May 2008 Passenger
Airline Employment Up 0.8 Percent from May 2007
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Contact |
BTS 35-08
Dave Smallen
202-366-5568 |
|
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - U.S. scheduled
passenger airlines employed 0.8 percent more workers in May 2008 than in May
2007, the 16th consecutive increase in full-time equivalent employee (FTE) levels for the scheduled
passenger carriers from the same month of the previous year but
the smallest year-to-year increase since March 2007, the U.S.
Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
reported today (Table 2). FTE
calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.
The seven network carriers all added FTEs from May
2007 to May 2008 (Table 9). All of the currently reporting low-cost carriers
(Table 12) and regional carriers American Eagle Airlines, Pinnacle Airlines, Mesaba
Airlines, Executive Airlines, Air Wisconsin Airlines, Republic Airlines, Shuttle
America
and GoJet
Airlines (Table 15) increased their FTEs compared to last year.
Scheduled passenger airlines include network,
low-cost, regional and other airlines. Many regional carriers were not required to report employment numbers
before 2003, so year-to-year comparisons involving regional carriers, or the
total industry, are not available for the years before 2003.
The seven network carriers employed 283,628 FTEs
in May, 68.2 percent of the passenger airline total, while low-cost carriers
employed 14.8 percent and regional carriers also employed 14.8 percent (Table
4).
American Airlines employed the most FTEs in May
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.
The merged airline, listed in the network
category, reported 33,088 FTEs for May 2008. In May 2007, US Airways reported 20,393 FTEs in the
network category and America West reported 12,480 FTEs in the low-cost category
for a total of 32,873.
Network Airlines
FTEs at the seven network carriers increased 6.7
percent in May 2008 compared to May 2007, the 13th consecutive monthly gain
from the same month of the previous year. Prior to an increase in May 2007, the network group had reduced FTEs from
the previous year every month since September 2001 (Table 7).
Every network carrier increased FTEs from May 2007
to May 2008. The year-to-year increases
were US Airways 62.3 percent, Delta Air Lines 4.8 percent, Alaska Airlines 5.8
percent, Continental Airlines 2.1 percent, Northwest Airlines 1.1 percent,
United Airlines 0.8 percent and American 0.1 percent (Table 9).
FTEs at five network carriers declined during
the four years from May 2004 to May 2008. The exceptions were Continental with
a 5.8 percent increase and the newly combined US Airways with a 27.6 percent
gain (Table 8). The biggest percentage
decline was at Northwest, down 23.6 percent, a reduction of 9,053 FTEs,
followed by Delta at 16.1 percent. The
other FTE decreases during that time were United, down 12.0 percent, American,
down 7.5 percent and Alaska, down 0.6
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
Since the America West and US Airways report was
combined last October and following the BTS recalculation of the carrier groups
to place the merged airline in the network category, low-cost carrier FTEs have
decreased for eight consecutive months through May compared to the same month
of the previous year (Tables 10, 11).
Although the merger resulted in a year-to-year
decline for the group, all the carriers remaining in the low-cost group for May
2008 had FTE increases from May 2007. Spirit Airlines reported an increase of 16.3
percent. ATA Airlines, which reported
2,408 FTEs in May 2007, stopped operating on April 3 and ceased reporting
employment data effective in March (Table 12).
Employment data for Independence Air, which
changed its business model from a regional to low-cost carrier in mid-2004 and
ceased operation in January 2006, have been included with low-cost carriers for
2004 and 2005.
Low-cost carriers are those that the industry
recognizes as operating under a low-cost business model, with lower
infrastructure costs and higher productivity. Two new low-cost carriers, SkyBus
Airlines and Virgin America, began reporting employment data in August. SkyBus ceased operations on April 5. Virgin
America reported 1,123 FTE employees in May 2008 (Table 12).
Regional Airlines
Regional carrier FTEs were up 1.3 percent
in May 2008 compared to May 2007 (Table 13).
Republic and Air Wisconsin
reported the largest increases in the group. Republic employed 59.8 percent more FTEs in May 2008 than May 2007,
while Air Wisconsin employed 27.7
percent more (Table 15).
Regional carrier FTEs rose from 56,874
in May 2005 to 61,358 in May 2008, an increase of 7.9 percent (Table 14).
The 11 regional carriers reporting
employment data in both 2004 and 2008 employed 13.2 percent more FTEs in May
2008 than in May 2004. Of that group, Pinnacle
reported the biggest gain, 62.9 percent, followed by SkyWest Airlines at 53.0
percent and ExpressJet at 18.9 percent. Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Air Wisconsin,
Mesa Airlines, and Executive reported fewer FTEs in May 2008 than May 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 1,278 FTEs in May
2007.
