BTS 17-03
Contact: Dave Smallen
Tuesday, August 12, 2003
Tel.: 202-366-5568

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

Airport Rankings on Page 3

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

Rank	Airline Name	Airline Code	May-02	Apr-03	May-03	May-02
						Rank
1	Southwest Airlines, Co.	WN	6,609,204	6,137,024	6,541,247	3
2	Delta Air Lines, Inc.	DL	7,066,533	6,160,049	6,337,258	1
3	American Airlines, Inc.	AA	6,717,971	5,907,580	6,218,797	2
4	United Airlines, Inc.	UA	4,851,527	4,537,823	4,699,311	4
5	Northwest Airlines, Inc.	NW	3,697,230	3,500,259	3,528,516	6
6	US Airways, Inc.	US	4,030,764	3,227,126	3,289,483	5
7	Continental Airlines, Inc.	CO	2,772,405	2,521,969	2,628,289	7
8	America West Airlines, Inc.	HP	1,645,706	1,593,759	1,665,788	8
9	Alaska Airlines, Inc.	AS	1,016,941	991,258	1,083,729	9
10	American Eagle Airlines, Inc.	MQ	967,918	1,027,404	1,073,511	10

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

Month	2001	2002	2003
Month	2001	2002	2003
January	44,107,354	38,557,439	43,450,264
February	43,177,091	38,644,426	41,357,227
March	53,054,589	48,501,883	49,780,289
April	50,791,568	45,437,148	47,435,378
May	51,119,648	47,114,335	48,783,880
June	53,471,052	49,188,600
July	55,802,826	51,155,839
August	56,404,948	51,226,514
September	30,546,412	40,223,889
October	40,290,718	48,273,424
November	40,691,635	44,226,121
December	40,901,001	49,864,516
Year to Date	242,250,250	218,255,231	230,807,038
Annual	560,358,842	552,414,134

Source: T-100 Domestic Market

Table 2A: Domestic Enplanements for New and Continuously Reporting Carriers

	Continuously Reporting Carriers	Commuter/ Small Certificated Carriers Reporting As of Oct. 2002	Total
October 2002	44,893,949	1,992,994	48,273,424
November	40,981,801	1,905,207	44,226,121
December	46,409,966	1,976,219	49,864,516
January 2003	41,867,860	1,582,404	43,450,264
February	39,978,980	1,378,247	41,357,227
March	47,801,292	1,978,997	49,780,289
April	45,488,997	1,946,381	47,435,378
May	46,725,840	2,058,040	48,783,880

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

Rank	Airport Name	Airport Code	May-02	Apr-03	May-03	May-02
						Rank
1	Hartsfield International, Atlanta	ATL	2,932,581	2,843,101	2,995,956	1
2	O'Hare International, Chicago	ORD	2,058,100	2,295,537	2,411,972	2
3	Dallas-Ft. Worth International	DFW	1,818,875	1,814,101	1,981,534	3
4	Los Angeles International	LAX	1,520,198	1,552,962	1,589,718	4
5	Phoenix Sky Harbor International	PHX	1,364,657	1,501,934	1,539,564	5
6	Las Vegas-McCarran International	LAS	1,306,497	1,336,595	1,361,404	6
7	Denver International	DEN	1,257,436	1,246,915	1,182,070	7
8	Minneapolis-St. Paul International	MSP	1,084,157	1,118,582	1,163,234	11
9	George Bush Intercontinental, Houston	IAH	1,104,999	1,051,776	1,134,853	10
10	Detroit Metro Wayne County	DTW	1,106,830	1,161,583	1,117,761	9

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.

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