System Traffic Up 0.5 Percent from December 2010

The U.S. DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported Thursday that U.S. airlines carried 58.9 million scheduled domestic and international passengers in December 2011, 0.6 percent more domestic passengers and 0.3 percent more international passengers than in December 2010. These increases resulted in a systemwide increase of 0.5 percent in passengers from December 2010.  The December 2011 passenger total was 3.4 percent above that of two years ago in December 2009.

BTS, a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, also reported in a release of preliminary data the system load factor of 80.8 percent and the domestic load factor of 81.2 percent were record highs for the month of December.

U.S. airlines carried 730.0 million total system passengers during the full year 2011, up 1.3 percent from 2010. Domestically, they carried 637.5 million passengers, up 1.3 percent from 2010. Internationally, they carried 92.5 million passengers, up 1.7 percent from 2010. Systemwide, domestic and international annual totals were the highest since 2008.

In 2011, the domestic load factor was at an all-time high while the international load factor declined from the all-time high in 2010 and the system load factor equaled the previous record set in 2010. Domestic capacity, measured by available seat-miles, increased 1.1 percent in 2011 compared to 2010, while revenue passenger miles (RPMs) increased by a larger 2.0 percent, resulting in the record domestic load factor. The international load factor declined as airlines added 4.1 percent more capacity while RPMs increased by a smaller 2.2 percent. Systemwide capacity was up 2.1 percent compared to a 2.0 percent increase in RPMs.

FMI: www.bts.gov