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BTS Indicators Report Shows Increase In Number of Domestic Flights
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BTS 04-01
Catrina Pavlik
202-366-1500
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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.
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