Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks

High Risk
Low High

Explore safer careers (5)

Lower estimated automation risk

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners
23% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better Higher growth
46.6 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Applies travel logistics, vendor coordination, group scheduling, and client communication to planned events.

Airfield Operations Specialists
36% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better
34.3 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Airport agents can build on terminal knowledge, safety procedures, records, and coordination with targeted operations training.

Transportation Inspectors
36% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better
34.1 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Applies transport rules, documentation, passenger flow awareness, and safety compliance in inspection work.

Cargo and Freight Agents
53% automation risk | Moderate Risk
Pays better Higher growth
17.1 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Transfers routing, ticketing-style documentation, schedule coordination, and transport customer service to freight movement.

Travel Agents
61% automation risk | High Risk
Pays better
9.4 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Reuses itinerary planning, booking systems, fare and lodging knowledge, and traveler support in consultative sales.


Share your results with friends and family.

Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
2.8/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

70% (High Risk)

High Risk (61-80%): This occupation shows a significant risk of end-to-end replacement by automation. Many core parts of the role may be structured, repeatable, software-driven, or physically predictable enough for AI, machines, or robotic systems to take over. If you work in this area, it may be worth exploring safer related careers or moving towards more human-centred responsibilities.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Working directly with the public

Very important
Why this matters
The job involves face-to-face interaction with customers, clients, or guests—answering questions, handling requests, and managing service situations in real time. Roles with frequent public interaction are harder to replace end-to-end because they rely on trust, communication, and adapting to unpredictable human needs.
Jobs that also use this strength

Decision-making and problem solving

Very important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
Jobs that also use this strength

Assisting and caring for others

Quite important
Why this matters
Provide hands-on help, emotional support, or personal care to people—work that depends on empathy, trust, and responding to individual needs in the moment.
Jobs that also use this strength

Social perceptiveness

Quite important
Why this matters
Noticing others’ emotions and reactions in the moment and adjusting what you say or do based on why they’re responding that way.
Jobs that also use this strength

Persuasion

Quite important
Why this matters
Influencing people to change their minds or behavior through conversation, trust, and negotiation.
Jobs that also use this strength
Show 1 more strength

Active learning

Quite important
Why this matters
Keeps learning from new information and applying it to make better decisions now and in the future, especially when situations change.
Jobs that also use this strength

What users think

Based on 33 votes

68% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted that it's probable this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 70% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

View sentiment trend

Pay & outlook

Wages

Very low paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks was $41,460 ($20 per hour).

The median annual wage for Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks was 16.2% lower than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Moderate growth relative to other professions

The number of 'Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks' job openings is expected to rise 2.8% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 127,440 people employed as 'Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks' within the United States.

This represents around 0.08% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 1 thousand people are employed as 'Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks'.

People also viewed

Lawyers Computer Programmers Travel Agents Actors Accountants and Auditors

What people are saying (2)

Rahul
08 Dec 2020 01:37
That should be automated, in next few years at least in India
Shawn (No chance)
13 Apr 2019 18:23
I want to be a ticket agent for Bc Ferries. You are the person who you see first when going on your trip

Leave a reply about this occupation
0/8000

Job description

Make and confirm reservations for transportation or lodging, or sell transportation tickets. May check baggage and direct passengers to designated concourse, pier, or track; deliver tickets and contact individuals and groups to inform them of package tours; or provide tourists with travel or transportation information.

O*NET-SOC code: 43-4181.00