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BTS Releases May Airline Traffic Data; Low-fare Airline Tops Monthly Domestic Passenger Rankings for First Time

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Contact BTS 17-03 Dave Smallen 202-366-5568

Tuesday, August 12, 2003 -- A low-fare airline topped the monthly domestic passenger traffic rankings for the first time in May, replacing the major network carriers that have previously held the top spot, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today in a release of preliminary May airline traffic data.

Southwest Airlines carried 6.5 million domestic passengers in May, more than any other airline. A year earlier, Southwest ranked third behind Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. In April, Southwest ranked second behind Delta.

Southwest's top ranking in domestic passenger traffic culminates a long-trend of growth by low-fare carriers and lesser dominance by network carriers. In May, 1990, for example, seven network carriers — American, Delta, US Air, United Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines and TWA — carried more domestic passengers than the 1.9 million carried by Southwest.

Table 1
Top 10 Airlines, ranked by May 2003 Domestic Enplanements

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SOURCE: T-100 Domestic Market

In 2002, Southwest ranked sixth among passenger airlines in revenue passenger miles and seventh in operating revenues - two other measures of an airline's size. The data do not include traffic of the major carriers' code-share affiliates.

Based on a year-to-year comparison of the airlines that reported traffic data in May 2002 and 2003, BTS reported a 0.8 percent decline from May 2002 in domestic passengers carried by U.S. airlines.

U.S. airlines carried 48.8 million domestic passengers in May 2003, including 46.7 million by airlines that reported carrying 47.1 million passengers in May 2002. Commuter and small certificated carriers, who were required to report monthly traffic data beginning in October 2002, carried 2 million domestic passengers in May 2003.

BTS will be releasing separate numbers for carriers that reported before October 2002 and the new group of reporting carriers until October when year-to-year comparisons will be possible with combined data. Numbers that include reports by the commuter and small certificated carriers are shown below in bold.

Total domestic enplanements rose 2.8 percent in May 2003 from April 2003 for all domestic flights operated by U.S. airlines. Month-to-month changes can be affected by seasonal factors.

Table 2
Total Industry Domestic Enplanements

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SOURCE: T-100 Domestic Market

Table 2A
Domestic Enplanements for New and Continuously Reporting Carriers

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SOURCE: T-100 Domestic Market

Additional airline traffic data can be found on the BTS website at TranStats, the Intermodal Transportation Database at http://transtats.bts.gov. Click on "aviation", then on "Air Carrier Statistics (Form 41 Traffic)", then click on "T-100 Domestic Market."

Table 3
Top 10 Airports ranked by May 2003 Domestic Enplanements

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SOURCE: T-100 Domestic Market

Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics by commercial air carriers detailing operations, passenger traffic and freight traffic. May 2003 traffic data are preliminary and include data received by BTS as of August 5. Data are subject to revision.

Revised data from April and previous months are posted on the BTS website at http://transtats.bts.gov. BTS will release June traffic data on Sept. 4.