Industries › Transportation and warehousing
Industry · Form 5500 business code 481000
Air Transportation: retirement plans
Plans whose sponsor entered this principal business activity code on Form 5500.
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. The business code is chosen by the filer from the list in the Form 5500 instructions.
For plan year 2024, 217 retirement plans in air transportation with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500: 190 defined contribution and 27 defined benefit. They reported 1,807,349 participant records and $256.3B in net assets, counting every plan on the form.
The median defined contribution plan held $64,769 per participant, above the national median of $53,031, and its employer put in $2,991 per active participant (national: $2,174). Among plans reporting Schedule C compensation the median was $106 per participant against $123 nationally.
Employers contributed $7.71B and participants $6.91B during the year, and the plans paid out $20.6B in benefits.
In 2009 the same group numbered 265 plans with $86.9B; by 2024 it was 217 plans (down 18%) and $256.3B (up 195%). From plan year 2023 the 100-participant line counts participants with account balances, which moved many plans to the short form.
Medians compared with all US plans
| Median plan, plan year 2024 | Industry: DC | US: DC | Industry: DB | US: DB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $64,769 | $53,031 | $109,450 | $86,234 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $2,991 | $2,174 | $10,605 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $106 | $123 | $84.85 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.17% | 0.26% | 0.16% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $104 | $116 | $692 | $527 |
Medians across plans with 100 or more participants (180 DC and 27 DB plans with a Schedule H here). Fee medians cover plans reporting an amount. DC: defined contribution, such as 401(k) and 403(b). DB: defined benefit pension.
Distribution of DC plans
| Measure | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | Plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $32,668 | $64,769 | $134,963 | 180 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $1,667 | $2,991 | $5,360 | 177 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $50.84 | $106 | $186 | 175 |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $50.60 | $104 | $186 | 179 |
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Plans 100+ | Participants | Net assets | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Median DC assets / participant | Median DC Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025partial | 20 | 127,102 | $26.8B | $702M | $697M | $164,889 | $147 |
| 2024 | 217 | 1,807,349 | $256.3B | $7.71B | $6.91B | $64,769 | $106 |
| 2023 | 220 | 1,827,520 | $235.1B | $7.23B | $6.18B | $62,116 | $91.31 |
| 2022 | 243 | 1,745,094 | $205.4B | $5.92B | $5.64B | $45,576 | $94.23 |
| 2021 | 232 | 1,602,053 | $240.0B | $5.35B | $5.09B | $61,149 | $110 |
| 2020 | 238 | 1,575,703 | $226.2B | $5.50B | $4.85B | $55,621 | $86.25 |
| 2019 | 237 | 1,576,356 | $204.0B | $6.74B | $5.01B | $45,302 | $67.19 |
| 2018 | 226 | 1,349,781 | $149.3B | $5.86B | $4.69B | $40,983 | $62.76 |
| 2017 | 225 | 1,413,948 | $168.0B | $6.35B | $4.30B | $46,867 | $53.47 |
| 2016 | 223 | 1,472,670 | $157.7B | $9.63B | $3.93B | $41,689 | $41.40 |
| 2015 | 227 | 1,483,057 | $141.8B | $8.85B | $3.46B | $38,664 | $37.59 |
| 2014 | 235 | 1,465,600 | $138.1B | $5.24B | $3.10B | $42,028 | $44.59 |
| 2013 | 241 | 1,483,182 | $129.1B | $6.11B | $2.90B | $41,360 | $33.08 |
| 2012 | 234 | 1,483,086 | $107.7B | $4.23B | $2.59B | $35,438 | $27.71 |
| 2011 | 243 | 1,510,686 | $100.1B | $3.99B | $2.50B | $33,475 | $23.07 |
| 2010 | 248 | 1,495,859 | $98.4B | $4.16B | $2.35B | $34,992 | $20.84 |
| 2009 | 265 | 1,549,712 | $86.9B | $3.46B | $2.20B | $30,225 | $17.42 |
Plan year is the year in which the plan year began. The drop in large plans from 2023 follows a rule change: the 100-participant line now counts participants with account balances, so many plans moved to the short form.
Provider share
Service provider organisations named most often on the Schedule C of the 215 plans on this page's list, by number of plans. A plan usually names several providers.
