U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 3.3 percent more workers in August 2015 than in August 2014, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today. August was the 21st consecutive month that full-time equivalent (FTE) employment for U.S. scheduled passenger airlines exceeded the same month of the previous year and the highest monthly total since September 2008 (Tables 1, 2, 3).

Scheduled Passenger Airline Full-Time Equivalent Employees, Month of August, 1990-2015

Month-to-month, the number of FTEs rose 0.1 percent from July to August, rising after one monthly decline (Table 1A). Scheduled passenger airline categories include network, low-cost, regional and other airlines. Historical employment data can be found on the BTS web site.

The four network airlines that collectively employ two-thirds of the scheduled passenger airline FTEs reported 3.7 percent more FTEs in August 2015 than in August 2014 (Table 7). Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines increased FTEs from August 2014 while United Airlines reduced FTEs (Table 9). American Airlines reported 6.1 percent more FTEs in August than American and US Airways reported separately in August 2014. July 2015 was the first month for which the two merged airlines submitted a combined report. Month-to-month, the number of network airline FTEs was unchanged from July to August for the second consecutive month (Table 1A). Network airlines operate a significant portion of their flights using at least one hub where connections are made for flights to down-line destinations or spoke cities.

The six low-cost carriers reported 5.8 percent more FTEs in August 2015 than in August 2014 (Table 10). Spirit Airlines, Allegiant Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Virgin America and Southwest Airlines reported increases while Frontier Airlines reduced FTEs (Table 12). Month-to-month, the number of low-cost airline FTEs rose 0.7 percent from July to August, rising for the fifth consecutive month (Table 1A). Low-cost airlines operate under a low-cost business model, with infrastructure and aircraft operating costs below the overall industry average.

The 12 regional carriers reported 2.7 percent fewer FTEs in August 2015 than in August 2014 (Table 13). Seven regional airlines – PSA Airlines, Compass Airlines, Mesa Airlines, Horizon Air, GoJet Airlines, Republic Airlines and SkyWest Airlines – reported increased employment levels. The others reported decreases (Table 15). Month-to-month, the number of regional airline FTEs declined 0.2 percent from July to August, the third consecutive monthly decrease (Table 1A). Regional carriers typically provide service from small cities, using primarily regional jets to support the network carriers’ hub and spoke systems.

Carrier Groups: The four network airlines employed 66.9 percent of the 397,007 FTEs employed by all scheduled passenger airlines in August, the six low-cost carriers employed 19.0 percent and the 12 regional carriers employed 12.4 percent (Table 4). The three airlines with the most FTEs in August – American, Delta and United– employed 64.1 percent of the month’s total passenger airline FTEs (Tables 3, 6). From 2006 to 2015, the network share of FTEs rose from 65.5 percent to 66.9 percent, the low-cost share rose from 17.4 percent to 19.0 percent and the regional airline share dropped from 13.8 percent to 12.4 percent (Table 5).

Top Employers by Group: American employed the most FTEs (96,719) in August among the network airlines, Southwest employed the most FTEs (48,169) among low-cost airlines, and SkyWest employed the most FTEs (10,057) among regional airlines. The top three employers in the industry are network airlines (Table 6).    

Airline Mergers: Airlines that announce mergers typically begin joint reporting following U.S. Department of Transportation approval and issuance of a single economic certificate. American and US Airways began reporting jointly with the report of July employment numbers. The airlines announced a merger in January 2013.

Network Airlines
The network airlines employed 3.7 percent more FTEs in August 2015 than in August 2014 and 1.6 percent more FTEs in August 2015 than in August 2011 (Tables 8, 9).

Low-Cost Airlines
The six low-cost airlines employed 5.8 percent more FTEs in August 2015 than in August 2014 and 11.6 percent more FTEs in August 2015 than in August 2011 (Tables 11, 12).

Regional Airlines
Regional airlines employed 2.7 percent fewer FTEs in August 2015 than in August 2014.  The 12 regional carriers reporting in August 2015 employed 7.4 percent fewer FTEs in August 2015 than the 17 carriers reporting in August 2011 (Tables 14, 15).

Reporting Notes

Airlines that operate at least one aircraft that has more than 60 seats or the capacity to carry a payload of passengers, cargo and fuel weighing more than 18,000 pounds must report monthly employment statistics.

