Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
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November 2008 Airline Traffic Data: System Traffic Down 12.8 Percent in November from 2007 and Down 3.5 Percent for January-to-November

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Thursday, February 12, 2009 - The number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines in November 2008 declined by 12.8 percent from November 2007, dropping by 7.9 million to 54.0 million in the largest decrease from the same month of the previous year since January 2002, the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today reported (Table 1).  November was the ninth consecutive month with a decrease in passengers from 2007.

BTS, a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, in a release of preliminary data, reported that U.S. airlines carried 13.6 percent fewer domestic passengers than in November 2007 in the largest year-to-year percent decline since November 2001. International passengers on U.S. carriers decreased 6.8 percent, the largest year-to-year decline since May 2003 (Tables 7, 13).

For the first 11 months of 2008, the number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines declined by 3.5 percent from the same period in 2007, dropping to 684.1 million, 24.7 million fewer than a year earlier (Table 2).

U.S. airlines carried 4.2 percent fewer domestic passengers and 1.8 percent more international passengers in the first 11 months of 2008 than during the same period in 2007 (Tables 7, 13). 

The combined domestic and international system load factor of 79.6 percent for January through November was down 0.7 load factor points from last year’s record for the 11-month period (Table 1).  Load factor measures the use of the airlines’ passenger capacity.

In November, the system load factor was 75.4 percent, down 2.4 points from the record November high in 2007. The domestic load factor was 75.8 percent, down 2.0 points from the record November high in 2007.  The international load factor at 74.3 percent was down 4.1 points from November 2007.

Top Airlines

Southwest Airlines carried more total system and more domestic passengers for the first 11 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 prior to October 2007 do not include America West’s numbers.  See the notes for system, domestic and international airline ranking tables 3, 9 and 15 for America West’s 2007 passenger numbers.

Top Airports

More total system and domestic passengers boarded planes in the first 11 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 9.4 million domestic and international flights in the first 11 months of 2008, 4.5 percent fewer than were operated during the same period in 2007 (Table 1).  Domestic flights decreased 4.8 percent from the previous year while international flights were down 1.2 percent (Tables 7, 13).

In November, U.S. airlines operated 767,100 scheduled domestic and international flights, down 11.9 percent from the number of flights operated in November 2007 (Table 1). The number of domestic flights decreased 12.4 percent in November from a year earlier while international flights were down 5.7 percent (Tables 7, 13).

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

In other total system comparisons from the first 11 months of 2007 to the first 11 months of 2008 and from November 2007 to November 2008 (Table 1):

Revenue passenger-miles (RPMs), a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, were down 1.8 percent in the first 11 months of 2008.  In November, RPMs were down 11.8 percent.

Available seat-miles (ASMs), a measure of airline capacity using the number of seats and the distance flown, were down 1.1 percent in the first 11 months of 2008.  In November, ASMs were down 9.0 percent.

Passenger load factor, passenger miles as a proportion of available seat-miles, was down 0.7 load factor points at 79.6 percent in the first 11 months of 2008.  In November, load factor decreased 2.4 load factor points to 75.4 percent.

Flight stage length, the average non-stop distance flown per departure, was up 2.2 percent in the first 11 months of 2008. In November, flight stage length was up 0.8 percent.

Passenger trip length, the average distance flown per passenger, was up 1.7 percent in the first 11 months of 2008.  In November, passenger trip length was up 1.2 percent.

Among U.S. airlines, Southwest carried 94.0 million passengers on its system in the first 11 months of 2008, the most of any airline (Table 3). In November, Southwest carried 7.4 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 11 months of 2008, with 39.6 million domestic and international passenger boardings (Table 5).  In November, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson was the busiest U.S. airport with 3.4 million domestic and international passenger boardings on U. S. carriers (Table 6). 

Domestic Air Travel (Tables 7-12)

U.S. airlines carried 599.7 million scheduled domestic passengers during the first 11 months of 2008, down 4.2 percent from the 625.9 million carried during the same period in 2007 (Table 7). The passengers were carried on 8.6 million flights, down 4.8 percent from the number of flights operated in 2007 (Table 7).

In the most recent data month, November, the airlines carried 47.6 million scheduled domestic passengers, down 13.6 percent from the number of passengers carried during November 2007 (Table 8). The passengers were carried on 704,700 flights, down 12.4 percent from the 804,600 flights operated in November 2007 (Table 7).

