December 2008 Passenger
Airline Employment Data Down 6.7 Percent from December 2007
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Contact |
BTS 9-09
Dave Smallen
202-366-5568 |
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Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - U.S. scheduled
passenger airlines employed 6.7 percent fewer workers in December 2008 than in
December 2007, the sixth consecutive decrease in full-time
equivalent employee (FTE) levels for the scheduled passenger carriers
from the same month of the previous year and the largest
year-to-year decrease since December 2003, the U.S.
Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
reported today (Table 2). The December
FTE total of 391,918 for the scheduled passenger carriers was the lowest total
since 1993. FTE calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time
employee.
All the network airlines decreased employment
from December 2007 to December 2008 (Table 9) as did low-cost carriers AirTran Airways
and Frontier Airlines (Table 12). Regional carriers American Eagle Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines, Comair, Horizon
Air, Mesa Airlines, Executive Airlines, and
PSA Airlines also reported reduced employment levels compared to last year
(Table 15).
Scheduled passenger airlines include network,
low-cost, regional and other airlines. Many regional carriers were not required to report employment numbers
before 2004, so year-to-year comparisons involving regional carriers, or the
total industry, are not available for the years before 2004.
The seven network carriers employed 264,744 FTEs
in December, 67.6 percent of the passenger airline total, while low-cost
carriers employed 16.0 percent and regional carriers employed 14.8 percent
(Table 4).
American Airlines employed the most FTEs in December
among the network carriers, Southwest Airlines employed the most among low-cost
carriers, and American Eagle employed the most among regional carriers. Seven
of the top 10 employers in the industry are network carriers (Table 6).
America West Airlines and US Airways now operate
under a single certificate. Joint reporting
began with October 2007 data. US
Airways' employment numbers were included with the network airlines prior to October
2007 while America West's numbers were included with the low-cost
airlines.
Beginning with October 2007, US Airways' numbers
are combined with America West's numbers in the network category. The combined carrier's numbers were included
in the low-cost category for October 2007 through February 2008 in the releases
for those months. The numbers for those
months have been revised beginning with the March 2008 release to include the
combined carrier's numbers in the network category for all months. The revision was due to a BTS recalculation
based on the airline's fourth quarter financial report released May 19, 2008.
Network Airlines
FTEs at the group of seven network carriers decreased
6.3 percent in December 2008 compared to December 2007, the fourth monthly decrease
from the same month of the previous year after 16 consecutive months of year-over-year
growth. Prior to an increase in May
2007, the network group had reduced FTEs from the previous year every month
since September 2001 (Table 7).
Within the group, all network carriers decreased
FTEs from December 2007 to December 2008: United Airlines, 12.7 percent; Northwest
Airlines, 6.9 percent; Delta Air Lines; 6.2 percent, American, 4.3 percent;
Continental Airlines, 4.2 percent; US Airways, 4.0 percent; and Alaska Airlines,
3.0 percent (Table 9).
FTEs at four network carriers declined during
the four years from December 2004 to December 2008. The biggest percentage decline
was at Northwest, down 27.7 percent, a reduction of 10,715 FTEs, followed by United
at 20.7 percent. The other FTE decreases
during that time were Delta, down 19.9 percent, and American, down 8.6 percent.
The increases were at Continental, 8.5 percent; Alaska, 2.8
percent; and the newly combined US Airways, 27.2 percent (Table 9).
Network carriers operate a significant portion
of their flights using at least one hub where connections are made for flights
to down-line destinations or spoke cities.
Low-Cost Airlines
Low-cost carrier FTEs declined 3.3 percent in December
from December 2007, the third consecutive monthly decline in the group's FTEs
not influenced by the US Airways-America West post-merger reporting. Since the America West and US Airways reports
were combined in October 2007, low-cost carrier FTEs decreased each month for 12
consecutive months through September compared to the same month of the previous
year but the previous year numbers included America West while the recent data
did not (Tables 10, 11).
Five low-cost carriers reported
year-to-year increases: Virgin America, 71.3 percent; Allegiant Airlines, 14.2
percent; Southwest, 3.3 percent; Spirit Airlines, 2.8 percent and JetBlue
Airways, 2.3 percent. AirTran and
Frontier reported year-to-year FTE decreases. ATA Airlines, which reported 2,319
FTEs in December 2007, stopped operating on April 3 and ceased reporting
employment data effective in April 2008. SkyBus also stopped reporting in April
2008 but had employed 381 FTEs in December 2007 (Table 12).