The “Other Carrier” category generally reflects those airlines that operate within specific niche markets such as the Hawaiian Islands served by Hawaiian Airlines and Island Air Hawaii. 

Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial air carriers as of Oct. 7. Additional airline employment data and previous press releases can be found on the BTS website. BTS has scheduled release of September passenger airline employment data for Nov. 23.  

Table 1: Yearly Change in Scheduled Passenger Airline Full-time Equivalent Employees* by Airline Group

Most recent 13 months - percent change compared to same month the previous year

	Network Airlines	Low-Cost Airlines	Regional Airlines	All Passenger Airlines**
Aug 2013-Aug 2014	0.1	3.0	2.5	1.0
Sep 2013-Sep 2014	0.4	2.9	1.9	1.1
Oct 2013-Oct 2014	0.3	3.8	-0.2	0.9
Nov 2013-Nov 2014	0.4	5.2	1.5	1.5
Dec 2013-Dec 2014	0.8	4.4	-0.2	1.4
Jan 2014-Jan 2015	0.8	4.6	-1.9	1.2
Feb 2014-Feb 2015	1.4	4.6	-0.3	1.8
Mar 2014-Mar 2015	1.7	4.0	-0.5	1.9
Apr 2014-Apr 2015	2.4	4.2	-0.4	2.4
May 2014-May 2015	2.7	4.3	-0.3	2.6
Jun 2014-Jun 2015	3.1	4.9	0.1	3.0
Jul 2014-Jul 2015	3.1	5.2	-3.3	2.7
Aug 2014-Aug 2015	3.7	5.8	-2.7	3.3

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

** Includes network, low-cost, regional and other carriers. Other Carriers generally operate within specific niche markets. They are: Hawaiian Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and Island Air Hawaii.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: See Table 2 for all passenger airlines, Table 7 for Network, Table 10 for Low-Cost and Table 13 for Regional.

Table 1A: Monthly Change in Scheduled Passenger Airline Full-time Equivalent Employees* by Airline Group

Percent change in FTEs from the previous month

	Network Airlines	Low-Cost Airlines	Regional Airlines	All Passenger Airlines**
Aug 2014-Sep 2014	0.0	0.1	-0.3	0.0
Sep 2014-Oct 2014	0.1	1.0	-1.4	0.1
Oct 2014- Nov 2014	0.2	1.3	1.6	0.6
Nov 2014-Dec 2014	0.2	-0.8	-1.0	-0.2
Dec 2014-Jan 2015	0.1	0.7	-1.2	0.1
Jan 2015-Feb 2015	0.5	0.6	1.7	0.6
Feb 2015-Mar 2015	0.8	-0.2	0.1	0.5
Mar 2015-Apr 2015	0.8	1.7	-0.1	0.7
Apr 2015-May 2015	0.6	0.6	0.3	0.6
May 2015-Jun 2015	0.4	0.6	-0.2	0.3
Jun 2015-Jul 2015	0.0	0.5	-1.8	-0.1
Jul 2015-Aug 2015	0.0	0.7	-0.2	0.1

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

** Includes network, low-cost, regional and other carriers. Other Carriers generally operate within specific niche markets. They are: Hawaiian Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and Island Air Hawaii.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: See Table 2 for all passenger airlines, Table 7 for Network, Table 10 for Low-Cost and Table 13 for Regional.

Table 2: Change from Previous Year in Scheduled Passenger Airline* Full-time Equivalent Employees**

Percent change compared to same month the previous year

Month	2012	2013	2014	2015
January	2.1	-2.3	0.5	1.2
February	2.1	-2.5	0.4	1.8
March	2.1	-2.7	0.8	1.9
April	1.8	-2.4	1.0	2.6
May	1.6	-2.5	1.1	2.6
June	1.1	-2.4	0.9	3.0
July	1.4	-2.6	1.3	2.7
August	0.6	-2.2	1.0	3.3
September	-0.6	-1.6	1.1
October	-1.3	-0.8	0.9
November	-2.0	-0.1	1.5
December	-2.6	0.3	1.4

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Includes network, low-cost, regional and other carriers.

** Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 3: Scheduled Passenger Airline Full-time Equivalent Employees* by Month 2011-2015

Month	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	Percent Change
						2011-2015	2014-2015
January	380,949	388,778	380,042	381,819	386,559	1.5	1.2
February	381,831	389,901	380,375	381,985	388,983	1.9	1.8
March	387,063	390,761	380,536	383,575	390,841	1.0	1.9
April	383,721	390,243	380,957	384,265	393,446	2.5	2.4
May	385,027	390,957	381,423	385,619	395,626	2.8	2.6
June	386,844	390,923	381,672	385,243	396,973	2.6	3.0
July	387,240	391,286	381,299	386,243	396,503	2.4	2.7
August	386,783	389,000	380,564	384,478	397,007	2.6	3.3
September	388,641	386,372	380,165	384,439
October	389,444	384,310	381,178	384,700
November	389,361	381,639	381,224	386,912
December	389,728	379,576	380,809	386,222
12-Month Average	386,386	387,812	380,854	384,625
Jan-Aug Average	384,932	390,231	380,859	384,153	393,242	2.2	2.4

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Includes network, low-cost, regional and other carriers.

** Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 4: Airline Group Full-time Equivalent Employees*, August 2011-2015

	Network	Low-Cost	Regional	All Passenger Airlines**
2011	261,316	67,683	53,288	386,783
2012	262,426	69,379	52,079	388,992
2013	255,800	69,286	49,434	380,486
2014	256,095	71,387	50,671	384,478
2015	265,567	75,549	49,320	397,007
Percent of Total Passenger Airline Employees in 2015	66.9%	19.0%	12.4%	100%

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

** Includes network, low-cost, regional and other carriers.

Table 5: Carrier Group Percent of Total Scheduled Passenger Airline FTEs 2006-2015

(August of each year)

	Network	Low-Cost	Regional	Other
2006	65.5%	17.4%	13.8%	3.3%
2010	67.8%	16.9%	13.8%	1.5%
2014	66.6%	18.6%	13.2%	1.6%
2015	66.9%	19.0%	12.4%	1.7%

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

** Includes network, low-cost, regional and other carriers.

Table 6: Top 10 Airlines, August 2015

Ranked by Number of Full-Time Equivalent Employees*

Rank	Airline	Total FTE Employees	Carrier Group**	Top 10 Airlines August 2014
1	American	96,719	Network	United
2	Delta	79,127	Network	Delta
3	United	78,796	Network	American
4	Southwest	48,169	Low-Cost	Southwest
5	JetBlue	14,872	Low-Cost	US Airways
6	Alaska	10,925	Network	JetBlue
7	SkyWest	10,057	Regional	American Eagle
8	Envoy	9,645	Regional	Alaska
9	ExpressJet	7,708	Regional	SkyWest
10	Spirit	4,410	Low-Cost	ExpressJet

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

** See Table 9 for Network, Table 12 for Low-Cost and Table 15 for Regional.

Table 7: Network Airline Year-to-Year Change in Full-time Equivalent Employees* from the Previous Year

Percent change compared to same month of the previous year

	2012	2013	2014	2015
January	1.5	-3.1	0.4	0.8
February	1.2	-3.0	0.1	1.4
March	1.2	-3.3	0.6	1.7
April	1.3	-3.0	0.4	2.4
May	1.3	-3.0	0.5	2.7
June	0.8	-2.8	0.3	3.1
July	0.6	-2.8	0.4	3.1
August	0.4	-2.5	0.1	3.7
September	-0.8	-2.1	0.4
October	-1.4	-1.4	0.3
November	-2.4	-0.4	0.4
December	-3.3	0.4	0.8

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

Table 8: Network Airlines Full-time Equivalent Employees* by Month 2011-2015

Month	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	Percent Change
						2011-2015	2014-2015
January	258,889	262,561	254,377	255,518	257,627	-0.5	0.8
February	259,816	262,788	254,955	255,158	258,796	-0.4	1.4
March	260,773	263,464	254,870	256,342	260,794	0.0	1.7
April	260,649	263,666	255,673	256,732	262,905	0.9	2.4
May	261,154	264,183	256,272	257,578	264,438	1.3	2.7
June	262,145	264,301	256,791	257,491	265,486	1.3	3.1
July	262,208	263,793	256,474	257,541	265,551	1.3	3.1
August	261,316	262,428	255,800	256,095	265,567	1.6	3.7
September	262,639	260,649	255,194	256,133
October	262,912	259,245	255,741	256,409
November	263,129	256,836	255,914	256,823
December	262,617	254,065	255,155	257,251
12-Month Average	261,521	261,498	255,601	256,589
Jan-Aug Average	260,869	263,398	255,652	256,557	262,646	0.7	2.4

