Category: Statistics

Source: US Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Table A. Seasonally Adjusted Passenger Enplanements Compared to Previous Time Periods

Seasonally Adjusted	Passengers (in millions)	Percent Change Compared to:
		Previous Month	Previous Year	Three Years Previous
June	75.1	-1.4%	7.0%	396.8%

Table B. Unadjusted Passenger Enplanements Compared to Previous Time Periods

Unadjusted	Passengers (in millions)	Percent Change Compared to:
		Previous Year	Two Years Previous	Three Years Previous
June	84.0	8.6%	27.0%	408.2%

For data filed through June, see accompanying tables. For the complete database of reported data, see Traffic. For an explanation of BTS’ seasonal adjustment methodology, see Seasonal Adjustment.

Reporting Notes
Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial U.S. air carriers detailing operations, passenger traffic and freight traffic. This release includes data received by BTS from 77 U.S. carriers as of September 7 for U.S. carrier scheduled civilian operations. 

See the BTS Airlines and Airports page for additional scheduled service numbers through June for U.S. airlines. International data by origin and destination is available through March. International totals in this press release consist of all U.S. carrier operations to and from the U.S. and from one foreign point to another foreign point. BTS’ Airlines and Airports page does not include U.S. carriers’ foreign point-to-point flights.

BTS has scheduled October 13 for the release of data through July.

None of the data are from samples. Measures of statistical significance do not apply to the complete air traffic data.

Missing carriers: 3E, (Multi-Aero), and 2HQ (Elite) have not reported for May. ExpressJet (EV) is in Chapter 11 and discontinued operations on August 22; there are no operations to report for September and beyond. 
 

Source: US Bureau of Transportation Statistics

The level of for-hire freight shipments in July measured by the Freight TSI (136.9) was 3.0% below the all-time high level of 141.1 in August 2019 (Table 2A). BTS’ TSI records begin in 2000. See historical TSI data. 

The June index was revised to 136.7 from 139 in last month’s release.

BTS will release the passenger and combined indexes for July next month, because air passenger travel continues to deviate from regular seasonal patterns, as it adjusts to the effects induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The June passenger and combined indexes are available on the BTS website. Air freight for July is also a statistical estimate. Since air freight makes up a smaller part of the freight index, the freight TSI is being released as scheduled with the air freight estimate included. 

The Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in for-hire freight shipments by mode of transportation in tons and ton-miles, which are combined into one index. The index measures the output of the for-hire freight transportation industry and consists of data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight. The TSI is seasonally-adjusted to remove regular seasonal movement, which enables month-to-month comparisons.

Analysis:  The Freight TSI increased in July due to seasonally adjusted increases in rail intermodal, water and pipeline while air freight and rail carload were down and trucking was unchanged.

The July increase came in the context of positive results for other indicators. The Federal Reserve Board Industrial Production (IP) Index was up 1.0% in July, reflecting increases of 0.5% in manufacturing, 0.5% in mining and 5.4% in utilities. Housing starts were up 3.9% while personal income increased by 0.2%.

The Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing (ISM) index was up 0.4 points to 46.4, indicating that the contraction in manufacturing is stabilizing.

Although the July Passenger TSI is being withheld because of the previously cited difficulty of estimating airline passenger travel and other components, the June index is now being released. The index decreased 0.4% from May to June. Seasonally adjusted air passenger increased while transit and rail passenger declined.

The Passenger TSI has now exceeded its level in March 2020 —the first month of the pandemic— for 25 months in a row but remains below its pre-pandemic level (February 2020) for the 40th consecutive month.

Trend: The July freight index increase followed no change in June and an increase in May, after two months of decline, leaving the index 2.0% below the February level. This was only the third increase in the last eleven months, for an overall decrease of 3.0% since August 2022. It was the 13th month-over-month increase in the last 23 months, for a total increase of 2.1% since August 2021. The July Freight TSI is 10.4% above the pandemic low in April 2020; it has increased month-over-month in 22 of the 39 months since that low. The index is now 3.0% below its previous record level of 141.1 set in August 2019, despite increasing month-over-month in 22 of the 47 months since that all-time high.

