0.1 Percent Increase Over 2007 Smallest In Over A Year

US 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, according to the US Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

While any rise in employment numbers is a positive -- particularly as more airlines look to either lay off or furlough workers in the face of high fuel prices -- BTS notes that's the smallest year-to-year increase since a decrease in January 2007... and continues a trend of smaller and smaller increases this year.

Since January, monthly year-over-year employment increases have fallen from a 3.7 increase over January 2007 numbers, to May's 0.8 percent rise. It's likely that number will turn negative when July numbers are released next month.

In June, all network airlines except United increased employment from June 2007 to June 2008. All of the currently reporting low-cost carriers -- and regional carriers American Eagle Airlines, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Mesaba Airlines, Executive Airlines, Air Wisconsin Airlines, Republic Airlines, Shuttle America and GoJet Airlines -- increased their FTEs compared to last year, as well.

For the BTS surveys, two part-time employees count as one "full-time equivalent" worker.

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.

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.

FMI: www.bts.gov/programs/airline_information/number_of_employees/