2010 Traffic Data for U.S Airlines and Foreign Airlines U.S. Flights: Total Passengers Up from 2009, Still Below 2008

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Contact BTS 17-11 Dave Smallen 202-366-5568

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 - The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today reported that 786.7 million scheduled passengers traveled on U.S. airlines and on foreign airlines serving the United States in 2010. This is a 2.1 percent increase from 2009 (Table 1). The 2010 passenger total still remained 3.2 percent below the level of 812.3 million in 2008 (Table 2).

BTS, a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, in a release of preliminary data, reported that U.S. airlines carried 2.4 percent more total system passengers in 2010 than in 2009. U.S. airlines carried 1.9 percent more domestic passengers in 2010 and 5.9 percent more international passengers than in 2009. Passengers to and from the United States on foreign carriers decreased 0.3 percent from 2009 (Table 1A).

This release includes data on U.S. carrier scheduled domestic and international service and foreign carrier scheduled international service to and from the United States .  BTS regular monthly air traffic releases include data on U.S. carrier scheduled service only.   For U.S. domestic service data for 2010, see the BTS December Air Traffic press release.

During the first six months of 2010, the number of passengers carried on U.S. airlines and on foreign airlines to and from the United States increased 1.6 percent from the same period in 2009.  During the last six months, this increase was 2.6 percent (Table 2).

Top Airlines in 2010

Delta Air Lines, following its merger with Northwest Airlines, carried more total system passengers in 2010  than any other U.S. airline for the first time since 2001 (Table 3).  Delta carried more international passengers to and from the United States in 2010 than any other U.S. or foreign carrier after American had carried the most for 20 consecutive years (Table 7).

Top Airports in 2010

More total system passengers boarded planes in 2010 at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International than at any other U.S. airport (Table 4); and more international passengers boarded planes at New York John F. Kennedy than at any other U.S. airport (Table 8).

For more information on U.S. carrier domestic operations, see the BTS December Air Traffic press release.

Flights Operated

U.S. carriers and foreign carriers serving the United States operated 10.0 million domestic and international flights in 2010, 0.8 percent fewer than operated in 2009 (Table 1). 

For other U.S. and foreign airline comparisons from 2009 to 2010, see the following tables

Domestic + International Air Travel to and from the United States on U.S. and Foreign Airlines (Tables 1-4)

Table 1:
Passengers
Flights
Revenue passenger-miles (RPMs)
Available seat-miles (ASMs)
Passenger load factor
Flight stage length
Passenger trip length

Table 2
Scheduled enplanements on U.S. airlines and foreign airlines serving the United States by month since January 2008

Airline Rankings

Table 3
Top 10 airlines by scheduled domestic and international passenger enplanements

Table 4
Top 10 airports by scheduled domestic and international passenger enplanements

International Air Travel to and from the United States on U.S. and Foreign Airlines (Tables 5-8)

Table 5
Passengers
Flights
Revenue passenger-miles (RPMs)
Available seat-miles (ASMs)
Passenger load factor
Flight stage length
Passenger trip length

Table 6
International scheduled enplanements on U.S. airlines and foreign airlines serving the United States by month since January 2008.

Table 7
Top 10 airlines by scheduled international passenger enplanements

Table 8
Top 10 U.S. airports by scheduled international passenger enplanements

Reporting Notes

Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial U.S. and foreign air carriers detailing operations, passenger traffic and freight traffic. This release includes data received by BTS from 173 carriers as of March 16 for U.S. and foreign carrier scheduled civilian operations. Go to http://www.transtats.bts.gov/releaseinfo.asp for the complete list of reporting and non-reporting carriers.  TranStats results for foreign carriers may differ from the press release until the next database update scheduled for April 15. 

For additional passenger, flight, RPM, ASM, load factor and freight numbers, go to the BTS home page and use the links in the Airline Industry box. International totals and results for foreign carriers may differ from the press release until the next database update scheduled for April 15. These tables do not include U.S. carrier foreign point-to-point operations. For 2010, U.S. carriers reported 2,751,453 foreign point-to-point passengers.

To create a customized table for U.S. carrier passengers, flights, RPMs, ASMs and other data, including non-scheduled service, go to BTS 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 U.S. carrier system passengers, RPMs and ASMs by carrier through December, 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 December and international numbers through September 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. Complete international data will be released on July 15.

TranStats system and international totals do not include U.S. carriers ’ foreign point-to-point flights.

Table 1: Scheduled Domestic and International Airline Travel on U.S. and Foreign Airlines*

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

* Includes U.S. carrier scheduled domestic and international service and foreign carrier scheduled international service to and from the United States .  For U.S. carrier domestic and international service data for 2009, see the BTS December air traffic press release

** 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 1A.  Passengers on U.S. Carriers and on Foreign Carriers' U.S. Flights 2009-2010

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

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Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

Table 2. Scheduled Domestic and International Enplanements by Month on U.S. and Foreign Airlines*

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

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Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* Includes U.S. carrier scheduled domestic and international service and foreign carrier scheduled international service to and from the United States .  For U.S. carrier domestic and international service data for 2009, see the BTS December air traffic press release

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 3. Top 10 Airlines, ranked by January-December 2010 Scheduled Domestic and International Enplanements*

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

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Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* Includes U.S. carrier scheduled domestic and international service and foreign carrier scheduled international service to and from the United States .  For U.S. carrier domestic and international service data for 2009, see the BTS December air traffic press release

** Delta's January-December 2010 number is the report of the merged Delta and Northwest.  The January-December 2009 numbers were reported separately by Delta and Northwest. Northwest reported 40.865 million system passengers in January-December 2009.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.                            

Table 4. Top 10 Airports ranked by January-December 2010 Scheduled Domestic and International Enplanements on U.S. and Foreign Airlines*

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

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Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* Includes U.S. carrier scheduled domestic and international service and foreign carrier scheduled international service to and from the United States .  For U.S. carrier domestic and international service data for 2009, see the BTS December air traffic press release

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 5. International Scheduled Airline Travel on U.S. and Foreign Airlines*

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

* Includes U.S. carrier scheduled international service and foreign carrier scheduled international service to and from the United States .  For U.S. carrier scheduled international service data for 2009, see the BTS December air traffic press release

** 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 6. International Scheduled Enplanements by Month on U.S. and Foreign Airlines*

Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)

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

* Includes U.S. carrier scheduled international service and foreign carrier scheduled international service to and from the United States .  For U.S. carrier scheduled international service data for 2009, see the BTS December air traffic press release

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 7. Top 10 Airlines, ranked by January-December 2010 International Scheduled Enplanements*

Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

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

* Includes U.S. carrier scheduled international service and foreign carrier scheduled international service to and from the United States .  For U.S. carrier scheduled international service data for 2009, see the BTS December air traffic press release

** Delta's January-December 2010 number is the report of the merged Delta and Northwest.  The January-December 2009 numbers were reported separately by Delta and Northwest. Northwest reported 8333.1 thousand international passengers in January-December 2009.

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 8. Top 10 Airports ranked by January-December 2010 International Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. and Foreign Airlines*

Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

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

* Includes U.S. carrier scheduled international service and foreign carrier scheduled international service to and from the United States.  For U.S. carrier scheduled international service data for 2009, see the BTS December air traffic press release

Note: Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding.