API Documentation

REST API for airline employment data. Requires an active subscription.

Authentication

All API requests require a Bearer token. Pass your API key in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer wd_your_api_key_here

Find your API key in your account settings.

Endpoint

GEThttps://layoffdata.com/api/v1/airline

Returns U.S. airline employment data sourced from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), covering all major and regional carriers back to 1990.

Query Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
month	string	Filter to a specific month. Format: `YYYY-MM` (e.g. `2025-01`)
group	string	Filter by carrier group. Values: `Major`, `National`, `Regional`

Rate Limits

30 requests per minute per API key. Exceeding this limit returns a 429 Too Many Requests response.

Response Format

Returns a JSON array. Each object represents one carrier's employment for one month.

[
  {
    "carrier": "Southwest Airlines Co.",
    "group": "Major",
    "month": "2025-01",
    "employees": 74823
  },
  ...
]

Example Request

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer wd_your_key_here" \
  "https://layoffdata.com/api/v1/airline?month=2025-01&group=Major"

Bulk CSV Download

Download the full historical dataset as a CSV file from your account page.

Questions? Email admin@layoffdata.com