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Passenger Airline Employment

Legacy ID
336
Show Effective Date
On
Significant Regulatory Guidance
No
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April 2020 U.S. Passenger Airline Employment Data

The 23 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 6.7% fewer full-time equivalents (FTEs) in mid-April 2020 than in mid-March 2020:

  • Mid-April’s total number of FTEs (428,569) was down almost 31,000 workers from mid-March 2020 (459,250 FTEs) and was the lowest FTE total for any month since August 2017 (423,747 FTEs).
  • Mid-April 2020 FTEs were down 4.0% or almost 18,000 FTEs from April 2019 (446,323 FTEs).  
  • April was the first month that U.S. scheduled passenger airline FTEs were lower than the same month of the previous year since April 2013.

Mid-April Airline Employment Down 37,000 from Mid-March

US airlines employed 715,017 workers in the middle of April 2020, almost 37,000 fewer than in mid-March 2020 and almost 21,000 fewer than in April 2019. The April 2020 numbers consist of 604,551 full-time and 110,466 part-time workers.

 

Regulations require airlines to report employment numbers to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics for employees who worked or received pay for any part of the pay period(s) ending nearest the 15th day of the month.

March 2020 U.S. Passenger Airline Employment Data

The 22 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 3.2% more workers in March 2020 than in March 2019:

  • March’s 459,190 full-time equivalents (FTEs) was up 3.2% from February 2020 (458,832 FTEs) and was the highest FTE total for any month since February 2003 (460,852 FTEs).  
  • March was the 77th consecutive month that U.S. scheduled passenger airline FTEs exceeded the same month of the previous year.

February 2020 U.S. Passenger Airline Employment Data

The 22 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 3.6% more workers in February 2020 than in February 2019:

  • February’s 458,832 full-time equivalents (FTEs) was up from the previous month’s employment total in January 2020 (456,398 FTEs) and was the highest FTE total for any month since February 2003 (460,852 FTEs).  
  • February was the 76th consecutive month that U.S. scheduled passenger airline FTEs exceeded the same month of the previous year.

January 2020 U.S. Passenger Airline Employment Data

The 21 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 2.5% more workers in January 2020 than in January 2019:

  • January’s 452,933 full-time equivalents (FTEs) was down from the previous month’s employment total in December 2019 (453,976 FTEs) but was the highest FTE total for the month of January since 2003 (466,881 FTEs).  
  • January was the 75th consecutive month that U.S. scheduled passenger airline FTEs exceeded the same month of the previous year.

December 2019 U.S. Passenger Airline Employment Data

The 21 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 3.1% more workers in December 2019 than in December 2018:

  • December’s 453,976 full-time equivalents (FTEs) was the highest employment total since March 2003 (458,598 FTEs). 
  • December was the 74th consecutive month that U.S. scheduled passenger airline FTEs exceeded the same month of the previous year.