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

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.

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.

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.