Regional carrier Compass Airlines
began reporting employment data in November 2007. Compass reported 551 FTEs in May
(Table 15). Regional carrier Lynx Airlines began reporting employment data in February
2008. Lynx reported 345 FTEs in May
(Table 15).Regional carrier Colgan Airlines began reporting employment data in
April 2008. Colgan reported 1,348 FTEs in May (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 in serving the Hawaiian
Islands.
Data are compiled from monthly
reports filed with BTS by commercial air carriers as of July 9.
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 June airline
employment data for Aug. 19.
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
May
2006-May 2007 |
0.3 |
5.3 |
7.2 |
2.2 |
June
2006-June 2007 |
1.3 |
5.3 |
5.1 |
2.5 |
July
2006-July 2007 |
1.5 |
5.9 |
4.8 |
2.8 |
Aug.
2006-Aug. 2007 |
1.5 |
5.3 |
4.9 |
2.6 |
Sept.
2006-Sept. 2007 |
1.8 |
6.0 |
5.2 |
3.0 |
Oct.
2006-Oct. 2007 |
7.2 |
-11.8 |
5.5 |
3.5 |
Nov.
2006-Nov. 2007 |
7.5 |
-10.9 |
5.1 |
3.7 |
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 |
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.
***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.
****
Includes network, low-cost, regional and other carriers. Other Carriers generally operate
within specific niche markets. They are:
Allegiant Air, 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 |
|
July |
-3.5 |
-5.9 |
2.8 |
|
August |
-5.8 |
-3.1 |
2.6 |
|
September |
-5.8 |
-2.6 |
3.0 |
|
October |
-6.0 |
-2.2 |
3.5 |
|
November |
-6.5 |
-1.6 |
3.7 |
|
December |
-5.9 |
-0.9 |
3.7 |
|
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 |
|
|
|
July |
444.1 |
428.5 |
403.3 |
414.6 |
|
|
|
August |
443.0 |
417.5 |
404.7 |
415.4 |
|
|
|
September |
440.0 |
414.5 |
403.7 |
416.3 |
|
|
|
October |
439.1 |
412.7 |
403.6 |
417.9 |
|
|
|
November |
439.5 |
411.0 |
404.5 |
419.4 |
|
|
|
December |
434.0 |
408.8 |
405.0 |
419.8 |
|
|
|
12-Month
Average |
438.7 |
421.2 |
404.3 |
413.2 |
|
|
|
Jan-May
Average |
436.7 |
427.3 |
404.7 |
408.2 |
416.5 |
-4.6 |
2.0 |
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, May 2004-2008
FTE Numbers in thousands (000’s)
Excel | CSV
2004 |
305.0 |
71.3 |
51.2 |
439.6 |
2005 |
285.8 |
70.5 |
56.9 |
424.4 |
2006 |
265.8 |
69.1 |
56.5 |
403.6 |
2007 |
266.6 |
72.7 |
60.6 |
412.4 |
2008 |
283.6 |
61.5 |
61.4 |
415.6 |
Pct.
Change 2004-2008**** |
-7.0% |
-13.7% |
7.9% |
-2.1% |
Percent
of Total Passenger Airline Employees in 2008 |
68.2% |
14.8% |
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, May 2004-2008
Percent
Change from the previous year
Excel | CSV
2004 |
-4.9 |
0.8 |
N/A |
N/A |
2005 |
-6.6 |
-1.0 |
N/A |
N/A |
2006 |
-7.0 |
-2.1 |
-0.6 |
-4.9 |
2007 |
0.3 |
5.3 |
7.2 |
2.2 |
2008 |
6.4 |
-15.4 |
1.3 |
0.8 |
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.
*** 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, May 2008
Ranked by Number of Full-Time
Equivalent Employees*
Excel | CSV
1 |
American |
73.3 |
Network |
American |
2 |
United |
52.2 |
Network |
United |
3 |
Delta |
48.8 |
Network |
Delta |
4 |
Continental |
36.8 |
Network |
Continental |
5 |
Southwest |
33.9 |
Low Cost |
Southwest |
6 |
US
Airways |
33.1 |
Network |
Northwest |
7 |
Northwest |
29.4 |
Network |
US
Airways |
8 |
JetBlue |
10.6 |
Low Cost |
America
West |
9 |
Alaska |
10.1 |
Network |
SkyWest |
10 |
American
Eagle |
9.7 |
Regional |
JetBlue |
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.
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 |
|
July |
-5.9 |
-8.1 |
1.5 |
|
August |
-9.0 |
-4.7 |
1.5 |
|
September |
-8.9 |
-4.1 |
1.8 |
|
October |
-8.9 |
-4.0 |
7.2 |
|
November |
-9.3 |
-3.4 |
7.5 |
|
December |
-8.5 |
-2.9 |
7.5 |
|
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 |
|
|
|
July |
306.3 |
288.2 |
264.9 |
268.7 |
|
|
|
August |
305.3 |
277.8 |
264.8 |
268.8 |
|
|
|
September |
302.4 |
275.4 |
264.0 |
268.8 |
|
|
|
October |
300.9 |
274.1 |
263.0 |
281.9 |
|
|
|
November |
300.2 |
272.4 |
263.0 |
282.7 |
|
|
|
December |
295.7 |
270.6 |
262.9 |
282.7 |
|
|
|
12-Month
Average |
305.1 |
285.6 |
266.3 |
270.2 |
|
|
|
Jan-May
Average |
305.2 |
288.9 |
267.5 |
264.0 |
283.1 |
-7.2% |
7.2% |
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*, May 2004-2008**
(Ranked by May 2008 FTEs)
Numbers in thousands (000’s)
Excel | CSV
1 |
American |
79.2 |
76.1 |
73.8 |
73.2 |
73.3 |
-7.5 |
0.1 |
2 |
United |
59.3 |
55.2 |
53.6 |
51.8 |
52.2 |
-12.0 |
0.8 |
3 |
Delta |
58.2 |
53.2 |
45.2 |
46.6 |
48.8 |
-16.1 |
4.8 |
4 |
Continental |
34.8 |
32.7 |
34.4 |
36.0 |
36.8 |
5.8 |
2.1 |
5 |
US
Airways |
25.9 |
22.1 |
19.2 |
20.4 |
33.1 |
27.6 |
62.3 |
6 |
Northwest |
38.4 |
37.7 |
30.3 |
29.1 |
29.4 |
-23.6 |
1.1 |
7 |
Alaska |
10.2 |
8.9 |
9.3 |
9.5 |
10.1 |
-0.6 |
5.8 |
|
Total |
306.0 |
285.8 |
265.5 |
266.6 |
283.6 |
-7.3 |
6.4 |
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 |
0.5 |
-5.3 |
4.5 |
-11.4 |
February |
0.6 |
-4.1 |
5.0 |
-11.9 |
March*** |
0.0 |
-3.0 |
4.4 |
-15.2 |
April |
-0.7 |
-2.2 |
5.7 |
-15.9 |
May |
-1.0 |
-2.1 |
5.3 |
-15.4 |
June |
-1.2 |
-2.0 |
5.3 |
|
July |
-1.5 |
-2.6 |
5.9 |
|
August |
-0.7 |
-0.8 |
5.3 |
|
September |
-1.0 |
-0.4 |
6.0 |
|
October |
-1.2 |
0.8 |
-11.8 |
|
November |
-2.5 |
0.9 |
-10.9 |
|
December |
-1.4 |
1.4 |
-11.2 |
|
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 May 3, 2008 and stopped reporting employment
data effective in March.
Note: 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.
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 |
71.2 |
71.6 |
67.8 |
70.8 |
62.8 |
-11.8 |
-11.4 |
February |
70.5 |
70.9 |
68.0 |
71.4 |
62.9 |
-10.8 |
-11.9 |
March***** |
70.8 |
70.8 |
69.7 |
71.7 |
60.8 |
-14.2 |
-15.2 |
April |
71.0 |
70.3 |
68.9 |
72.8 |
61.2 |
-13.7 |
-15.9 |
May |
71.3 |
70.5 |
69.1 |
72.7 |
61.5 |
-13.7 |
-15.4 |
June |
71.7 |
70.8 |
69.4 |
73.1 |
|
|
|
July |
72.4 |
71.3 |
69.4 |
73.5 |
|
|
|
August |
71.6 |
71.1 |
70.5 |
74.2 |
|
|
|
September |
71.3 |
70.6 |
70.3 |
74.5 |
|
|
|
October |
71.2 |
70.4 |
70.9 |
62.6 |
|
|
|
November |
72.3 |
70.5 |
71.1 |
63.4 |
|
|
|
December |
71.6 |
70.6 |
71.6 |
63.6 |
|
|
|
12-Month
Average |
71.3 |
70.9 |
69.2 |
70.4 |
|
|
|
Jan-May
Average |
70.9 |
70.8 |
68.7 |
71.9 |
61.8 |
-12.8 |
-14.0 |
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 May 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,* May
2004-2008**
(Ranked by May 2008 FTEs)
Excel | CSV
1 |
Southwest |
31,402 |
31,242 |
31,684 |
33,230 |
33,909 |
8.0 |
2.0 |
2 |
JetBlue |
5,738 |
7,248 |
9,580 |
9,600 |
10,611 |
84.9 |
10.5 |
3 |
AirTran |
5,506 |
6,181 |
7,030 |
7,986 |
8,265 |
50.1 |
3.5 |
4 |
Frontier |
3,906 |
4,066 |
4,423 |
4,883 |
5,093 |
30.4 |
4.3 |
5 |
Spirit |
2,440 |
2,049 |
1,978 |
2,151 |
2,501 |
2.5 |
16.3 |
6 |
Virgin
America
**** |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
1,123 |
N/A |
N/A |
7 |
ATA |
6,900 |
4,521 |
2,722 |
2,408 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
8 |
SkyBus***** |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
9 |
Independence |
3,911 |
3,252 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
10 |
America
West |
11,468 |
11,976 |
11,663 |
12,480 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Total |
71,271 |
70,535 |
69,080 |
72,738 |
61,502 |
-13.7 |
-15.4 |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* 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’s numbers
in the network category. For US Airways
previous year numbers and for the combined number in the network category, see
Table 9.