Largest plans
The 40 largest by participants of 215 plans with a page on this site.
| Plan | Sponsor | State | Type | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer / active | Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FedEx Corporation Retirement Savings Plan II | FedEx Corporation | TN | DC | 290,909 | $3.52B | $12,085 | $2,081 | $10.47 |
| FedEx Corporation Employees' Pension Plan | FedEx Corporation | TN | DB | 213,710 | $26.9B | $125,665 | $2,428 | $48.01 |
| FedEx Corporation Retirement Savings Plan | FedEx Corporation | TN | DC | 144,332 | $25.4B | $175,831 | $2,562 | $56.64 |
| American Airlines, Inc. 401(k) Plan | American Airlines, Inc. - Retirement | TX | DC | 114,149 | $16.2B | $141,842 | $4,477 | $82.11 |
| Delta 401(k) Retirement Plan | Delta Air Lines, Inc. | GA | DC | 112,027 | $19.0B | $169,469 | $6,730 | $106 |
| United Airlines 401(k) Savings Plan | United Airlines, Inc. | IL | DC | 88,204 | $10.3B | $116,607 | $2,404 | $31.88 |
| Southwest Airlines Co. Retirement Savings Plan | Southwest Airlines Co. | TX | DC | 87,150 | $18.9B | $216,487 | $6,237 | $41.39 |
| Delta Retirement Plan | Delta Air Lines, Inc. | GA | DB | 81,907 | $7.25B | $88,455 | — | $17.38 |
| Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Contract Employees | Delta Air Lines, Inc. | GA | DB | 42,802 | $3.95B | $92,345 | $2,189 | $8.97 |
| The Retirement Benefit Plan of American Airlines, Inc. for Employees Represented by the Transport Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO | American Airlines, Inc. - Retirement | TX | DB | 35,547 | $4.26B | $119,726 | $5,445 | $39.61 |
| United Airlines Flight Attendant 401(k) Plan | United Airlines, Inc. | IL | DC | 32,849 | $5.32B | $162,103 | $3,067 | $30.28 |
| Envoy Air Inc. 401(k) Plan | Envoy Air Inc. | TX | DC | 27,975 | $744M | $26,598 | $919 | $50.13 |
| Jetblue Airways Retirement Plan | Jetblue Airways Corporation | NY | DC | 27,448 | $5.45B | $198,450 | $10,456 | $89.23 |
| The Retirement Benefit Plan of American Airlines, Inc. for Agent, Management, Specialist, Support Personnel and Officers | American Airlines, Inc. - Retirement | TX | DB | 24,831 | $2.66B | $107,055 | $15,520 | $83.83 |
| The Retirement Benefit Plan of American Airlines, Inc. for Flight Attendants | American Airlines, Inc. - Retirement | TX | DB | 22,717 | $2.55B | $112,089 | $5,809 | $80.43 |
| Piedmont Airlines Inc. Employee Savings Plan | Piedmont Airlines, Inc. | MD | DC | 22,644 | $225M | $9,958 | $273 | $17.49 |
| United Airlines Pilot Retirement Account Plan | United Airlines, Inc. | IL | DC | 20,168 | $16.8B | $833,178 | $42,476 | $1,183 |
| Skywest, Inc. Employees' Retirement Plan | Skywest, Inc. | UT | DC | 19,619 | $1.68B | $85,565 | $4,203 | $44.22 |
| American Airlines, Inc. 401(k) Plan for Pilots | American Airlines, Inc. - Retirement | TX | DC | 18,671 | $11.7B | $624,467 | $41,334 | $128 |
| Delta 401(k) Retirement Plan for Pilots | Delta Air Lines, Inc. | GA | DC | 17,776 | $15.9B | $896,057 | $49,209 | $402 |
| DHL Retirement Savings Plan | DPWN Holdings USA, Inc. | FL | DC | 15,935 | $1.36B | $85,452 | $4,354 | $51.86 |
| Delta Air Lines, Inc. Market Based Cash Balance Plan | Delta Air Lines, Inc. | GA | DB | 14,972 | $357M | $23,823 | $17,179 | — |
| Southwest Airlines Pilots Retirement Savings Plan | Southwest Airlines Company | TX | DC | 13,086 | $11.6B | $888,183 | $43,037 | $504 |
| Southwest Airlines Market-Based Cash Balance Plan | Southwest Airlines Co. | TX | DB | 11,336 | $40.8M | $3,598 | $3,600 | — |