For additional historical data, go to TSI data.

Index highs and lows: For-hire freight shipments in July 2023 (136.9) were 44.1% higher than the low in April 2009 during the recession (95.0). The July 2023 level was 3.0% below the historic peak reached in August 2019 (141.1) (Table 1A).

Year to date: For-hire freight shipments measured by the index were up 0.1% in July compared to the end of 2022 (Table 3).

Long-term trend: For-hire freight shipments are up 0.7% in the five years from July 2018 and are up 17.9% in the 10 years from July 2013 (Table 5).  

Same month of previous year: July 2023 for-hire freight shipments were down 2.4% from July 2022 (Tables 4, 5). 

The TSI has three seasonally-adjusted indexes that measure changes from the monthly average of the base year of 2000. The three indexes are freight shipments, passenger travel and a combined measure that merges the freight and passenger indexes. See Seasonally-Adjusted Transportation Data for numbers for individual modes. TSI includes data from 2000 to the present. Release of the August 2023 index is scheduled for October 12, 2023.

Revisions: Monthly data has changed from previous releases due to the use of concurrent seasonal analysis, which results in seasonal analysis factors changing as each month’s data are added.    

BTS research has shown a clear relationship between economic cycles and the Freight and Passenger Transportation Services Indexes. See a study of this relationship using smoothed and detrended TSI data. Researchers who wish to compare TSI over time with other economic indicators, can use the FRED database, which includes freight, passenger and combined TSI, and which makes it possible to easily graph TSI alongside the other series in that database. See TSI data on FRED.   

For charts and discussion on the relationship of the TSI to the economy, see Transportation as an Economic Indicator: Transportation Services Index.

A BTS report explaining the TSI, Transportation Services Index and the Economy, is available for download.

Table A: Summary of Revisions to Freight TSI in Previous 12 Months

	Freight TSI
	Current release	Previous month’s release	Percent change
Jul-22	140.2	140.0	0.14
Aug-22	141.1	141.0	0.07
Sep-22	141.0	141.0	0.00
Oct-22	140.1	140.0	0.07
Nov-22	137.0	137.0	0.00
Dec-22	136.8	136.8	0.00
Jan-23	136.6	136.3	0.22
Feb-23	139.8	139.7	0.07
Mar-23	137.2	137.3	-0.07
Apr-23	136.0	136.0	0.00
May-23	136.7	136.8	-0.07
Jun-23	136.7	139.0	-1.65

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics. See Transportation Services Index for documentation, data and other background information.
NOTE: The entire Freight TSI is revised monthly. Changes shown only for the previous 12 months. 

Table 1: Freight Transportation Services Index since January 2023 
Percent Change from Previous Month
(Seasonally-Adjusted, Monthly Average of 2000 = 100)

	Freight
	Index	Percent change
January	136.6	-0.1
February	139.8	2.3
March	137.2	-1.9
April	136.0	-0.9
May	136.7	0.5
June	136.7	0.0
July	136.9	0.1

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics. See Transportation Services Index for documentation, data and other background information.
NOTE: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding. 

Table 1A: Annual High and Low Points in Freight Transportation Services Index, 2009-2023 

Year	Month of peak	Value at peak	Month of low	Value at low
2009	December	101.9	April	95.0
2019	August	141.1	December	136.1
2020	January	135.8	April	124.0
2021	December	137.7	February	133.6
2022	August	141.1	December	136.8
2023 (thru July)	February	139.8	April	136.0

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics. See Transportation Services Index for documentation, data and other background information.

Table 2: Freight Transportation Services Index Monthly Changes, 2020-2023
Percent change from previous month

	2020	2021	2022	2023
	Percent change	Percent change	Percent change	Percent change
January	-0.2	1.9	0.4	-0.1
February	-0.1	-2.6	0.7	2.3
March	-1.2	1.8	0.6	-1.9
April	-7.5	1.0	-0.6	-0.9
May	1.4	-0.4	0.4	0.5
June	2.3	-0.5	0.5	0.0
July	3.5	-0.8	-0.1	0.1
August	-1.2	-0.5	0.6
September	0.3	0.5	-0.1
October	0.7	1.4	-0.6
November	-0.1	0.4	-2.2
December	1.4	0.3	-0.1

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics. See Transportation Services Index for documentation, data and other background information.