Low-cost carriers are those that the industry recognizes
as operating under a low-cost business model, with lower infrastructure costs
and higher productivity.
Regional Airlines
Regional carrier FTEs were down 5.2
percent in December 2008 compared to December 2007 (Table 13).
ExpressJet, down 32.1 percent, and
PSA, down 27.4 percent, reported the largest decreases in the regional group. Compass
Airlines, up 114.4 percent, and Mesaba Airlines, up 28.6 percent, and reported
the largest increases in the group (Table 15).
Regional carrier FTEs rose from 55,299
in December 2004 to 57,884 in December 2008, an increase of 4.7 percent (Table
14).
The 12 regional carriers reporting
employment data in both 2004 and 2008 employed 2.8 percent fewer FTEs in December
2008 than in December 2004. PSA reported
the largest percentage decline, down 41.6 percent, followed by Air Wisconsin,
down 27.2 percent, and Mesa Airlines, down 24.0 percent. Atlantic Southeast, ExpressJet, Comair and Executive
also reported fewer FTEs in December 2008 than December 2004 (Table 15).
Mesaba Airlines reported the
biggest gain four-year gain, 39.3 percent, followed by Pinnacle Airlines at 39.0
percent and SkyWest at 28.4 percent. Horizon and American Eagle also reported more
FTEs in December 2008 than December 2004 (Table 15).
Effective with April 2008
reporting, Trans States Airlines no longer met the reporting requirements for
filing monthly airline employment data. Trans States reported 1,293 FTEs in December
2007.
Regional carrier Compass began
reporting employment data in November 2007. Compass reported 761 FTEs in December
2008 (Table 15). Regional carrier Lynx Airlines began reporting employment data
in February 2008. Lynx reported 359 FTEs
in December (Table 15). Regional carrier Colgan Airlines began reporting
employment data in April 2008. Colgan reported 1,277 FTEs in December (Table
15).
Regional carriers typically provide
service from small cities, using primarily regional jets to support the network
carriers' hub and spoke systems.
Reporting Notes
Airlines that operate at least one
aircraft with the capacity to carry combined passengers, cargo and fuel of
18,000 pounds – the payload factor – must report monthly employment statistics.
The Other Carrier category
generally reflects those airlines that operate within specific niche markets,
such as Continental Micronesia and Hawaiian Airlines serving the Hawaiian
Islands.
Data are compiled from monthly
reports filed with BTS by commercial air carriers as of Feb. 11. Additional
airline employment data can be found on the BTS website at http://www.bts.gov/programs/airline_information/number_of_employees/. BTS has scheduled release of January airline
employment data for March 17.
Table 1: Change in Passenger Airline
Full-time Equivalent Employees* by Carrier Group
Percent change compared to same
month the previous year for the most recent 13 months
Excel | CSV
Dec.
2006-Dec. 2007 |
7.5 |
-11.2 |
4.9 |
3.7 |
Jan.
2007-Jan. 2008 |
7.5 |
-11.4 |
3.7 |
3.4 |
Feb.
2007-Feb. 2008 |
7.7 |
-11.9 |
1.1 |
3.0 |
Mar
2007-Mar 2008 |
7.5 |
-15.2 |
0.6 |
1.6 |
Apr.
2007-Apr. 2008 |
7.1 |
-15.9 |
2.0 |
1.3 |
May
2007-May 2008 |
6.4 |
-15.4 |
1.3 |
0.8 |
June
2007-June 2008 |
5.3 |
-15.6 |
1.8 |
0.1 |
July
2007-July 2008 |
4.3 |
-16.8 |
1.4 |
-0.8 |
Aug.
2007-Aug. 2008 |
2.7 |
-17.1 |
0.3 |
-2.1 |
Sept.
2007-Sept. 2008 |
-0.2 |
-17.9 |
-2.1 |
-4.5 |
Oct.
2007-Oct. 2008 |
-5.4 |
-1.9 |
-5.3 |
-5.7 |
Nov.
2007-Nov. 2008 |
-6.2 |
-2.8 |
-6.0 |
-6.5 |
Dec.
