Jobs shrink at U.S. airlines

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Employment at U.S. airlines fell in August compared to the same month 12 months earlier for the 26th consecutive month, the government said Tuesday.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics said employment at airlines dropped 1.7 percent in August compared to August 2009, continuing a trend that began in June 2008.

For the record, the bureau counts two part-time employees as equal to one full-time employee.

The 1.7 percent represents 6,469 jobs full-time equivalent jobs lost from the 384,304 employees on airline payrolls in August 2009

The bureau said AirTran Airways was the only discount airline to report fewer employees in August 2010 compared to the same month a year ago. Among network airlines, Delta Air Lines reported its payroll increased by 6.2 percent in the August-to-August period, which included completion of its merger with Northwest Airlines. Five other network airlines saw payrolls drop in the year, the bureau said.

At the end of the reporting period, the six network airlines employed 256,122 workers, 67.8 percent of the total employed by all airlines.