Table 2A: Freight Transportation Services Index by Month, 2020-2023

	2020	2021	2022	2023
January	135.8	137.1	138.3	136.6
February	135.6	133.6	139.3	139.8
March	134.0	136.0	140.1	137.2
April	124.0	137.3	139.2	136.0
May	125.7	136.7	139.7	136.7
June	128.6	136.0	140.4	136.7
July	133.1	134.9	140.2	136.9
August	131.5	134.2	141.1
September	131.9	134.9	141.0
October	132.8	136.8	140.1
November	132.7	137.3	137.0
December	134.6	137.7	136.8

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics. See Transportation Services Index for documentation, data and other background information.

Table 3: Freight Transportation Services Index Year-to-Date Change, 2014-2023
Percent change to July from December of the previous year

Year	Freight
2014	2.3
2015	-0.3
2016	4.1
2017	3.0
2018	1.6
2019	0.9
2020	-2.2
2021	0.2
2022	1.8
2023	0.1

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics. See Transportation Services Index for documentation, data and other background information.

Table 4: Freight Transportation Services Index from Year-to-Year
Percent Change in the July Freight TSI 
(Monthly average of 2000 = 100)

	July Freight TSI	Percent change from same month previous year
2014	120.5	3.8
2015	122.8	1.9
2016	125.7	2.4
2017	128.6	2.3
2018	136.0	5.8
2019	139.1	2.3
2020	133.1	-4.3
2021	134.9	1.4
2022	140.2	3.9
2023	136.9	-2.4

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics. See Transportation Services Index for documentation, data and other background information.
NOTE: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.
 

Table 5: Freight Transportation Services Index from Previous Years 
Percent Change to 2023 (July to July)

Since July  . . .	Duration in years	Freight TSI percent change to July 2023
2022	1	-2.4
2021	2	1.5
2020	3	2.9
2019	4	-1.6
2018	5	0.7
2017	6	6.5
2016	7	8.9
2015	8	11.5
2014	9	13.6
2013	10	17.9

SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics. See Transportation Services Index for documentation, data and other background information.

Brief Explanation of the TSI
    
The Transportation Services Index (TSI) is a measure of the month-to-month changes in the output of services provided by the for-hire transportation industries.  The freight index measure changes in freight shipments while the passenger index measures changes in passenger travel. 

The TSI tells us how the output of transportation services has increased or decreased from month to month. The index can be examined together with other economic indicators to produce a better understanding of the current and future course of the economy.   The movement of the index over time can be compared with other economic measures to understand the relationship of changes in transportation output to changes in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    
The freight transportation index consists of:
   For-hire trucking,
   Railroad freight services (including rail based intermodal shipments such as containers on flat cars),
   Inland waterways transportation,
   Pipeline transportation (including principally petroleum and petroleum products and natural gas), and
   Air freight.

The index does not include international or coastal waterborne movements, private trucking, courier services, or the US Postal Service.
  
The passenger transportation index consists of:
   Local transit, 
   Intercity passenger rail, and 
   Passenger air transportation. 

The index does not include intercity bus, sightseeing services, ferry services, taxi service, private automobile usage, or bicycling and other non-motorized transportation. 

The TSI includes only domestic “for-hire” freight and passenger transportation. For-hire transportation consists of freight or passenger transport services provided by a firm to external customers for a fee. The TSI does not include taxi services, paid ride services in personal motor vehicles (e.g., Uber, Lyft, etc.), intercity bus services, in-house transportation (vehicles owned and operated by private firms for their own use), or noncommercial passenger travel (e.g., trips in the household car). 