2007-Dec. 2008 |
-6.3 |
-3.3 |
-5.2 |
-6.7 |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Full-time
Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one
full-time employee.
** US
Airways' employment numbers were included with the network airlines prior to
October 2007 while America West's numbers were included with the low-cost
airlines. Beginning with October 2007,
US Airways' numbers are combined with America West's numbers in the network
category. The combined carrier's numbers
were included in the low-cost category for October 2007 through February 2008
in the releases for those months. The
numbers for those months have been revised beginning with the March 2008
release to include the combined carrier's numbers in the network category for
all months. The revision was due to a
BTS recalculation based on the airline's fourth quarter financial report
released May 19.
***
Includes network, low-cost, regional and other carriers. Other Carriers generally operate
within specific niche markets. They are:
Casino Express Airlines, Continental Micronesia, Hawaiian Airlines, Midwest
Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and USA3000 Airlines. Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.
Table 2: Change in Total Passenger
Airline* Full-time Equivalent Employees** from the Previous Year
Percent change compared to same
month the previous year
Excel | CSV
January |
-0.8 |
-6.0 |
-0.4 |
3.4 |
February |
-1.4 |
-5.8 |
0.4 |
3.0 |
March |
-1.9 |
-5.4 |
0.7 |
1.6 |
April |
-3.1 |
-4.6 |
1.4 |
1.3 |
May |
-3.5 |
-4.9 |
2.2 |
0.8 |
June |
-3.8 |
-4.8 |
2.5 |
0.1 |
July |
-3.5 |
-5.9 |
2.8 |
-0.8 |
August |
-5.8 |
-3.1 |
2.6 |
-2.1 |
September |
-5.8 |
-2.6 |
3.0 |
-4.5 |
October |
-6.0 |
-2.2 |
3.5 |
-5.7 |
November |
-6.5 |
-1.6 |
3.7 |
-6.5 |
December |
-5.9 |
-0.9 |
3.7 |
-6.7 |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Includes
network, low-cost, regional and other carriers.
** Full-time
Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one
full-time employee.
Note:
Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.
Table 3: Total Passenger Airline*
Full-time Equivalent Employees** by Month
Numbers in thousands (000's)
Excel | CSV
January |
435.0 |
431.5 |
405.7 |
404.3 |
418.1 |
-3.9 |
3.4 |
February |
435.0 |
428.9 |
404.5 |
406.0 |
418.3 |
-3.8 |
3.0 |
March |
435.9 |
427.7 |
405.1 |
408.0 |
414.8 |
-4.8 |
1.6 |
April |
437.8 |
424.1 |
404.5 |
410.2 |
415.5 |
-5.1 |
1.3 |
May |
439.6 |
424.4 |
403.6 |
412.4 |
415.6 |
-5.4 |
0.8 |
June |
440.9 |
424.3 |
403.8 |
414.0 |
414.6 |
-6.0 |
0.1 |
July |
444.1 |
428.5 |
403.3 |
414.6 |
411.1 |
-7.4 |
-0.8 |
August |
443.0 |
417.5 |
404.7 |
415.4 |
406.8 |
-8.2 |
-2.1 |
September |
440.0 |
414.5 |
403.7 |
416.3 |
397.4 |
-9.7 |
-4.5 |
October |
439.1 |
412.7 |
403.6 |
417.9 |
394.3 |
-10.2 |
-5.7 |
November |
439.5 |
411.0 |
404.5 |
419.4 |
392.2 |
-10.8 |
-6.5 |
December |
434.0 |
408.8 |
405.0 |
419.8 |
391.9 |
-9.7 |
-6.7 |
Jan-Dec
Average |
438.7 |
421.2 |
404.3 |
413.2 |
407.6 |
-7.1 |
-1.4 |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Includes
network, low-cost, regional and other carriers.
** Full-time
Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one
full-time employee.
Note:
Percent changes and averages based on numbers prior to rounding.
Table 4: Total Number of Full-time
Equivalent Employees* (FTEs) by Carrier Group, December 2004-2008
FTE Numbers in thousands (000's)
Excel | CSV
2004 |
295.7 |
72.0 |
55.3 |
434.0 |
2005 |
270.6 |
71.2 |
56.5 |
408.8 |
2006 |
262.9 |
72.5 |
58.2 |
405.0 |
2007 |
282.7 |
64.8 |
61.1 |
419.8 |
2008 |
264.7 |
62.6 |
57.8 |
391.9 |
Pct.
