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June 2008 Passenger Airline Employment Up 0.1 Percent from June 2007
June 2008 Passenger Airline Employment Up 0.1 Percent from June 2007
BTS 41-08Dave Smallen
202-366-5568
Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 0.1 percent more workers in June 2008 than in June 2007, the 17th 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 a decrease in January 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.
All of the network airlines except United Airlines increased employment from June 2007 to June 2008 (Table 9). All of the currently reporting low-cost carriers (Table 12) and regional carriers American Eagle Airlines, Atlantic Southeast 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 282,799 FTEs in June, 68.2 percent of the passenger airline total, while low-cost carriers employed 14.9 percent and regional carriers also employed 14.7 percent (Table 4).
American Airlines employed the most FTEs in June 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 32,918 FTEs for June 2008. In June 2007, US Airways reported 20,405 FTEs in the network category and America West reported 12,471 FTEs in the low-cost category for a total of 32,876.
Network Airlines
FTEs at the seven network carriers increased 5.3 percent in June 2008 compared to June 2007, the 14th consecutive monthly gain from the same month of the previous year. Prior to an increase in June 2007, the network group had reduced FTEs from the previous year every month since September 2001 (Table 7).
All network carriers except for United Airlines increased FTEs from June 2007 to June 2008. The year-to-year increases were US Airways 61.3 percent, Delta Air Lines 0.4 percent, Alaska Airlines 5.5 percent, Continental Airlines 2.0 percent, Northwest Airlines 0.7 percent, and American 0.2 percent. United Airlines employment was down 0.3 percent (Table 9).
FTEs at five network carriers declined during the four years from June 2004 to June 2008. The exceptions were Continental with a 4.5 percent increase and the newly combined US Airways with a 26.3 percent gain (Table 8). The biggest percentage decline was at Northwest, down 23.8 percent, a reduction of 9,175 FTEs, followed by Delta at 15.4 percent. The other FTE decreases during that time were United, down 12.9 percent, American, down 7.5 percent and Alaska, down 0.7 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 nine 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 June 2008 had FTE increases from June 2007. Spirit Airlines reported an increase of 12.0 percent. ATA Airlines, which reported 2,405 FTEs in June 2007, stopped operating on April 3 and ceased reporting employment data effective in March (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. 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 1,189 FTE employees in June 2008 (Table 12).
Regional Airlines
Regional carrier FTEs were up 1.8 percent in June 2008 compared to June 2007 (Table 13).
Republic and Air Wisconsin reported the largest increases in the group. Republic employed 32.5 percent more FTEs in June 2008 than June 2007, while Air Wisconsin employed 31.3 percent more (Table 15).
Regional carrier FTEs rose from 57,620 in June 2005 to 60,967 in June 2008, an increase of 5.8 percent (Table 14).
The 11 regional carriers reporting employment data in both 2004 and 2008 employed 8.3 percent more FTEs in June 2008 than in June 2004. Of that group, Pinnacle reported the biggest gain, 54.1 percent, followed by SkyWest Airlines at 49.4 percent and ExpressJet at 14.9 percent. Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Air Wisconsin, Mesa Airlines, and Executive reported fewer FTEs in June 2008 than June 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 1,290 FTEs in June 2007.
Regional carrier Compass Airlines began reporting employment data in November 2007. Compass reported 594 FTEs in June (Table 15). Regional carrier Lynx Airlines began reporting employment data in February 2008. Lynx reported 356 FTEs in June (Table 15). Regional carrier Colgan Airlines began reporting employment data in April 2008. Colgan reported 1,362 FTEs in June (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 Aug. 13.
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 July airline employment data for Sept. 16.
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
| Month | Network Carriers** (Pct. Change) From Table 7 | Low-Cost Carriers*** (Pct. Change) From Table 10 | Regional Carriers (Pct. Change) From Table13 | All Passenger Airlines**** (Pct. Change) From Table 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 |
| June 2007-June 2008 | 5.3 | -15.6 | 1.8 | 0.1 |
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 Wests 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
| Month | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 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 (000s)
| Month | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | Percent Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-2008 | 2007-2008 | ||||||
| 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 | |||
| 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-June Average | 437.4 | 426.8 | 404.6 | 409.2 | 416.2 | -4.8% | 1.7% |
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 and averages based on numbers prior to rounding.
