Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
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August 2008 Airline Traffic Data: Eight-Month 2008 System Traffic Down 1.4 Percent from 2007 and Down 5.1 Percent in August

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Dave Smallen
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Friday, November 14, 2008 - The number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines during the first eight months of 2008 declined by 1.4 percent from the same period in 2007, dropping to 516.2 million, 7.3 million fewer than a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today reported in a release of preliminary data (Table 1).

BTS, a part of DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that U.S. airlines carried 2.1 percent fewer domestic passengers and 4.1 percent more international passengers during the first eight months of 2008 than during the same period in 2007 (Tables 7, 13). 

In August, the most recent data month, U.S. airlines carried 67.7 million scheduled domestic and international passengers, 5.1 percent fewer than in August 2007, the sixth consecutive monthly decline from the same month of the previous year (Table 2).  The number of domestic passengers decreased 6.1 percent in August from a year earlier and international passengers increased 2.0 percent (Tables 7, 13).

The combined domestic and international system load factor of 80.5 percent for January through August was down 0.7 load factor points from last year's record for the eight-month period (Table 1).  Load factor measures the use of the airlines' passenger capacity. 

Top Airlines

Southwest Airlines carried more total system and more domestic passengers for the first eight months than any other U.S. airline (Tables 3 and 9).  American Airlines carried more international passengers than any other U.S. carrier (Table 15).

America West Airlines and US Airways now operate under a single certificate and report jointly as US Airways.  Numbers reported as US Airways in this release for previous years do not include America West's numbers.  See the notes for system, domestic and international airline ranking tables 3, 4, 9, 10, 15 and 16 for America West's 2007 passenger numbers.

BTS has introduced new air cargo carrier snapshots in addition to passenger carrier snapshots.  Snapshots for 24 cargo carriers with more than $20 million annual operating revenue can be found, along with the passenger carrier snapshots, at http://www.transtats.bts.gov/carriers.asp

Top Airports  

More total system and domestic passengers boarded planes in the first eight months at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International than at any other U.S. airport (Tables 5 and 11); and more international passengers boarded U.S. carriers at Miami International than at any other U.S. airport (Table 17).   

Flights Operated

U.S. carriers operated 7.0 million domestic and international flights in the first eight months of 2008, 2.3 percent fewer than were operated during the same period in 2007 (Table 1).  Domestic flights decreased 2.6 percent from the previous year while international flights were up 0.5 percent (Tables 7, 13).

In August, U.S. airlines operated 897,800 scheduled domestic and international flights, down 5.7 percent from the number of flights operated in August 2007 (Table 1). The number of domestic flights decreased 6.0 percent in August from a year earlier while international flights were down 2.4 percent (Tables 7, 13).

System (Domestic + International) Comparisons (Tables 1-6)

In other total system comparisons from the first eight months of 2007 to the first eight months of 2008 and from August 2007 to August 2008 (Table 1):

Revenue passenger-miles (RPMs), a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, were up 0.5 percent in the first eight months of 2008.  In August, RPMs were down 2.6 percent.

Available seat-miles (ASMs), a measure of airline capacity using the number of seats and the distance flown, were up 1.3 percent in the first eight months of 2008.  In August, ASMs were down 1.2 percent.

Passenger load factor, passenger miles as a proportion of available seat-miles, was down 0.7 load factor points at 80.5 percent in the first eight months of 2008.  In August, load factor decreased 1.2 load factor points to 83.2 percent.

Flight stage length, the average non-stop distance flown per departure, was up 2.8 percent in the first eight months of 2008. In August, flight stage length was up 3.0 percent.

Passenger trip length, the average distance flown per passenger, was up 1.9 percent in the first eight months of 2008.  In August, passenger trip length was up 2.7 percent.

Among U.S. airlines, Southwest carried 70.6 million passengers on its system in the first eight months of 2008, the most of any airline (Table 3). In August, Southwest carried 9.0 million passengers on its system, the most of any airline (Table 4).

