BTS Releases January Passenger Airline Employment Data; Janu

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BTS Releases January Passenger Airline Employment Data; January 2012 Employment Rose 2.1 Percent from January 2011

U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 2.1 percent more workers in January 2012 than they did in January 2011, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today. This is the 14th consecutive month that full-time equivalent employee (FTE) levels for the scheduled passenger carriers have been higher than the same month of the previous year. FTE calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee.

BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the January FTE total of 388,778 for the scheduled passenger carriers was 7,829 more than that of January 2011. These monthly increases reflect gradual improvement in the industry’s employment following declines that began in July 2008. However, the January 2012 employment growth rate was the lowest since June 2011. Historical employment data can be found on the BTS web site.

Of the network airlines, only Delta Air Lines, which has been eliminating duplicate positions following its merger with Northwest Airlines, decreased employment from January 2011 to January 2012. United Airlines reported 81,352 FTEs in January 2012 in the first joint report following the merger with Continental Airlines. The combined report was 4,248 more FTEs or 5.5 percent more than the 77,104 FTEs the two airlines reported separately in January 2011.

All low-cost carriers reported more FTEs in January 2012 than in January 2011, except for AirTran Airways, Allegiant Air and Frontier Airlines. The low-cost carriers with more reported FTEs are Virgin America Airlines, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines.

Among the 15 regional carriers, the five carriers reporting reduced employment levels compared to last year were Horizon Airlines, Republic Airlines, Comair, Mesa Airlines and Executive Airlines.

Scheduled passenger airline categories include network, low-cost, regional and other airlines.