Table 12: Low-Cost Carrier Full-time Equivalent Employees* September 2002-2006,,,,,,,,
(Ranked by September 2006 FTE Employees),,,,,,,,
Numbers in thousands (000’s),,,,,,,,
Rank,,2002,2003**,2004**,2005**,2006,Percent Change 2002-2006,Percent Change 2005-2006
1,Southwest,34,33,31,31,32,-4.4,2.4
2,America West,12,11,11,12,12,5.8,5.1
3,JetBlue,3,5,6,8,10,196.1,22.0
4,AirTran,5,5,6,6,7,59.5,13.9
5,Frontier,3,3,4,4,5,71.3,10.3
6,ATA,6,8,7,4,3,-61.2,-39.0
7,Spirit,2,2,2,2,2,-13.5,-1.7
8,Independence,N/A,4,4,3,N/A,N/A,N/A
,Total****,64,71,71,71,70,9.1,-0.4
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics,,,,,,,,
Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.,,,,,,,,
Note: Detail may not add to total due to rounding,,,,,,,,
* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.,,,,,,,,
"**Employment numbers in 2003, 2004 and 2005 for Independence Air, which changed its business model from a regional to low-cost carrier in mid-2004, are included with low-cost carriers.  The carrier did not meet the standard for filing in previous years. The airline discontinued flights on Jan. 5, 2006.",,,,,,,,
N/A: Not applicable because carriers did not meet the standard for filing.,,,,,,,,