Among airports, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson was the busiest U.S. airport in the first eight months of 2008, with 29.1 million domestic and international passenger boardings (Table 5).  In August, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson was the busiest U.S. airport with 3.9 million domestic and international passenger boardings on U. S. carriers (Table 6). 

Domestic Air Travel (Tables 7-12)

U.S. airlines carried 451.4 million scheduled domestic passengers during the first eight months of 2008, down 2.1 percent from the 461.3 million carried during the same period in 2007 (Table 7). The passengers were carried on 6.4 million flights, down 2.6 percent from the number of flights operated in 2007 (Table 7).

In the most recent data month, August, the airlines carried 58.8 million scheduled domestic passengers, down 6.1 percent from the number of passengers carried during August 2007 (Table 8). The passengers were carried on 820,100 flights, down 6.0 percent from the 872,300 flights operated in August 2007 (Table 7).

In other domestic comparisons from the first eight months of 2007 to the first eight months of 2008 and from August 2007 to August 2008 (Table 7):

Domestic revenue passenger-miles (RPMs), a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, were down 1.6 percent in the first eight months of 2008.  In August, domestic RPMs were down 5.6 percent. 

Domestic available seat-miles (ASMs), a measure of airline capacity using the number of seats and the distance flown, were down 0.7 percent in the first eight months of 2008.  In August, domestic ASMs were down 3.9 percent.

Domestic passenger load factor, passenger miles as a proportion of available seat-miles, was down 0.7 load factor points at 80.7 percent in the first eight months of 2008.  In August, domestic load factor was down 1.5 load factor points at 83.4 percent.

Domestic flight stage length, the average non-stop distance flown per departure, was up 1.8 percent in the first eight months of 2008.  In August, domestic flight stage length was up 1.6 percent.

Domestic passenger trip length, the average distance flown per passenger, was up 0.5 percent in the first eight months of 2008.  In August, domestic passenger trip length was also up 0.5 percent.

Southwest carried 70.6 million domestic passengers in the first eight months of 2008, the most of any airline (Table 9). In August, Southwest carried 9.0 million domestic passengers, the most of any airline (Table 10).

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson was the busiest domestic airport in the first eight months of 2008, with 26.3 million domestic passenger boardings (Table 11). In August, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson was the busiest domestic airport with 3.5 million domestic passenger boardings (Table 12).

International Air Travel (Tables 13-18)

U.S. airlines carried 64.7 million scheduled international passengers during the first eight months of 2008, up 4.1 percent from the 62.2 million carried during the same period in 2007 (Table 14). The passengers were carried on 594,000 flights, up 0.5 percent from the 591,400 flights operated in 2007 (Table 13).

In the most recent data month, August, the airlines carried 8.9 million scheduled international passengers, up 2.0 percent from the number of passengers carried during August 2007. The passengers were carried on 77,700 flights, down 2.4 percent from the 79,600 flights operated in August 2007 (Table 13).

In other international comparisons from the first eight months of 2007 to the first eight months of 2008 and from August 2007 to August 2008 (Table 13):

International revenue passenger-miles (RPMs), a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, were up 5.8 percent in the first eight months of 2008.  In August, international RPMs were up 4.8 percent. 

International available seat-miles (ASMs), a measure of airline capacity using the number of seats and the distance flown, were up 6.5 percent in the first eight months of 2008.  In August, international ASMs were up 5.2 percent.

International passenger load factor, passenger miles as a proportion of available seat-miles, was down 0.5 load factor points to 80.0 percent in the first eight months of 2008.  In August, international load factor was down 0.3 load factor points to 82.8 percent.

International flight stage length, the average non-stop distance flown per departure, was up 5.0 percent in the first eight months of 2008.  In August, international flight stage length was up 6.1 percent.

International passenger trip length, the average distance flown per passenger, was up 1.6 percent in the first eight months of 2008.  In August, international passenger trip length was up 2.7 percent.

