U.S. Cargo and Passenger Airlines Lost 125 Jobs in August 2023; Employment Remains 8.3% Above Pre-Pandemic August 2019

Tuesday, October 10, 2023

BTS 46-23

August 2023 Airline Employment Infographic

U.S. Airline Total Number of Employees (both Full-Time and Part-Time)

U.S. airline industry (passenger and cargo airlines combined) employment decreased to 803,768 workers in August 2023, 125 (0.02%) fewer workers than in July 2023 (803,893) and 61,442 (8.28%) more than in pre-pandemic August 2019 (742,326).

U.S. scheduled-service passenger airlines employed 530,300 workers in August 2023 or 66% of the industry-wide total. Passenger airlines added 2,125 employees in August 2023 for a twenty-eighth consecutive month of job growth dating back to May 2021. United Air Lines led scheduled passenger carriers, adding 878 employees; Southwest added 804, and Delta Airlines added 494.

U.S. cargo airlines employed 268,730 workers in August 2023, 34% of the industry total. Cargo carriers lost 2,233 employees in August. FedEx, the leading air cargo employer, decreased employment by 1,115 jobs.

Line chart showing total U.S. airline industry employment for August 2021 through August 2023

Scheduled passenger airlines add 2,092 full-time equivalents in August 2023 for 28^th consecutive month of job growth

U.S. Airline Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs)

BTS calculates FTEs by dividing the number of part-time employees by 2 and adding that figure to the number of full-time employees. The August 2023 industry-wide numbers include 692,030 full-time and 111,738 part-time workers for a total of 747,899 FTEs, a decrease from July of 272 FTEs (0.04%). August 2023's total number of FTEs remains just 9.47% above pre-pandemic August 2019's 683,170 FTEs.

The 26 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines reporting data for August 2023 employed 503,587 FTEs, 2,092 FTEs (0.42%) more than in July 2023. August 2023's total number of scheduled passenger airline FTEs is 54,126 FTEs (12.04%) above pre-pandemic August 2019. Data by passenger carrier category can be found in the accompanying tables.

U.S. cargo airlines employed 239,639 FTEs in August 2023, down 2,371 FTEs (0.98%) from July 2023. U.S. cargo airlines have increased FTEs by 10,104 (4.40%) since pre-pandemic August 2019.

Line chart showing employees at U.S. scheduled passenger airlines in August 1990-2023

Reporting Notes

Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial air carriers as of October 4, 2023. Additional airline employment data and previous releases can be found on the BTS website. The month-to-month numbers are not seasonally adjusted.

Passenger, cargo, and charter 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. Regulations require U.S. airlines to report employment numbers for employees who worked or received pay for any part of the pay period(s) ending nearest the 15th day of the month.

See the tables that accompany this release on the BTS website for detailed data (Tables 1-15) and industry summary monthly data since 1990. Additional individual airline numbers are available on the BTS airline employment web page. The web page provides full-time and part-time employment numbers by carrier by month from 1990 through August 2023.

Missing carriers: 2HQ (Elite Airways), Aloha Air Cargo (KH) and Northern Air Cargo (NC).
The next update for U.S. airline employment is scheduled for Thursday, November 9, 2023.

U.S. Department of Transportation | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington DC 20590 | 855-368-4200

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