In other domestic comparisons from the first 11 months of 2007 to the first 11 months of 2008 and from November 2007 to November 2008 (Table 7):

Domestic revenue passenger-miles (RPMs), a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, were down 4.0 percent in the first 11 months of 2008.  In November, domestic RPMs were down 14.2 percent. 

Domestic available seat-miles (ASMs), a measure of airline capacity using the number of seats and the distance flown, were down 3.4 percent in the first 11 months of 2008.  In November, domestic ASMs were down 12.2 percent.

Domestic passenger load factor, passenger miles as a proportion of available seat-miles, was down 0.5 load factor points at 79.8 percent in the first 11 months of 2008.  In November, domestic load factor was down 2.0 load factor points at 75.8 percent.

Domestic flight stage length, the average non-stop distance flown per departure, was up 1.0 percent in the first 11 months of 2008.  In November, domestic flight stage length was down 1.0 percent.

Domestic passenger trip length, the average distance flown per passenger, was up 0.2 percent in the first 11 months of 2008.  In November, domestic passenger trip length was down 0.8 percent.

Southwest carried 94.0 million domestic passengers in the first 11 months of 2008, the most of any airline (Table 9). In November, Southwest carried 7.4 million domestic passengers, the most of any airline (Table 10).

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson was the busiest domestic airport in the first 11 months of 2008, with 35.8 million domestic passenger boardings (Table 11). In November, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson was the busiest domestic airport with 3.1 million domestic passenger boardings (Table 12).

International Air Travel (Tables 13-18)

U.S. airlines carried 84.4 million scheduled international passengers during the first 11 months of 2008, up 1.8 percent from the 82.9 million carried during the same period in 2007 (Table 14). The passengers were carried on 781,000 flights, down 1.2 percent from the 790,600 flights operated in 2007 (Table 13).

In the most recent data month, November, the airlines carried 6.4 million scheduled international passengers, down 6.8 percent from the number of passengers carried during November 2007. The passengers were carried on 62,400 flights, down 5.7 percent from the 66,200 flights operated in November 2007 (Table 13).

In other international comparisons from the first 11 months of 2007 to the first 11 months of 2008 and from November 2007 to November 2008 (Table 13):

International revenue passenger-miles (RPMs), a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, were up 3.6 percent in the first 11 months of 2008.  In November, international RPMs were down 5.4 percent. 

International available seat-miles (ASMs), a measure of airline capacity using the number of seats and the distance flown, were up 4.8 percent in the first 11 months of 2008.  In November, international ASMs were down 0.5 percent.

International passenger load factor, passenger miles as a proportion of available seat-miles, was down 0.9 load factor points to 79.2 percent in the first 11 months of 2008.  In November, international load factor was down 4.1 load factor points to 74.3 percent.

International flight stage length, the average non-stop distance flown per departure, was up 4.9 percent in the first 11 months of 2008.  In November, international flight stage length was up 3.8 percent.

International passenger trip length, the average distance flown per passenger, was up 1.7 percent in the first 11 months of 2008.  In November, international passenger trip length was up 1.5 percent.

American carried 19.5 million international passengers in the first 11 months of 2008, the most of any U.S. airline (Table 15). In November, American carried 1.6 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 11 months of 2008, with 4.6 million international passenger boardings (Table 17). In November, Miami was the busiest U.S. airport for international travel on U.S. carriers with 411,400 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 84 carriers as of Feb. 2 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 November, 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 November and international numbers through August 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 November, U.S. carriers reported 230,304 foreign point-to-point passengers. For January through November, U.S. carriers reported 2,604,374 foreign point-to-point passengers.

Data are subject to revision.  BTS has scheduled March 12 for the release of December traffic data.

