BTS Releases October 2011 Airline Traffic Data; System Traffic Down 1.5 Percent from October 2010

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today in a release of preliminary data that U.S. airlines carried 61.2 million scheduled domestic and international passengers in October 2011. This is a 1.5 percent decrease over October 2010.  The October 2011 passenger total was 4.1 percent above that of two years ago in October 2009.

BTS, a part of DOT's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, also reported that U.S. airlines carried 1.3 percent fewer domestic passengers in October 2011 than in October 2010.  The number of international passengers on U.S. carriers in October 2011 decreased 3.0 percent from October 2010. The domestic load factor of 83.6 percent was a record high for the month of October. 

U.S. airlines carried 613.0 million total system passengers during the first 10 months of 2011, up 1.5 percent from the same period in 2010. Domestically, they carried 534.6 million passengers, up 1.4 percent from 2010. Internationally, they carried 78.4 million passengers, up 2.2 percent from 2010. Systemwide, domestic and international totals were all the highest for January through October since 2008. See Tables 2, 8 and 14 of Air Traffic Press Releases for previous year numbers.

Additional traffic numbers can be found on the BTS website in the Airlines and Airports box. Click on a link in the column on the right. For more historic numbers, see Traffic on the BTS website.

See Air Traffic Release for summary tables and additional data.