***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 carrier did not meet the standard for
filing in previous years. The airline discontinued flights on Jan.
5, 2006.
**** Virgin
America and SkyBus began reporting employment data in August 2007
***** ATA
Airlines ceased operating on May 3, 2008 and stopped reporting employment
data effective in March.
****** SkyBus ceased
operating on May 5, 2008 and stopped reporting employment
data effective in May.
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 |
|
July |
6.0 |
-0.8 |
4.8 |
|
August |
5.1 |
-1.0 |
4.9 |
|
September |
4.3 |
-0.3 |
5.2 |
|
October |
2.7 |
0.6 |
5.5 |
|
November |
2.1 |
2.4 |
5.1 |
|
December |
2.2 |
3.0 |
4.9 |
|
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
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 |
|
|
|
July |
54.3 |
57.6 |
57.1 |
59.9 |
|
|
|
August |
55.0 |
57.8 |
57.2 |
60.2 |
|
|
|
September |
55.2 |
57.6 |
57.4 |
60.7 |
|
|
|
October |
55.8 |
57.4 |
57.7 |
61.2 |
|
|
|
November |
55.6 |
56.8 |
58.1 |
61.1 |
|
|
|
December |
55.3 |
56.3 |
58.2 |
61.1 |
|
|
|
12-Month
Average |
51.6 |
56.9 |
57.0 |
60.3 |
|
|
|
Jan-May
Average |
49.7 |
56.3 |
56.8 |
59.9 |
60.9 |
8.2 |
1.7 |
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*, May 2004-2008
(Ranked by May 2008 FTEs)
Excel | CSV
1 |
American
Eagle |
8,402 |
9,475 |
9,226 |
9,428 |
9,733 |
15.8 |
3.2 |
2 |
SkyWest |
6,230 |
7,582 |
7,806 |
9,786 |
9,534 |
53.0 |
-2.6 |
3 |
ExpressJet |
6,134 |
6,472 |
6,611 |
7,689 |
7,294 |
18.9 |
-5.1 |
4 |
Comair |
5,822 |
6,429 |
6,207 |
6,164 |
5,902 |
1.4 |
-4.3 |
5 |
Atlantic
Southeast |
5,691 |
5,487 |
5,398 |
5,592 |
4,545 |
-20.1 |
-18.7 |
6 |
Horizon |
3,361 |
3,406 |
3,526 |
3,797 |
3,785 |
12.6 |
-0.3 |
7 |
Pinnacle |
2,157 |
2,964 |
3,005 |
3,382 |
3,514 |
62.9 |
3.9 |
8 |
Mesaba |
2,993 |
3,303 |
2,953 |
2,595 |
3,160 |
5.6 |
21.8 |
9 |
Mesa |
3,605 |
3,295 |
3,184 |
3,208 |
2,929 |
-18.8 |
-8.7 |
10 |
Air Wisconsin |
3,488 |
3,492 |
2,251 |
2,259 |
2,884 |
-17.3 |
27.7 |
11 |
Executive |
1,916 |
1,787 |
1,779 |
1,680 |
1,724 |
-10.0 |
2.6 |
12 |
Republic |
N/A |
N/A |
543 |
924 |
1,477 |
N/A |
59.8 |
13 |
Colgan |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
1,348 |
N/A |
N/A |
14 |
Shuttle
America |
N/A |
N/A |
812 |
1,070 |
1,147 |
N/A |
7.2 |
15 |
PSA |
N/A |
1,712 |
1,484 |
1,428 |
1,139 |
N/A |
-20.2 |
16 |
Compass |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
551 |
N/A |
N/A |
17 |
GoJet |
N/A |
N/A |
306 |
313 |
351 |
N/A |
12.1 |
18 |
Lynx |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
345 |
N/A |
N/A |
19 |
Trans
States |
1,399 |
1,472 |
1,437 |
1,278 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Total |
51,198 |
56,876 |
56,528 |
60,593 |
61,362 |
13.2 |
1.3 |
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 11 carriers
reporting in both years.
*** Effective with May 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.
|