T R A N S P O RT T he third runway at Heathrow has been given the go-ahead, Ryanair is recruiting pilots and people are travelling more for business and pleasure - all of which means the aviation industry will be a good place to find work in the next few years. It already contributes £20bn every year to the UK economy and supports over 230,000 jobs - with positions in airports, on the ground and of course up in the air to consider. Here we take a look at some of the options. Passenger check-in officer Your main role is to check passengers in, weighing and checking in baggage, issuing boarding passes and labels and allocating seat numbers. It's a frontline job dealing with potentially stressed people. What skills and qualifications do I need? Excellent customer service skills are vital. You'll also need GCSEs (9 to 4/A* to C), particularly in English, and being able to speak another language will help. You'll get on-the-job training and you can study for an NVQ in handling air passengers. How much can I earn? Salaries start at £13,000 rising to £22,000. Some airlines offer discounted travel too. JOBS & CAREERS /// 249