US Airlines Added Over 2,500 Jobs In February

On Monday, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that the nation’s airline industry added nearly 2,700 jobs in February 2023, representing a significant rebound from the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the jobs, the number of current airline employees totaled more than 700,000

The increase is part of an upward trend in employment numbers since February 2021 The DOT also included calculations of full-time equivalents, which also seemed to increase since pandemic restrictions eased.

Hundreds of thousands of workers

Employment among passenger and cargo airlines in February increased to 790,657 workers, according to the DOT That result is 2,687 or 0.34% more workers than the previous month, which totaled 787,970. It is 59,661 or 8.16% more compared to February 2019, in which only 730,996 people worked at the airlines

508,450 employees across all passenger airlines with scheduled service were employed in February 2023, representing 65% of the industry-wide total. In the same month, 4,696 new workers were hired at passenger airlines, the 22nd consecutive month of job growth dating back to May 2021.

Inside the numbers

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines added 1,338 employees, making it the leading passenger carrier in February. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines hired 1,134 workers, and Chicago-based United Airlines welcomed 1,082 new hires

For cargo carriers, 277,999 workers were employed in February 2023, which was 35% of the industry total, according to the DOT. Despite those numbers, the airlines also lost 1,372 employees during the same month, with FedEx, the leading air cargo employer, decreasing its workforce by 1,582 jobs.