Summary
- The US airline industry reached a new high of over 800,000 employees, with a 0.2% increase from May and a 7.86% increase from June 2019.
- Passenger airlines accounted for 66% of the industry and added 3,481 employees in June, marking the 26th consecutive month of job growth.
- Cargo airlines employed 270,000 people in June, but experienced a loss of nearly 1,500 employees, with FedEx being the leading employer to lose 1,504 employees.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) released its most recent report on jobs in the aviation industry on Friday, August 11. The BTS tracks the number of people employed by cargo or passenger airlines and compares them to past years. The numbers reported by the BTS are valid as of August 7. Additionally, passenger, cargo, and charter airlines operate at least one aircraft capable of transporting more than 60 passengers or carrying a payload that weighs more than 18,000 pounds.
Reaching new levels of employees
The BTS reported that over 800,000 employees were working in the United States airline industry. This includes full-time and part-time employees employed by companies in either the cargo or the passenger industry.
The 801,801 employees is a new high and increased by 1,992 people, or a 0.2% increase, from May of this year. This was 58,431 more people compared to June 2019, which recorded 743,370. The 7.86% increase in employees shows a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, the passenger airlines employed 525,000 employees, which accounted for 66% of the entire industry. The passenger airline industry added 3,481 employees in June. This adds to the twenty-sixth consecutive month of job growth in the industry, which dates back to May 2021.
In the passenger airline industry, United Airlines led the hiring by adding 1,094 employees in June. Delta Air Lines followed by adding 965 employees, and American Airlines rounded out the top three by adding 501 employees.
United States-based cargo airlines employed the remaining 270,000 employees during June. However, cargo carriers lost nearly 1,500 employees. The leading cargo airline employer, FedEx, lost 1,504 employees in total.
Employment that is based on full-time equivalents
Full-time equivalents, or FTEs, are calculated by BTS. This is calculated by dividing the number of part-time employees by two and adding that to the number of full-time employees, resulting in the equivalent number of full-time employees.
The BTS reported 690,676 full-time employees and 111,127 part-time employees active during June. This equates to 746,238 FTEs. This was an increase of 1,797 FTEs compared to May, resulting in a 0.24% increase. This strong number of employees remains a 9.15% increase compared to the pre-pandemic levels recorded in June 2019, which recorded 686,656 FTEs.
Passenger airlines reported nearly 500,000 FTEs, representing an increase of 3,428 FTEs from May of this year.
This is driven by American Airlines employing just over 100,000 FTEs, Delta Air Lines reporting 99,41 FTEs, and United Airlines reporting 90,492 FTEs. Southwest Airlines and JetBlue round out the top five passenger airlines, with 71,299 and 21,438 FTEs each. Envoy was the largest regional airline employer, with nearly 15,000 FTEs reported in June.
Cargo airlines reported 242,964 FTEs in June, representing a decrease of 1,638 FTEs compared to May. Overall, the cargo airline industry has 13,219 FTEs less than in June 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.