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Summary

We publicly released our fifth periodic report on airline and aviation metrics, which updates data for the last half of 2003. This report contains 40 metrics we developed for monitoring airline industry trends relating to domestic-system demand and capacity, performance, finances, and air service at small airports. Included among the findings:

• Break-even load factors are declining as airlines reduce costs and raise airfares.
• Scheduled flights, available seats, and enplanements continued to decline, but the use of regional jets dramatically increased.
• The number of scheduled flights in the last quarter of 2003 exceeded 2002 levels.
• Scheduled flights involving regional jets increased 140 percent since 2000, with regional jets now making up 25 percent of scheduled flights.
• As of December, low-fare and other small carriers accounted for 46 percent of all domestic air service.

  The metrics are based on data obtained from the Department, FAA, and the Airline Transport Association and provide decision makers with past, present, and future indicators of domestic air-service levels and the general state of the airline industry.