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.