Source: US DOT Systemwide (domestic and international), U.S. airlines carried 76.8 million systemwide (80.9 million seasonally adjusted) scheduled service passengers in September 2025, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). When adjusted for seasonality, September enplanements are down 1.2% from August and down 2.8% from the all-time high reached in June 2024. BTS reported 67.4 million domestic passengers and 9.4 million international passengers on U.S. airlines flights in September, not adjusting for seasonality. U.S. airline traffic reports are filed monthly with BTS. See the tables that accompany this release on the BTS website for summary data since 2016 (Tables 1-24) and complete data since 2000. Trends (not seasonally adjusted) in U.S. airlines passenger enplanements September unadjusted  Systemwide enplanements (76.8M) were [...]

Source: US DOT U.S. Airlines: Total Number of Employees (both Full-Time and Part-Time) U.S. airline industry (passenger and cargo airlines combined) employment increased to 1,049,241 workers in October 2025, 17,187 (1.67%) more workers than in September 2025 (1,032,054). U.S. scheduled-service passenger airlines employed 550,170 workers in October 2025, or 53% of the industry-wide total. Passenger airlines gained 1,911 employees in October 2025. American Airlines led scheduled passenger carriers, adding 783 employees; United Air Lines added 663, and Southwest Airlines added 268. U.S. cargo airlines employed 494,738 workers in October 2025, or 47% of the industry-wide total. Cargo carriers gained 15,288 employees in October. FedEx, the leading air cargo employer thanks in part to inclusion of its ground operations, increased employment [...]

Source: IATA   The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its latest financial outlook for the global airline industry showing a stabilization of profitability even as supply chain issues persist. Highlights include: Airlines are expected to achieve a combined total net profit of $41 billion in 2026 (up from $39.5 billion in 2025). While this would set a new record, the net profit margin is expected to be unchanged from 2025 at 3.9%. Net profit per passenger transported is expected to be $7.90 (below the 2023 high of $8.50, and unchanged from 2025). Operating profit in 2026 is expected to be $72.8 billion (up from $67.0 billion in 2025) for a net operating margin of 6.9% (improved on the 6.6% [...]