Airline still cutting jobs

WASHINGTON — U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 5.5 percent fewer workers in April 2009 than in April 2008, the 10th consecutive decrease in full-time equivalent employee (FTE) levels for the scheduled passenger carriers from the same month of the previous year, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports.

All the network airlines decreased employment from April 2008 to April 2009 as did low-cost carriers AirTran Airways and Frontier Airlines. Regional carriers American Eagle Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines, Comair, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Pinnacle Airlines, Horizon Air, Mesa Airlines, Air Wisconsin Airlines, Republic Airlines, Colgan Airlines and PSA Airlines also reported reduced employment levels compared to last year.

The seven network carriers employed 265,200 FTEs in April, 67.5 percent of the passenger airline total, while low-cost carriers employed 16.3 percent and regional carriers employed 14.5 percent.