U.S. Airlines Record Largest Workforce in Over Two Decades

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U.S. airlines have set a new record, employing over 1 million people across both passenger and cargo sectors.

In June, U.S. scheduled carriers added just over 200,000 jobs.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) requires passenger, cargo, and charter carriers operating at least one aircraft that has more than 60 seats or the capacity to carry a payload of passengers, cargo, and fuel weighing more than 18,000 pounds to report workforce statistics on a monthly basis. Since 1990, the DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics has compiled this data.

Scheduled passenger carriers employed 546,446 staff members in June, the most in over two decades. Cargo operators had 452,155 workers during the same month. Notably, FedEx consolidated its various operating companies to form Federal Express Corp., which in turn increased the number of U.S. airline workers.

Cargo airlines represent 45 percent of the industry-wide employment total, while passenger carriers hold the majority at 55 percent. In June, Delta Air Lines added 1,217 employees, American Airlines added 193, and SkyWest Airlines added 181 with passenger airlines growing their workforces by nearly 2,000 employees month over month.

“These 1 million men and women are the backbone of our industry, which is why A4A member airlines continue to invest significantly in current and future employees to ensure that we have people trained and in the right places at the right time in order to accommodate the demand for air travel and shipping,” Rebecca Spicer, senior vice president of communications for trade group Airlines for America (A4A), said in a news release. “We are grateful for our employees’ dedication to getting millions of travelers to their destinations safely and tons of cargo delivered every single day across the country and around the world.”

DOT data also shows that the number of full-time employees grew slightly higher between May and June. Of the 26 scheduled passenger airlines reporting data for June, they employed 517,526 full-time equivalents (FTEs), an increase of 1,030 over May.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

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Ryan EwingAuthor

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.