August 2018 U.S. Passenger Airline Employment Data

U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 2.6 percent more workers in August 2018 than in August 2017:

• August’s 439,615 full-time equivalents (FTE), was the second highest monthly employment total since November 2004 (439,776 FTEs), down 0.9 percent from the highest monthly total in July 2018 (443,475).
• August was the 58th consecutive month that U.S. scheduled passenger airline FTEs exceeded the same month of the previous year.

Scheduled Passenger Airline Full-Time Equivalent Employees, Month of August, 1990-2018

August 2018 FTE Tables

Second-Quarter 2018 Air Fare Data

The second quarter 2018 average domestic itinerary air fare of $349 was the lowest second-quarter fare since the Bureau of Transportation Statistics began collecting such records in 1995 and the second lowest of any quarter. 

2Q 2018 Air Fare tables

Figure 2. Fares by Airport Group based on Number of Originating Domestic Passengers 2Q 2018

Figure 1. U.S. Average Domestic Fares, 2nd Quarter 1995-2018

Estimated September 2018 U.S. Airline Traffic Data

U.S. airlines carried an estimated 75.8 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers, seasonally-adjusted, in September 2018, up 0.3 percent from the August estimate, according to a Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS) first estimate.

Estimated July 2018 data Air Traffic tables

Figure 2. Unadjusted Systemwide Passenger Enplanements on All U.S. Scheduled Airlines (Domestic & International), Sept 2015 - Sept 2018 (Aug-Sept 2018 estimated)