Carried 769 Million Passengers For The Year

US airlines set an annual record by carrying 769.4 million scheduled domestic and international passengers on their systems in 2007, nearly 25 million more passengers or 3.3 percent more than they did in 2006 when the previous high was reached, the US Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported Thursday in a release of preliminary data.

BTS, a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that US airlines carried 3.1 percent more domestic passengers in 2007 than in 2006, for an annual record of 679 million. US airlines carried 4.7 percent more international passengers in 2007 than in 2006, for an annual record of 90 million. These passengers traveled on planes with average load factors of 79.9 percent, an annual record.

In December, the most recent month, US airlines carried 60.8 million scheduled domestic and international passengers, 0.1 percent more than in December 2006. The number of domestic passengers decreased 0.6 percent in December from a year earlier and international passengers increased 4.9 percent (Tables 7, 13).

Southwest Airlines carried more total system passengers in 2007 than any other airline for the first time. American Airlines had topped the list in the previous five years; Southwest carried more domestic passengers than any other airline for the fourth consecutive year; and American carried more international passengers than any US carrier for the 18th consecutive year.

As far as airport totals, more total system and domestic passengers boarded planes operated by US carriers in 2007 at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International than at any other US airport for the 12th consecutive year; more international passengers boarded US carriers at Miami International than at any other US airport for the 13th consecutive year.

US carriers operated 10.7 million domestic and international flights in 2007, 1.0 percent more than were operated in 2006. Domestic fights were up 1.0 percent from the previous year while international flights were up 0.8 percent.

In December, US airlines operated 872,900 scheduled domestic and international flights, down 0.4 percent from the number of flights operated in December 2006. The number of domestic flights declined 0.5 percent in December from a year earlier while international flights increased 0.8 percent.

Further breakdown of the record-setting numbers, including charted data, is available at the FMI link below.

FMI: www.bts.gov