American carried 14.8 million international passengers in the first eight months of 2008, the most of any U.S. airline (Table 15). In August, American carried 2.0 million international passengers, the most of any U.S. airline (Table 16).

Miami International was the busiest U.S. airport for international travel on U.S. carriers in the first eight months of 2008, with 3.5 million international passenger boardings (Table 17). In August, Miami was the busiest U.S. airport for international travel on U.S. carriers with 460,500 international passenger boardings (Table 18).

Reporting Notes

Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial U.S. air carriers detailing operations, passenger traffic and freight traffic. This release includes data received by BTS from 87 carriers as of Nov. 7 for U.S. carrier scheduled civilian operations. Go to http://www.transtats.bts.gov/releaseinfo.asp for the complete list of reporting and non-reporting carriers.  U.S. carriers' foreign point-to-point flights are included in system and international totals. To create a customized table for passengers, flights, RPMs, ASMs and other data, including non-scheduled service, go to http://www.bts.gov/programs/airline_information/air_carrier_traffic_statistics/.

Additional traffic numbers are available on the BTS website at TranStats, the Intermodal Transportation Database, at http://transtats.bts.gov.  Click on "Aviation."  For system passengers, RPMs and ASMs by carrier through August, click on "Air Carrier Summary Data (Form 41 and 298C Summary Data)," and then click on "Schedule T-1." Use crosstabs to find scheduled service.

For domestic numbers through August and international numbers through May by origin as well as by carrier, after clicking on "Aviation," click on "Air Carrier Statistics (Form 41 Traffic)."  Click on "T-100 Market" for system passenger numbers, "T-100 Domestic Market" for domestic or "T-100 International Market" for international.  For flights, stage length and trip length, use the appropriate T-100 Segment database. Use crosstabs to find scheduled service.

TranStats system and international totals do not include U.S. carriers' foreign point-to-point flights. For August, U.S. carriers reported 232,194 foreign point-to-point passengers. For January through August, U.S. carriers reported 1,904,315 foreign point-to-point passengers.

Data are subject to revision.  BTS has scheduled Dec. 11 for the release of September traffic data.

Table 1. Scheduled System (Domestic and International) Airline Travel on U.S. Carriers

Excel | CSV

  Monthly Year-to-Date
Aug 2007 Aug 2008 Change % 2007 2008 Change %
Passengers (in millions) 71.3 67.7 -5.1 523.5 516.2 -1.4
Flights (in thousands) 951.9 897.8 -5.7 7,172.2 7,004.3 -2.3
Revenue Passenger Miles (in billions) 78.3 76.3 -2.6 564.2 566.8 0.5
Available Seat-Miles (in billions) 92.8 91.7 -1.2 695.1 704.4 1.3
Load Factor* 84.4 83.2 -1.2 81.2 80.5 -0.7
Flight Stage Length** 709.3 730.5 3.0 704.8 724.7 2.8
Passenger Trip Length*** 1,097.7 1,126.9 2.7 1,077.7 1,098.1 1.9

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market and Segment

*Change in load factor points

**The average non-stop distance flown per departure in miles

*** The average distance flown per passenger in miles

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 2. Total System (Domestic and International) Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Carriers

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Excel | CSV

  2006 2007 2006-2007 Pct. Change 2008 2007-2008 Pct. Change
January 55.6 57.1 2.8 57.8 1.1
February 53.3 54.1 1.4 56.6 4.6
March 65.8 67.2 2.0 67.1 -0.1
April 63.2 64.9 2.7 63.1 -2.8
May 64.4 66.8 3.6 65.9 -1.3
June 67.2 69.7 3.7 67.8 -2.7
July 69.5 72.4 4.2 70.3 -2.9
August 66.5 71.3 7.3 67.7 -5.1
September 56.4 59.2 4.9    
October 61.6 64.2 4.1    
November 60.3 61.9 2.7    
December 60.7 60.8 0.2    
8 Mo. Total 505.6 523.5 3.5 516.2 -1.4
Yr. Total 744.7 769.6 3.3    

