Most employees in the air transportation industry receive standard benefits, such as paid vacation and sick leave and life and health insurance, and often profit-sharing and retirement plans as well. Some airlines provide allowances to employees for purchasing and cleaning their company uniforms. A unique benefit-free or reduced-fare transportation for airline employees and their immediate families-attracts many jobseekers.

In 2002, about 45 percent of all workers in the air transportation industry were union members or were covered by union contracts, compared with 15 percent of all workers throughout the economy.