BTS Indicators Report Shows Increase In Number of Domestic Flights

Contact BTS 04-01 Catrina Pavlik 202-366-1500

Wednesday, February 28, 2001 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today released its monthly Transportation Indicators report detailing a continuing trend of more commercial airplane flights and more passengers on those flights.

The report, the sixth in the Transportation Indicators series, shows that commercial airline flights increased nearly 7 percent from November 1999 to November 2000 and the number of passengers carried on those flights increased by more than 4 percent.

This information is part of the 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, "BTS is leading the effort to gather information on trends that are changing the transportation system. BTS’ goal is to provide this information to the private and public sectors for their use in making transportation decisions that affect the future."

Transportation Indicators provides information on more than 60 trends in the areas of safety, mobility, economic growth, the human and natural environment, and national security. The monthly report, which is available at ,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.

Other trends highlighted in this month’s Transportation Indicators are:

• a record high in the total number of flights not arriving on time with 37 percent of major airlines’ flights either delayed or canceled in December — up from 22 percent one year ago
• employment in motor vehicle and equipment manufacturing down 4 percent from December 2000 to January 2001
• average hourly earnings in local and suburban transportation services increased 6.7 percent, the highest among all transportation industries, and more than 1.5 times the average increase for all industries between December 1999 and December 2000
• the largest decrease in 10 years in spending by consumers and producers on transportation equipment
• medium/heavy truck sales down 19 percent in January 2001 from the same time last year. Car sales were down nearly 5 percent for the same time period
• world crude oil price up almost 9 percent for the week of Feb. 9, 2001 from the previous week
• the cost of jet fuel for scheduled service by large air carriers reaching 90 cents per gallon in December 2000, nearly 50 percent above December 1999
• trade with Mexico, over the last year, continued to increase with trade by truck up 12 percent, by rail up 73 percent and by pipeline up 42 percent
• transportation energy use rose less than one percent from October 1999 to October 2000, while energy use per dollar GDP declined over 2 percent

BTS has added a new section to this report that will address new monthly topics. In this issue, BTS has looked at the earnings, benefits, wages and salaries, and labor costs for the transportation industry and its workers, and compared these factors with those of private industry in non-transportation sectors and in the economy as a whole.

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. Updated reports will be available the fourth week of every month.