U.S. Airlines: Total Number of Employees (both Full-Time and Part-Time)
U.S. airline industry (passenger and cargo airlines combined) employment increased to 1,008,949 workers in March 2025, 4,231 (0.42%) more workers than in February 2025 (1,004,718).
U.S. scheduled-service passenger airlines employed 546,947 workers in March 2025, or 54% of the industry-wide total. Passenger airlines gained 2,791 employees in March 2025. American Airlines Inc. led scheduled passenger carriers, adding 1,478 employees; United Air Lines Inc. added 859, and Delta Air Lines Inc. added 586.
U.S. cargo airlines employed 457,877 workers in March 2025, or 46% of the industry-wide total. Cargo carriers gained 1,525 employees in March. FedEx, the leading air cargo employer, increased employment by 1,584 jobs.
Scheduled passenger airlines gained 2,575 full-time equivalents in March 2025
U.S. Airline Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs)
BTS calculates FTEs by dividing the number of part-time employees by 2 and adding that figure to the number of full-time employees. The March 2025 industry-wide numbers include 749,292 full-time and 259,657 part-time workers for a total of 879,121 FTEs, an increase from February of 2,797 FTEs (0.32%).
The 26 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines reporting data for March 2025 employed 517,796 FTEs, 2,575 FTEs (0.50%) more than in February 2025. Data by passenger carrier category can be found in the accompanying tables.
U.S. cargo airlines employed 357,282 FTEs in March 2025, up 306 FTEs (0.09%) from February 2025.