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 3. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by January-August 2008 System* Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Excel | CSV

Jan-Aug 2008 Rank Carrier Jan-Aug 2008 Enplaned Passengers Jan-Aug 2007 Rank Jan-Aug 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Southwest 70.593 1 69.056 2.2
2 American 64.573 2 66.558 -3.0
3 Delta 48.671 3 49.853 -2.4
4 United 44.127 4 47.072 -6.3
5 US Airways** 37.889 7 25.599 48.0
6 Northwest 34.645 5 36.776 -5.8
7 Continental 33.288 6 33.530 -0.7
8 AirTran 17.170 8 16.086 6.7
9 JetBlue 15.298 10 14.651 4.4
10 SkyWest 14.267 9 14.862 -4.0

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* System equals domestic plus international

** US Airways' Jan-Aug 2008 number is the report of the merged US Airways and America West.  The Jan-Aug 2007 numbers were reported separately by US Airways and America West. America West reported 14.389 million system passengers in Jan-Aug 2007.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Republic Airlines, Shuttle America and Virgin America Airlines have requested confidentiality for traffic data. The airlines' numbers are included in summary numbers in this press release but not in individual airline ranking tables pending resolution of the confidentiality motions.

Table 4. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by August 2008 System* Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Excel | CSV

Aug 2008 Rank Carrier Aug 2008 Enplaned Passengers Aug 2007 Rank Aug 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Southwest 8.970 1 9.605 -6.6
2 American 8.439 2 8.811 -4.2
3 Delta 6.475 3 6.781 -4.5
4 United 5.919 4 6.258 -5.4
5 US Airways** 4.898 7 3.389 44.5
6 Northwest 4.480 6 4.562 -1.8
7 Continental 4.377 5 4.853 -9.8
8 AirTran 2.411 8 2.303 4.7
9 JetBlue 2.095 10 2.025 3.5
10 SkyWest 1.879 9 2.066 -9.1

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* System equals domestic plus international

** US Airways' August 2008 number is the report of the merged US Airways and America West.  The August 2007 numbers were reported separately by US Airways. America West reported 1.884 million system passengers in August 2007.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Republic Airlines, Shuttle America and Virgin America Airlines have requested confidentiality for traffic data. The airlines' numbers are included in summary numbers in this press release but not in individual airline ranking tables pending resolution of the confidentiality motions.

Table 5. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by January-August 2008 System* Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Excel | CSV

Jan-Aug 2008 Rank Airport Jan-Aug 2008 Enplaned Passengers Jan-Aug 2007 Rank Jan-Aug 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Atlanta 29.114 1 28.747 1.3
2 Chicago O'Hare 21.604 2 23.258 -7.1
3 Dallas/Ft.Worth 18.308 3 18.938 -3.3
4 Denver 16.530 5 16.196 2.1
5 Los Angeles 15.638 4 16.234 -3.7
6 Las Vegas 13.831 6 14.368 -3.7
7 Houston Bush 13.475 8 13.642 -1.2
8 Phoenix 13.326 7 14.105 -5.5
9 New York JFK 11.687 13 11.287 3.5
10 Charlotte 11.637 14 11.115 4.7

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* System equals domestic plus international

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 6. Top 10 U.S. Airports ranked by August 2008 System* Scheduled Enplanements

Excel | CSV

Aug 2008 Rank Airport Aug 2008 Enplaned Passengers Aug 2007 Rank Aug 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Atlanta 3.861 1 3.916 -1.4
2 Chicago O'Hare 2.873 2 3.079 -6.7
3 Dallas/Ft.Worth 2.361 3 2.489 -5.1
4 Denver 2.234 5 2.232 0.1
5 Los Angeles 2.151 4 2.316 -7.1
6 Houston Bush 1.745 8 1.773 -1.6
7 Las Vegas 1.740 6 1.910 -8.9
8 New York JFK 1.664 9 1.640 1.5
9 Phoenix 1.588 7 1.774 -10.5
10 Seattle 1.580 12 1.551 1.8

