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 1,036,280 workers in April 2026, 7,044 (0.68%) more workers than in March 2026 (1,029,236).
U.S. scheduled-service passenger airlines employed 559,555 workers in April 2026, or 54.0% of the industry-wide total. Passenger airlines gained 1,075 employees in April 2026. Alaska Airlines Inc. led scheduled passenger carriers, adding 7,193 employees; United Air Lines Inc. added 1,011, and Southwest Airlines Co. added 237.
U.S. cargo airlines employed 472,319 workers in April 2026, or 46% of the industry-wide total. Cargo carriers gained 5,921 employees in April. FedEx, the leading air cargo employer, increased employment by 5,984 jobs.
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Scheduled passenger airlines gained 825 full-time equivalents in April 2026
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 April 2026 industry-wide numbers include 754,002 full-time and 282,278 part-time workers for a total of 895,141 FTEs, an increase from March of 3,369 FTEs (0.38%).
The 25 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines reporting data for April 2026 employed 529,107 FTEs, 825 FTEs (0.16%) more than in March 2026. Data by passenger carrier category can be found in the accompanying tables.
U.S. cargo airlines employed 361,711 FTEs in April 2026, up 2,495 FTEs (0.69%) from March 2026.
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