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

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  Monthly Year-to-Date
Nov 2007 Nov 2008 Change % 2007 2008 Change %
Passengers (in millions) 61.9 54.0 -12.8 708.8 684.1 -3.5
Flights (in thousands) 870.8 767.1 -11.9 9,822.3 9,381.6 -4.5
Revenue Passenger Miles (in billions) 65.3 57.6 -11.8 762.7 748.7 -1.8
Available Seat-Miles (in billions) 83.9 76.4 -9.0 950.3 940.2 -1.1
Load Factor* 77.8 75.4 -2.4 80.3 79.6 -0.7
Flight Stage Length** 705.3 710.7 0.8 704.4 720.2 2.2
Passenger Trip Length*** 1,055.3 1,067.7 1.2 1,076.0 1,094.5 1.7

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)

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  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 70.4 -2.8
August 66.5 71.3 7.3 67.7 -5.1
September 56.4 59.2 4.9 54.2 -8.4
October 61.6 64.2 4.1 59.6 -7.1
November 60.3 61.9 2.7 54.0 -12.8
December 60.7 60.8 0.2    
11 Mo. Total 684.0 708.8 3.6 684.1 -3.5
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-November 2008 System* Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

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Jan-Nov 2008 Rank Carrier Jan-Nov 2008 Enplaned Passengers Jan-Nov 2007 Rank Jan-Nov 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Southwest 93.956 1 93.831 0.1
2 American 85.494 2 90.241 -5.3
3 Delta 65.799 3 67.225 -2.1
4 United 58.413 4 63.234 -7.6
5 US Airways** 50.447 7 37.807 33.4
6 Northwest 45.281 5 49.551 -8.6
7 Continental 43.262 6 44.991 -3.8
8 AirTran 22.630 8 21.810 3.8
9 JetBlue 19.989 10 19.495 2.5
10 SkyWest 19.224 9 20.351 -5.5

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* System equals domestic plus international

** US Airways' Oct-Nov 2007 and Jan-Nov 2008 numbers are the report of the merged US Airways and America West.  The Jan-Sept 2007 numbers were reported separately by US Airways and America West. America West reported 15.657 million system passengers in Jan-Sept 2007.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

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

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

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Nov 2008 Rank Carrier Nov 2008 Enplaned Passengers Nov 2007 Rank Nov 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Southwest 7.447 1 8.272 -10.0
2 American 6.719 2 7.984 -15.8
3 Delta 5.555 3 5.722 -2.9
4 United 4.321 4 5.253 -17.8
5 US Airways 4.065 5 4.470 -9.1
6 Continental 3.369 7 3.895 -13.5
7 Northwest 3.324 6 4.191 -20.7
8 AirTran 1.831 8 1.975 -7.3
9 JetBlue 1.655 10 1.735 -4.6
10 SkyWest 1.525 9 1.774 -14.1

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* System equals domestic plus international

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

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

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

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Jan-Nov 2008 Rank Airport Jan-Nov 2008 Enplaned Passengers Jan-Nov 2007 Rank Jan-Nov 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Atlanta 39.555 1 39.159 1.0
2 Chicago O'Hare 29.014 2 31.642 -8.3
3 Dallas/Ft.Worth 24.547 3 25.751 -4.7
4 Denver 22.085 4 21.907 0.8
5 Los Angeles 20.654 5 21.840 -5.4
6 Las Vegas 18.390 6 19.613 -6.2
7 Phoenix 17.656 7 18.915 -6.7
8 Houston Bush 17.611 8 18.376 -4.2
9 Charlotte 15.770 14 15.188 3.8
10 New York JFK 15.553 11 15.273 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 6. Top 10 U.S. Airports ranked by November 2008 System* Scheduled Enplanements

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Nov 2008 Rank Airport Nov 2008 Enplaned Passengers Nov 2007 Rank Oct 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Atlanta 3.391 1 3.463 -2.1
2 Chicago O'Hare 2.220 2 2.698 -17.7
3 Dallas/Ft.Worth 1.999 3 2.305 -13.3
4 Denver 1.721 5 1.827 -5.8
5 Los Angeles 1.621 4 1.915 -15.3
6 Las Vegas 1.449 6 1.690 -14.2
7 Houston Bush 1.439 7 1.627 -11.6
8 Phoenix 1.427 8 1.620 -11.9
9 Charlotte 1.342 10 1.370 -2.1
10 New York JFK 1.260 11 1.349 -6.6

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

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  Monthly Year-to-Date
Nov 2007 Nov 2008 Change % 2007 2008 Change %
Passengers (in millions) 55.0 47.6 -13.6 625.9 599.7 -4.2
Flights (in thousands) 804.6 704.7 -12.4 9,031.7 8,600.7 -4.8
Revenue Passenger Miles (in billions) 47.3 40.5 -14.2 545.2 523.5 -4.0
Available Seat-Miles (in billions) 60.8 53.4 -12.2 679.0 655.8 -3.4
Load Factor* 77.8 75.8 -2.0 80.3 79.8 -0.5
Flight Stage Length** 621.1 614.6 -1.0 617.1 623.4 1.0
Passenger Trip Length*** 858.5 851.8 -0.8 871.2 873.0 0.2

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)

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  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 -3.4
August 58.3 62.7 7.5 58.8 -6.1
September 49.9 52.3 4.7 47.7 -8.9
October 55.1 57.2 3.8 52.9 -7.5
November 53.9 55.0 2.2 47.6 -13.6
December 53.5 53.3 -0.5    
11 Mo. Total 604.8 625.9 3.5 599.7 -4.2
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-November 2008 Domestic Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

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Jan-Nov 2008 Rank Carrier Jan-Nov 2008 Enplaned Passengers Jan-Nov 2007 Rank Jan-Nov 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Southwest 93.956 1 93.831 0.1
2 American 65.981 2 70.473 -6.4
3 Delta 54.454 3 56.754 -4.1
4 United 47.880 4 52.267 -8.4
5 US Airways* 44.658 7 33.304 34.1
6 Northwest 35.714 5 40.426 -11.7
7 Continental 31.792 6 34.068 -6.7
8 AirTran 22.630 8 21.774 3.9
9 JetBlue 18.783 10 18.802 -0.1
10 SkyWest 18.094 9 19.351 -6.5

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

* US Airways' Oct-Nov 2007 and Jan-Nov 2008 numbers are the report of the merged US Airways and America West. The Jan-Sept 2007 numbers were reported separately by US Airways and America West. America West reported 14.667 million domestic passengers in Jan-Sept 2007.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

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

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

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Nov 2008 Rank Carrier Nov 2008 Enplaned Passengers Nov 2007 Rank Nov 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Southwest 7.447 1 8.272 -10.0
2 American 5.131 2 6.279 -18.3
3 Delta 4.724 3 4.908 -3.7
4 US Airways 3.649 5 4.059 -10.1
5 United 3.551 4 4.345 -18.3
6 Northwest 2.605 6 3.433 -24.1
7 Continental 2.514 7 3.030 -17.0
8 AirTran 1.831 8 1.975 -7.3
9 JetBlue 1.537 10 1.669 -7.9
10 SkyWest 1.436 9 1.691 -15.1

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

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

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

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

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Jan-Nov 2008 Rank Airport Jan-Nov 2008 Enplaned Passengers Jan-Nov 2007 Rank Jan-Nov 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Atlanta 35.832 1 35.575 0.7
2 Chicago O'Hare 26.121 2 28.614 -8.7
3 Dallas/Ft.Worth 22.658 3 23.809 -4.8
4 Denver 21.402 4 21.268 0.6
5 Los Angeles 18.944 5 19.992 -5.2
6 Las Vegas 18.255 6 19.450 -6.1
7 Phoenix 17.033 7 18.333 -7.1
8 Charlotte 14.805 12 14.313 3.4
9 Orlando 14.743 9 15.149 -2.7
10 Houston Bush 14.668 8 15.553 -5.7

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 November 2008 Domestic Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

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Nov 2008 Rank Airport Nov 2008 Enplaned Passengers Nov 2007 Rank Nov 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Atlanta 3.106 1 3.176 -2.2
2 Chicago O'Hare 2.003 2 2.456 -18.4
3 Dallas/Ft.Worth 1.843 3 2.139 -13.9
4 Denver 1.672 4 1.769 -5.5
5 Los Angeles 1.496 5 1.750 -14.5
6 Las Vegas 1.436 6 1.574 -14.2
7 Phoenix 1.375 7 1.569 -12.4
8 Charlotte 1.264 10 1.296 -2.5
9 Houston Bush 1.202 8 1.389 -13.5
10 Orlando 1.147 9 1.336 -14.1