Change 2004-2008**** |
-10.5% |
-13.0% |
4.6% |
-9.7% |
Percent
of Total Passenger Airline Employees in 2008 |
67.6% |
16.0% |
14.8% |
|
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Full-time
Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one
full-time employee.
** America
West's employment numbers were included with the low-cost airlines prior to
October 2007. Beginning with October
2007, America West's numbers are combined with US Airways numbers in the network
category.
***
Includes network, low-cost, regional and other carriers.
****
Percent change comparison for regional airlines and for all passenger airlines
is for 2005 to 2008 because of the
number of airlines in these categories that did not meet the standard for
reporting monthly employment numbers.
Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.
Table 5: Full-time Equivalent
Employees* by Carrier Group, Year-to-Year
Change, December 2004-2008
Percent
Change from the previous year
Excel | CSV
2004 |
-3.5 |
1.1 |
N/A |
N/A |
2005 |
-8.5 |
-1.1 |
2.2 |
-5.8 |
2006 |
-2.9 |
1.8 |
3.0 |
-0.9 |
2007 |
7.5 |
-10.6 |
4.9 |
3.7 |
2008 |
-6.3 |
-3.3 |
-5.2 |
-6.7 |
Source:
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Full-time
Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one
full-time employee.
** America
West's employment numbers were included with the low-cost airlines prior to
October 2007. Beginning with October
2007, America West's numbers are combined with US Airways numbers in the
network category.
*** Some regional carriers were not
required to report employment numbers before 2005, so year-to-year comparisons
involving regional carriers, or the total industry, are not appropriate for the
years before 2005.
****
Includes network, low-cost, regional and other carriers.
Note: Percent changes based on
numbers prior to rounding.
Table 6: Top 10 Airlines, December 2008
Ranked by Number of Full-Time
Equivalent Employees*
Excel | CSV
1 |
American |
70.1 |
Network |
American |
2 |
United |
45.8 |
Network |
United |
3 |
Delta |
45.4 |
Network |
Delta |
4 |
Southwest |
35.5 |
Low Cost |
Continental |
5 |
Continental |
34.5 |
Network |
Southwest |
6 |
US
Airways |
31.4 |
Network |
US
Airways |
7 |
Northwest |
28.0 |
Network |
Northwest |
8 |
JetBlue |
10.4 |
Low Cost |
SkyWest |
9 |
Alaska |
9.6 |
Network |
JetBlue |
10 |
American
Eagle |
9.2 |
Regional |
Alaska |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Full-time
Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one
full-time employee.
Table 7: Network Airline Full-time Equivalent Employees* Change from the Previous Year**
Percent change compared to same month the previous year
Excel | CSV
January |
-4.1 |
-8.1 |
-2.6 |
7.5 |
February |
-4.6 |
-7.8 |
-2.2 |
7.7 |
March |
-5.0 |
-7.4 |
-1.4 |
7.5 |
April |
-6.5 |
-6.7 |
-0.7 |
7.1 |
May |
-6.6 |
-7.0 |
0.3 |
6.7 |
June |
-7.0 |
-6.8 |
1.3 |
5.3 |
July |
-5.9 |
-8.1 |
1.5 |
4.3 |
August |
-9.0 |
-4.7 |
1.5 |
2.7 |
September |
-8.9 |
-4.1 |
1.8 |
-0.2 |
October |
-8.9 |
-4.0 |
7.2 |
-5.4 |
November |
-9.3 |
-3.4 |
7.5 |
-6.2 |
December |
-8.5 |
-2.9 |
7.5 |
-6.3 |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Full-time
Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one
full-time employee.
** US
Airways' employment numbers were included with the network airlines prior to
October 2007 while America West's numbers were included with the low-cost
airlines. Beginning with October 2007,
US Airways' numbers are combined with America West' numbers in the network
category. The combined carrier's numbers
were included in the low-cost category for October 2007 through February 2008
in the releases for those months. The
numbers for those months have been revised beginning with the March 2008 release
to include the combined carrier's numbers in the network category for all
months. The revision was due to a BTS
recalculation based on the airline's fourth quarter financial report released
May 19.
Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.
