In the airline industry over the past year, employment figures took a slight hit, though new jobs on the horizon provide room for optimism.
According to Skift, U.S. airlines saw their employment ranks fall by 2.2 percent from August 2012 to August 2013, marking the twelfth month in a row that saw a year-to-year decline. Most of this employment trouble is a result of airlines shedding staff, as American Airlines chopped their payrolls by 7.2 percent, Delta Air Lines saw reductions of 4.2 percent and regional airlines have dropped 5.1 percent year over year.
There are signs of hope, however, as US Airways and Alaska Airlines increased their employee figures by 2.8 and 3.1 percent, respectively. Low-cost airlines were split on employment gains – Spirit, Allegiant and Jetblue all increased their staff in the previous year, while Frontier, Southwest and Virgin saw falls over the same time period.
One positive sign of future airline employment success comes from Orlando, where National Air Cargo plans to establish its new headquarters. The airline plans to bring 105 new jobs to the region, while saving 12 Federal Aviation Administration regional jobs in the process, according to My Fox Orlando.