U.S. Cargo and Passenger Airlines Lost 2,761 Jobs in August 2024

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

BTS 49-24

Note: In June, FedEx Ground and FedEx Services merged with FedEx Express to form Federal Express Corporation. As a result of the merger, carrier FX has experienced a significant increase in employee count, increasing the total number of employees in the industry.

May 2024 Federal Express numbers are 233,739, while Federal Express Corporation June numbers are 432,127.

August 2024 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 1,001,452 workers in August 2024, 2,761 (0.27%) less workers than in July 2024 (1,004,213).

U.S. scheduled-service passenger airlines employed 542,983 workers in August 2024, or 54% of the industry-wide total. Passenger airlines lost 3,100 employees in August 2024. SkyWest Airlines led scheduled passenger carriers, adding 150 employees; Spirit Air Lines added 121, and Republic Airlines added 75.

U.S. cargo airlines employed 454,259 workers in August 2024, or 46% of the industry-wide total. Cargo carriers lost 310 employees in August. FedEx, the leading air cargo employer, increased employment by 726 jobs.

Line chart showing total U.S>. airline industry employment in August 2022 through August 2024

Scheduled passenger airlines lost 2,441 full-time equivalents in August 2024

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 2024 industry-wide numbers include 747,604 full-time and 253,848 part-time workers for a total of 874,528 FTEs, a decrease from July of 2,135 FTEs (0.24%).

The 26 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines reporting data for August 2024 employed 514,648 FTEs, 2,441 FTEs (0.47%) less than in July 2024. Data by passenger carrier category can be found in the accompanying tables.

U.S. cargo airlines employed 355,781 FTEs in August 2024, down 290 FTEs (0.08%) from July 2024.

Line chart showing employees at U.S. scheduled passenger airlines in month of August 1990 through August 2024

Reporting Notes

Data is compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial air carriers as of October 11, 2024. 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 2024. Missing Carriers: Northern Air Cargo Inc. (NC), Aloha Air Cargo (KH)

The next update for U.S. airline employment is scheduled for Tuesday, November 12, 2024.