Table 4: Total Number of Full-time Equivalent Employees* (FTEs) by Carrier Group, June 2004-2008
FTE Numbers in thousands (000s)
| Network** | Low-Cost** | Regional | All Passenger Airlines*** | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 306.1 | 71.7 | 51.9 | 440.9 |
| 2005 | 284.8 | 70.8 | 57.6 | 424.3 |
| 2006 | 265.3 | 69.4 | 57.0 | 403.8 |
| 2007 | 268.6 | 73.1 | 59.9 | 414.0 |
| 2008 | 282.8 | 61.7 | 61.0 | 414.6 |
| Pct. Change 2004-2008**** | -7.6% | -14.0% | 5.8% | -2.3% |
| Percent of Total Passenger Airline Employees in 2008 | 68.2% | 14.9% | 14.7% |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.
** America Wests employment numbers were included with the low-cost airlines prior to October 2007. Beginning with October 2007, America Wests 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, June 2004-2008
Percent Change from the previous year
| Network** | Low-Cost** | Regional*** | All Passenger Airlines**** | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | -3.6 | 1.5 | N/A | N/A |
| 2005 | -7.0 | -1.2 | N/A | N/A |
| 2006 | -6.8 | -2.0 | -1.1 | -4.8 |
| 2007 | 1.3 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 2.5 |
| 2008 | 5.3 | -15.6 | 1.8 | 0.1 |
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics
* Full-time Equivalent Employee (FTE) calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.
** America Wests employment numbers were included with the low-cost airlines prior to October 2007. Beginning with October 2007, America Wests 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, June 2008
Ranked by Number of Full-Time Equivalent Employees*
| Rank | Airline | Total FTE Employees (000) | Carrier Group** | Top 10 Airlines June 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American | 73.1 | Network | American |
| 2 | United | 51.6 | Network | United |
| 3 | Delta | 49.0 | Network | Delta |
| 4 | Continental | 36.6 | Network | Continental |
| 5 | Southwest | 34.3 | Low Cost | Southwest |
| 6 | US Airways | 32.9 | Network | Northwest |
| 7 | Northwest | 29.3 | Network | US Airways |
| 8 | JetBlue | 10.5 | 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 Wests employment numbers were included with the low-cost airlines prior to October 2007. Beginning with October 2007, America Wests 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
| Month | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 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 (000s)
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | Percent Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-2008 | 2007-2008 | ||||||
| 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 | |||
| 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-June Average | 305.4 | 288.2 | 267.1 | 264.8 | 283.1 | -7.3% | 6.9% |
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 Wests 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*, June 2004-2008**
(Ranked by June 2008 FTEs)
Numbers in thousands (000s)
| Rank | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | Percent Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-2008 | 2007-2008 | |||||||
| 1 | American | 79.1 | 75.9 | 73.4 | 72.9 | 73.1 | -7.5 | 0.2 |
| 2 | United | 59.3 | 54.7 | 53.2 | 51.8 | 51.6 | -12.9 | -0.3 |
| 3 | Delta | 57.9 | 52.7 | 45.1 | 48.8 | 49.0 | -15.4 | 0.4 |
| 4 | Continental | 35.1 | 32.7 | 34.4 | 35.9 | 36.6 | 4.5 | 2.0 |
| 5 | US Airways | 26.1 | 22.2 | 19.2 | 20.4 | 32.9 | 26.3 | 61.3 |
| 6 | Northwest | 38.5 | 37.7 | 30.5 | 29.1 | 29.3 | -23.8 | 0.7 |
| 7 | Alaska | 10.2 | 8.9 | 9.5 | 9.6 | 10.1 | -0.7 | 5.5 |
| Total | 306.1 | 284.8 | 265.3 | 268.6 | 282.8 | -7.6 | 5.3 | |
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
| Month | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | -15.6 |
| 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 Wests 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 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 (000s)
| 2004*** | 2005*** | 2006 | 2007**** | 2008 | Percent Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-2008 | 2007-2008 | ||||||
| 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 | 61.7 | -14.0 | -15.6 |
| 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-June Average | 71.1 | 70.8 | 68.8 | 72.1 | 61.8 | 13.0% | 14.3% |
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.