Source: US Bureau of Transportation Statistics

BTS 41-23 

U.S. Airline Total Number of Employees (both Full-Time and Part-Time)
U.S. airline industry (passenger and cargo airlines combined) employment increased to 803,893 workers in July 2023, 2,058 (0.26%) more workers than in June 2023 (801,835) and 60,853 (8.19%) more than in pre-pandemic July 2019 (743,040). 

U.S. scheduled-service passenger airlines employed 528,175 workers in July 2023 or 66% of the industry-wide total. Passenger airlines added 2,841 employees in July 2023 for a twenty-seventh consecutive month of job growth dating back to May 2021. Southwest led scheduled passenger carriers, adding 1,188 employees; United Air Lines added 927, and Delta Airlines added 545. 

U.S. cargo airlines employed 270,963 workers in July 2023, 34% of the industry total. Cargo carriers lost 695 employees in July. FedEx, the leading air cargo employer, decreased employment by 687 jobs.

Scheduled passenger airlines add 2,987 full-time equivalents in July 2023 for 27^th consecutive month of job growth

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 July 2023 industry-wide numbers include 692,449 full-time and 111,444 part-time workers for a total of 748,171 FTEs, an increase from June of 1,900 FTEs (0.25%). July 2023’s total number of FTEs remains just 9.47% above pre-pandemic July 2019’s 683,459 FTEs.

The 26 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines reporting data for July 2023 employed 501,495 FTEs, 2,987 FTEs (0.60%) more than in June 2023. July 2023’s total number of scheduled passenger airline FTEs is 51,691 FTEs (11.49%) above pre-pandemic July 2019. Data by passenger carrier category can be found in the accompanying tables.

U.S. cargo airlines employed 242,010 FTEs in July 2023, down 988 FTEs (0.41%) from June 2023. U.S. cargo airlines have increased FTEs by 12,582 (5.48%) since pre-pandemic July 2019.

Reporting Notes
Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial air carriers as of September 5, 2023. Additional airline employment data and previous releases can be found on the BTS website. The month-to-month numbers are not seasonally adjusted.

Passenger, cargo, and charter airlines that operate at least one aircraft that has more than 60 seats or the capacity to carry a payload of passengers, cargo, and fuel weighing more than 18,000 pounds must report monthly employment statistics. Regulations require U.S. airlines to report employment numbers for employees who worked or received pay for any part of the pay period(s) ending nearest the 15th day of the month.

See the tables that accompany this release on the BTS website for detailed data (Tables 1-15) and industry summary monthly data since 1990. Additional individual airline numbers are available on the BTS airline employment web page. The web page provides full-time and part-time employment numbers by carrier by month from 1990 through July 2023.

Missing carriers: 2HQ (Elite Airways).

The next update for U.S. airline employment is scheduled for Tuesday, October 10, 2023.

Source: US Bureau of Transportation Statistics

OST 11-23
Contact: pressoffice@dot.gov
 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today released its Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) on airline operational data compiled for the month of May 2023 for on-time performance, mishandled baggage, and mishandled wheelchairs and scooters.  

The ATCR is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by airlines. DOT remains committed to ensuring airline passengers are treated fairly and flights operate as scheduled. In May 2023, cancellations were 0.6%, which is significantly lower than the cancellation rate of 2% in May 2022. For the first five months of 2023, cancellations have stayed below 2% and are far lower than the 2.7% cancellation rate last year and in pre-pandemic 2019.  

DOT uses the data from the ATCR, consumer complaints, and other information it secures from the airlines to inform its enforcement activities and the adequacy of existing rules. 

Last year, DOT issued the largest fines in the history of the consumer protection office primarily based on complaints received. Since the pandemic began, the Department has helped to get more than $2.5 billion in refunds to travelers.  

The Department is also enhancing consumer protections through rulemakings and other activities. After a two-year DOT push to improve the passenger experience, the 10 largest U.S. airlines guarantee meals and free rebooking on the same airline and nine guarantee hotel accommodations as part of the Department’s Airline Customer Service Dashboard. DOT recently expanded the dashboard at FlightRights.Gov to highlight which airlines, if any, offer cash compensation, provide travel credits or vouchers, or award frequent flyer miles when they cause flight delays or cancellations. Also, in May 2023, DOT announced plans to launch a new rulemaking that would require airlines to provide compensation and cover expenses for amenities such as meals, hotels, and rebooking when airlines are responsible for stranding passengers. DOT’s planned rulemaking would propose to make passenger compensation and amenities mandatory for U.S. and foreign airlines so that travelers are taken care of when airlines cause flight disruptions. 

