Airline Employment by Job Category

BTS Releases 2010 Passenger Airline Employment by Job Category.


U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 4.9 percent more pilots and 1.1 percent more maintenance workers in 2010 than in 2009 while total industry jobs declined by 0.5 percent, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today.

BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the six large network carriers employed 1.3 percent fewer pilots and 2.3 percent more maintenance workers in 2010 than in 2009. A separate group of the seven largest low-cost carriers employed 11.2 percent more pilots and 1.5 percent more maintenance workers from 2009 to 2010. The group of regional airlines employed 4.9 percent more pilots and 3.3 percent fewer maintenance workers from 2009 to 2010. Employment numbers for individual regional airlines can be found on the BTS website.

Alaska Airlines had the largest decrease in maintenance employees for the network airlines at 6.7 percent. US Airways had the largest decrease in pilot employees for the network airlines at 2.6 percent. Delta Air Lines’ employment increases reflect its merger with Northwest Airlines that became effective for reporting purposes in January 2010.

All the low-cost carriers added pilots from 2009 to 2010 while only Southwest and Spirit Airlines reduced maintenance employees for this period. Allegiant had the largest increase in maintenance employees at 51.0 percent. Virgin America had the largest increase in pilot employees at 43.6 percent.

See BTS Annual Airline Employment press release for summary tables and additional data.

Historic annual employment data can be found on the BTS web site.