U.S. airlines carried 4.1 percent more domestic passengers in 2005 on almost the same number of domestic flights as they operated in 2004, 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 (RITA), reported that the airlines carried 660 million domestic passengers during 2005, up from the 635 million carried in 2004. The rise in passengers slowed during the final three months of 2005 when only 379,000 more passengers flew than during the same three months of 2004, an increase of 0.2 percent (Table 2). The passengers were carried on 10 million flights in each year (Table 1).
In other domestic comparisons from 2004 to 2005:
Revenue passenger miles, a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, were up 4.5 percent.
Available seat-miles, a measure of airline capacity using the number of seats and the distance flown, were up less than 1 percent.
Passenger load factor, passengers carried as a proportion of available seats, was up 2.7 load factor points.
Flight stage length, the average non-stop distance flown per departure, was up less than 2 percent.
Passenger trip length, the average distance flown per passenger, was 867 miles per trip, up only slightly from 864 miles in 2004.
Among airlines, Southwest Airlines carried 88 million domestic passengers during 2005, the most of any airline (Table 3).
Among airports, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was the busiest U.S. airport for domestic travel during 2005, with 39 million passenger boardings (Table 4).
December 2005 Airline Traffic
For the month of December 2005, U.S. airlines carried 53 million domestic passengers, 0.2 percent more than in December 2004 (Table 5).
These passengers were carried on 805,000 flights, down 4 percent from the 843,000 flights operated in December 2004.
In other month-to-month domestic comparisons from December 2004 to December 2005:
Revenue passenger miles, a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, were up 2 percent.
Available seat-miles, a measure of airline capacity, were down 2 percent.
Passenger load factor, passengers carried as a proportion of available seats, was up 3.0 load factor points.
Flight stage length, the average non-stop distance flown per departure, was up 3 percent.
Passenger trip length, the average distance flown per passenger, was up 2 percent.
Among airlines, Southwest Airlines carried 7 million domestic passengers during December, the most of any airline (Table 6).
Among airports, Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta was the busiest U.S. airport for domestic travel in December with 3 million passenger boardings (Table 7).
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.â€
Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial air carriers detailing operations, passenger traffic and freight traffic. December traffic data are preliminary and include data received by BTS from 128 airlines as of March 14. Data are subject to revision.
Revised data from November 2005 and previous months are posted on the BTS website at http://transtats.bts.gov. BTS will release January traffic data and revised data from December and previous months on April 13.
BTS
BTS, a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), reported that the airlines carried 660 million domestic passengers during 2005, up from the 635 million carried in 2004. The rise in passengers slowed during the final three months of 2005 when only 379,000 more passengers flew than during the same three months of 2004, an increase of 0.2 percent (Table 2). The passengers were carried on 10 million flights in each year (Table 1).
In other domestic comparisons from 2004 to 2005:
Revenue passenger miles, a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, were up 4.5 percent.
Available seat-miles, a measure of airline capacity using the number of seats and the distance flown, were up less than 1 percent.
Passenger load factor, passengers carried as a proportion of available seats, was up 2.7 load factor points.
Flight stage length, the average non-stop distance flown per departure, was up less than 2 percent.
Passenger trip length, the average distance flown per passenger, was 867 miles per trip, up only slightly from 864 miles in 2004.
Among airlines, Southwest Airlines carried 88 million domestic passengers during 2005, the most of any airline (Table 3).
Among airports, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was the busiest U.S. airport for domestic travel during 2005, with 39 million passenger boardings (Table 4).
December 2005 Airline Traffic
For the month of December 2005, U.S. airlines carried 53 million domestic passengers, 0.2 percent more than in December 2004 (Table 5).
These passengers were carried on 805,000 flights, down 4 percent from the 843,000 flights operated in December 2004.
In other month-to-month domestic comparisons from December 2004 to December 2005:
Revenue passenger miles, a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, were up 2 percent.
Available seat-miles, a measure of airline capacity, were down 2 percent.
Passenger load factor, passengers carried as a proportion of available seats, was up 3.0 load factor points.
Flight stage length, the average non-stop distance flown per departure, was up 3 percent.
Passenger trip length, the average distance flown per passenger, was up 2 percent.
Among airlines, Southwest Airlines carried 7 million domestic passengers during December, the most of any airline (Table 6).
Among airports, Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta was the busiest U.S. airport for domestic travel in December with 3 million passenger boardings (Table 7).
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.â€
Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial air carriers detailing operations, passenger traffic and freight traffic. December traffic data are preliminary and include data received by BTS from 128 airlines as of March 14. Data are subject to revision.
Revised data from November 2005 and previous months are posted on the BTS website at http://transtats.bts.gov. BTS will release January traffic data and revised data from December and previous months on April 13.
BTS