Further, earlier this year, President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg pressed airlines to commit to fee-free family seating. Before their urging, no airline committed to guaranteeing fee-free family seating. Now three airlines have committed to guaranteeing fee-free family seating, and DOT is pursuing a rulemaking that would require all airlines to do so. Secretary Buttigieg also submitted to Congress a legislative proposal to require that airlines provide fee-free family seating. To further assist consumers in assessing airline family seating commitments, in March 2023, DOT rolled out a new family seating dashboard that highlights the airlines that guarantee fee-free family seating, and those that do not, making it easier for parents to avoid paying junk fees to sit with their children when they fly. 

Flight Operations 

The 612,797 flights operated in May 2023 were 103.70% of the 590,957 flights operated in May 2022. Operated flights in May 2023 were up 3.70% year-over-year from the 590,957 flights operated in May 2022 and up 4.51% month-over-month from 586,353 flights operated in April 2023.  

In May 2023, the 10 marketing network carriers reported 616,630 scheduled domestic flights, 3,833 (0.6%) of which were canceled. In May 2022, airlines scheduled 590,957 domestic flights, of which 11,993 (2.0%) were canceled.

May 2023 On-Time Arrival

In May 2023, reporting marketing carriers posted an on-time arrival rate of 81.2% up from both 75.7% in April 2023 and 77.2% in May 2022. The year-to-date on-time arrival rate for 2023 is 77.6%.

Highest Marketing Carrier On-Time Arrival Rates May 2023 (ATCR Table 1)

1. Delta Air Lines Network – 88.8%
2. Alaska Airlines Network – 83.9%
3. American Airlines Network – 82.8% 

Lowest Marketing Carrier On-Time Arrival Rates May 2023 (ATCR Table 1)

1. Hawaiian Airlines – 61.3%
2. Frontier Airlines – 66.7%
3. Spirit Airlines – 73.8%

May 2023 Flight Cancellations

In May 2023, reporting marketing carriers canceled 0.6% of their scheduled domestic flights, lower than both the rate of 1.7% in April 2023 and the rate of 2.0% in May 2022.

Lowest Marketing Carrier Rates of Canceled Flights May 2023 (ATCR Table 6)

1. Allegiant Air – 0.2%  
2. Alaska Airlines Network – 0.3%   
3. Delta Air Lines – 0.4%    

Highest Marketing Carrier Rates of Canceled Flights May 2023 (ATCR Table 6)

1. Hawaiian Airlines – 2.6%    
2. Frontier Airlines – 1.3%    
3. United Airlines Network – 1.2%    

Complaints About Airline Service

The Department has received a high volume of air travel service complaints and inquiries against airlines and ticket agents in recent months. The Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection is processing the large number of complaints and inquiries received. The release of consumer complaint data in the ATCR has been delayed primarily because of the time needed to review and process these consumer complaints. The Department is examining how best to review and process the consumer complaints received so not to delay its reporting.

Tarmac Delays

In May 2023, airlines reported three tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights, compared to 18 tarmac delays reported in April 2023. In May 2023, airlines reported two tarmac delays of more than four hours on international flights, compared to three tarmac delays reported in April 2023. 

Airlines are required to have and adhere to assurances that they will not allow aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours for domestic flights and four hours for international flights without providing passengers the option to deplane, subject to exceptions related to safety, security, and Air Traffic Control related reasons. An exception also exists for departure delays if the airline begins to return the aircraft to a suitable disembarkation point to deplane passengers by those times.

Extended tarmac delays are investigated by the Department.