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* System equals domestic plus international

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 7. Domestic Scheduled Airline Travel on U.S. Carriers

Excel | CSV

  Monthly Year-to-Date
Aug 2007 Aug 2008 Change % 2007 2008 Change %
Passengers (in millions) 62.7 58.8 -6.1 461.3 451.4 -2.1
Flights (in thousands) 872.3 820.1 -6.0 6,580.9 6,410.3 -2.6
Revenue Passenger Miles (in billions) 55.7 52.6 -5.6 403.7 397.1 -1.6
Available Seat-Miles (in billions) 65.6 63.0 -3.9 495.9 492.3 -0.7
Load Factor* 84.9 83.4 -1.5 81.4 80.7 -0.7
Flight Stage Length** 618.4 628.3 1.6 617.5 628.6 1.8
Passenger Trip Length*** 888.7 893.5 0.5 875.1 879.6 0.5

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market and Segment

*Change in load factor points

**The average non-stop distance flown per departure in miles

*** The average distance flown per passenger in miles

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 8. Domestic Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Carriers

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Excel | CSV

  2006 2007 2006-2007 Pct. Change 2008 2007-2008 Pct. Change
January 48.9 50.0 2.3 50.3 0.5
February 47.3 47.8 0.9 49.6 3.9
March 58.3 59.2 1.6 58.6 -1.1
April 55.8 57.4 2.8 55.5 -3.3
May 57.1 59.3 3.7 57.9 -2.3
June 59.3 61.5 3.7 59.4 -3.4
July 60.8 63.5 4.3 61.3 -3.5
August 58.3 62.7 7.5 58.8 -6.1
September 49.9 52.3 4.7    
October 55.1 57.2 3.8    
November 53.9 55.0 2.2    
December 53.5 53.3 -0.5    
8 Mo. Total 445.9 461.3 3.5 451.4 -2.1
Yr. Total 658.4 679.2 3.2    

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 9. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by January-August 2008 Domestic Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Excel | CSV

Jan-Aug 2008 Rank Carrier Jan-Aug 2008 Enplaned Passengers Jan-Aug 2007 Rank Jan-Aug 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Southwest 70.593 1 69.056 2.2
2 American 49.754 2 51.854 -4.0
3 Delta 40.024 3 41.936 -4.6
4 United 36.109 4 38.937 -7.3
5 US Airways* 33.336 7 22.296 49.5
6 Northwest 27.479 5 30.024 -8.5
7 Continental 24.355 6 25.241 -3.5
8 AirTran 17.170 8 16.050 7.0
9 JetBlue 14.402 9 14.128 1.9
10 SkyWest 13.437 10 14.120 -4.8

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

* US Airways' Jan-Aug 2008 number is the report of the merged US Airways and America West.  The Jan-Aug 2007 numbers were reported separately by US Airways and America West. America West reported 13.463 million domestic passengers in Jan-Aug 2007.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Republic Airlines, Shuttle America and Virgin America Airlines have requested confidentiality for traffic data. The airlines' numbers are included in summary numbers in this press release but not in individual airline ranking tables pending resolution of the confidentiality motions.

Table 10. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by August 2008 Domestic Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Excel | CSV

Aug 2008 Rank Carrier Aug 2008 Enplaned Passengers Aug 2007 Rank Aug 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Southwest 8.970 1 9.605 -6.6
2 American 6.406 2 6.786 -5.6
3 Delta 5.206 3 5.641 -7.7
4 United 4.854 4 5.157 -5.9
5 US Airways* 4.271 7 2.903 47.1
6 Northwest 3.431 5 3.942 -13.0
7 Continental 3.178 6 3.367 -5.6
8 AirTran 2.411 8 2.299 4.9
9 JetBlue 1.944 10 1.927 0.9
10 SkyWest 1.755 9 1.956 -10.3

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

* US Airways' August 2008 number is the report of the merged US Airways and America West.  The August 2007 numbers were reported separately by US Airways and America West. America West reported 1.771 million domestic passengers in August 2007.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Republic Airlines, Shuttle America and Virgin America Airlines have requested confidentiality for traffic data. The airlines' numbers are included in summary numbers in this press release but not in individual airline ranking tables pending resolution of the confidentiality motions.

