U.S. Airlines Gained 8,212 Jobs in September 2026 as Industry Employment Reached 1,047,112

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation released its September airline employment data on November 9 (BTS 26-81): employment at U.S. passenger and cargo airlines combined rose to 1,047,112 workers in September 2026, up 8,212 workers (0.79%) from 1,038,900 in August 2026.

U.S. scheduled-service passenger airlines employed 554,502 workers in September, or 53% of the industry-wide total, and gained 591 employees during the month. American Airlines led scheduled passenger carriers, adding 374 employees; United Air Lines added 219 and SkyWest Airlines added 186. The 24 reporting scheduled passenger airlines employed 524,125 full-time equivalents (FTEs), up 821 from August.

U.S. cargo airlines employed 488,248 workers in September, or 47% of the industry total, and gained 7,730 employees. FedEx, the leading air cargo employer, increased employment by 7,758 jobs. Cargo airlines employed 369,029 FTEs, up 3,791 (1.04%) from August.

Industry-wide, the September figures include 747,753 full-time and 299,359 part-time workers, for a total of 897,433 FTEs, an increase of 4,507 FTEs (0.50%) from August. BTS said the data are compiled from monthly reports filed by commercial air carriers as of November 5, and that the month-to-month numbers are not seasonally adjusted. Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have merged, and Hawaiian's employment is now reported solely under Alaska Airlines. The next airline employment update is scheduled for December 11, 2026.

Source: 美国交通部交通统计局

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：美国航空客机在费城国际机场（资料图）。Simply Aviation 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: An American Airlines aircraft at Philadelphia International Airport (file photo). By Simply Aviation, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.