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 9: Network Airline Full-time Equivalent Employees*, August 2011-2015

(FTEs for August of each year. Ranked by August 2015 FTEs)

Rank	Airline	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	Percent Change
							2011-2015	2014-2015
1	AA/US Combined	96,550	94,097	90,320	91,132	96,719	0.2	6.1
	American	66,302	63,752	59,140	59,602	96,719	N/A	N/A
	US Airways	30,248	30,345	31,180	31,530	N/A	N/A	N/A
2	Delta	75,743	77,145	73,873	75,734	79,127	4.5	4.5
3	UA/CO Combined	80,065	81,946	82,082	79,263	78,796	-1.6	-0.6
	United**	43,235	81,946	82,082	79,263	N/A	N/A	N/A
	Continental**	36,830	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
5	Alaska	8,958	9,240	9,525	9,966	10,925	22.0	9.6
	Total	261,316	262,428	255,800	256,095	265,567	1.6	3.7

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

** United Airlines and Continental Airlines merged and began reporting combined numbers in January 2012.

Table 10: Low-Cost Airline Year-to-Year Change in Full-time Equivalent Employees* from the Previous Year

Percent change compared to same month of the previous year

Month	2012	2013	2014	2015
January	5.7	1.1	0.3	4.6
February	6.4	0.2	0.7	4.6
March	7.1	-0.1	0.8	4.0
April	5.7	-0.3	1.5	4.2
May	5.3	-0.3	1.8	4.3
June	4.0	-0.6	5.0	4.9
July	3.5	-0.4	2.5	5.2
August	2.5	0.0	3.0	5.8
September	2.5	-0.2	2.9
October	1.9	-0.1	3.8
November	1.4	-0.1	5.2
December	1.3	-0.6	4.4

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 11: Low-Cost Airline Full-time Equivalent Employees* by Month 2011-2015

	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	Percent Change
						2011-2015	2014-2015
January	64,978	68,684	69,464	69,693	72,909	12.2	4.6
February	65,323	69,473	69,595	70,135	73,351	12.3	4.6
March	65,467	69,886	69,853	70,384	73,180	11.8	4.0
April	66,117	69,861	69,675	70,751	73,695	11.5	4.2
May	66,555	70,053	69,817	71,095	74,167	11.4	4.3
June	67,263	69,969	69,574	71,074	74,592	10.9	4.9
July	67,375	69,756	69,510	71,272	74,999	11.3	5.2
August	67,683	69,380	69,364	71,387	75,549	11.6	5.8
September	67,875	69,573	69,426	71,428
October	68,269	69,551	69,496	72,110
November	68,450	69,441	69,402	73,014
December	68,887	69,781	69,365	72,399
12-Month Average	67,020	69,617	69,545	71,229
Jan-Aug Average	66,345	69,633	69,607	70,724	74,055	11.6	4.7

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Note: Percent changes and averages based on numbers prior to rounding.

* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

Table 12: Low-Cost Airline Full-time Equivalent Employees*, August 2011-2015

(FTEs for August of each year. Ranked by August 2015 FTEs)

Rank		2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	Percent Change
							2011-2015	2014-2015
1	WN/FL Combined	44,907	45,749	45,000	45,569	48,169	7.3	5.7
	Southwest**	36,737	45,749	45,000	45,569	48,169	31.1	5.7
	AirTran	8,170	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
2	JetBlue	11,918	12,563	12,998	13,456	14,872	24.8	10.5
3	Spirit	2,337	2,814	3,374	3,774	4,410	88.7	16.9
4	Frontier	4,994	4,056	3,550	3,832	2,776	-44.4	-27.6
5	Virgin America	1,980	2,452	2,417	2,508	2,702	36.5	7.7
6	Allegiant	1,547	1,746	1,947	2,248	2,620	69.4	16.5
	Total	67,683	69,380	69,286	71,387	75,549	11.6	5.8

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

** Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways merged and began reporting combined employment numbers in April 2012.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 13: Regional Airline Year-to-Year Change in Full-time Equivalent Employees* from the Previous Year

