May 2004 Domestic Traffic Up 6.3 Percent From May 2003

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today reported, in a release of preliminary data, that U.S. airlines carried 52.6 million domestic passengers in May, 6.3 percent more than in May 2003.

These passengers were carried on 802,602 flights, up 0.6 percent from the flights operated in May 2003. In other domestic comparisons from May 2003 to May 2004:

• Revenue passenger miles, a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, were up 9.9 percent.
• Available seat-miles, a measure of airline capacity, were up 9.3 percent.
• Load factor, a measure of how many seats are sold and used, was up 0.4 percentage points.
• Flight stage length, the average non-stop distance, was up 7.4 percent.
• Passenger trip length, the average distance passengers travel, was up 3.5 percent.

The number of domestic airline passengers fell 2.0 percent in May from April. Month-to-month comparisons may be affected by seasonal factors.

Among airlines, Southwest Airlines garnered the top spot on the list as it carried 7.1 million domestic passengers in May. Among airports, Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta continued in May to be the busiest domestic airport, with 3.3 million passenger boardings.

FMI: http://transtats.bts.gov