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

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  Monthly Year-to-Date
Nov 2007 Nov 2008 Change % 2007 2008 Change %
Passengers (in millions) 6.9 6.4 -6.8 82.9 84.4 1.8
Flights (in thousands) 66.2 62.4 -5.7 790.6 781.0 -1.2
Revenue Passenger Miles (in billions) 18.1 17.1 -5.4 217.4 225.2 3.6
Available Seat-Miles (in billions) 23.1 23.0 -0.5 271.3 284.4 4.8
Load Factor* 78.4 74.3 -4.1 80.1 79.2 -0.9
Flight Stage Length** 1,729.5 1,796.0 3.8 1,701.9 1,785.9 4.9
Passenger Trip Length*** 2,634.3 2,673.8 1.5 2,622.4 2,667.9 1.7

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 6.6 -5.0
October 6.6 7.0 6.3 6.7 -3.6
November 6.4 6.9 6.5 6.4 -6.8
December 7.2 7.5 4.9    
11 Mo. Total 79.2 82.9 4.7 84.4 1.8
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-November 2008 International Scheduled Enplanements

Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

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Jan-Nov 2008 Rank Carrier Jan-Nov 2008 Enplaned Passengers Jan-Nov 2007 Rank Jan-Nov 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 American 19,512.5 1 19,768.6 -1.3
2 Continental 11,470.2 3 10,922.8 5.0
3 Delta 11,345.4 4 10,471.5 8.3
4 United 10,532.4 2 10,967.4 -4.0
5 Northwest 9,566.8 5 9,125.2 4.8
6 US Airways* 5,788.8 6 4,503.0 28.6
7 Alaska 1,784.4 7 2,017.4 -11.5
8 ExpressJet 1,767.1 8 1,890.6 -6.5
9 Executive 1,424.6 9 1,608.4 -11.4
10 Spirit 1,228.4 11 1,149.4 6.9

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

* US Airways' Oct-Nov 2007 and Jan-Nov 2008 numbers are the report of the merged US Airways and America West. The Jan-Sept 2007 numbers were reported separately by US Airways and America West. America West reported 990.3 thousand international passengers in Jan-Sept 2007.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

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

Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

Excel | CSV

Nov 2008 Rank Carrier Nov 2008 Enplaned Passengers Nov 2007 Rank Nov 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 American 1,587.8 1 1,704.6 -6.9
2 Continental 855.6 3 864.8 -1.1
3 Delta 830.7 4 814.3 2.0
4 United 770.0 2 908.4 -15.2
5 Northwest 719.2 5 758.4 -5.2
6 US Airways 416.1 6 410.8 1.3
7 Alaska 143.9 7 198.3 -27.4
8 ExpressJet 128.2 8 162.9 -21.3
9 JetBlue 117.9 14 65.5 79.9
10 Executive 93.2 9 143.4 -35.0

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

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

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

Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

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Jan-Nov 2008 Rank Airport Jan-Nov 2008 Enplaned Passengers Jan-Nov 2007 Rank Jan-Nov 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Miami 4,621.4 1 4,381.9 5.5
2 New York JFK 3,993.8 2 3,617.8 10.4
3 Atlanta 3,722.6 3 3,584.0 3.9
4 Newark 3,650.7 4 3,417.9 6.8
5 Houston Bush 2,943.2 6 2,823.5 4.2
6 Chicago O'Hare 2,892.7 5 3,028.3 -4.5
7 Dallas/Ft.Worth 1,889.9 7 1,942.1 -2.7
8 Los Angeles 1,710.0 8 1,848.2 -7.5
9 San Francisco 1,668.1 9 1,699.4 -1.8
10 Detroit Metro 1,533.4 10 1,521.9 0.8

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 November 2008 International Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines

Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

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Nov 2008 Rank Airport Nov 2008 Enplaned Passengers Nov 2007 Rank Nov 2007 Enplaned Passengers Pct. Change 2007-2008
1 Miami 411.4 1 395.6 4.0
2 New York JFK 313.7 2 316.7 -1.0
3 Atlanta 285.7 3 286.6 -0.3
4 Newark 277.2 4 273.1 1.5
5 Houston Bush 237.0 6 237.8 -0.3
6 Chicago O'Hare 217.3 5 242.0 -10.2
7 Dallas/Ft.Worth 156.1 7 165.9 -5.9
8 Los Angeles 124.9 8 164.6 -24.1
9 Washington Dulles 117.9 11 116.7 1.1
10 San Francisco 111.6 9 147.6 -24.4

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

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.



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