Table 11. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by January-August 2008 Domestic Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Excel | CSV

Jan-Aug 2008 Rank Airport Jan-Aug 2008 Enplaned Passengers Jan-Aug 2007 Rank Jan-Aug 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Atlanta 26.264 1 26.029 0.9
2 Chicago O'Hare 19.423 2 21.015 -7.6
3 Dallas/Ft.Worth 16.873 3 17.483 -3.5
4 Denver 15.991 4 15.718 1.7
5 Los Angeles 14.306 5 14.844 -3.6
6 Las Vegas 13.734 6 14.257 -3.7
7 Phoenix 12.845 7 13.661 -6.0
8 Orlando 11.488 9 11.410 0.7
9 Houston Bush 11.161 8 11.475 -2.7
10 Charlotte 10.862 12 10.428 4.2

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 12. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by August 2008 Domestic Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Excel | CSV

Aug 2008 Rank Airport Aug 2008 Enplaned Passengers Aug 2007 Rank Aug 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Atlanta 3.488 1 3.557 -1.9
2 Chicago O'Hare 2.589 2 2.788 -7.2
3 Dallas/Ft.Worth 2.182 3 2.299 -5.1
4 Denver 2.174 4 2.176 -0.1
5 Los Angeles 1.979 5 2.121 -6.7
6 Las Vegas 1.726 6 1.893 -8.8
7 Phoenix 1.534 7 1.720 -10.8
8 Seattle 1.511 9 1.486 1.7
9 Houston Bush 1.446 8 1.488 -2.9
10 Charlotte 1.424 13 1.397 1.9

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 13. International Scheduled Airline Travel on U.S. Carriers

Excel | CSV

  Monthly Year-to-Date
Aug 2007 Aug 2008 Change % 2007 2008 Change %
Passengers (in millions) 8.7 8.9 2.0 62.2 64.7 4.1
Flights (in thousands) 79.6 77.7 -2.4 591.4 594.0 0.5
Revenue Passenger Miles (in billions) 22.6 23.7 4.8 160.5 169.7 5.8
Available Seat-Miles (in billions) 27.2 28.6 5.2 199.2 212.1 6.5
Load Factor* 83.1 82.8 -0.3 80.6 80.0 -0.5
Flight Stage Length** 1,705.3 1,809.9 6.1 1,676.8 1,761.5 5.0
Passenger Trip Length*** 2,605.6 2,675.9 2.7 2,581.0 2,621.6 1.6

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market and Segment

*Change in load factor points

**The average non-stop distance flown per departure in miles

*** The average distance flown per passenger in miles

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 14. International Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Carriers

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

Excel | CSV

  2006 2007 2006-2007 Pct. Change 2008 2007-2008 Pct. Change
January 6.7 7.1 6.0 7.5 4.9
February 6.0 6.3 5.4 6.9 9.3
March 7.6 7.9 5.0 8.5 7.2
April 7.3 7.5 1.9 7.6 1.2
May 7.3 7.5 2.5 8.0 6.5
June 7.9 8.2 3.3 8.4 2.4
July 8.7 8.9 3.2 9.1 1.3
August 8.2 8.7 6.2 8.9 2.0
September 6.5 6.9 6.6    
October 6.6 7.0 6.3    
November 6.4 6.9 6.5    
December 7.2 7.5 4.9    
8 Mo. Total 59.7 62.2 4.2 64.7 4.1
Yr. Total 86.4 90.5 4.7    

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 15. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by January-August 2008 International Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

