Find a departure that fits
Start by asking when the traveler needs to arrive, then search schedules and open seats by computer.
Career profile
Reservation and Ticket Agent
Ticket agents help travelers pick departure times, reserve seats and get their tickets right.
An airline cancels a flight, and a stranded traveler is counting on you to get them rebooked on another one.
A day in the life
Confirm, charge and print tickets
Walk the traveler through the trip details to confirm them, take payment, and then issue the ticket.
Rebook a stranded traveler
Find alternatives once a cancellation strands someone, and explain the new route before you issue a replacement ticket.
Check in flyers at the airport
At an airport desk, hand the traveler a boarding pass and take their bags for the flight.
Quick facts
High school + job training
United States · 2025
$44,390/year
United States · May 2025
2.5% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
High school + job trainingA high school diploma or equivalent and short-term employer training are typical; individual hiring requirements vary.
Pay
$44,390/yearMedian for the broader reservation, transportation ticket agent and travel clerk group; equivalent hourly median: $21.34.
Outlook
2.5% projected growthFor the broader group, including travel clerks, from 2025 to 2035.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like checking details while talking with someone.
- You enjoy explaining travel options clearly.
- You can stay patient when a customer is frustrated.
Things to weigh
- Transportation runs beyond school-day hours. Some jobs include evenings, weekends and holidays.
- Upset passengers can make the work stressful. Counter jobs may also involve lifting heavy bags.
Where AI may help
Self-service kiosks handle check-in steps, and virtual assistants answer travel questions. Amtrak offers both automated help and live chat.
What people still lead
Agents help when self-service stalls and explain options during disrupted travel.
What we can’t predict yet
How much complicated rebooking will move into self-service remains uncertain; the balance between routine transactions and problem-solving may shift.
Pay in context
Earnings
Use these national figures as context: they include travel clerks as well as reservation and transportation ticket agents.
Median and spread
The May 2025 median was $44,390 a year, or $21.34 an hour. The 10th and 90th percentiles were $32,140 and $78,150 annually ($15.45 and $37.57 hourly). These describe the wage distribution, not a starting-to-senior pay ladder.
Openings include replacement hiring
The broader group has 11,800 projected openings a year on average during 2025–2035, compared with 3,000 net additional jobs over the entire decade. Openings are not all newly created positions.
Getting started
Apply for entry-level agent work
- What the route involves
- Finish high school or an equivalent qualification, then apply for jobs that train new agents.
- What it can lead to
- After hiring, learn the employer’s booking system and transaction procedures.
- What to check
- Airport jobs may require background screening and security badges.
Build customer-service experience first
- What the route involves
- Practice handling questions and complaints in a customer-facing job before applying.
- What it can lead to
- That experience can meet an airline’s hiring preference; you still need its job training.
A college degree is not the typical entry requirement. You can apply directly or first build customer-service experience.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn the booking screens and check your ticket and payment entries for accuracy.
Handle harder changes
Build confidence with rebooking and refunds when the original journey no longer works.
Move toward team leadership
Airport customer service manager is one possible next step: coach agents and handle escalated problems. Airport experience and experience leading people can strengthen your application.
Where you can work
Airport counters and gates
Your work follows departure deadlines. You may move between ticketing, baggage check-in and boarding, with shifts outside daytime hours.
- Indoors
- Shift work
- Physical demands
Passenger rail stations
At Amtrak, station size shapes the job. You may sell tickets at the counter, help passengers on the platform, handle baggage and help keep the station clean.
- Indoors
- Outdoors
- Physical demands
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Choose a pretend rail journey using a public timetable. Find two departures, then imagine the first is canceled. Explain the replacement’s departure time, arrival time and connections to a friend. Notice whether you enjoy checking details while explaining a changed plan.
Stay safe: Use a pretend trip; do not buy a ticket or enter payment information.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics, 2025–35. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National wages: Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Information Clerks. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- American Airlines. Customer Service Agent Part Time — Reno. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- American Airlines. Customer Service Manager, Airport Customer Operations — Charlotte. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Amtrak. Customer Service Careers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Amtrak. Chat with a Live Agent. Accessed 2026-10-03.