BTS 4-05
Contact: Dave Smallen, Tel.: (202) 366-5568
Thursday, January 13, 2005

BTS Releases October Airline Traffic Data;
Ten-Month Domestic Traffic Up 7.7 Percent From 2003 

U.S. airlines carried 7.7 percent more domestic passengers and flew 4.1 percent more domestic flights during the first 10 months of 2004 than they did during the same period in 2003, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today reported, in a release of preliminary data (Table 1). 

The airlines carried 527.5 million domestic passengers during the first 10 months of 2004, up from the 489.9 million carried between January and October 2003 (Table 2). The passengers were carried on 8.3 million flights, up 4.1 percent from the 8.0 million flights operated in 2003 (Table 1). 

In other domestic comparisons from the first 10 months of 2003 to the first 10 months of 2004: 

            Revenue passenger miles, a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, were up 10.5 percent. 

            Available seat-miles, a measure of airline capacity, were up 7.9 percent. 

            Load factor, a measure of how many seats are sold and used, was up 1.8 percentage points. 

            Flight stage length, the average non-stop distance, was up 4.2 percent. 

            Passenger trip length, the average distance passengers travel, was up 2.6 percent. 

            Among airlines, Southwest Airlines carried 67.9 million domestic passengers during the first 10 months of 2004, the most of any airline (Table 3). 

Among airports, Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta was the busiest U.S. airport for domestic travel during the first 10 months of 2004, with 31.4 million passenger boardings (Table 4).

October 2004 Airline Traffic

            In October 2004, U.S. airlines carried 53.4 million domestic passengers, 6.0 percent more than in October 2003 (Table 5). 

These passengers were carried on 807,788 flights, down 2.6 percent from the flights operated in October 2003.  Several air carriers with about 90,000 monthly departures have yet to report October data.  These carriers’ reports would have little effect on October passengers, seats and miles. 

In other month-to-month domestic comparisons from October 2003 to October 2004: 

            Revenue passenger miles, a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, were up 9.3 percent. 

            Available seat-miles, a measure of airline capacity, were up 5.2 percent. 

            Load factor, a measure of how many seats are sold and used, was up 2.8 percentage points. 

            Flight stage length, the average non-stop distance, was up 6.6 percent. 

            Passenger trip length, the average distance passengers travel, was up 3.1 percent. 

            The number of domestic airline passengers rose 11.0 percent in October from September (Table 2).  Month-to-month comparisons may be affected by seasonal factors. 

            Among airlines, Southwest Airlines carried 6.9 million domestic passengers during October, the most of any airline (Table 6). 

Among airports, Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta was the busiest U.S. airport for domestic travel during October, with 3.2 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.” 

Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial air carriers detailing operations, passenger traffic and freight traffic.  October traffic data are preliminary and include data received by BTS from 97 airlines as of Jan. 11.  Data are subject to revision.            

Revised data from September 2004 and previous months are posted on the BTS website at http://transtats.bts.gov.  BTS will release November traffic data on Feb. 10. 
 

Table 1: Domestic Airline Travel January to October

	Jan-Oct 2003	Jan-Oct 2004	Change
Passengers	489,902,499	527,479,187	7.7%
Flights	7,988,549	8,312,918	4.1%
Revenue Passenger Miles(000)	414,686,066	458,316,685	10.5%
Available Seat-Miles(000)	568,047,097	612,663,007	7.9%
Load Factor	73.0	74.8	1.8 Pts.
Flight Stage Length	575	599	4.2%
Passenger Trip Length	846	869	2.6%

 Source: T-100 Domestic Market and Segment

  

Table 2. Total Industry Domestic Enplanements

Month	2003	2004
January	43,301,100	44,115,683
February	41,503,697	45,612,845
March	50,387,301	54,512,292
April	47,363,867	53,610,906
May	49,412,315	53,321,011
June	52,539,413	57,242,810
July	56,148,081	60,074,910
August	54,319,794	57,538,518
September	44,576,369	48,077,772
October	50,350,562	53,372,440
November	47,455,309
December	50,126,721
Jan-Oct Total	489,902,499	527,479,187

 Source: T-100 Domestic Market