BTS Reports Airline Passenger Traffic Up 0.8 From A Year Ago

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BTS Reports Airline Passenger Traffic Up 0.8 From A Year Ago By Daniel Baxter

		December 13, 2009 – The number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines in September 2009 increased by 0.8 percent from September 2008, growing by 0.5 million to 54.7 million, the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has reported. September was the first month with an increase in passengers from the previous year since March 2008 following 17 consecutive months of decreases. BTS, a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, in a release of preliminary data, reported that U.S. airlines carried 1.2 percent more domestic passengers than in September 2008. International passengers on U.S. carriers decreased 1.7 percent. For the first nine months of 2009, the number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines declined by 6.8 percent from the same period in 2008.

Dropping to 533.3 million, 38.8 million fewer than a year earlier, and the lowest January-to-September total since 2004. U.S. airlines carried 6.7 percent fewer domestic passengers and 7.6 percent fewer international passengers in the first nine months of 2009 than during the same period in 2008. Top Airlines: In September, Southwest Airlines carried more total system and more domestic passengers for the first nine months than any other U.S. airline. American Airlines carried more international passengers than any other U.S. carrier. During the first nine months of 2009, Southwest carried more total system and more domestic passengers than any other U.S. airline. American carried more international passengers than any other U.S. carrier. Top Airports: In September, more total system and domestic passengers boarded planes at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International than at any other U.S. airport and more international passengers boarded U.S. carriers at New York JFK than at any other U.S. airport. During the first nine months of 2009, more total system and domestic passengers boarded planes at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International than at any other U.S. airport and more international passengers boarded U.S. carriers at Miami International than at any other U.S. airport. Flights Operated: In September, U.S. airlines operated 767,800 scheduled domestic and international flights, down 2.8 percent from the number of flights operated in September 2008. The number of domestic flights decreased 2.8 percent in September from a year earlier while international flights were down 3.2 percent.

During the first nine months of 2009, U.S. carriers operated 7.2 million domestic and international flights, 7.6 percent fewer than were operated during the same period in 2008. Domestic flights decreased 7.7 percent from the previous year while international flights were down 7.0 percent.

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