Mishandled Baggage

In May 2023, reporting marketing carriers handled 42.1 million bags and posted a mishandled baggage rate of 0.51%, lower than both the rate of 0.55% in April 2023 and the rate of 0.56% in May 2022.

The Department began displaying the mishandled baggage data as a percentage (i.e., per 100 bags enplaned) in January 2022. This is consistent with the manner that the mishandled wheelchairs and scooters rate is calculated and displayed. 

In the prior three calendar year reports (2019 to 2021), the Department calculated the mishandled baggage rate based on the number of mishandled bags per 1,000 checked bags.

Mishandled Wheelchairs and Scooters

In May 2023, reporting marketing carriers reported checking 79,725 wheelchairs and scooters and mishandling 1,011, for a rate of 1.27% mishandled wheelchairs and scooters, lower than both the rate of 1.35% mishandled in April 2023 and the rate of 1.53% mishandled in May 2022.

Bumping/Oversales

Bumping/oversales data, unlike other air carrier data, are reported quarterly rather than monthly.
For the first quarter of 2023, the 10 U.S. reporting marketing carriers posted an involuntary denied boarding, or bumping, rate of 0.30 per 10,000 passengers, higher than the rate of 0.08 in the first quarter of 2021 and lower than the rate of 0.44 in the first quarter of 2022.

Incidents Involving Animals

In May 2023, carriers reported zero incidents involving the death, injury, or loss of an animal while traveling by air, equal to the zero reports filed in both April 2023 and in May 2022.

Consumers may file air travel consumer or civil rights complaints online at http://airconsumer.dot.gov/escomplaint/ConsumerForm.cfm or by voicemail at (202) 366-2220, or they may mail a complaint to the Aviation Consumer Protection Division, U.S. Department of Transportation, C-75, W96-432, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590.

The ATCR and other aviation consumer matters of interest to the public can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer.                                                                                     

###

Source: US Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Source: US Bureau of Transportation Statistics

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Source: US Bureau of Transportation Statistics

BTS 38-23

U.S. Airline Total Number of Employees (both Full-Time and Part-Time)

U.S. airline industry (passenger and cargo airlines combined) employment increased to 801,801 workers in June 2023, 1,992 (0.25%) more workers than in May 2023 (799,809) and 58,431 (7.86%) more than in pre-pandemic June 2019 (743,370). 

U.S. scheduled-service passenger airlines employed 525,334 workers in June 2023 or 66% of the industry-wide total. Passenger airlines added 3,481 employees in June 2023 for the twenty-sixth consecutive month of job growth dating back to May 2021. United Air Lines led scheduled passenger carriers, adding 1,094 employees; Delta added 965, and American Airlines added 501.

U.S. cargo airlines employed 271,624 workers in June 2023, 34% of the industry total. Cargo carriers lost 1,489 employees in June. FedEx, the leading air cargo employer, decreased employment by 1,504 jobs.

Scheduled passenger airlines add 3,428 full-time equivalents in June 2023 for 26^th consecutive month of job growth

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 June 2023 industry-wide numbers include 690,674 full-time and 111,127 part-time workers for a total of 746,238 FTEs, an increase from May of 1,797 FTEs (0.24%). June 2023’s total number of FTEs remains 9.15% above pre-pandemic June 2019’s 683,656 FTEs.

The 26 U.S. scheduled passenger airlines reporting data for June 2023 employed 498,509 FTEs, 3,428 FTEs (0.69%) more than in May 2023. June 2023’s total number of scheduled passenger airline FTEs is 48,795 FTEs (10.85%) above pre-pandemic June 2019. Data by passenger carrier category can be found in the accompanying tables.

U.S. cargo airlines employed 242,964 FTEs in June 2023, down 1,638 FTEs (0.67%) from May 2023. U.S. cargo airlines have increased FTEs by 13,219 (5.75%) since pre-pandemic June 2019.
 

Reporting Notes

Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial air carriers as of August 7, 2023. Additional airline employment data and previous releases can be found on the BTS website. The month-to-month numbers are not seasonally adjusted.

