Airport Internships: Effectively Structuring a Departmental Rotation Internship

Abstract

Preparing for a career in airport management not only requires appropriate education, but formal training as well. Too often, many college graduates are faced with no experience and entry-level airport management positions that require some experience. Unless a recent graduate is able to secure an airport internship, progression in the airport management field may seem daunting, if not impossible. To this end, this article presents findings on the expert opinions of airport managers nationwide regarding the most important airport departments in which an intern should gain experience, the benefits of internship programs, and the recommended structure of a departmental rotation airport internship program. Utilizing the 1996-97 AAAE Membership Directory and Yellow Pages of Corporate Members (American Association of Airport Executives, 1997), a written mail survey was sent to a nationwide random sample of 200 airport managers in January 1998. Results, which are presented using percentage distribution tables and descriptive statistics, show that the majority of airport managers view their careers as challenging and interesting, consider Finance along with Planning & Development the most important airport departments in which an intern should gain experience, and feel that an internship program is extremely beneficial to the intern, while also being beneficial to the airport.