Excel | CSV

Jan-Aug 2008 Rank Carrier Jan-Aug 2008 Enplaned Passengers Jan-Aug 2007 Rank Jan-Aug 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 American 14,818.8 1 14,703.5 0.8
2 Continental 8,932.1 2 8,289.7 7.7
3 Delta 8,647.1 4 7,917.3 9.2
4 United 8,018.3 3 8,135.4 -1.4
5 Northwest 7,166.4 5 6,752.1 6.1
6 US Airways* 4,553.3 6 3,302.5 37.9
7 ExpressJet 1,389.7 7 1,407.5 -1.3
8 Executive 1,145.1 8 1,219.4 -6.1
9 Spirit 974.1 11 867.6 12.3
10 JetBlue 895.8 15 522.5 71.4

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market

* US Airways' Jan-Aug 2008 number is the report of the merged US Airways and America West.  The Jan-Aug 2007 numbers were reported separately by US Airways and America West. America West reported 926.6 thousand international passengers in Jan-Aug 2007.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Republic Airlines, Shuttle America and Virgin America Airlines have requested confidentiality for traffic data. The airlines' numbers are included in summary numbers in this press release but not in individual airline ranking tables pending resolution of the confidentiality motions.

Table 16. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by August 2008 International Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

Excel | CSV

Aug 2008 Rank Carrier Aug 2008 Enplaned Passengers Aug 2007 Rank Aug 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 American 2,032.8 1 2,025.1 0.4
2 Continental 1,301.9 2 1,194.9 9.0
3 Delta 1,269.2 3 1,139.5 11.4
4 United 1,064.7 4 1,100.9 -3.3
5 Northwest 946.0 5 910.3 3.9
6 US Airways* 626.5 6 486.9 28.7
7 ExpressJet 161.3 7 217.2 -25.7
8 JetBlue 151.9 13 98.4 54.4
9 Executive 149.3 8 171.3 12.8
10 Spirit 146.7 9 153.1 -4.2

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market

* US Airways' August 2008 number is the report of the merged US Airways and America West.  The August 2007 numbers were reported separately by US Airways and America West. America West reported 113.5 thousand international passengers in August 2007.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Republic Airlines, Shuttle America and Virgin America Airlines have requested confidentiality for traffic data. The airlines' numbers are included in summary numbers in this press release but not in individual airline ranking tables pending resolution of the confidentiality motions.

Table 17. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by January-August 2008 International Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines

Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

Excel | CSV

Jan-Aug 2008 Rank Airport Jan-Aug 2008 Enplaned Passengers Jan-Aug 2007 Rank Jan-Aug 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Miami 3,467.4 1 3,250.4 6.7
2 New York JFK 3,004.6 3 2,674.9 12.3
3 Atlanta 2,850.1 2 2,718.0 4.9
4 Newark 2,781.1 4 2,556.4 8.8
5 Houston Bush 2,313.9 6 2,167.8 6.7
6 Chicago O'Hare 2,180.9 5 2,243.2 -2.8
7 Dallas/Ft.Worth 1,435.4 7 1,454.9 -1.3
8 Los Angeles 1,331.7 8 1,390.2 -4.2
9 San Francisco 1,280.1 9 1,241.9 3.1
10 Detroit Metro 1,161.0 10 1,123.9 3.3

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 18. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by August 2008 International Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines

Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

Excel | CSV

Aug 2008 Rank Airport Aug 2008 Enplaned Passengers Aug 2007 Rank Aug 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Miami 460.5 1 433.0 6.4
2 New York JFK 452.1 2 411.4 9.9
3 Newark 403.7 3 371.3 8.7
4 Atlanta 372.9 4 359.1 3.9
5 Houston Bush 298.9 6 284.7 5.0
6 Chicago O'Hare 284.0 5 290.6 -2.2
7 Dallas/Ft.Worth 179.4 8 189.9 -5.6
8 Los Angeles 172.5 7 194.7 -11.4
9 San Francisco 167.7 9 167.2 0.3
10 Philadelphia 163.2 10 154.7 5.5

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.