Alright folks, buckle up because trying to get real numbers on what those fancy Machine Learning Engineers actually make at airports? That was a wild ride. Seriously, I thought it’d be simple – open up a salary website, punch in “Airport MLE” and boom. Reality check: it was anything but.
The Google Hop That Went Nowhere
First, I hopped onto the big name job sites everyone talks about. Typed in “Machine Learning Engineer” and “Airport”. Got exactly… zilch. Nada. A few weird hits about AI chatbots for parking tickets, but nothing about real airport tech. It was like searching for a specific runway at night without lights. So I tried just “MLE” salaries – and wow, the numbers were all over the place. $120K? $300K? Which planet? Totally useless for the airport scene.
Asking My Buddy Who’s “In The Biz”
I remembered my college pal worked IT for a big hub airline. Figured he might know someone who knew someone. Shot him a text: “Hey man, any clue what the ML folks at your airport pull in?”. He meant well, I know he did. Came back with, “Yeah buddy, heard some network engineers make bank!” Sigh. Wrong kind of engineer. Back to square zero.
Drowning in Buzzwords on Job Boards
Next stop: actual airport tech job listings. Found a few promising ones deep in career pages. Man, the descriptions were comical. Required: PhD in Astrophysics, built the next GPT-7 in your garage, fluency in 12 programming languages… salary? Just “competitive package based on experience.” Meaningless. You might as well say “paid in mystery bucks.” Talked to HR later? Yeah right, it’s like trying to crack Fort Knox.
The Awkward LinkedIn Stalker Move
Okay, time for last resort: LinkedIn stalking. Found some profiles – actual MLEs listed at major airports. Felt super awkward, but I sent short messages: “Hey [Name], really admire your work. Would love to know typical compensation ranges for airport MLE roles like yours, purely for research?” Most ghosted. One dude actually replied: “Haha, nice try. All I’ll say is… better than working retail.” Wow, thanks Einstein.
The Glimmer of Hope (and Numbers!)
Three days wasted. I was ready to throw in the towel. Then, got a ping from a connection-of-a-connection working in logistics tech near a big airport. Not an airport employee directly, but they partner with them. They knew people. Got me some real, hushed-talk numbers.
- Junior MLE (0-2 years): Around $90K – $110K. Not bad, but less than big tech hype.
- Mid-level (2-5 years): Climbing to $130K – $160K. More like it.
- Senior MLE or Lead: Landing in the $170K – $220K ballpark, plus bonuses sometimes tied to big projects (like runway efficiency or passenger flow).
Big takeaway? It’s solid, often stable money, but generally less crazy than FAANG salaries. Big bucks go to folks solving gnarly problems like real-time baggage chaos or forecasting delays.
What Actually Worked (Kind Of)
So what cracked it? Plain old-fashioned, slightly desperate networking. Asking the indirect connections, people who see the sausage being made. The direct approaches? Utter garbage. HR holds those numbers tighter than a miser clutching gold.
Final thought? Those glossy “average tech salary” reports? Forget ’em for niche roles. Airport MLE pays decent, sometimes really well for senior roles saving millions with smart algorithms. But finding the number? That’s harder than programming the AI itself. Just gotta dig deep and annoy people. You’re welcome.
