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.

Figure 2. Fares by Airport Group based on Number of Originating Domestic Passengers 3Q 2019

Figure 1. U.S. Average Domestic Fares, 3rd Quarter 1995-2019

Third Quarter 2019 Air Fare Data

U.S. domestic air fares in the third quarter of 2019 of $345 were the lowest on record, inflation adjusted, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) records dating from 1995.  The third-quarter 2019 fares were down 1.2% from the previous low of $349 in the third quarter of 2018.

Adjusted for inflation, (constant 2019 dollars) the 3Q 2019 air fare was:

• Down 1.2% from 3Q 2018 ($349)
• Down 3.6% from 2Q 2019 ($358). The second-quarter fare was revised from $364 in the previous release after Frontier Airlines refiled second-quarter data. Frontier’s revised second-quarter and third-quarter data are included in this release.
• Down 18.3% from 3Q 2014 ($422)

Employees at U.S. Scheduled Passenger Airlines Month of November, 1990-2019

November 2019 U.S. Passenger Airline Employment Data

The 21 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 2.9% more workers in November 2019 than in November 2018:

• November’s 452,668 full-time equivalents (FTEs) was the highest employment total since March 2003 (458,598 FTEs).  
• November was the 73rd consecutive month that U.S. scheduled passenger airline FTEs exceeded the same month of the previous year.

BTS Releases Pocket Guide to Transportation 2020

Thursday, January 9, 2020 – The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has released the Pocket Guide to Transportation 2020 – a quick reference guide to transportation statistics. This popular pocket reference provides the latest transportation statistics at your fingertips in an updated web app, mobile app, and classic annual printed publication. 

Employees at U.S. Scheduled Passenger Airlines Month of October, 1990-2019

October 2019 U.S. Passenger Airline Employment Data

The 21 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 2.6% more workers in October 2019 than in October 2018:

• October’s 452,440 full-time equivalents (FTEs) was the highest employment total since March 2003 (458,598 FTEs).
• October was the 72nd consecutive month that U.S. scheduled passenger airline FTEs exceeded the same month of the previous year.

Social and Economic Characteristics of the United States

KEY:  NA = not applicable; R = revised; U = data are not available.

^a Estimates are as of July 1 for each year. The numbers for each sub-category in each year may not add up to the total population due to rounding.

^b New metropolitan area definitions were published by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 2003. These definitions were applied to population data by the Census Bureau beginning with the data from the 2000 Census. A new term, core based statistical areas (CBSAs), collectively refers to metropolitan and micropolitan statistical...