Passenger, cargo, and charter airlines that operate at least one aircraft that has more than 60 seats or the capacity to carry a payload of passengers, cargo, and fuel weighing more than 18,000 pounds must report monthly employment statistics. Regulations require U.S. airlines to report employment numbers for employees who worked or received pay for any part of the pay period(s) ending nearest the 15th day of the month.

See the tables that accompany this release on the BTS website for detailed data since 2015 (Tables 1-15) and industry summary monthly data since 1990. Additional individual airline numbers are available on the BTS airline employment web page. The web page provides full-time and part-time employment numbers by carrier by month from 1990 through June 2023.

Missing carriers: 2HQ (Elite Airways) and AMQ (Ameristar Air Cargo).

The next update for U.S. airline employment is scheduled for Monday, September 11, 2023.
 

Source: US Bureau of Transportation Statistics

 

The unemployment rate in the U.S. transportation sector was 4.9% (not seasonally adjusted) in August 2023 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). These data have been updated on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS) Unemployment in Transportation dashboard. In August 2023, the transportation sector unemployment rate rose 0.3 percentage points from 4.6% in August 2022 and was just above the pre-pandemic August 2019 level of 4.8%. Unemployment in the transportation sector reached its highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic (15.7%) in May 2020 and July 2020.

Unemployment in the transportation sector was higher than overall unemployment. BLS reports that the U.S. unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, in August 2023 was 3.9% or 1.0 percentage points below the transportation sector rate. Seasonally adjusted, the U.S. unemployment rate in August 2023 was 3.8%.

 

Seasonally adjusted, employment in the transportation and warehousing sector fell to 6,675,300 in August 2023 — down 0.5% from the previous month and down 0.5% from August 2022. Employment in transportation and warehousing grew 17.2% in August 2023 from the pre-pandemic August 2019 level of 5,696,000. By mode (seasonally adjusted):

• Air transportation rose to 547,200 in August 2023 — up 0.6% from the previous month and up 7.1% from August 2022.
• Truck transportation fell to 1,567,600 in August 2023 — down 2.3% from the previous month and down 2.0% from August 2022.
• Transit and ground passenger transportation rose to 441,400 in August 2023 — up 1.3% from the previous month and up 6.0% from August 2022.
• Rail transportation fell to 150,200 in August 2023 — down 0.1% from the previous month but up 2.5% from August 2022.
• Water transportation rose to 68,800 in August 2023 — up 1.9% from the previous month and up 4.9% from August 2022.
• Pipeline transportation remained virtually unchanged in August 2023 at 47,400 from the previous month but down 2.5% from August 2022.
• Warehousing and storage remained virtually unchanged in August 2023 at 1,899,200 from the previous month but down 2.6% from August 2022.

 

NOTES: August 2019 and August 2023 employment (seasonally adjusted) not shown for water (66,200 and 68,800, respectively) or pipeline (51,600 and 47,400, respectively) transportation. All-time highs (seasonally adjusted) with records beginning in 1990: air March 2001 (633,600); pipeline July 1991 (61,200); rail January 1990 (278,100); transit June 2019 (503,800); truck January 2023 (1,611,400); warehousing and storage June 2022 (1,960,300); and water July 2008 (69,400).

In addition to updating the Unemployment in Transportation and the Employment in Transportation: Total, by Mode, and Women dashboards, BTS also updated the Race and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity of Transportation Workers dashboard.

Charts updated this month by section include:

Unemployment in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector and in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Monthly Employment in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector, Establishment Data

Monthly Employment in the Transportation and Warehousing Sector by Race and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity, Household Data

Visit Transportation Economic Trends for more topics.

The unemployment rate is the total number of unemployed persons, expressed as a percentage of the civilian labor force. The civilian labor force includes all persons aged 16 and older who are employed and unemployed; meaning they are either currently working or actively looking for work. Unemployed persons include those who actively sought a job within the last four weeks. People waiting to start a new job who have not actively sought a job in the last four weeks are not counted as employed or unemployed; they are considered to be out of the labor force. 

An unemployed person’s industry is the industry for the last job they held in the workforce, which may or may not reflect their current job search field or industry.