| Compensation
In Travel IS - 1998
By: David J. Wardell
© 1998 By: David J.
Wardell. Reproduction or redistribution in any form without
written permission is strictly prohibited. |
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| Frequently questions are
raised as to information that may be available as to compensation for
technology staff in the travel industry. Although several sources
publish annual surveys of non-travel IS compensation, the travel field
has rarely been adequately addressed.
As part of a recent project, I developed some guidelines for travel technology compensation. I’ve decided to make the preliminary results of that work available on Crossroads in the hope that you might review the data and offer insights based upon your own experience that will help arrive at a more accurate picture.
These figures were obtained from abstracts developed after a survey of 25 companies representing all parts of the travel industry. No attempt has been made to predict the statistical validity of the information beyond the diversity of this basic sample. Figures represent median annual compensation in U.S. dollars.
Typical rate of increase: 1996/1997 5%-8% Premium for employees living in the east: 5% Discount for employees living in the south or midwest: 10% Approximate value of incentives & bonuses: 10%
In the travel field there appears to be a modest compensation gap between the pay scales of large agencies and vendors, but not as large as is commonly believed. A larger gap (10%-15%) is found between the pay scales of large and small agencies. Companies with active development programs often pay substantial premiums for skilled managers and programmers. Employees at the most senior management levels (CIO, EVP, SVP) are present throughout the travel industry but represented too small a part of this sample to be meaningful. |
