Launch League

Logistics & operations · Helping & Teaching

Ramp attendant: what the job actually is

Loading and unloading bags and cargo at the aircraft, in all weather, to a departure time that does not move.

Published Last reviewed How we research and correct this

Ramp attendant: quick facts

Ramp attendant salary in Ontario: the median pay is $23.36 an hour, according to Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024). Its three-year outlook in Ontario is moderate. The job usually needs a high school diploma, or several weeks of on-the-job training.

Median pay in Ontario
$23.36 an hour
Pay range (low to high)
$18.00 to $38.00 an hour
Job outlook, 2025-2027
Moderate
People working in it in Ontario
4,250
Usually needs
Usually a high school diploma, or several weeks of on-the-job training

Source: Job Bank wages (updated 19 November 2025) and job prospects (updated 10 December 2025), NOC 74202. Pay varies by region and experience.

The work

What this job actually is

  • Working on the airport ramp, the area around the aircraft: loading and unloading bags and freight, and moving them with equipment.
  • It is physical work outside, around aircraft. The weather is part of the job, and so is the clock, because the aircraft has a departure time.
  • Job Bank says completion of secondary school is usually required and that experience operating baggage transporting equipment or warehouse experience may be needed. It says a driver's licence and a good driving record are usually required.
  • Job Bank says the occupation is not regulated in Canada. Transport Canada says a Transportation Security Clearance is required for individuals who need entry to restricted areas of airports.
  • Job Bank's outlook for this group is Moderate, with a moderate number of new positions from growth and not many from retirements.

A Tuesday

What a normal day looks like

Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.

  1. 5:00 — Clock in, safety briefing, check which aircraft you are on and who is on your crew.
  2. 5:30 — Out on the ramp in the dark, in whatever the weather is. Hi-vis, ear protection, gloves.
  3. 6:00 — The aircraft arrives. You chock the wheels, position the equipment and open the hold.
  4. 6:20 — Unload: bags out, bags onto carts, carts to the terminal. Your back and legs do most of it.
  5. 7:30 — Load the next departure, to the weight and distribution the load sheet says.
  6. 9:00 — Break, in the crew room, hands cold.
  7. 9:20 — Another turnaround, tighter than the last, with a delayed connection and no spare minutes.
  8. 11:30 — Drive a tug with carts across the apron, watching the traffic that includes aircraft and fuel trucks.
  9. 13:00 — Done. You smell like jet fuel and the cold, and your shift ended before most people had lunch.

Honestly

Who loves this, and who should not do it

The second list is the useful one. Nearly every careers page leaves it out, which is why nearly every careers page reads like an advert.

You may like this if
  • You like physical work outdoors and want to be around aircraft and airports.
  • You work well on a small crew where everyone has a fixed task and a fixed clock.
  • You are comfortable following strict safety rules around heavy equipment and moving aircraft.
  • You are fine with early starts, nights, weekends and holidays.
  • You want a job where you do not have to talk to customers all day.
You may hate this if
  • You dislike cold, heat, rain, snow or wind. The ramp has all of them and the work does not stop.
  • Heavy lifting repeatedly bothers your back or shoulders.
  • You do not like noise. An airport apron is loud, and hearing protection is part of the kit.
  • You do not want background checks or restrictions on where you can go. Restricted airport areas require a clearance that the employer starts.
  • You want a shift pattern you can plan around. Flights run all hours.

The route in

How you actually get there in Ontario

  1. No licence for the work, but employers set requirements

    Job Bank says the occupation is not regulated in Canada. It lists secondary school completion, experience with baggage transporting equipment or warehouse work, and a driver's licence with a good driving record as usually required. Read each posting, because requirements vary.

  2. Expect a security clearance

    Transport Canada says a Transportation Security Clearance is required for people who need entry to restricted areas of airports, and that the application must be started by the employer. It describes checks with the RCMP and says a clearance can be valid for up to 5 years. I did not read which exact ramp jobs require it, so ask the employer.

  3. Get warehouse or equipment experience if you can

    Because Job Bank names warehouse and baggage equipment experience, a first job in a warehouse or a stockroom helps. The material handler page covers that work and the age rules for warehouses.

  4. Apply to the airline or the ground-handling company

    I did not find an official page that lists ramp hiring steps or training, so look at employers' own careers pages. Check Ontario's minimum-age page for your age against the workplace type.

Where this comes from: Job Bank — Air transport ramp attendants requirements (Ontario) · Transport Canada — Transportation Security Clearance Program · Transport Canada — Applying for transportation security clearances · Ontario — Minimum age for work

The money

Ramp attendant salary in Ontario

Job Bank's own figures, quoted rather than summarised, with the period they describe — so you can tell how old they are and go and check them.

$18.00
Low (hourly)
$23.36
Median (hourly)
$38.00
High (hourly)

Ontario, NOC 74202. Reference period 2023-2024, last updated by Job Bank on 19 November 2025. Wages vary a lot by region inside Ontario and by how long you have been doing it — the low figure is roughly where you start, not what the job is worth.

Source: Job Bank — Ramp attendant wages in Ontario

Where it is heading

The outlook for the next three years

Job Bank publishes a three-year outlook for every job in every province. It is the closest thing to an honest forecast, and it moves, so read it as a weather report rather than a verdict.

Ontario, 2025-2027

Moderate3 out of 5 stars

  • Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
  • Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
  • There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

What that rating means: how many openings Job Bank expects in Ontario for this kind of work against how many people are likely to be looking — not whether it is a good job. A “limited” rating means more competition for each opening; it does not close the door, and it can change before you are ready to walk through it.

4,250
people work in this job in Ontario
12%
are women (48% across all jobs)

Source: Job Bank — Air transport ramp attendants job prospects in Ontario (NOC 74202). Outlook updated by Job Bank on 10 December 2025; read by us on 5 October 2026.

Before you leave school

Things you can do now

  • Get your G1 as soon as you are old enough, and drive carefully. A good driving record is one of the stated requirements.
  • Do a repetitive physical job that is not scary: a school or community event setup crew, a moving day, or a warehouse co-op if your school offers it.
  • Learn how a load sheet or a packing list works, since weight and balance matter on the ramp.
  • Look at the Transport Canada clearance pages and think about whether the process suits you.

Test it

Do this before you decide anything

Reading about a job tells you almost nothing. This is designed to be done alone, this week, for free.

Stand outside for two hours and do a physical task

About 120 minutes
  1. Pick a day with whatever weather it is, and dress properly. Do not do this if the weather is dangerous.
  2. For one hour, do a physical outdoor job at home or with permission from a neighbour: shovelling, raking, carrying and stacking bags or boxes, with the right gear and a safe load for your size.
  3. For the second hour, do a second task that needs focus and speed, like sorting the load into groups to a time limit.
  4. Write down how your body felt at the end, whether the weather bothered you and whether you wanted to keep going.

What it tells you. If you finished tired but fine, and the cold, wind or heat did not make you miserable, outdoor work like this may suit you. If you hated every minute outside, that is the job's baseline, and it is better to find out in your driveway than on a ramp.

Better than any article

Questions for somebody who does this job

Most people say yes to a teenager who asks good questions. These are the ones that get real answers rather than encouragement.

  1. “What does the training cover before you work on your own?”
  2. “How long did your security clearance take, and who handled it?”
  3. “What is the hardest part of working outdoors all year?”
  4. “How are shifts scheduled, and how often do you work weekends and holidays?”
  5. “What do you do on a day when everything runs late?”
  6. “How has the work changed since you started?”

Could you own one of these?

The part other career sites never mention

Not directly. Ramp attendant is an employee job, and airside work is controlled through employers and security clearances, so a person cannot simply start their own. The related path is working your way into supervision, or into logistics and trucking, where the equipment skills carry.

Business 101 is free and teaches that part

Quick answers

Questions people ask about this job

How much does a ramp attendant make in Ontario?

The median pay for a ramp attendant in Ontario is $23.36 an hour, according to Job Bank (reference period 2023-2024, updated 19 November 2025). The range Job Bank publishes runs from $18.00 to $38.00 an hour. Pay varies by region, employer and experience.

What is the job outlook for a ramp attendant in Ontario?

Job Bank rates the employment outlook for this work in Ontario as moderate for 2025-2027 (updated 10 December 2025). Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions. Not many positions will become available due to retirements. There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation. A lower rating means more competition for each opening, not that no one is hiring.

What do you need to become a ramp attendant in Ontario?

Job Bank says this work usually needs a high school diploma, or several weeks of on-the-job training. The usual route in Ontario, in order: No licence for the work, but employers set requirements; Expect a security clearance; Get warehouse or equipment experience if you can.

How many people work as a ramp attendant in Ontario, and how many are women?

Job Bank counts about 4,250 people working in this job in Ontario. 12% of them are women, compared with 48% across all jobs. That describes who does the work today, not who can.

Not sure this is the right list to be reading

Start from yourself, not from the job.

Future Finder is free, takes about ten minutes, needs no account and stores nothing. It will tell you which kinds of work you lean toward, and which of these pages are worth your time.

Try Future Finder — freeAll jobs

Parent of a teenager weighing this up? Career coaching for teens gets them talking to people who do the work, anywhere in Ontario.

If this appeals, look at these too

material handler shipper and receiver airline agent flight attendant truck driver

Read next

Jobs for teens in Ontario Finished school, can't find a job All careers guides

Wages and training requirements change. Every figure on this page is linked to the body that publishes it, and the review date above says when we last checked. If you find something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.