Table 8: Network Carrier Full-time Equivalent Employees* by Month**
Numbers in thousands (000's)
Excel | CSV
January |
305.1 |
292.7 |
269.1 |
262.0 |
281.7 |
-18.4 |
7.5 |
February |
304.7 |
290.9 |
268.2 |
262.4 |
282.6 |
-18.0 |
7.7 |
March |
304.6 |
289.3 |
267.8 |
264.1 |
283.9 |
-6.8 |
7.5 |
April |
305.6 |
285.8 |
266.6 |
264.8 |
283.7 |
-7.2 |
7.1 |
May |
306.0 |
285.8 |
265.8 |
266.6 |
283.6 |
-7.3 |
6.4 |
June |
306.1 |
284.8 |
265.3 |
268.6 |
282.8 |
-7.6 |
5.3 |
July |
306.3 |
288.2 |
264.9 |
268.7 |
280.3 |
-8.5 |
4.3 |
August |
305.3 |
277.8 |
264.8 |
268.8 |
276.1 |
-9.6 |
2.7 |
September |
302.4 |
275.4 |
264.0 |
268.8 |
268.4 |
-11.2 |
-0.2 |
October |
300.9 |
274.1 |
263.0 |
281.9 |
266.6 |
-11.4 |
-5.4 |
November |
300.2 |
272.4 |
263.0 |
282.7 |
265.2 |
-11.7 |
-6.2 |
December |
295.7 |
270.6 |
262.9 |
282.7 |
264.7 |
-10.5 |
-6.3 |
Jan-Dec
Average |
305.1 |
285.6 |
266.3 |
270.2 |
276.6 |
-8.9 |
2.4 |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Full-time
Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one
full-time employee.
** US
Airways' employment numbers were included with the network airlines prior to
October 2007 while America West's numbers were included with the low-cost
airlines. Beginning with October 2007,
US Airways' numbers are combined with America West's numbers in the network
category. The combined carrier's numbers
were included in the low-cost category for October 2007 through February 2008
in the releases for those months. The
numbers for those months have been revised beginning with the March 2008
release to include the combined carrier's numbers in the network category for
all months. The revision was due to a
BTS recalculation based on the airline's fourth quarter financial report
released May 19.
Note: Percent changes and averages based on numbers prior to rounding.
Table 9: Network Carrier Full-time
Equivalent Employees*, December 2004-2008**
(Ranked by December 2008 FTEs)
Numbers in thousands (000's)
Excel | CSV
1 |
American |
76.7 |
74.8 |
73.0 |
73.2 |
70.1 |
-8.6 |
-4.3 |
2 |
United |
57.8 |
53.6 |
52.3 |
52.4 |
45.8 |
-20.7 |
-12.7 |
3 |
Delta |
56.7 |
48.6 |
44.6 |
48.4 |
45.4 |
-19.9 |
-6.2 |
4 |
Continental |
31.8 |
32.7 |
34.5 |
36.0 |
34.5 |
8.5 |
-4.2 |
5 |
US
Airways |
24.7 |
20.1 |
19.4 |
32.7 |
31.4 |
27.2 |
-4.0 |
6 |
Northwest |
38.7 |
31.9 |
29.6 |
30.0 |
28.0 |
-27.7 |
-6.9 |
7 |
Alaska |
9.3 |
9.0 |
9.4 |
9.9 |
9.6 |
2.8 |
-3.0 |
|
Total |
295.7 |
270.6 |
262.9 |
282.7 |
264.7 |
-10.5 |
-6.3 |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
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.
** Beginning
with October 2007, US Airways' numbers are combined with America West Airlines'
numbers in the network category. For
America West's previous year numbers in the low-cost category, see Table 12.
Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.
Table 10: Change in Low-Cost Airline
Full-time Equivalent Employees* from the Previous Year**
Percent change compared to same
month the previous year
Excel | CSV
January |
0.6 |
-5.0 |
4.8 |
-9.7 |
February |
0.7 |
-3.7 |
5.3 |
-10.2 |
March*** |
0.2 |
-2.6 |
4.7 |
-13.3 |
April |
-0.6 |
-1.8 |
6.0 |
-15.2 |
May |
-0.9 |
-1.7 |
5.6 |
-14.8 |
June |
-1.0 |
-1.6 |
5.6 |
-14.9 |
July |
-1.4 |
-2.1 |
6.1 |
-16.1 |
August |
-0.6 |
-0.3 |
5.5 |
-16.4 |
September |
-0.8 |
0.1 |
6.2 |
-17.3 |
October |
-0.9 |
1.2 |
-11.3 |
-1.5 |
November |
-2.3 |
1.3 |
-10.3 |
-2.8 |
December |
-1.1 |
1.8 |
-10.6 |
-3.3 |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Full-time
Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one
full-time employee.
