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Doing any Thanksgiving travel? Check out our data on travel-related employment and prices!

November 26, 2024

Are you taking to the road or the skies this Thanksgiving? The days leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday are traditionally the busiest travel days of the entire year, particularly at the nation’s airports. Let’s explore employment in the occupations of those who work to get us all where we’re going.

Employment in selected transportation occupations, May 2023
Occupation Total employment

Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs

204,930

Bus drivers, transit and intercity

184,990

Flight attendants

126,020

Parking attendants

118,130

Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers

93,670

Automotive and watercraft service attendants

92,530

Railroad conductors and yardmasters

46,490

Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels

34,520

Locomotive engineers

32,390

Transportation inspectors

27,670

Aircraft service attendants

24,940

Air traffic controllers

22,310

Passenger attendants

20,190

Airfield operations specialists

18,320

Taxi drivers

17,770

Subway and streetcar operators

14,860

Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators

13,610

Traffic technicians

7,530

Bridge and lock tenders

3,460

In May 2023, there were 204,930 jobs as shuttle drivers and chauffeurs, 126,020 jobs as flight attendants, and 93,670 jobs as airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers. In the smaller occupations, there were 17,770 taxi driver jobs, 14,860 jobs as subway and streetcar operators, and 3,460 jobs as bridge and lock tenders. 

Airfare costs can be an important consideration for those travelling by plane. Over the past 10 years, the 12-month percent changes in airline fares have ranged from a 28.8-percent decrease in May 2020 to 42.9-percent increases in September and October 2022. More recently, airline fares were 4.1 percent higher in October 2024 than a year earlier.

12-month percent change in consumer prices for airline fares, October 2014 to October 2024
Month Percent change

Oct 2014

-2.8

Nov 2014

-3.9

Dec 2014

-4.7

Jan 2015

-3.0

Feb 2015

-3.0

Mar 2015

-5.0

Apr 2015

-7.5

May 2015

-6.6

Jun 2015

-5.2

Jul 2015

-5.6

Aug 2015

-6.0

Sep 2015

-6.0

Oct 2015

-5.2

Nov 2015

-3.8

Dec 2015

-3.0

Jan 2016

-1.7

Feb 2016

-1.8

Mar 2016

-1.3

Apr 2016

0.4

May 2016

-3.1

Jun 2016

-4.7

Jul 2016

-4.6

Aug 2016

-3.5

Sep 2016

-2.7

Oct 2016

-5.2

Nov 2016

-6.6

Dec 2016

-4.7

Jan 2017

-3.3

Feb 2017

-1.1

Mar 2017

0.0

Apr 2017

-0.6

May 2017

-2.9

Jun 2017

-4.3

Jul 2017

-2.5

Aug 2017

-3.2

Sep 2017

-3.1

Oct 2017

-1.3

Nov 2017

-2.5

Dec 2017

-4.0

Jan 2018

-5.1

Feb 2018

-5.4

Mar 2018

-5.7

Apr 2018

-6.9

May 2018

-6.6

Jun 2018

-5.9

Jul 2018

-4.1

Aug 2018

-1.3

Sep 2018

-0.4

Oct 2018

-0.5

Nov 2018

-1.6

Dec 2018

-2.6

Jan 2019

-2.8

Feb 2019

-2.3

Mar 2019

-2.9

Apr 2019

-1.8

May 2019

0.9

Jun 2019

1.5

Jul 2019

1.3

Aug 2019

1.6

Sep 2019

1.9

Oct 2019

1.5

Nov 2019

2.0

Dec 2019

1.7

Jan 2020

2.7

Feb 2020

2.4

Mar 2020

-10.6

Apr 2020

-24.3

May 2020

-28.8

Jun 2020

-27.2

Jul 2020

-23.7

Aug 2020

-23.2

Sep 2020

-25.0

Oct 2020

-20.0

Nov 2020

-17.0

Dec 2020

-18.4

Jan 2021

-21.3

Feb 2021

-25.6

Mar 2021

-15.1

Apr 2021

9.6

May 2021

24.1

Jun 2021

24.6

Jul 2021

19.0

Aug 2021

6.7

Sep 2021

0.8

Oct 2021

-4.6

Nov 2021

-3.7

Dec 2021

1.4

Jan 2022

4.9

Feb 2022

12.7

Mar 2022

23.6

Apr 2022

33.3

May 2022

37.8

Jun 2022

34.1

Jul 2022

27.7

Aug 2022

33.4

Sep 2022

42.9

Oct 2022

42.9

Nov 2022

36.0

Dec 2022

28.5

Jan 2023

25.6

Feb 2023

26.5

Mar 2023

17.7

Apr 2023

-0.9

May 2023

-13.4

Jun 2023

-18.9

Jul 2023

-18.6

Aug 2023

-13.3

Sep 2023

-13.4

Oct 2023

-13.2

Nov 2023

-12.1

Dec 2023

-9.4

Jan 2024

-6.4

Feb 2024

-6.1

Mar 2024

-7.1

Apr 2024

-5.8

May 2024

-5.9

Jun 2024

-5.1

Jul 2024

-2.8

Aug 2024

-1.3

Sep 2024

1.6

Oct 2024

4.1

Note: Data are not seasonally adjusted.

Occupational data are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, and do not include the self-employed.  For more information, see OEWS occupational profiles and maps. Price data are from the Consumer Price Index program and are not seasonally adjusted.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Doing any Thanksgiving travel? Check out our data on travel-related employment and prices! at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2024/doing-any-thanksgiving-travel.htm (visited December 12, 2024).

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