South Flights

Surprisingly, the number of international travelers has been steadily increasing every year despite the financial crisis. In the US, airlines have no actively been hiring, and close to 7,000 jobs have already been cut. While most passengers have probably not noticed a difference, the move could be problematic during the holiday travel season. With fewer pilots and flight attendants available, existing employees will have to worker longer hours in order to make up for the difference.

Some airline companies are trimming costs wherever they can, but the end result may cause travelers to be further inconvenienced. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, jobs in the airline industry fell by nearly 2% from August of 2009 to August of 2010. On top of there being fewer support staff on board flights, there are also fewer employees working at airports across the US.

For the past two years, the airline industry has been laying off workers in unprecedented amounts. By contrast, Delta Airlines has increased jobs by approximately 6%, but this is the only airline that actively been hiring. Fares are higher and some airlines have stopping flying into select airports. Other international airlines have been using this opportunity to entice American travelers.

Financial analysts are unsure of when the industry will begin to pick up again. Some speculate that the airline job market will begin to improve when summer travel season starts, but most airlines will only be hiring part-time or seasonal workers. If the state of the economy is more promising by the summer, airline companies may have enough confidence to start to hire more full-time employees again.