US Airline Employment Above Pre-Pandemic Levels

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US airline industry employment* increased to 807,865 workers in September 2023, 2939 (0.37%) more workers than in August 2023 (804,926) and 64,765 (8.72%) more than in pre-pandemic September 2019 (743,100), according to the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

US scheduled-service passenger airlines employed 533,238 workers in September 2023 or 66% of the industry-wide total. Passenger airlines added 2938 employees in September 2023 for a twenty-ninth consecutive month of job growth dating back to May 2021 as the Biden Administration economic recovery continues. Southwest led scheduled passenger carriers, adding 882 employees. United Air Lines added 736, and Delta Airlines added 708.

U.S. cargo airlines employed 269,870 workers in September 2023, 34% of the industry total. Cargo carriers lost 18 employees in September. FedEx, the leading air cargo employer, decreased employment by 149 jobs.

*passenger and cargo airlines combined.