Down 6.9 Percent Over '08 Levels

US scheduled passenger airlines employed 6.9 percent fewer workers in January 2009 than in January 2008, reports the US Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). That was the seventh 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 January FTE total of 390,000 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 January 2008 to January 2009, as did low-cost carriers AirTran Airways, Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines. Regional carriers American Eagle Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines, Comair, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Horizon Air, Mesa Airlines, Executive Airlines, Shuttle America Airlines, Republic Airlines and PSA Airlines also reported reduced employment levels compared to last year.

The seven network carriers employed 263,900 FTEs in January, 67.7 percent of the passenger airline total, while low-cost carriers employed 16.1 percent and regional carriers employed 14.6 percent. American Airlines employed the most FTEs in January among the network carriers, Southwest Airlines employed the most among low-cost carriers, and American Eagle employed the most among regional carriers.

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