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,* June 2004-2008**
(Ranked by June 2008 FTEs)
| Rank | 2004*** | 2005*** | 2006 | 2007**** | 2008 | Percent Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-2008 | 2007-2008 | |||||||
| 1 | Southwest | 31,409 | 31,366 | 31,735 | 33,261 | 34,285 | 9.2 | 3.1 |
| 2 | JetBlue | 5,898 | 7,505 | 9,675 | 9,675 | 10,523 | 78.4 | 8.8 |
| 3 | AirTran | 5,624 | 6,247 | 7,167 | 8,147 | 8,279 | 47.2 | 1.6 |
| 4 | Frontier | 3,938 | 4,053 | 4,484 | 4,940 | 4,949 | 25.7 | 0.2 |
| 5 | Spirit | 2,436 | 2,049 | 2,039 | 2,191 | 2,453 | 0.7 | 12.0 |
| 6 | Virgin America | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1,189 | N/A | N/A |
| 7 | ATA***** | 6,812 | 4,474 | 2,650 | 2,405 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 8 | SkyBus***** | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 9 | Independence | 4,049 | 3,180 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 10 | America West | 11,529 | 11,954 | 11,651 | 12,471 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total | 71,695 | 70,828 | 69,399 | 73,087 | 61,678 | -14.0 | -15.6 | |
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.
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
| 2005** | 2006 | 2007*** | 2008**** | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 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 (000s)
| 2004** | 2005*** | 2006 | 2007**** | 2008***** | Percent Change | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-2008 | 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 | |||
| 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-June Average | 50.0 | 56.5 | 56.8 | 59.9 | 60.9 | 7.8% | 1.8% |
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*, June 2004-2008
(Ranked by June 2008 FTEs)
| Rank | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | Percent Change** | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-2008 | 2007-2008 | |||||||
| 1 | American Eagle | 8,500 | 9,443 | 9,184 | 9,453 | 9,683 | 13.9 | 2.4 |
| 2 | SkyWest | 6,353 | 7,765 | 8,043 | 9,905 | 9,490 | 49.4 | -4.2 |
| 3 | ExpressJet | 6,195 | 6,507 | 6,665 | 7,846 | 7,115 | 14.9 | -9.3 |
| 4 | Comair | 5,848 | 6,577 | 6,210 | 6,201 | 5,933 | 1.5 | -4.3 |
| 5 | Atlantic Southeast | 5,717 | 5,523 | 5,475 | 4,347 | 4,517 | -21.0 | 3.9 |
| 6 | Horizon | 3,377 | 3,395 | 3,554 | 3,832 | 3,713 | 9.9 | -3.1 |
| 7 | Pinnacle | 2,222 | 3,052 | 3,049 | 3,457 | 3,424 | 54.1 | -1.0 |
| 8 | Mesaba | 3,033 | 3,359 | 2,850 | 2,545 | 3,250 | 7.2 | 27.7 |
| 9 | Air Wisconsin | 3,595 | 3,322 | 2,225 | 2,251 | 2,956 | -17.8 | 31.3 |
| 10 | Mesa | 3,682 | 3,294 | 3,273 | 3,219 | 2,898 | -21.3 | -10.0 |
| 11 | Executive | 1,998 | 1,770 | 1,757 | 1,709 | 1,717 | -14.1 | 0.5 |
| 12 | Colgan | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1,362 | N/A | N/A |
| 13 | Republic | N/A | N/A | 560 | 1,019 | 1,350 | N/A | 32.5 |
| 14 | Shuttle America | N/A | 398 | 974 | 1,052 | 1,159 | N/A | 10.2 |
| 15 | PSA | N/A | 1,742 | 1,471 | 1,444 | 1,096 | N/A | -24.1 |
| 16 | Compass | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 594 | N/A | N/A |
| 17 | GoJet | N/A | N/A | 306 | 324 | 357 | N/A | 10.2 |
| 18 | Lynx | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 356 | N/A | N/A |
| 19 | Trans States*** | 1,411 | 1,476 | 1,386 | 1,290 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total | 51,931 | 57,623 | 56,982 | 59,894 | 60,970 | 8.3 | 1.8 | |
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 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.