Monthly employment data for U.S. passenger airlines is available from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) dating back to January 2003. Most of the data is stated in terms of full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). (Note: BTS counts two part-time employees as one FTE.) Airlines that operate at least one aircraft with the capacity to carry combined passengers, cargo and fuel of 18,000 pounds must report monthly employment statistics.
| Top U.S. Passenger Airlines in September 2008 by Total FTEs |
| Rank |
Airline |
Total FTEs (000) |
| 1 |
American |
70.6 |
| 2 |
United |
47.7 |
| 3 |
Delta |
46.3 |
| 4 |
Southwest |
35.5 |
| 5 |
Continental |
34.8 |
| 6 |
US Airways |
31.3 |
| 7 |
Northwest |
27.8 |
| 8 |
JetBlue |
10.3 |
| 9 |
Alaska |
9.8 |
| 10 |
American Eagle |
9.5 |
Source: BTS Table 6
| U.S. Passenger Airline Full-Time Equivalents (000) |
| 2003 |
441.2 |
| 2004 |
438.7 |
| 2005 |
421.2 |
| 2006 |
404.3 |
| 2007 |
413.2 |
| Sep-08 |
397.4 |
Source: BTS Table 3 (comparable data not available prior to 2003)
FAA collects information on active pilots by type of certificate in its U.S. Civil Airmen Statistics and publishes forecasts of "airline transport" pilots in Table 29 of its annual FAA Aerospace Forecasts. As of Dec. 31, 2007, there were approximately 144,000 active airline transport pilots in the United States.
Commercial air service is both capital- and labor-intensive, and airline employees have extensive contact with the customer. In 2006, according to Unionstats.com, an estimated 51.6 percent of all workers in U.S. air transportation (passenger and cargo airlines) were covered by collective bargaining agreements, versus 8.1 percent of all U.S. private sector employees.
The Railway Labor Act (RLA), the comprehensive statutory framework for the resolution of labor-management disputes in the airline and railroad industries, was drafted by labor and management and passed by Congress in 1926 without amendment. It provided for mandatory mediation, voluntary arbitration in contract negotiations, and potential Presidential Emergency Boards to enhance dispute resolution.
Key 1934 amendments established the current three-member structure of the National Mediation Board (NMB) and authorized it to resolve employee-representation disputes. The NMB's mission is "to minimize work stoppages by facilitating harmonious labor relations for airlines and railroads engaged in interstate commerce or travel."