** US
Airways' employment numbers were included with the network airlines prior to
October 2007 while America West's numbers were included with the low-cost
airlines. Beginning with October 2007,
US Airways' numbers are combined with America West's numbers in the network
category. The combined carrier's numbers
were included in the low-cost category for October 2007 through February 2008
in the releases for those months. The
numbers for those months have been revised beginning with the March 2008
release to include the combined carrier's numbers in the network category for all
months. The revision was due to a BTS
recalculation based on the airline's fourth quarter financial report released
May 19.
*** ATA
Airlines ceased operating on April 3, 2008 and stopped reporting employment
data effective in March.
Note: Employment
numbers in 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 airline discontinued flights on Jan. 5, 2006.
Note:
Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.
Table 11: Low-Cost Carrier Full-time
Equivalent Employees* by Month**
Numbers in thousands (000's)
Excel | CSV
January |
71.5 |
72.0 |
68.4 |
71.7 |
64.7 |
-9.5 |
-9.7 |
February |
70.8 |
71.3 |
68.7 |
72.3 |
64.9 |
-8.2 |
-10.2 |
March***** |
71.1 |
71.2 |
69.4 |
72.6 |
62.9 |
-11.5 |
-13.3 |
April |
71.3 |
70.9 |
69.6 |
73.8 |
62.5 |
-12.3 |
-15.2 |
May |
71.6 |
71.0 |
69.8 |
73.7 |
62.8 |
-12.3 |
-14.8 |
June |
72.0 |
71.3 |
70.1 |
74.0 |
63.0 |
-12.6 |
-14.9 |
July |
72.7 |
71.7 |
70.2 |
74.5 |
62.5 |
-14.1 |
-16.1 |
August |
71.9 |
71.5 |
71.3 |
75.2 |
62.9 |
-12.6 |
-16.4 |
September |
71.6 |
71.0 |
71.1 |
75.5 |
62.5 |
-12.8 |
-17.3 |
October |
71.6 |
70.9 |
71.7 |
63.6 |
62.7 |
-12.4 |
-1.5 |
November |
72.7 |
71.0 |
71.9 |
64.5 |
62.7 |
-13.7 |
-2.8 |
December |
72.0 |
71.2 |
72.5 |
64.8 |
62.6 |
-13.0 |
-3.3 |
Jan-Dec
Average |
71.7 |
71.3 |
70.4 |
71.4 |
63.1 |
-12.1 |
-11.6 |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Full-time
Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one
full-time employee.
** US Airways' employment numbers
were included with the network airlines prior to October 2007 while America West's
numbers were included with the low-cost airlines. Beginning with October 2007, US Airways'
numbers are combined with America West Airlines' numbers in the network
category. The combined carrier's numbers
were included in the low-cost category for October 2007 through February 2008
in the releases for those months. The
numbers for those months have been revised beginning with the March 2008
release to include the combined carrier's numbers in the network category for
all months. The revision was due to a
BTS recalculation based on the airline's fourth quarter financial report
released May 19.
***Employment
numbers in 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 airline discontinued flights on Jan. 5, 2006.
****
Virgin America and SkyBus began reporting employment data in August 2007.
SkyBus stopped reporting employment data effective in April 2008 resulting from
its bankruptcy filing.
***** ATA
Airlines ceased operating on April 3, 2008 and stopped reporting employment
data effective in March.
Note:
Percent changes and averages based on numbers prior to rounding.
Note:
Detail may not add to total due to rounding.
