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BTS Indicators Report Shows September Flight Cancellations
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BTS 22-01
David Smallen
202-366-5568
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Tuesday, December 4, 2001 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today released its monthly Transportation Indicators report showing that 20 percent of scheduled U.S. airline flights in September 2001 were cancelled, compared to 2 percent in September 2000.
The BTS Transportation Indicators report is a monthly update of critical transportation information that details the impact of transportation on the nation's economy and society.
Dr. Ashish Sen, BTS Director, said, "Transportation Indicators provides the data to show how the extraordinary events of September 11 affected the nation's transportation system. This report enables us to keep our fingers on the pulse of the nation's transportation system."
Transportation Indicators provides information on more than 90 trends in the areas of safety, mobility, economic growth, the human and natural environment, and national security. The monthly report, which is available at www.bts.gov, provides information to address specific transportation issues and to assist in the effort led by BTS to make transportation information more accurate, reliable and timely. Updated reports will be available on the BTS website at the end of every month.
Other trends highlighted in this month's report are:
- Air transportation employment fell by 42,000 jobs or 3 percent between mid-September and mid-October, while employment in transportation services fell 2 percent. Employment in motor vehicles and equipment manufacturing fell by 21,000 jobs or more than 2 percent.
- Tonnage of farm and food products transported on the nation's inland waterways was down 9 percent in October compared to October 2000.
- Personal consumption spending on gasoline and motor oil fell 9 percent (in current dollars) from the second to the third quarter.
- Producer prices for crude petroleum fell 35 percent from October 2000 to October 2001.
- Producer prices for liquid pipeline transportation increased almost 9 percent in October compared to October 2000.
- Producer prices for railroad transportation and for freight transportation rose 5 percent during the 12-month period ending in October, the largest 12-month increase for both these services in the 10 years tracked for this report.
- Producer prices for highway and street construction declined more than 2 percent between October 2000 and October 2001.
- Profit of for-hire transportation industries reached its lowest level in the second quarter since the fourth quarter of 1992.
- Advance retail sales, a harbinger of future transportation activity, declined nearly 8 percent from September to October.
- While new orders for all manufacturing declined nearly 6 percent from August to September, new orders for transportation equipment declined almost 16 percent during the same period.
- Private investment in transportation was down 11 percent from the third quarter of 2000 to the third quarter of 2001.
- Sales of pickups, sport utility vehicles, vans and other light trucks were 36 percent higher in October than in October 2000 while car sales were up 22 percent. Medium and heavy truck sales were down 11 percent.
- The value of transportation-related imports into the United States declined almost 4 percent from the second to the third quarter.
Continual updating of information on trends will help in developing forecasts for the future, both within the department and outside. The monthly report will also help transportation decision-makers spot changes that might require rapid action.
This month's issue contains new indicators on scheduled flight availability, availability and use of international air passenger and freight transportation, aircraft capacity utilization, disposable personal income, unemployment rates for selected metropolitan areas in September 2000 and 2001, and a time series analysis of transportation energy use.
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