July 2009 Employment Down 5.9 Percent from July 2008

U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 5.9 percent fewer workers in July 2009 than in July 2008, the 13th consecutive decrease in full-time equivalent employee (FTE) levels for the scheduled passenger carriers from the same month of the previous year, the U.S. DOT's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported Tuesday.  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 July FTE total of 386,900 for the scheduled passenger carriers was 25,800 below July 2008 and the lowest total for any month since 1993.

All the network airlines decreased employment from July 2008 to July 2009 as did low-cost carriers AirTran Airways, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines. Regional carriers American Eagle Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines, Comair, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Pinnacle Airlines, Horizon Air, Mesa Airlines, Air Wisconsin Airlines, Colgan Airlines and PSA Airlines also reported reduced employment levels compared to last year.

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

The seven network airlines employed 260,459 FTEs in July, 67.3 percent of the passenger airline total, while low-cost carriers employed 16.3 percent and regional carriers employed 14.6 percent.

FMI: http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2009/bts045_09/html/bts045_09.html