Table 12: Low-Cost Carrier Full-time Equivalent Employees,* December
2004-2008**
(Ranked by December 2008 FTEs)
Excel | CSV
1 |
Southwest |
31,012 |
31,729 |
32,664 |
34,378 |
35,499 |
14.5 |
3.3 |
2 |
JetBlue |
6,678 |
8,448 |
9,509 |
10,145 |
10,377 |
55.4 |
2.3 |
3 |
AirTran |
5,913 |
6,703 |
7,415 |
8,236 |
7,489 |
26.7 |
-9.1 |
4 |
Frontier |
4,056 |
4,093 |
4,522 |
5,216 |
4,397 |
8.4 |
-15.7 |
5 |
Spirit |
2,484 |
2,059 |
2,041 |
2,201 |
2,263 |
-8.9 |
2.8 |
6 |
Allegiant |
386 |
555 |
846 |
1,180 |
1,348 |
249.2 |
14.2 |
7 |
Virgin America |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
735 |
1,259 |
N/A |
71.3 |
8 |
ATA***** |
5,947 |
3,658 |
2,454 |
2,319 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
9 |
SkyBus |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
381 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
10 |
Independence |
4,158 |
2,375 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
11 |
America West |
11,392 |
11,579 |
13,038 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Total |
72,023 |
71,198 |
72,487 |
64,788 |
62,631 |
-13.0 |
-3.3 |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Full-time
Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one
full-time employee.
** US Airways' employment numbers
were included with the network airlines prior to October 2007 while America
West's numbers were included with the low-cost airlines. Beginning with October 2007, US Airways'
numbers are combined with America West Airlines' numbers in the network
category. The combined carrier's numbers
were included in the low-cost category for October 2007 through February 2008
in the releases for those months. The
numbers for those months have been revised beginning with the March 2008
release to include the combined carrier's numbers in the network category for all
months. The revision was due to a BTS
recalculation based on the airline's fourth quarter financial report released
May 19.
***Employment
numbers in 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 airline discontinued flights on Jan. 5, 2006.
****
Virgin America and SkyBus began reporting employment data in August 2007.
SkyBus stopped reporting employment data effective in April 2008 resulting from
its bankruptcy filing.
***** ATA
Airlines ceased operating on April 3, 2008 and stopped reporting employment
data effective in March.
N/A: Carrier did
not meet the standard for filing, was no longer operating, merged with another
operating carrier or failed to file. See
previous notes.
Note:
Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.
Note: Detail may not add to total due to
rounding.
Table 13: Change in Regional Airline
Full-time Equivalent Employees* from the Previous Year
Percent change compared to same
month the previous year
Excel | CSV
January |
15.5 |
2.5 |
3.0 |
3.7 |
February |
14.3 |
1.1 |
5.9 |
1.1 |
March |
13.7 |
0.5 |
5.6 |
0.6 |
April |
12.6 |
0.6 |
5.6 |
2.0 |
May |
11.1 |
-0.6 |
7.2 |
1.3 |
June |
11.0 |
-1.6 |
5.1 |
1.8 |
July |
6.0 |
-0.8 |
4.8 |
1.4 |
August |
5.1 |
-1.0 |
4.9 |
0.3 |
September |
4.3 |
-0.3 |
5.2 |
-2.1 |
October |
2.7 |
0.6 |
5.5 |
-5.3 |
November |
2.1 |
2.4 |
5.1 |
-6.0 |
December |
2.2 |
3.0 |
4.9 |
-5.2 |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Full-time
Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one
full-time employee.
** Republic, Shuttle America and GoJet reported for part of
2005.
*** Compass began reporting
employment numbers in November 2007.
**** Lynx Airlines began reporting
in February 2008. Colgan Airlines began reporting in April 2008. Trans States
Airlines no longer met reporting requirements beginning in April 2008.
Note:
Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.
Table 14: Regional Carrier Full-time
Equivalent Employees* by Month
Numbers in thousands (000's)
Excel | CSV
2004-2008 |
2007-2008 |
January |
48.3 |
55.8 |
57.2 |
58.9 |
61.1 |
9.5 |
3.7 |
February |
48.9 |
55.9 |
56.6 |
59.9 |
60.5 |
8.3 |
1.1 |
March |
49.6 |
56.4 |
56.7 |
59.9 |
60.2 |
6.9 |
0.6 |
April |
50.3 |
56.6 |
56.9 |
60.1 |
61.3 |
8.4 |
2.0 |
May |
51.2 |
56.9 |
56.5 |
60.6 |
61.4 |
7.9 |
1.3 |
June |
51.9 |
57.6 |
57.0 |
59.9 |
61.0 |
5.8 |
1.8 |
July |
54.3 |
57.6 |
57.1 |
59.9 |
60.7 |
5.4 |
1.4 |
August |
55.0 |
57.8 |
57.2 |
60.2 |
61.6 |
6.5 |
2.3 |
September |
55.2 |
57.6 |
57.4 |
60.7 |
59.4 |
3.2 |
-2.1 |
October |
55.8 |
57.4 |
57.7 |
61.2 |
58.0 |
1.1 |
-5.3 |
November |
55.6 |
56.8 |
58.1 |
61.1 |
57.5 |
3.3 |
-6.0 |
December |
55.3 |
56.5 |
58.2 |
61.1 |
57.9 |
4.7 |
-5.2 |
Jan-Dec
Average |
52.6 |
56.9 |
57.2 |
60.3 |
60.0 |
14.1 |
-0.4 |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Full-time
Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one
full-time employee.
