For more than twelve years, Tanya Austin has worked in the aviation field as a first responder, brand ambassador, and customer service representative to travelers worldwide, as operations and safety manager, representing regional and global carriers such as Delta Airlines and United Express. Tanya has worked in charter, private, and commercial aviation. She has been passionate about her work with nonprofit groups such as Black Pilots of America and Tuskegee Airmen Inc., where she is a national board member and Eastern Region Representative. Tanya is an active member of Women in Aviation International, the Organization for Black Aerospace Professionals, Sisters of the Skies, and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
Tanya contributes her spare time supporting those who need help in these and other organizations. Tanya is an aviation business owner and commercially rated pilot. She is a Certified Aviation Safety Manager. Tanya has over 25 years of sales, service, and management experience and has worked for both government and private sectors. Tanya attended Kaplan, where she completed studies in business and real estate. She also has an international mediator certification.
How did you get your start working in the aviation industry?
Tanya Austin: I started as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines and worked at an FBO during my primary pilot training. I never thought or imagined doing anything in aviation. My interest started in aviation when I discovered I could travel the world as a profession.
Growing up, I couldn’t afford to travel due to our economic situation. I started traveling when I was 18 and knew I wanted to travel more. I would travel so often that one day, an airport employee told me I should consider being the crew. I had no idea what that meant. Once I discovered who the various crew members were, I applied to become a flight attendant.
How has networking or involvement in the Airport Community benefited your career?
Tanya Austin: Networking has been vital and beneficial to my career. Aviation can be a closed industry, and employment and other opportunities may not be readily accessible to those who don’t know where to look. Networking and making myself available have manifested several opportunities and increased my knowledge and territory.
What are the top skills a new airport worker should have to succeed?
Tanya Austin: Attention to detail, flexibility, willingness to learn, exceptional customer service, and extreme patience. I recommend going to a General Aviation airport and speaking with any professional you can immediately find. I recommend joining a civil aviation group, finding a mentor, and attending as many aviation events as possible. Reading and research are critical. When I didn’t know where to start, I found a group of aviation professionals and started calling and writing them.
Take a discovery flight if you are interested in flying. Go on a field trip to an airport and tour an air traffic control center. With the aviation high schools and one of the top aviation colleges in the nation located in New York, your access to these and other aviation-related careers is endless. Colleges and universities nationwide offer aviation-focused training programs; take the time to visit these schools. Lastly, remember that aviation has so many possibilities; explore all the options because aviation is an industry that includes every profession you can imagine.
How are the insights of women in leadership roles important in fostering innovation and the commitment to sustainability and inclusivity?
Tanya Austin: Insights from women in leadership roles are critical. Women can think about every detail. We can prioritize and manage and yet find significance in many ways. This rings true in every phase of our lives. We can pivot when necessary and do so without compromising any mission at hand. It is simply good business to seek insight from women.
What makes the New York metropolitan area unique to other aviation and airport markets?
Tanya Austin: The diversity of the New York area alone makes it unique. It’s one of the top five most diverse cities in the country. The infrastructure also makes it unique, and New York is the most visited city in the U.S., and in the top 10 worldwide. With the looming shortage of qualified aviation talent, New York must capitalize on its population’s diversity and use it to reach groups that only see a small part of aviation. Everyone will benefit once those groups get the chance to develop in the aviation industry.
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