BTS Indicators Report Finds Airline Flights Still Off From Previous Year's Levels

Contact BTS 28-02 David Smallen 202-366-5568

Friday, November 15, 2002 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today released its monthly Transportation Indicators report showing that the top 10 air passenger carriers operated 13 percent fewer scheduled flights in August than a year earlier.

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.

Transportation Indicators provides information on more than 300 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:

• Highway—rail fatalities rose 29 percent in July 2001 to July 2002. There were 11 more deaths tallied in July 2002 (49) than recorded in July 2001 (38)
• Almost 10 percent fewer people sought entry into the United States in August compared to August 2001. Land admissions dropped 11 percent and air admissions declined 6 percent.
• Transit ridership declined 3 percent in June compared to June 2001. The largest percentage declines were in heavy rail, commuter rail, and light rail.
• United States rail intermodal traffic dropped nearly 19 percent in the week ending Oct. 12 from the same week in 2001, while Canadian rail intermodal traffic grew almost 27 percent. (The West Coast port lockout ended Oct. 9.)
• Food and farm products shipped on the nation's inland waterways dropped 20 percent in September, compared to September 2001. September's level was the third lowest monthly tonnage since September 1996.
• Combined upbound and downbound tonnage shipped through the Welland Canal on the St. Lawrence Seaway dropped 7 percent in September compared to September 2001—the largest September drop in the 10 years tracked by this report.
• Personal spending on gasoline and oil increased 13 percent in the second quarter of 2002 compared to the previous quarter.
• The 0.5 percent monthly increase in new car and truck consumer prices in September was the second highest in the 10 years tracked by this report. The impact on consumers of the price increase for new vehicles was mitigated by a decline of 0.8 percent in prices for used cars and trucks and flat prices for motor vehicle maintenance and repair.
• Producer prices of crude petroleum increased 4 percent in September compared to September 2001. Producer prices for petroleum products dropped 7 percent.
• The producer price of scheduled air freight transportation increased nearly 9 percent in September compared to September 2001- reaching the second highest level in the 10 years tracked by this report.
• September producer prices for passenger railroad transportation were up 6 percent over September 2001.
• Producer prices of highway and street construction dropped 3 percent in September compared to September 2001.
• The 2 percent decline in producer prices for transportation equipment in the twelve months ending in September was the largest decline in the 10 years tracked by this report.
• Private expenditures on construction of general commercial warehousing and transportation equipment manufacturing were at lows not seen since late 1995 and early 1996, respectively.
• Business inventory to sales ratio decreased almost 1 percent from July to August—reaching the lowest level in the 10 years tracked by this report.
• Business investment in transportation equipment dropped 11 percent in the second quarter of 2002 compared to the second quarter of 2001—the lowest level in five years.
• The value of transportation—related imports increased 5 percent (seasonally adjusted) in the second quarter of 2002 compared to the previous quarter. The value of transportation—related exports increased almost 4 percent during the same time period.
• Transportation energy use per dollar of Gross Domestic Product declined nearly 3 percent in the second quarter of 2002, compared to the same quarter last year.

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.

New Indicators beginning this month are:

• St. Lawrence Seaway Commercial Traffic
• St. Lawrence Seaway System Availability
• A Time Series Analysis of Domestic Air Seat and Passenger Miles