** Mesa, Pinnacle and PSA began reporting
employment numbers in 2004.
*** Republic, Shuttle America and GoJet reported for part of
2005.
**** Compass began reporting
employment numbers in November 2007.
***** Lynx Airlines began reporting
in February 2008. Colgan Airlines began reporting in April 2008. Trans States
Airlines no longer met reporting requirements beginning in April 2008.
Note:
Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.
Table 15: Regional Carrier Full-time Equivalent Employees*, December
2004-2008
(Ranked by December 2008 FTEs)
Excel | CSV
1 |
American
Eagle |
9,130 |
9,419 |
9,269 |
9,679 |
9,220 |
1.0 |
-4.7 |
2 |
SkyWest |
6,998 |
8,101 |
8,791 |
10,249 |
8,986 |
28.4 |
-12.3 |
3 |
Comair |
6,098 |
6,329 |
6,126 |
6,349 |
5,533 |
-9.3 |
-12.9 |
4 |
ExpressJet |
6,344 |
6,375 |
6,828 |
7,753 |
5,267 |
-17.0 |
-32.1 |
5 |
Atlantic
Southeast |
5,718 |
5,552 |
5,657 |
4,295 |
4,353 |
-23.9 |
1.4 |
6 |
Mesaba |
2,701 |
3,277 |
2,555 |
2,926 |
3,763 |
39.3 |
28.6 |
7 |
Pinnacle |
2,605 |
2,968 |
3,288 |
3,283 |
3,622 |
39.0 |
10.3 |
8 |
Horizon |
3,322 |
3,504 |
3,656 |
3,741 |
3,447 |
3.8 |
-7.9 |
9 |
Mesa |
3,832 |
2,975 |
3,240 |
3,091 |
2,912 |
-24.0 |
-5.8 |
10 |
Air Wisconsin |
3,653 |
2,198 |
2,314 |
2,179 |
2,660 |
-27.2 |
22.1 |
11 |
Executive |
1,785 |
1,750 |
1,682 |
1,720 |
1,644 |
-7.9 |
-4.4 |
12 |
Republic |
N/A |
N/A |
670 |
1,324 |
1,418 |
N/A |
7.1 |
13 |
Colgan |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
1,277 |
N/A |
N/A |
14 |
Shuttle America |
N/A |
711 |
1,104 |
1,119 |
1,232 |
N/A |
10.1 |
15 |
PSA |
1,692 |
1,570 |
1,432 |
1,361 |
988 |
-41.6 |
-27.4 |
16 |
Compass |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
355 |
761 |
N/A |
114.4 |
17 |
GoJet |
N/A |
237 |
312 |
363 |
445 |
N/A |
22.6 |
18 |
Lynx |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
359 |
N/A |
N/A |
19 |
Trans
States*** |
1,421 |
1,302 |
1,278 |
1,293 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Total |
55,299 |
56,514 |
58,202 |
61,080 |
57,884 |
-2.8 |
-5.2 |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Full-time
Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one
full-time employee.
** Some regional carriers were not
required to report employment numbers before 2005, so year-to-year comparisons
involving regional carriers, or the total industry, are not appropriate for the
years before 2005. The Percent Change 2004-2008 is based on the 12 carriers
reporting in both years.
*** Effective with April 2008
reporting, Trans States Airlines no longer met the reporting requirements for
filing monthly airline employment data.
N/A: Not applicable because carriers did not meet the standard for filing.
Note: Detail may
not add to total due to rounding.
|