| American Airlines, Inc. Pilot Retirement Benefit Program | American Airlines, Inc. - Retirement | TX | DB | 9,973 | $2.71B | $271,315 | $10,605 | $85.87 |
| Spirit Airlines, Inc. Employee Retirement Savings Plan | Spirit Airlines, Inc. | FL | DC | 9,771 | $296M | $30,273 | $1,510 | $36.83 |
| Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. | WA | DC | 9,383 | $1.20B | $127,364 | $2,583 | $19.12 |
| DSV 401(k) Plan | DSV Air & Sea, Inc. | NJ | DC | 8,722 | $392M | $44,931 | $1,791 | $9.93 |
| Alaska Airlines, Inc. Cops, MRP & Dispatch 401(k) Plan | Alaska Airlines, Inc. | WA | DC | 8,721 | $929M | $106,487 | $3,547 | $70.34 |
| Primeflight Aviation Services, Inc. 401(k) Retirement Plan | Primeflight Aviation Services | TX | DC | 8,668 | $21.4M | $2,468 | $101 | $11.48 |
| Republic Airways Holdings Inc. 401(k) Plan | Republic Airways Holdings Inc. | IN | DC | 8,136 | $578M | $70,990 | $4,378 | $57.19 |
| The Allegiant 401(k) Retirement Plan | Allegiant Travel Company | NV | DC | 7,888 | $551M | $69,902 | $4,001 | $65.61 |
| Psa Airlines, Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan | Psa Airlines, Inc. | OH | DC | 7,882 | $242M | $30,717 | $1,729 | $18.44 |
| Alaska Airlines, Inc. Flight Attendant 401(k) Plan | Alaska Airlines, Inc. | WA | DC | 7,547 | $1.02B | $134,899 | $2,983 | $58.53 |
| Northwest Airlines Pension Plan for Pilot Employees | Delta Air Lines, Inc. | GA | DB | 7,452 | $4.51B | $604,572 | $14,251 | $23.76 |
| Air Methods Corporation 401(k) Plan | Air Methods LLC | CO | DC | 6,574 | $634M | $96,423 | $3,822 | $71.35 |
| Federal Express Corporation Pilots Retirement Savings Plan | Federal Express Corporation | TN | DC | 6,243 | $5.31B | $850,061 | $25,949 | $96.81 |
| The Atlas Air, Inc. Retirement Plan | Atlas Air, Inc. | NY | DC | 6,124 | $1.11B | $180,566 | $17,476 | $73.15 |
| Delta 401(k) Retirement Plan for Seasonal Employees | Delta Air Lines, Inc. | GA | DC | 5,942 | $42.5M | $7,154 | $463 | $28.84 |
| Horizon Air Savings Investment Plan | Horizon Air Industries, Inc. | WA | DC | 5,203 | $631M | $121,289 | $3,589 | $51.55 |
By plan size
By state
Questions and answers
How many retirement plans are there in air transportation?
217 plans with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024, out of 274 pension plans on the full form. Smaller plans file Form 5500-SF and are counted separately where shown.
What is the typical 401(k) balance in air transportation?
The median defined contribution plan reported $64,769 in net assets per participant (middle half of plans: $32,668 to $134,963); nationally it was $53,031. This is a plan-level average that includes former employees, not a typical person's balance.
What do employers contribute in air transportation?
The median defined contribution plan received $2,991 in employer contributions per active participant, against $2,174 nationally. Plans with no employer contribution are included at zero.
What are average 401(k) fees in air transportation?
Among defined contribution plans that report any Schedule C compensation, the median was $106 per participant and 0.17% of net assets (nationally $123 and 0.26%). Schedule C leaves out fund expense ratios and fees the employer pays, so it understates total cost.
Where does this come from?
Form 5500 annual reports in the EBSA research files, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Medians are computed by this site across plans with 100 or more participants.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Totals count every pension plan on the full form; medians and the plan list cover plans with 100 or more participants. See the methodology.