Percent change compared to same month of the previous year

Month	2012	2013	2014	2015
January	0.1	-4.1	-0.4	-1.9
February	0.8	-5.0	0.5	-0.3
March	0.2	-4.6	0.9	-0.5
April	-1.5	-3.8	2.3	-0.4
May	-2.2	-4.5	2.4	-0.3
June	-2.5	-4.4	1.9	0.1
July	-0.9	-6.3	3.5	-3.3
August	-2.3	-5.1	2.5	-2.7
September	-4.3	-3.0	1.9
October	-6.0	-0.8	-0.2
November	-5.4	-0.5	1.5
December	-5.4	-0.5	-0.2

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 14: Regional Airline Full-time Equivalent Employees* by Month 2011-2015

	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	Percent Change
						2011-2015	2014-2015
January	52,764	52,796	50,640	50,425	49,484	-6.2	-1.9
February	52,413	52,831	50,188	50,458	50,325	-4.0	-0.3
March	52,470	52,581	50,180	50,623	50,368	-4.0	-0.5
April	52,601	51,811	49,861	50,526	50,333	-4.3	-0.4
May	52,933	51,746	49,478	50,633	50,474	-4.6	-0.3
June	52,987	51,664	49,415	50,336	50,373	-4.9	0.1
July	53,201	52,715	49,387	51,107	49,403	-7.1	-3.3
August	53,288	52,082	49,434	50,671	49,320	-7.4	-2.7
September	53,361	51,082	49,546	50,512
October	53,490	50,305	49,890	49,789
November	52,954	50,100	49,851	50,605
December	53,328	50,426	50,191	50,083
12-Month Average	52,983	51,678	49,838	50,481
Jan-Aug Average	52,832	52,278	49,823	50,597	50,010	-5.3	-1.2

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 15: Regional Airline Full-time Equivalent Employees*, August 2011-2015

(FTEs for August of each year. Ranked by August 2015 FTEs)

Rank		2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	Percent Change
							2011-2015	2014-2015
1	SkyWest	9,401	9,450	9,427	9,896	10,057	7.0	1.6
2	Envoy	9,921	9,953	11,138	10,811	9,645	-2.8	-10.8
3	XE/EV Combined	9,203	9,238	9,022	9,221	7,708	-16.2	-16.4
	ExpressJet**	5,362	9,238	9,022	9,221	7,708	N/A	-16.4
	Atlantic Southeast**	3,841	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
4	9E/XJ Combined	5,721	4,504	4,069	3,741	3,243	-43.3	-13.3
	Endeavor***	3,657	4,504	4,069	3,741	3,243	N/A	-13.3
	Mesaba***	2,064	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
5	Horizon	2,832	2,748	2,666	2,794	3,183	12.4	13.9
6	Republic	2,102	1,987	2,471	2954	3,107	47.8	5.2
7	S5/RP Combined	1,587	3,148	3,227	2,889	2,720	71.4	-5.8
	Shuttle America#	1,587	1,866	2,057	2,032	2,720	71.4	N/A
	Chautauqua#	N/A	1,282	1,170	857	N/A	N/A	N/A
8	Mesa	1,908	1,732	1,722	2,055	2,662	39.5	29.5
9	PSA	1,026	1,071	1,066	1,540	2,296	123.8	49.1
10	Air Wisconsin	2,513	2,587	2,467	2,466	1,890	-24.8	-23.4
11	Compass	1,030	1,098	1,096	1,203	1,584	53.8	31.7
12	GoJet	566	1,008	1,063	1,101	1,225	116.4	11.3
13	Executive##	1,804	1,350	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
14	Colgan###	1,582	695	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
15	Comair####	2,092	1,513	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
	Total	53,288	52,082	49,434	50,671	49,320	-7.4	-2.7

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics

* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

** ExpressJet Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines began reporting combined numbers in January 2012.

*** Endeavor Airlines operated as Pinnacle prior to August 2013. Pinnacle Airlines and Mesaba Airlines began reporting combined numbers in January 2012.

^# Effective July 2012 Chautauqua Airlines began reporting employment data. Chautauqua did not qualify for monthly reporting prior to July 2012 because it did not operate aircraft with more than 60 seats. Effective the end of December 2014, Shuttle America and Chautauqua combined operations and Chautauqua ceased operating.

^## Effective the end of March 2013, Executive Airlines ceased operations.

^### Effective the end of September 2012, Colgan Airlines ceased operations.

^#### Effective the end of October 2012, Comair ceased operations.

N/A: Carriers did not meet the standard for filing, was no longer operating, merged with another operating carrier or failed to file. See previous notes.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.