94)

### Employment series

1. [US Census 1880 — Vol. 4, Report on the Agencies of Transportation in the United States (railroad agent and telegraph operator employment)](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1883/dec/vol-04-transportation.html), US Census Bureau
2. [Bureau of Transportation Statistics — Commercial Aviation 2020 (historical aviation employment context; 1950 passenger volume reference)](https://www.bts.gov/data-spotlight/commercial-aviation-2020-downturn-airline-passengers-employment-profits-and-flights), Bureau of Transportation Statistics
3. [BLS Occupational Compensation Survey D318 — Transportation Ticket and Reservation Agents (BLS reference page for this occupational category)](https://www.bls.gov/ocs/additional-resources/d318-transportation-ticket-and-reservation-agents.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
6. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
8. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

9. [Approximate 1956 median annual earnings for transportation ticket agents, derived from University of Missouri Libraries' "Prices and Wages by Decade: 1950-1959" index of BLS-era wage data](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1950-1959), University of Missouri Libraries (secondary index of BLS historical wage data)
10. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
11. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
12. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
13. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

14. [Hamilton East Public Library — Women Running the Railroad: Station Agents (history of the telegraph-integrated station agent role)](https://hamiltoneastpl.org/station-agents/), Hamilton East Public Library
15. [Computer History Museum — SABRE, American Airlines' computerized reservation system (CHM Revolution)](https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/mainframe-computers/7/176/702), Computer History Museum
16. [IBM — Sabre (IBM history of the project, including the pre-computer Reservisor system)](https://www.ibm.com/history/sabre), IBM
17. [History of Information — American Airlines Develops SABRE, the First Online Reservation System](https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=813), historyofinformation.com
18. [Wikipedia — Sabre (travel reservation system): history of GDS distribution to travel agents from 1976](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabre_%28travel_reservation_system%29), Wikipedia
19. [AltexSoft — History of Flight Booking: CRSs, GDS Distribution, Travel Agencies, and Online Reservations](https://www.altexsoft.com/blog/history-of-flight-booking-crss-gds-distribution-travel-agencies-and-online-reservations/), AltexSoft
20. [Wikipedia — Travelocity (founding March 12, 1996; first website for direct consumer airline ticket purchase)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelocity), Wikipedia
21. [The History of the Web — "It's 1997 And You Want to Take a Flight" (Travelocity and Expedia as consumer disintermediation)](https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/its-1997-and-you-want-to-take-a-flight/), The History of the Web
22. [Encyclopedia.com — Expedia, Inc. (launch October 1996, Microsoft Network, first major tech-company online travel service)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/expedia-inc), Encyclopedia.com
23. [SITA Smart Path — biometric boarding and self-service processing (83% airline adoption target by 2026; replaces document-check step)](https://www.sita.aero/solutions/sita-at-airports/sita-passenger-processing/sita-smart-path/), SITA
24. [NPR — Airlines, Travel Groups Warn Of More Job Cuts As COVID-19 Aid Talks Stall (October 2020; American Airlines 19,000 furloughs, United 13,000+)](https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/10/07/921213671/airlines-travel-groups-warn-of-more-job-cuts-as-covid-aid-talks-stall), NPR
25. [PMC / ScienceDirect — COVID-19 and airline employment: Insights from historical uncertainty shocks (passenger-handling agents as first line of cost shedding)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7322265/), Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives / PMC
26. [Skift — Google is building agentic travel booking, plus other travel AI updates (November 2025)](https://skift.com/2025/11/17/google-is-building-agentic-travel-booking-plus-other-travel-ai-updates/), Skift
27. [Amadeus — Cytric AI Assistant for Microsoft Teams (agentic corporate travel booking, 2025)](https://amadeus.com/en/blog/articles/amadeus-cytric-business-travel-show-2025), Amadeus
28. [Sabre — Mosaic Automation Manager (claims 72% efficiency gain on repetitive ticketing tasks)](https://www.sabre.com/products/), Sabre

### Forecasts and exposure studies

29. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 43-4181 Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks (2025: 120.1 thousand; 2035: 123.1 thousand; +2.5%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=43-4181&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
30. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 43-4181.00, human-rated β 0.529)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

31. [Carnegie Mellon University — Telegraph lines and railroad history (telegraph integration with railroad operations)](https://telegraph.library.cmu.edu/), Carnegie Mellon University Libraries
32. [IBM — Sabre (history of the project inception and development)](https://www.ibm.com/history/sabre), IBM
33. [Computer History Museum — SABRE, American Airlines' computerized reservation system](https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/mainframe-computers/7/176/702), Computer History Museum
34. [AltexSoft — History of Flight Booking (deregulation era and airline expansion in the GDS period)](https://www.altexsoft.com/blog/history-of-flight-booking-crss-gds-distribution-travel-agencies-and-online-reservations/), AltexSoft
35. [Wikipedia — Travelocity (March 12, 1996 launch; first consumer-direct airline ticket website)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelocity), Wikipedia
36. [Bureau of Transportation Statistics — Commercial Aviation 2020 (historical aviation employment context including 9/11 impact)](https://www.bts.gov/data-spotlight/commercial-aviation-2020-downturn-airline-passengers-employment-profits-and-flights), Bureau of Transportation Statistics
37. [NPR — Airlines, Travel Groups Warn Of More Job Cuts As COVID-19 Aid Talks Stall (October 2020)](https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/10/07/921213671/airlines-travel-groups-warn-of-more-job-cuts-as-covid-aid-talks-stall), NPR

### Predecessors & successors

38. [Hamilton East Public Library — Women Running the Railroad: Station Agents (history of station agent role as precursor)](https://hamiltoneastpl.org/station-agents/), Hamilton East Public Library
39. [AltexSoft — History of Flight Booking (GDS distribution to travel agencies from 1976; agent workforce)](https://www.altexsoft.com/blog/history-of-flight-booking-crss-gds-distribution-travel-agencies-and-online-reservations/), AltexSoft

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks (43-4181.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/43-4181.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OES May 2024 — Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents (43-4181)](https://www.bls.gov/OES/Current/oes434181.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Skift — Google Building Agentic Travel Booking (Nov 2025)](https://skift.com/2025/11/17/google-is-building-agentic-travel-booking-plus-other-travel-ai-updates/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [SITA Smart Path biometric boarding — 83% airline adoption by 2026](https://www.sita.aero/solutions/sita-at-airports/sita-passenger-processing/sita-smart-path/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Amadeus Cytric AI Assistant for Microsoft Teams (2025)](https://amadeus.com/en/blog/articles/amadeus-cytric-business-travel-show-2025), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Sabre Mosaic Automation Manager — 72% efficiency gain claim](https://www.sabre.com/products/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Booking.com Smart Messenger and Auto-Reply agentic AI (2025)](https://news.booking.com/bookingcom-debuts-agentic-ai-innovations-adding-to-its-robust-suite-of-genai-tools-for-customers/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [IDC projection: 30% of travel bookings by AI agents by 2030](https://thunderbit.com/blog/ai-travel-agent), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Coaxsoft — AI agents and the future of online travel agencies (2025)](https://coaxsoft.com/blog/ai-agents-and-the-future-of-online-travel-agencies), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Zendesk — AI-powered ticketing automation guide (2026)](https://www.zendesk.com/au/blog/ai/workflow-automation/ai-powered-ticketing/), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.