Airline System Traffic Up 1.6 Percent from June 2010

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics issued the following news release:

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today reported in a release of preliminary data that U.S. airlines carried 66.1 million scheduled domestic and international passengers in June 2011. This is a 1.6 percent increase from June 2010 (Table 1). The June 2011 passenger total was also 3.9 percent above that of two years ago in June 2009 but remained 2.8 percent below the level of June 2008 (Table 2).

BTS, a part of DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, also reported that U.S. airlines carried 1.6 percent more domestic passengers in June 2011 than in June 2010. The number of international passengers on U.S. carriers in June 2011 increased 1.7 percent over June 2010 (Tables 7, 13).

U.S. airlines carried 357.8 million total system passengers during the first six months of 2011, up 2.3 percent from the same period in 2010 and the highest January-June total since 2008 (Table 2). Domestically, they carried 312.0 million passengers, up 2.2 percent from 2010 and the highest the highest January-June total since 2008 (Table 8). Internationally, they carried 45.7 million passengers, up 3.5 percent from 2010 and the highest January-June total since 2008 (Table 14). See Tables 2, 8 and 14 of Air Traffic Press Releases for previous year numbers.

Additional traffic numbers can be found on the BTS website in the Airline Industry box. Click on a link in the column on the right.

Load Factor

Systemwide, domestic and international load factors declined in June 2011 from June 2010 as airlines added capacity. Year-to-year, systemwide capacity was up 2.8 percent, domestic was up 2.7 percent and international was up 3.0 percent, measured by available seat-miles (Tables 1, 7, 13). The declines in June followed record system and domestic load factors in May.

Top Airlines in June

In June, Delta Air Lines carried more total system and international passengers than any other U.S. airline (Tables 4, 16) and Southwest Airlines carried the most domestic passengers (Table 10).

During the first six months of 2011, Delta carried more total system and Southwest carried more domestic passengers than any other U.S. airline (Tables 3, 9). American carried the most international passengers (Table 15).

Top Airports in June

In June, more total system and domestic passengers boarded planes at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International than at any other U.S. airport (Tables 6 and 12); and more international passengers boarded U.S. carriers at New York JFK International than at any other U.S. airport (Table 18).

During the first six months of 2011, more total system and domestic passengers boarded planes at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson than at any other U.S. airport (Tables 5 and 11); and more international passengers boarded U.S. carriers at Miami than at any other U.S. airport (Table 17).

For other comparisons from the first six months of 2010 to the first six months of 2011 and from June 2010 to June 2011, see the following tables:

To view the complete release, click here: http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2011/bts046_11/html/bts046_11.html

Contact: Dave Smallen, 202/366-5568

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